John Baldoni's Blog

FA reporter arranges for an interview with Armando Iannucci, the noted creator of such shows as Veep and movies like The Death of Stalin. In his darkly comic work, characters are willfully mean to one another. The reporter is Nancy Updike, and her interview will be for a show she edits This American Life. She is a big fan of Iannucci’s work and is eager to conduct the interview.

Just as Nancy meets Iannucci, she suffers a nosebleed—a real gusher. Off she goes to the bathroom. Nancy recalls one female character in an Iannucci movie suffering bleeding teeth, a source of mockery for other characters.

Iannucci may spin stories of spiteful people, but Iannucci the person is different. As Nancy says, “I walked out of the bathroom, not even sure the interview was still possible. So much time had been lost. And [Iannucci] said, with perfect grace, ‘I’m not in a rush.’” The interview will go on, and Iannucci will make extra time for it.

As someone who has experienced nosebleeds, including just before going on stage to speak, I know the sheer embarrassment of the moment. Your sense of dignity is floating out of your nose. You want to speak, but you need to tend to your nose first. All of us have been in these kinds of situations where we want to make a good impression, but circumstances get in the way.

This story got me thinking about how often, in our moments of weakness or embarrassment—when we believe we will be met with hostility—we encounter grace and understanding. When you are on the receiving end, the sense of mortification melts away, and relief floods in. Our sympathies lie with the sufferer, but how often, when we encounter someone having a moment of discomfort, we fall back on our own sense of self-importance?

Put Yourself Second

Our intention is not cruelty; our lack of intention is the problem. After all, we are busy people, and busy people cannot be bothered by other people’s problems. So, what can we do to ensure that our intentions outshine our lack of them? Here are some suggestions.

Be present. Know what is happening at the moment. Read the expressions of those you are with. Believe it or not, you may not be the most important person in their lives, even if you are their boss. Make eye contact. Smile, if appropriate. 

Be empathetic. Slow down. Listen to what others are saying. Do not leap to conclusions, like, “I’ve heard this before.” Express sympathy by asking how they are feeling and coping in the moment. 

Be compassionate. Ask what you can do to help. Sometimes, the only thing to do is to listen. Other times, you can help them solve a problem or contribute. Be there for them by listening and acting when necessary.

All of these actions are easy to say but often hard to implement. This is not because we are self-absorbed but because the pace of our lives pushes and pulls us, and so we do not always act with the best of intentions.

Acting with kindness

There is a story I have told a few times, maybe even on stage – when my nose was not bleeding. It involves Winston Churchill, who at times could be very brusque and unchivalrous, meeting James Allan Ward, a New Zealand airman who had risked his life climbing out of the bomber to extinguish a fire in one of the engines of his Wellington bomber. Ward’s bravery earned him the Victoria Cross, Britain’s highest award for valor. His bravery, however, did not shield him from a bad case of nerves as Churchill approached him. “You must feel very humble and awkward in my presence.” Ward said, “Yes, sir.” Churchill, a combat vet, responded warmly, “Then you can imagine how humble and awkward I feel in yours.”

First posted on Forbes.com on 1.22.2025

“Jimmy Carter Lauded for His Humility and Service,” stated the Associated Press headline over a story about the 39^th president’s funeral at the National Cathedral.

It is not often that we remember national leaders for their sense of humility. After all, you cannot be elected to high office if you lack a strong ego. President Carter certainly believed in his own abilities, and at times, he brooked little dissent and had a tendency to micro-manage. But taken as a whole, Carter lived a life of service, and as an evangelical Christian, he sought to live by a creed that reminded believers of the need to be humble.

Life of Service

At his funeral, his grandsons noted Carter’s commitment to service. Joshua Carter said, “He built houses for people who needed homes. He eliminated diseases in forgotten places. He waged peace anywhere in the world, wherever he saw a chance. He loved people.”

Mentioning his grandmother Roslyn and their frugality, Jason Carter noted, “They were small-town people who never forgot who they were and where they were from no matter what happened in their lives.” The Carter Center that Jason chairs is testimony to the late president’s commitment to service.

