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Agile and Lean: A Powerful Duo for Team Resilience

I could drop into a business blindfolded and identify the three barriers to having an Agile & Lean organization. Call me arrogant, but when I see the pattern repeat itself over and over again, I think CEOs need to take note of these blindspots. Too often their organizations are based on a shaky foundation of poor talent management, unclear authority and ineffective barrier removal to unleash potential. This is the invisible waste under any strategy that detracts from your impact and then you wonder why you can’t sleep at night.

Recently I dropped into a manufacturing company where I provided interim quality leadership in support of operations. It was chaotic and I was curious why I was being consulted on every quality issue; decisions that could have been made by the supervisors. I learned the previous leadership for whatever reason needed to be consulted on all rejections and investigations. In the process, I also learned their leadership was not conducive to building confidence in the front line leaders. It was a sad set of circumstances, but I sought to understand what was missing or broken.

Putting aside the leadership issue of the past, I realized my role was to remove the barriers for their decision making and eliminate waste in the process. Most leaders throw resources at a problem or stretch the existing labor until they call off. What I saw was a much different issue rooted in poor agility and a massive amount of waste. Here is what I learned and will now share with you.

Removing the blindspots in these three areas will enable resilient teams to be Agile and Lean:

  • Assess the talent and really see their value. Elevate them in their current role to give them back confidence. Plan to move those where their talent can be amplified. Your job is not to keep people in their places, but to move them up and out. Short sighted views would see this as a risk. However, long term thinking will recognize that you amplify their impact.
  • Establish levels of authority, capability & capacity – Too often we strip people of their decision making authority and the ability to think in a risk averse environment or a culture of micro management. If there is too much waste in back and forth between your line workers and leadership, take a close look at how the authority is assigned and remove non-value added activities. Give the leaders more strategic work vs. being down in the weeds.
  • Ways of working & barrier removal – give your resources a forum where they can escalate issues and solutions early and often. They become part of the solution based culture vs. one that is guided by rigid goal posts for which they could feel helpless to make a difference. As a leader you need to bubble up their challenges and your role is to be in service to make their jobs easier. Gone are the times of being cooped up in your office for hours on end. Your job is to be where the work is being done and do everything to help them.

Does this sound familiar?

Do you or do you know someone who is having this challenge?

Would a guide help to navigate these challenges?

For the unfiltered, off the cuff discussion about this topic, please listen to my podcast airing on 2/2/24 and view the video so you see how I really feel about this topic!.

If you are a CEO who would love a partner to help you with a business challenge, be your #2 or help develop the team of tomorrow, let us partner in 2024.

Be well-Deb

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Do this to avoid killing trust and diminishing your influence

Nothing is worse than settling into a meeting and watching a 50-page powerpoint that sucks the life out of you. Yet we continue the same behavior day after day until we realize this is absolutely insane. I’m not saying throw the baby out with the bathwater because we need some platform to convey visual information. However, there needs to be a better approach or you will kill your audience with details and fail to get the outcome or influence you seek.

The fact is, this generation and quite frankly mine as well (yes, I’m a Gen X), need information quickly. We need information to pass judgment on whether we’re going to watch more or swipe by within 5 seconds. What is missing from today’s communication in business is short concise messaging with a hook, a problem, a “how to guide” and a call to action to take a decision or engage in conversation. Our business communication style should take lessons from social media to build trust and ultimately influence.

But we’re not here to emulate social media influencers when it comes to business, but might we consider LEAN (waste removal and process efficiency) as a means to have more influence?

I see you nodding your head, so let me show you what I mean:

  • Start with the Challenge or Opportunity and why we are here: Audiences need context to know they’re in the right place. In social media, this is the hook. You need to prepare your audience and build trust that you will take them down a path.
  • Explain the impact or urgency for the topic and that you have the solution: When we express the magnitude of the issue (like marketers do), people will tune in and start to think if this applies to them and cultivate their need to continue to listen.
  • Show them the path forward: Based on your data or visualization of the issue, show them your approach and conclusions to bring people along to agree or engage in conversation to enrich the solution
  • Make it easy to implement: Show them what is needed to implement or the gaps that need to be closed in order to move the conversation forward. This gives people choices to push a button and say “yes” or “approve” or enable them to take the topic forward
  • Call to action: If people haven’t already discussed next steps, then be prescriptive as to the next step or action needed by others so that you leave the presentation with something.