Humility is often spoken about in leadership circles but too often not practiced. After all, when you are running a large organization, you need people to follow your example. You need to demonstrate that you have a command of the issues and can make the big decisions. Humility takes a back seat to projecting authority.

How Leaders Serve

Good leaders with whom I know manifest a strong sense of self, but they know they can achieve little by themselves. One example is Alan Mulally, who became CEO of Ford Motor Company when it was on the verge of bankruptcy. Observers believed that Mulally, an executive from Boeing, would clean house. He did nothing of the kind. Instead, he provided strong direction by focusing on the issues and mobilizing the senior team to coordinate and collaborate. 

Another leader is Garry Ridge, CEO emeritus of the WD-40 Company. Garry believed that managers were coaches whose job was to bring out the best in their people. That means providing them with the resources and support they need to succeed.

Humility and service are complementary. You need humility to recognize that leadership is a team game. Your purpose is to do what you can to put people in positions where they can succeed. Service to others and for others is paramount. Frances Hesselbein, former CEO of the Girl Scouts, was fond of saying, “To serve is to live.”

One-time White House aide Stuart Eizenstat noted in his eulogy that Carter “may not be a candidate for Mount Rushmore, but he belongs in the foothills.” This is not a bad remembrance for a president who never forgot the lessons of living simply but seeking to do good works by serving others.

First posted on Forbes.com 1.00.2025

You animate the structure upon which our government stands.

Your work keeps us safe at home and abroad,

and in the air and in the food and drugs we take.

You fund rural development – hospitals, clinics and fire stations and so much more.

You also partner with businesses – large and small – to get important things done.

For the benefits of communities large and small.

You collect our taxes. (Darn!)

But we know government like liberty is not free.

Do we say that government gets in the way?

Do we complain about government being too big and too intrusive?

Can it be topped, trimmed and thrifted?

Yes!

But with care and concern for those who have labored for us.

You represent our needs.

You deserve the respect that some would deny you have

Until a road needs building,

A bridge spanned,

A forest fire rages,

Or a hurricane blows.

Thank you for being there for us.

Now is our time to speak up for you.

Amen.

Of all the things you think the Pope should be doing – supervising the running of a global organization, greeting people from all walks of life  — including presidents and potentates — and yes, keeping the faith, the last thing you might expect him to do is author an op-ed in the New York Times on the subject of humor.

“Life inevitably has its sadnesses, which are part of every path of hope and every path toward conversation,” writes Pope Francis. “But it is important to avoid wallowing in melancholy at all costs, not to let it embitter the heart.” One way to keep such bitterness at bay is through jokes and funny stories, which the Pope says, “which we [priests] are quite good at telling, as well as being the object of them.”

True to his word, the Pope cites a humor story that his predecessor, John XXIII, used to tell about a dream he had, in which he itemized the serious problems he was facing and said to himself that he must tell the Pope. Then he awakened and said, “And I remember that the pope is me.”

The Lighter Touch

Pope Francis’s use of humor is in the tradition of some of the great leaders of the ages. Franklin Roosevelt found comfort in his nightly cocktail rituals, which were a gossipy affair punctuated by funny stories. Queen Elizabeth loved good jokes and used humor to put people at ease.

The best stateman storyteller was Abraham Lincoln. Having been a circuit-riding lawyer, he was a master at spinning yarns and not shy about poking a bit of fun at himself, including about his homely looks.

One day, Lincoln was riding in the woods when he came across a mean-looking man with a gun who yelled, “Halt!” When Lincoln asked why he was being detained, the man said, “I vowed if I ever met a man uglier than myself I would shoot him on the spot.” Abe replied, “If I am uglier than you, shoot away!”

Lincoln was so comfortable in his skin that when Stephen Douglas called him “two-faced” in one of their debates, Lincoln replied, “If I had another face, do you think I would wear this one?”

Humor levels all

Humor is a great leveler. It reveals the humanity of ourselves – the best of ourselves and the not-so-best parts. And it’s the latter that brings out real character.

A leader who cannot laugh at themself is lacking in self-awareness.

Fundamental to our condition is our imperfection. It is important to address our shortcomings and find ways to improve them. Along the way, soliciting feedback from others about how we might improve is vital. And when that feedback stings, it is vital to take it in stride, and if delivered by an underling who may be trembling at the telling to defuse any tension with a quip like, “You know, I expected you to tell the truth about me, but not the whole truth.” Closing with a wink and smile, of course.

“A sense of humor,” wrote Hugh Sidey, Time magazine’s White House news columnist, “is needed armor. Joy in one’s heart and some laughter on one’s lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life.” Good advice for presidents and leaders at every level.

First posted on Forbes.com 12.18.2024

The other day, I was asked how I empower myself. It was a question I had not been asked before, but after a moment’s reflection, I replied with four words. Learn. Work. Connect. Serve.

Learn. College, my physician father used to say, is where you go to learn how to learn. While that statement does apply to college, it can be broadened to include any experience that teaches us lessons – be it a sport, a craft, an art, or an application of a skill. Our challenge – indeed our responsibility – is to integrate those experiences into learning lessons.

Work. There is dignity to work. Putting yourself into your work means you are applying what you know to what you can do. There is a satisfaction to labor, a job well done. Hard work may be the most satisfying because you know you have applied not only your knowledge but your energy. Fatigue from work (not overwork) indicates that you have put forth the effort.

Connect. Loneliness has become so widespread that it is a health condition affecting one in five Americans. Too many of us lack the connection with others. Robert Waldinger, MD, who leads the Harvard, the longest-running study of adults dating back to the late Thirties, writes in his book, The Good Life, that what matters most in life is not wealth or health. It is the connection to others. From relationships, we create a community, a place where we feel we belong.

Serve. The purpose of life is to serve yourself and others. You serve yourself by applying the four words above. Doing so puts you in a position to serve others. The late Frances Hesselbein taught us to lead is to serve. 

Her good friend Alan Mulally, former CEO of Ford Motor Company, lives by this mantra. With one addition. Love. Without love, our lives would be empty. We both need it to enrich us as we, in turn, use it to enrich others. Love powers our ability to serve.

What you do with those five words – and any others you find relevant – will enable you to define how you want to live your life. Choose wisely, and continue to apply what you have learned to make a positive difference for yourself and others.

First post on SmartBrief.com 12.11.2024

Uncertainty is the watchword of our times. As we navigate the post-Covid landscape, many organizations make hard decisions about where they are going next and how many employees they will need for their new future.

For some companies and their employees, layoffs are looming or have already occurred. Senior leaders’ strategic decisions impact the lives of millions. What will I do next? becomes the question of the day.

Mary Olson-Menzel knows the feeling. She began her career as a TV news reporter and then moved into executive recruiting, a natural fit for her interviewing skills. After running a search firm, she made the leap into executive coaching, working with senior executives of leading companies. Now, Olson-Menzel has distilled her insights into a new book, What Lights You Up? Illuminate Your Path and Take the Next Big Step in Your Career.

Dealing with layoffs

“The whole idea about a layoff — or a looming layoff — is to be prepared for that layoff well before it happens,” Olson-Menzel told me in a recent interview. Preparation involves maintaining a strong network. “Talk to different people about what’s happening out there in the industry. Even when you’re happy in a job, you want to be prepared for the unexpected.”

Olson-Menzel says, “Anyone who’s been hit by a layoff — expected or unexpected — it’s a grieving process. There’s the shock factor that happens. I mean, we’re all human, right? And it’s a blow to our ego. It’s a blow to our bank account.”

Do not brush these feelings aside, says Olson-Menzel. “If you can allow yourself to feel the feelings, have the grace for yourself, the grace that you would give to other people.” You need this strength to move forward. 

The key to getting back on your feet is to project a sense of confidence. As Olson-Menzel says, you do not have to do it alone. “When you’re going through the roadblocks and the ups and downs in life, you need to be okay asking for help. Really be okay leaning into that support system. Because nine times out of ten people want to help you.”