Here’s an example of a project I recently asked to get involved in:

  • There’s a significant need to evolve our platform to be more efficient and competitive with our competition. Currently we have a process that is outdated and needs to evolve to help our teams through the product development process.
  • Currently, the teams are focused on siloed work without understanding the interactions of their work and there are no checks and balances for which at the end of the design cycle, we are late and the quality is below industry standard.
  • We’ve provided a framework to standardize our work and systemize it in such a way that provides full transparency and checks between the functional areas to achieve our desired outcome. By piloting this in our test product line  you can see an improvement in quality and on time performance.
  • If we can close the gap and implement this system that will automate the work within a function and also cross functionally, we believe we will surpass our competitors if we can get your approval by next week.
  • I will convene a follow up meeting with the stakeholders to review the details and guide the approval to realize its value by 3Q24.

I just delivered this message most likely in 3-5 minutes max through a careful selection of words and phrases that connect in a concise way and make it easy for people to engage. The key word is “MESSAGE” vs. sharing information. Lean removes wasteful words and enables efficient delivery of information while we craft words that connect emotionally with people for action.

For me, this is easy and has served me well.

For others, their delivery is painful and a waste of others’ time. In the process, it kils their brand and maybe yours if they work for you.

Can you coach this delivery method?  I do hope the framework can help.

But if you don’t have the capability yourself to do this or coach others, wouldn’t it be a courageous idea to gain back time with this approach?

The decision is yours to ratchet up your influence. What will it be?

Let me partner with you to review your team’s messaging and I’ll give you advice on how to hone messaging for lean and effective communication.

For the unfiltered, off the cuff discussion about this topic, please listen to my podcast airing on 1/25/24 and view the video so you see how I really feel about this topic!.

If you are a CEO who would love a partner to help you with a business challenge, be your #2 or help develop the team of tomorrow, let us partner in 2024.

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LEAN is a Four Letter Word: How to avoid the inherent waste in a Lean Initiative

Let me give it to you straight. No amount of operational efficiency you glean from a Lean Initiative is going to give you sustainable results without three fundamentals:

  • Responsibility & Accountability Institutionalized
  • Prioritization mastery
  • Critical thinking and decision logic maturity

Without these inculcated into your organization with front line leaders and those that drive the ship, you will ultimately lose money and then blame the Lean Leader for their failure.

Let’s look at waste: TIM WOODS stands for Time, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Overproduction, Overprocessing, Defects and Skills which is the fundamental framework for eliminating waste in a Lean Organization.

However, let’s apply this to the humans vs. processes and see the waste through a different lens.

Example 1: A quality supervisor makes a decision to reject material and hold it until a disposition of scrap or rework can be made. The production manager understands the issue and pressures the supervisor that the specifications are just guidelines and in the end application, there will not be an impact and pressures them to release.

What’s wrong with this picture? While conversation is necessary in such situations, who ultimately is responsible for these key decisions? Refocusing the energy from pressuring the release of a product to identify the root cause why the product is not in specification is a better use of time. However, in this process without clear Responsibility and Accountability defined, there is Waste. I don’t care if you have an efficient production process to create products with defects; under the surface, the organization is generating waste.

Example 2: Production is realizing the benefit of Lean and is producing products with a lower takt time (a measurement in Lean for how fast you need to produce to keep up with customer demand). Management is celebrating a win, but there is a bottleneck in the quality lab. The quality manager has two people out for COVID, another is out for training, they have several research projects to complete for R&D, Customer Complaints to be resolved and they have to work with maintenance who is coming down today to repair a leak. The Manager is stressed and sees the work piling up and is working late hours to try to meet all demands.

What’s wrong with this picture? Clearly in this situation without further context, the Research work and possibly the customer complaints can be paused in favor of the leak and managing resources to get the work done with a reduced staff. However, this manager lacks the prioritization savvy to make those decisions or doesn’t have a support system to help them manage the increase in work and reduced resources. Wouldn’t it be a better use of time in concert with speeding up production to also work with Quality to ensure they are also level loaded to meet the demands of production? Could we also help this leader to have a framework for prioritization and a voice to message when they’re in trouble? Sometimes these situations cause burnout without us realizing it in the spirit of creating a lean production machine.

Example 3: Returning to the Quality Manager who is overloaded with a reduced workforce, they make the following decisions to manage:

  • Authorize overtime
  • Work 12 hour days
  • Delay the repair of the leak in the quality department

Where did they go wrong? Their decision logic based on a position of helplessness made the decisions based on what was in their control. Instead, they could have contacted customer service to see if any orders could be rescheduled. With the increased efficiency in production, there were resources that could be pulled in to do administrative work; moving resources to where the work was needed. And let’s talk about that leak they delayed. Short sightedness may cause a long term expensive issue if that leak introduces safety or health hazards in the lab. They could have reschedule to the weekend when people were not around.

Critical thinking and better decision logic might have had a better outcome for quality keeping up with production. By not preparing them with better skills, they sometimes make wasteful decisions which is what we’re trying to eliminate.

So my advice to you is next time you think of a Lean Initiative, look at yourself and the organization.

Do they have skills to prepare for the improvements you are making or are there skills under the surface you need to Lean out Waste before moving forward?

Think you got this because the Lean Consultant is on a mission to realize cost savings on behalf of your stakeholders? Think again as your Lean Initiative can be that Four Letter Word that leaves an irreparable legacy on your organization.

For the unfiltered, off the cuff discussion about this topic, please listen to my podcast airing on 1/19/24 and view the video so you see how I really feel about this topic!.

If you are a CEO who would love a partner to help you with a business challenge, be your #2 or help develop the team of tomorrow, let us partner in 2024.

To hear more about This topic please tune into my podcast that is releasing this Friday 1/19/24

Be well-Deb

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How Savvy CEOs Safeguard Organizational Stability Through Mentorship

CEO’s that gloss over mentorship realize corporate destabilization due to poor performance and retention challenges. Why does leadership invest so much in bringing in great talent to leave it unmanaged and wither with time? When we buy a car we’re better at changing the oil and rotating the tires. Why not have the same discipline with our resources who are the engine that run the organization?

I asked my mentor, what do I need to get ahead in my career and they said “Get an MBA.” At that time, I was busy with a career, three kids and doing the best I could to deliver results.  Who at the time could manage another degree? In retrospect, they could have advised how an MBA might enable me to have a greater impact on the organization. I’m sure it would have been helpful, but without proper mentorship even if I did get the MBA, I might not have reached my potential. Without that guidance, even if I got the MBA, I may have failed to reach my fullest potential. This is an example of poor mentorship and why I’m forever speaking to you about how important it is.

Let me break it down to the essentials so you can launch your own mentoring initiative:

  • Pair trained leaders to meet monthly with each of their staff. It may not be their boss
  • Focus first on the essential skills / barriers to improve core competencies and unleash their potential
  • Focus on the strategic work and evolve their thoughts on approach and progress
  • Focus on the tactical and what barriers are needed to be removed
  • Be present and really listen to the person and what are the underlying concerns
  • See them for who they should be or already are that they cannot see. Bring forward insight so they can see themselves in a new or different or higher light. When we can help them see their potential, they rise above.

You don’t need an expensive consultant to help implement such an effort. You as a leader can easily explain to your team why this is important and the measurable impact you are expecting. Then hold your teams accountable for this process just like you would manage any other Key Performance Indicator (KPI) in your organization. The mindset shift is that we are in the business of performance management. When we close gaps in confidence, capability and capacity, the results for stakeholders will follow.

For the unfiltered, off the cuff discussion about this topic, please listen to my podcast airing on 1/12/24 and view the video so you see how I really feel about this topic!.

I’ll leave you with one more closing thought:

Without effective mentorship, you are building a business on a shaky foundation of talent that may have gaps / cracks that you will notice when the planets align against you.

If you are a CEO who would love a partner to help you with a business challenge, be your #2 or help develop the team of tomorrow, let us partner in 2024.

To hear more about This topic please tune into my podcast that is releasing this Friday 1/12/24

Be well-Deb

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Building a LEAN Team: Key Strategies for Optimal Productivity

If you fell short of your Productivity Improvements in your organization in 2023, do not repeat the same approach!

If you were wildly successful in achieving your productivity results, high five and I’m right there with you! However, I do ask you if you think the efforts are sustainable? I see leaders claim victory one year to only fall into the abyss of waste and destabilization because they’ve not secured a solid foundation for apparent improvements. Might it have been brute force but with little adoption,lack of forums to remove barriers or even assure the legacy of good work is ingrained in future generations of personnel?

While you ponder these thoughts, let me share with you as building blocks to shore up good work and enable you to sustain the results. If you did not do any of these things, there is no shame in going back and revisiting these foundational elements. The only shame is to not do this and watch great work crumble.