Tell your story

One way to demonstrate who you are and what you can do is by learning to tell your story. “Story is the key to human connection. Storytelling has been around since the stone ages, and if you can tell an authentic story about your life and your career trajectory and how you got to where you are today, your nine times out of ten going to be able to connect on a much deeper level with the person that’s interviewing you.”

Olson-Menzel says part of your story may involve accounting for gaps in your resume, such as when you may have been out of work. She encourages individuals to be honest about such gaps but also includes a bit of creativity. For example, one of her clients who took time off for her children referred to her job as chief of operations, itemizing all she was doing for her family. Tell your story in ways that “will make somebody smile or make somebody laugh.”

Three factors

When considering a job—or career—change, there are three factors to consider: prospects, pivots and passions. Prospects are organizations that may hire you. Pivots are new possibilities where you might be hired if your existing skill set can be adapted to a new operating environment. Passion “is where you can take what you love to do and what truly lights you up and apply it into a structure where you can earn money and do it as a living.” 

Regarding pivot, Menzel-Olson says, “I tell my clients, say yes to every conversation, even if it doesn’t feel like it might be a fit, you have no idea where it will lead to. But there are beautiful pivots that can happen very organically if you’re open to conversations and open to the idea that you might not be able to check all the boxes of that position description. But if you have the right energy, the right attitude, there are many hiring managers who will take a chance on you and teach you the skills.”

In your new job

Once you land the job, you need to find ways to acclimate. “Now you become a student of the company… You soak up everything.” This kind of effort will enable the new employee to not only understand the organization but also the people in it.

Meet with your peers, your bosses, and whoever else you can. “Learning what it is that drives them, and what you can do to help them do their jobs better.” Once you know how you can fit it, you can collaborate. And those who collaborate well earn trust and, in time, build influence.

Influence is fundamental to leadership. And, says Olson-Menzel, leadership does not always involve having direct reports. “Even if you’re not leading people, you can become a leader in the organization. You have to get rid of that mindset that you have to be leading people in order to be a leader.” Olson-Menzel tells the story of a client who landed a significant leadership role that involves “leading the charge” on a transformational effort related to its brand.

Regain your confidence

Changing jobs is never easy, but so often, what looks hard initially morphs into something that challenges us and can enable us to fulfill what we truly wish to do.

Note: Click here to listen to my LinkedIn Live interview with Mary Olson-Menzel.

First posted on SmartBrief.com 10.10.2024

Poetry is the distillation of thought expressed in a form designed to cut through the clutter of ordinary expressions and deliver a thought, a message, or an emotion that resonates with truth.

And sometimes humor.

Such is the case with the acclaimed poet and novelist John Kenney. His latest book of poetry, and another in his Love Poems series, is Love Poems (for the Office). Kenney, a long-time copywriter, has a gift for catching moments of truth in office settings. (Note: The book was published in 2020, just as the great migration to remote and hybrid work locations began.)

The book begins with Bertrand Russell’s quote, “One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important.” While I am no expert on this mathematical genius and philosopher, I am guessing that Russell is poking fun at those of us who, at times, take ourselves too seriously. (Yes, guilty as charged.)

Such seriousness can lead us into winding ourselves and our teams around the proverbial axle too tightly. Such an approach only compounds organizational snafus. Martin Lindstrom, global authority on branding, opens his latest book, Ministry of Common Sense: How to Eliminate Red Tape, Bad Excuses and Corporate BS, with a story we have all experienced – contacting IT support when your computer has quit. The hitch — or should we say Catch-22 — is that to contact IT, you must use your computer.

Illuminating Us

Kenney does a great job in his poetry of illuminating how humans navigate the workplace, whether they’re away from it, in it, or somewhere in between.

Kenney writes in “Conference Call”:

Sometimes

I think better

when I pace

Around my small home office.

So that’s what I was doing

when talking through

the Q4 numbers.

I also tend to think better

when I am not wearing pants.

Or in “Annual job review, via Zoom.”