I’m an expert in this area as I helped build a Lean Organization that started out at $500k / year cost savings to sustainably yielding $5MM annually. It was brute force in the beginning to build the capability, buy-in and enable results. It is often a tactical implementation without strategic vision and I’m here to share with you wisdom that is invaluable:

To sustain the gains of a Lean Initiative, we must build Lean Teams.

While investing in a well-being regiment including a good diet, weight training, cardio and a positive mindset is all important in building a lean body, building Lean Teams takes the same investment. A sound body and a sound mind will sustainably give you good results and longevity.

START HERE:

Build a Servant Leadership Culture: Every conversation should start with how is this going to help the people doing the work? It should never start with what are going to do to achieve $100,000 in cost savings. It should start with what do we need to do to help the people to eliminate waste and make their job easier? What is the investment needed and what do we think the ROI will be. When we start with service, the results will follow. When we start with the results, you will fail to serve.

Make Small Sustainable changes. Despite good intentions and excellent training on Lean Methodology, only 20% will truly retain the knowledge. Develop an implementation timeline that enables understanding and WIFM (what’s in it for me) and develop confidence and capability first by measuring organizational maturity. Only when we achieve each maturity level, do we progress to the next level. Let the organization dictate the timeline vs. pushing through an artificial one based on results. Lack of adoption will destabilize the organization.

Lean Communications (efficiency & kindness) : learn discipline in how we communicate in an efficient and kind manner will yield faster responses when time is critical. It’s important to teach this to our people else, the waste of excessive emails and meetings will take over any speed you were hoping for.

Misunderstandings need to be met head on: Any initiative needs a forum to identify risks and escalate barriers. Without this pressure relief valve, frustration will simmer below the surface and blindside you when you don’t get the expected result. Also challenge yourself to ask the hard question: do your people feel safe enough to escalate issues. This speaks to your culture and a bigger issue than any Lean Initiative.

Showcasing achievements builds pride and anchors the work – while it’s often built into Lean Initiatives to parade the results to senior leadership like a royal event, we lose sight of what is important. Showcasing value is not for the leadership, but it’s for the people. The outcome is to instill a sense of pride for an accomplishment such that they’re encouraged to repeat the effort and be an advocate to amplify the Lean Initiative for future generations.

When we invest in building a Lean Team, not only do we get short term results; we achieve long term health and well being in the organization to sustain productivity improvements.

So there you have it, the key to optimizing 2024 productivity improvements.

I’m here to listen and perhaps we can have a conversation about how I can get you off on the right foot for 2024 improvements.

If this episode or this year has been valuable, follow me into 2024.

If you are a CEO who would love a partner to help you with a business challenge, be your #2 or help develop the team of tomorrow, let us partner in 2024.

To hear more about This topic please tune into my podcast that is releasing this Friday 1/5/24

Be well-Deb

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A Guide to Transforming Hope into Action for a Successful 2024

The year is coming to a close and your fate has been sealed. It often feels anti-climactic as you then have to ramp up to a new year of setting goals and “Hoping” you can achieve them or get that new role. Stop hoping and start “Owning” your future!

As you can see, I’m nudging you a bit to make sure you don’t get stuck. Within the last month, two people came to me who have expressed frustration in their current situation and through some active listening on my part, reframing back to them what I saw as their value and some self awareness on their part, they came to the conclusion that they can see the future and take control. Something magical happens when I speak with people, but until we speak, I’d like to impart a few thoughts with you.

Reflect on all the value  you have brought in 2023 and use that data to predict your future performance:

  • Can people see your future potential?
  • Can you tell stories to show how past data and performance is a predictor of future performance?
  • Do you know what words or phrases to use to project your value?

And let’s ask yourself another set of questions about the future:

  • Can you see the future?
  • Can you see yourself in a new role or project?
  • Can you see yourself at the next level?

When you can see the future, articulate the future and act like your future self, you will get pulled into opportunities either of your own doing or external factors.

When you see the future, you can identify the barriers or actions needed to be addressed in order to move forward. If you’re in a situation that you cannot control the environment, then it’s time to move to a different environment where you will thrive. No shame in moving on, but regret if you stay put.

I can help you whiteboard your thoughts and future state and close the gap on the current and future state. It’s that easy and the only thing standing in the way of your successful 2024 is your decision to work with someone.

I know this was a bit of a pep talk vs. a framework, but it’s actually simple. You can do this on your own or you can make the decision to work with someone like myself, a mentor or a trusted partner. Regardless of who you work with, move yourself to action.

If this was helpful, let me know!

If someone could benefit from this DIY lesson, please share it with them!

If you need some help, I’m here for you.

I’m here to listen and perhaps we can have a conversation and unlock your future!

To hear more about This topic and goal setting for 2024, please tune into my podcast that is releasing this Friday 12/29/23.

Be well

-Deb

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Three things you need to do to create your personal forecast for a winning year

I want to congratulate you on an absolutely amazing year! You met all your target objectives, got a promotion and you found balance in both your work and personal life! Congratulations!

I know I’ve had a great year for me and I’m sharing with you a festive moment with my husband Dan who has seen me through the ups and downs and hopefully a lot more ups!

If this is you, I’m so grateful for your good fortune and I’d love for you to share with me what went well. It’s important to celebrate your “High Five” with others!

If you’re looking around the room for who might I be speaking to, again, I’m speaking to you! This could have been a year to celebrate, but instead things just happened. You didn’t meet your objectives, you have uncertainty about the future and you’re not sure how to get back on track. I hope this is only a few of you, but if this is you, I’m here to impart a few things to get you on the right track. If it was helpful, might you share if this advice worked and perhaps we can connect!

Here are three things you need to do to set your personal forecast for a winning year:

  • Reflect on what went well and what would you Continue?
  • What would you Start doing to enhance what is working well?
  • What would you Change that could detract from what is going well?

While this is the same framework I use for giving or soliciting feedback; it is rooted in receiving external validation from others. I want you to look inside and ask yourself these questions; there is great power in creating self awareness and what will you do with this information.

As always, to help you to make this actionable, I’ll go first with some of my self feedback:

  • Continue: Leveraging my voice, investing in myself and my reach and well being- it’s been a winning combination and I will continue it this year. My clients and audience have confirmed these have served them well when we engage with each other.
  • Start: Video Strategy to reach all demographics where they’re at in the way they want to consume information. I write on LI and my website, I have a podcast that gets into your ear. I am now moving the podcast content into the YouTube. This will hopefully reach more of you and provide the value you want in visual form.
  • Change: Limit how much I work and focus only on the needle movers. Move away from distractions and it might even mean disappointing a few people. Forgive me in advance as I’m now laser focused on the most important things.

I really want you to succeed with this process, so I’m going to provide you an example that could be relevant to your situation:

  • Continue: I will continue to build up new skills / certifications to build my technical capability in my role. I will invest in my future
  • Start: I will practice telling stories when trying to communicate a message or a proposal. My technical skills are sound. Now I want to be influential through story-telling.
  • Change: I will not worry about trying to pull people along who are not on board with my initiatives. It wastes my time and energy. Instead, I’ll create a dashboard showing progress across all teams and where others are not performing it will be visible and they’ll have to change based on the visual pressure they will receive. Let the collective pull them along vs. myself carrying the burden.

So there you have it, three simple steps you can take to create and forecast a winning 2024.

I’m here to listen and perhaps we can have a conversation and unlock your future!

If this article or this year of connection has been valuable, follow me into 2024.

If you are a CEO who would love a partner to help you with a business challenge, be your #2 or help develop the team of tomorrow, let us partner in 2024.

To hear more about This topic please tune into my podcast that is releasing this Friday 12/29/23.

Be well

-Deb

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How to Craft Your Success Story

After you’ve taken inventory of your own self assessment, what stories can you tell others about the value you bring? This is the time to build up your arsenal of stories for your next role within the company or that next opportunity.

Resumes are boring and hardly articulate your value!

In a fast paced environment, hiring people need a quick way to put you in the yes/maybe/no pile to identify talent.

Assuming you’ve had some expert support to put in keywords to land you in the Yes pile, the challenge becomes how to articulate your value.

So many of you have come across my doorstep and shared with me your accomplishments, but few know how to articulate your value and even better in the context of storytelling.

The outcome of your pursuit will die at “Tell me about yourself” unless you’ve honed this skill.

I’m vested in your success as you reflect on your 2023 accomplishments and craft a message in pursuit of a new role, promotion or job so stick with me for a few more minutes.

Examples of data-based storytelling:

“I was able to impact $100,000 savings to the bottom line.”