It was not my understanding

That your mother-in-law

would be on our Zoom call.

as I hadn’t realized you were staying with her.

Back in the office, there is “Open seating.”

I love the new open seating plan.

I really do.

I love having no idea

Where I am going to sit each day.

Or where others are.

Here is Kenney weighing on the jargon we use.

When you say

Ping me

I want to punch you.

Bio break, too.

It makes me cringe.

[continuing]

I would like to park this project.

And this job.

Now.

Sorry.

I have a hard stop.

None too serious

Work is very hard, and when a poet of Kenney’s talent and wit casts it in sharp relief, we nod and say yes before breaking into smiles and laughter.

The joy of Kenney’s poetry is that he does not take himself too seriously. As he writes in the mock interview that opens the book,

Q: What you have done in this book is take the mundane world of the office and turn that world into the mundane poems?

A: I think that’s exactly right.

This is another reminder that work is work, and while important, it is not all important. If we cannot laugh at ourselves, work—or life in general—is that much harder.

First posted on Forbes.com 10.15.2024

Dan Miller, the Detroit Lions’ radio voice, excitedly extolled the Lions’ grit and resilience. The Lions had just beaten the Green Bay Packers with a last-second field goal. 

The victory qualified the Lions for the playoffs for the second consecutive year. 

This year, the Lions are on their way to the Super Bowl with a 12-1 record that could give them a home-field advantage in the playoffs. Last year, they made it to the NFC Championship team but lost on the road to the San Francisco 49ers. 

Once the laughing stock of the NFL, the Lions have boasted a 32-6 record since November 2022, which is in the same rarified air as the two-time defending Super Bowl champs, the Kansas City Chiefs.

More Than Grit

Yes, the Lions have grit, but what makes this team so special is its tenacity. They have lost a number of starters on defense, including their two best defensive players, Aidan Hutchinson and Alex Anzalone—both out with season-ending injuries.

Yet they keep on winning. 

“I think a lot of it is just that what we’ve had to overcome,” Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell said. “The hand we were dealt and I just love the fact our guys don’t make excuses, they just find a way… Everybody on this team believed we were going to win that game, and we were going to find a way, and we just, we did it again. We did it again. Guys did it.” 

What We Can Learn

So, let’s explore how the Lions do it.

Build a strong culture. Sheila Ford Hamp took over the team from her mother, Martha Ford, widow of the longtime owner, William Clay Ford. Sheila’s competitive spirit, honed as a varsity tennis player at Yale, gives her a perspective on winning. She hired Brad Holmes as General Manager and Campbell as head coach, who hired two exceptional coordinators, Ben Johnson for offense and Aaron Glenn for defense. The two of them went 3-13 in their first season, and Sheila herself was booed during an event at Ford Field honoring a former player. She took it in stride. Sheila believed in the plan Holmes and Campbell had developed.

Be professional. Coming to the Lions used to be a form of exile. No one knew that better than quarterback Jared Goff, who was traded from the Los Angeles Rams for star quarterback Matthew Stafford. Goff had led the Rams to the Super Bowl. Yet outwardly, he showed nothing but professionalism. He accepted his new role and worked hard. His example certainly rubbed off on his teammates. 

Flex with the situation. Campbell, a former NFL player himself, preaches the “next man up” philosophy. When a player goes down, another is ready to take his place, a necessity in a game as violent as professional football.

Be resourceful. This is where the Lions excel. Brad Holmes finds replacement players who can step into the lineup and play. During the Green Bay game, they had players on defense who had only days before signed contracts with the Lions. They were veteran players, yes, but new to the Lions system. They did not jell on every play but did well enough to hold the Packers at bay.

Tenacity Enhances Culture

This approach results in a tenacious team that finds ways to win. For those of us who make our livings off the field, learning how to use tenacity builds results. 

Managers will lose key performers, often because they are promoted. The manager’s role is to put new people into those positions and groom them for success. Enforce a culture that rewards individuals for what they can do, not what others have done before them. Stress flexibility and adaptability to new situations. Tenacity in the face of adversity is a strength.