Every other resume says that, but you are not your resume. You need to stand out. For every accomplishment like the $100,000 cost savings you need to learn to follow the Hero’s journey to tell the story and draw people into your value.

Value is created by knowing how to message what you did and the impact with the storytelling being the way to connect with humanity.

Here is an example of bad, better and best for implementing a new initiative that you successful led:

  • Bad: I was responsible for implementing a $100,000 cost savings initiative in 6 months.
  • Better: I was responsible for implementing a $100,000 savings initiative by leveraging good change management, engaging with others and ensuring stakeholders were informed and leveraged during the 6 month event.
  • Best: I was challenged with a $100,000 cost savings initiative in 6 months. Knowing it was a challenging task, I had to spend some time reflecting on how I would make this easy to adopt and maximize sustainable impact. I remember going to one plant manager who was often an early adopter. I tried a new way to message the initiative and how to customize it to his needs. He looked at my proposal and said he loved how I visually represented it so he could buy into it. We later tweaked the proposal based on his input and we moved forward. When I spoke about it at the next leadership meeting, he was quick  to share the value of the approach for which others then jumped in and spawned discussion. Had I not done this, I would have delivered the initiative with either crickets responding and hope I’d get compliance or possibly deflection and why we could not have done that. Through finding early adopters and collaborating together, I found the path forward to get the result and impact needed.

Do you see the difference? It takes practice, but this is what sets you apart and positions you for that next role, position or project.

If this was helpful, let me know, or if someone could benefit from this DIY lesson, please share it with them!

If you need some help, I’m here for you.

I’m here to listen and perhaps we can have a conversation and unlock your future!

To hear more about This topic please tune into my podcast that is releasing this Friday 12/15/23.

Be well

-Deb

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Empower Your Year-End Review: Mastering the Art of Gathering Data to Reflect on Your Achievement

December is a time of closure and take stock in what you’ve accomplished this year. The “year end” review is simply a data point for someone else to say if you have accomplished the objectives or not. However, I’d like to say that it does not define you. You are in control of your destiny and the year end review is simply information for which you have choices to continue in what you are doing or take inventory of your capability and passion and YOU DECIDE what 2024 looks like.

This past year I’ve been giving you tips for how to manage your career, and give you the essential skills needed to be seen, heard, respected and get a “seat at the table”. While I qualify it as the C-Suite, it doesn’t have to be. Some of you say you don’t aspire to that, and that’s your decision. But what is clear to all who I’ve spoken to is you want to do purposeful work, have an impact and have joy at work and at home. 

You are why I am here today whether you’re in the C-Suite or aspiring; I’m here to help you struggle less and spend more time doing the things you want to do.

My year end review…

I’m ending this year with what I would call a strong performance review having had 3 Drop In CEO clients, 3 coaching clients, continued with the podcast, launched a video strategy, managed the Drop In Collective, had a few paid speaking gigs and I’ve almost replaced my corporate earnings. I would rate myself as a target performance and I’m happy with that. 

However, that does not define me. I have started to feel joy in what I’m doing.  I’ve made choices to stop doing certain thanks such as stepping down as my curling  Secretary and WFFC President as well as delaying writing my book. Some people would feel those are failures, but I call them wins. I had the courage and leadership to walk away or delay certain things that were causing me stress.

Now it’s your turn…

So turning back to you as the “CEO of your domain”; it’s a mindset whether you are a CEO / President / founder of a company or the CEO of your department, now is the time to take inventory of your accomplishments and decide what you are going to do next.

To my CEO friends: I ask, what type of year was this for you? Did you survive another year of burnout and only meeting targets? Did you have crisis after crisis and applaud you and the team for the hours of hard work and sacrifice? Or are you at a point of stable operations, but need to do something different to grow, expand or be sustainable? Do you have the right people on your team or do you need someone external like myself who can extend your leadership capacity and capability so you don’t burn out in the next year? I’m speaking to you now because in 2024, I am dedicated to you to provide solutions to real issues I’ve faced and want to support you and be your partner.

To my leaders who may be stuck and who may not have had a support system, this past year’s podcast solos have been dedicated to you to give you the essential skills you need to navigate your challenges. To those who said it was helpful, I am grateful. For those of you who are still stuck; please know I’m here for you.

Follow me into 2024 as I speak to the leaders who are in the C-Suite positions or CEO’s and start to adopt the mindset, behaviors and practices to further elevate your leadership. Think about listening again to all the solo’s from 2023 to revisit what we’ve talked about. Please know that in 2024 I will distill down all these lessons for you into a single resource called The Secrets of the C-Suite so you have an invaluable resource as you move to higher and higher impact. Take it with you or share it with someone. Stay tuned so you can get your copy in 2024.

As I bring this to a close, I leave you with a few questions to ponder:

As you reflect on 2023, did you survive or thrive?

Did you feel fulfilled or fell short of job satisfaction?

Do you want to thrive in 2024 and do you have the support you need?

I’m that support and follow me into 2024 where we can grow together.

I’m here to listen and perhaps we can have a conversation and unlock your future!

To hear more about This topic please tune into my podcast that is releasing this Friday 12/8/23. 

Until we meet, I wish you well and much success!

-Deb

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Will this SECRET TECHNIQUE Unlock Your Future Career Path?

It was 2017 when I felt completely lost in how to change the future in my organization which was doing poorly when I arrived. This had been one of the most daunting challenges I had taken on. My region was in last place and needed to find a way forward. Working harder and applying more resources would get me short term results, but wasn’t sustainable. Does this resonate with you? I share this insight often because the leader’s conundrum is to get results, but they often are not rewarded for taking a pause to find a new path forward or envision and manifest the future.

That is why I created a “crystal ball” for unlocking your future career path. It’s called the “whiteboard” both physically and figuratively, but simply a place to project your thoughts. It could be post-it notes, Miro Boards, Journal, Powerpoint or any space you feel comfortable putting down your thoughts.

What is different from most “Planning” frameworks is there is no structure to this. Simply put random thoughts on the “whiteboard” and don’t worry if they have meaning.

To enable the creative process, you might want to ask yourself such questions as:

  1. What is missing?
  2. What is needed?
  3. What is working well?
  4. What type of leader am I?
  5. What type of leader do I want to or need to be?
  6. How do I feel?
  7. What does the team need?
  8. What are my strengths and weaknesses?
  9. What are my team’s strengths and weaknesses?
  10. What do I see in my future?

These are simply prompts to put up random ideas with no structure. When we allow ourselves time to freely think with minimal structure, something interesting happens. What we want or what we “see” starts to show up on the board. Once they are documented, it is good to walk away  and come back later and look at them with a fresh set of eyes. Let the words / phrases speak to you and I promise the “whiteboard” is the crystal ball into the future. When you start to see common themes or connected concepts, they start to take shape and tell you what the future looks like and the actions needed.

Here are a few things that happened when I started to whiteboard:

  • The Framework of One came to me to enable me to unify my region
  • My purpose was to enable people to struggle less and spend more time doing the things they enjoy
  • My greatest gift to my team was to remove barriers and elevate their leadership to unleash their potential
  • Create a collaborative environment to amplify their impact
  • Leverage feedback continually as an accelerator for improving performance.

So what happened after I did this exercise? I went from the #4 out of 4 regions to #2 in 18 months! I created the future I wanted and enabled the team to perform to it’s highest potential. There were of course challenges along the way, but this vision and change in my leadership created the future I wanted for myself and others.

Even now, I have a whiteboard that is telling me to use my voice in ways I never imagined to support you and enable your fullest potential. It’s working for me and I want to give this approach to you.

Here’s your framework for creating your own crystal ball:

STEP 1: Find your whiteboard

STEP 2: Write down ideas, no framework, nothing, personal, professional, family, community, passion, strengths, goals, dreams… what you see, visualize it

STEP 3: Walk away

STEP 4: Return and add to it, step back and just assess, no goals

STEP 5: Go back to step 3 and walk away

STEP 6: Circle themes, start to make some sense of it, what are they saying about the future. Start summarizing what you are seeing

STEP 7: Go back to step 3 and walk away

STEP 8: Take some of the themes and put them into a plan / roadmap to explore or go in that direction with specific steps.

Do you have challenges with unlocking the future? Do you avoid leaning into seeing the future? Worse yet, are you a leader who has team members who lack these critical skills to create vision and a future worth pursuing? Let me partner with you. I’m here to listen and perhaps we can have a conversation and unlock your future!

To hear more about this topic please tune into my podcast that is releasing this Friday 11/24/23.

Would you rather have a quick 1-2-1 to discuss your specific challenge?

Could The Drop In CEO be your support system? Direct Message me on LI or contact me by schedule a short call and let’s have a conversation. Until then, I wish you much success.

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