No one knows how to demonstrate tenacity better than Campbell, who has a reputation for making risky decisions that pay off. “I think [Campbell’s] done a really good job of deciding when to go and when not to go [for it],” quarterback Jared Goff said. “That’s the game he plays… and we trust him.” 

Only time will tell how far the Lions go this year, but from the perspective of a fan, they sure are fun to watch and teach us a few lessons about winning along the way.

First posted on Forbes.com 12.07.24

Chief among the insights we gain from reading history is that what we read is often relevant to what we are experiencing today. Such is the case with Soldiers Don’t Go Mad: A Story of Brotherhood, Poetry, and Mental Illness During the First World War by Charles Glass. 

Glass, a former war correspondent for ABC News, centers his story on Craiglockhart, a health resort turned into a treatment center for British officers suffering “shell shock” in what was then called The Great War. 

Humane Treatment

The treatment offered to the soldiers seems so modern for its time. Its commanding officer focused on helping the residents regain their mental facilities by treating them first as patients rather than soldiers. The commanding officer was physician Major William H. Bryce, a career officer. As Glass writes, “Bryce recoiled at military formality. It was his belief, he wrote, ‘there should be little to indicate a hospital regime beyond the few regulations to ensure order.'”

The residents were not required to wear uniforms, including wearing slippers. The men were encouraged to venture into town, Edinburgh, and partake in its offerings, from dining to theater, including meeting family and friends. Socialization was integral to recovery. Fellow psychiatrist Dr. Arthur John Brock believed that the city was “an integral part of the Craiglockhart ‘cure’” and as Glass writes offering “ideal conditions for [the men’s] restoration.”

Two War Poets

Craiglockhart was also the place where two of the best-known war poets, Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, resided for a time. A third poet, Robert Graves, a friend of Sassoon, also visited. All three men served honorably and with distinction, with Sassoon earning the Military Cross. 

Glass profiles two psychiatrists. Dr. William H.R. Rivers treated Sassoon with what today we would call “talk therapy.” Dr. Arthur J. Brock treated Owens with a kind of “work therapy,” keeping busy. This initiative led Owen to create and publish a literary journal for Craiglockhart called The Hydro, a reference to the facility’s origin as a hydrotherapy spa. 

Sassoon was confined because he had grown disillusioned with the War and protested it with a letter to the Times of London. While he was suffering from a form of PTSD, he was sent to Craiglockhart to be “cured” of his antipathy toward the War. Owen was severely wounded and ended up in Craiglockhart for more formal treatment.

Sassoon, born into an aristocratic Jewish family, was well-connected and well-known as a poet. Owen, who was middle-class and had not attended university, had yet to publish. At Craiglockhart, and with the help of their psychiatrists, both were able to hone their thinking and craft. 

What we gain from their stories is how their experiences shaped their art and, in turn, shed light on the experience of War in ways that had not yet been told. Britain entered the War on a wave of patriotic fervor. Rupert Brooke, a young poet, was emblematic of his time writing in a heroic vain. He was killed in 1915 before the reality of the slaughter was known. Sassoon turned his pen to the cruelties of a mismanaged war. Here is a sampling from the poem “Base Details.”

If I were fierce and bald, and short of breath,

I’d live with scarlet Majors at the Base

And speed glum heroes up to the line to death.

[continuing]

“Poor young chap,” 

I’d say – “I used to know his father well.

Yes, we’ve lost heavily in this last scrap.”

And when the War is done, and youth stone dead,

I’d toddle safely home and die – in bed.”

Owen focused on the troops themselves telling their stories. In “Dulce et Decorum Est” – perhaps his most famous poem, he writes of the aftermath of a gas attack.

If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace

Behind the wagon that we flung him in,

And watch the white eyes writhing in his face…

My friend, you would not tell with such high zest

To children ardent for some desperate glory,

The Old Lie: Dulce et decorum est

Pro patria mori.

[Translation: How sweet it is to die for one’s country.]

The Aftermath

Sassoon survived the War and continued his literary journey. His friend Robert Graves did the same. [Graves is the author of I Claudius, the story of the Roman Emperor who was born in the age of Augustus and survived the madness of Caligula to become emperor himself.] Owen was not so fortunate. He was killed on November 7, 1918, four days before the Armistice took effect.

As Glass writes in his introduction, “Had Rivers treated Owen and Brock been responsible for Sassoon, this would have been a different story. Had both young officers been sent to different hospitals, they would not have met, and the poems they wrote would have been vastly different from the masterpieces the world knows.”

Today, PTSD remains a pressing issue for many vets who experienced combat. Lessons learned at a treatment center in Scotland more than a century ago set a foundation for learning the causes of the trauma and how to help those suffering to recover.

First posted on Forbes.com 00.00.2024

That approach is exactly what Anne Chow took when describing a form of management she defines as “small.” Included are habits such as being penny-wise and pound-foolish, using a narrow lens, micromanaging, missing the big picture and being too self-focused. These descriptors set up what it means to—as she says in the title of her new book—Lead Bigger!

“Leading small is almost literally that not having a broad perspective, not thinking about the consequences of what you’re doing,” Chow told me in a recent interview. It’s “being incredibly transactional in your nature, and quite frankly being very self-oriented, perhaps not intentionally, but being very self-oriented as opposed to being selfless in a way,”

Former CEO of AT&T Business—and the first woman and woman of color to hold that title—Chow advocates that to lead truly bigger, you need to “widen your perspective to have greater performance and impact.”  This concept is not new to Chow. What struck me was that we are always told to think bigger, especially if we’re in a rut, if there’s a disruption that’s happened in the marketplace, a new technology, a challenge in the workforce, a challenge on a geopolitical basis, think bigger since we were young since we were little kids.”

Acting with a sense of purpose

Doing this requires the power of purpose to focus on work that matters with engaged employees who can innovate and are agile enough to adapt to change. “It takes people to drive a business, it takes people to be the heart and soul of the business. The business does not drive people. And the quicker you realize that, the quicker you realize that it is our job as leaders, leadership is all about people. You manage things, you lead people,” says Chow.

Doing so can create a sense of community “Whether it’s internal to your organization with your employees” or your customers and stakeholders. As Chow says, “It’s ultimately about people. So that sense of community, that sense of connection is vital in order for you to get done what you need to get done in the most effective and efficient ways.”

 One feature of the book I found appealing is the posing of questions at the end of every chapter. For example, on the topic of purpose, Chow poses these questions:

·      “Do you know what impact your company makes in the world?

·      “Do your employees and customers believe your company embodies your purpose?

·      “Do you have a plan to refresh your purpose as the market changes?”

These are straightforward questions that require real self-awareness to answer correctly and honestly. 

Defining inclusion

The subtitle of Chow’s book is “The Transformative Power of Inclusion.” In other words, to lead bigger, you need to think beyond your own experiences and horizons. This engagement can only occur when you involve people from all different backgrounds. Involvement means inclusion, welcoming them to contribute and to create a community.

Presence is essential to the notion of inclusion. But it would help if you were smart about what you are asking for, says Chow. “And it’s up to us as leaders to really understand what is productivity really, and what is it that we need. I don’t think there’s a single person who would disagree that in person is better for building deep connection, but it is not necessary to get every bit of every job done.”

 Some tasks can be done remotely; other activities like brainstorming, manufacturing, and front-line jobs require physical presence. “I think we as leaders, bigger leaders have to work harder at showing why and developing the systems of utilizing presence and proximity to our advantage, not the way it was before, which is the way I learned to lead is we all sit in the same building,” says Chow

Such perspectives—as Chow teaches us in her writing and speaking—add dimension to the concept of inclusion. It’s not a formula; it’s a process that makes an organization stronger, wiser, more adaptable and resilient because it engages the hearts and minds of employees who feel they belong.

Here is a link to my full LinkedIn Live interview with Anne Chow.

First posted on SmartBrief.com 9.11.2024