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Forget Moving Cheese...Let's Move Some Ladders!

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Several years ago I was selected to serve as a US exchange officer with the Israeli Defense Forces where I attended a year-long military leadership training program at a base just outside of Tel Aviv. There were six international students attending, all of whom arrived two months before the start of classes to attend an orientation program. As part of the program we were led on guided tours of many of Israel’s historical and religious sites; one of the most impressionable was the Church of the Holy Sepulcher located in the old city of Jerusalem. This church houses the two holiest sites in all of Christendom: the site where Jesus was crucified, and the holy tomb. No matter what your faith or religious beliefs, visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is an amazing experience. Etching of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher from 1856 (note the presence of the wooden ladder on the right window ledge) As our group stood in the courtyard outside of the church, our tour guide expla...
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Shining a Light into the Deep, Dark Place of Employee Disengagement

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Every organization has them—those employees who assume the worst about the company or their boss and loudly verbalize their assumptions about the “real” motives behind new organizational policies or disagreement with the new direction of the company.  These employees very quickly imagine the worst possible ramifications of what might happen to them or their work in the face of organizational change.  They let their minds wander to a deep, dark place of possible negative outcomes rather than seeking to understand and support the organization’s change initiative. Based on the current mood in my organization, our deep, dark place seems pretty crowded.   You can get a peek into that deep, dark place in many places in my organization.  On the Graffiti Wall—an anonymous comment board that fills quickly with negative or disparaging comments.  The annual Employee Engagement Survey, which shows a continuing downward trend of mistrust...
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Better Leadership Through Proper Grammar

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Words matter.  Our words matter to our people, and our people make the mission happen.  Our words can inspire greatness, or they can leave our workforce uncertain and fearful.  So shouldn't we make sure we understand the power of our words...and proper grammar? In an earlier blog post I described the “deep dark place” that our workforce often goes when we introduce a new idea, and suggested some things we could do to change the negativity to positivity.  A year later I heard an interesting TEDx Talk that explained why that deep dark place exists. The talk is titled, “Grammar, Identity, and the Dark Side of the Subjunctive” by Phuc Tran.  In this talk, Tran compares and contrasts the psychological impact of two linguistic moods: the subjunctive (expressions of possibility) and the indicative (statements of fact).  Tran’s story is an insightful example of how his mastery of the English language—with its subjunctive mood—gave Tran the ...
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Lead Like a Mayor

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In 2011, I was one of six International Students selected to attend the Israel National Defense College—an executive-level professional development course intended to prepare senior military officers and government officials to lead at the national and international level.   Our curriculum included meetings with various high-level officials to hear their perspectives on national security challenges and leadership. One of the most interesting encounters was with Nir Barkat, the Mayor of Jerusalem. Consider the timing of my visit…just months into the Arab Spring that threatened stability in Egypt to Israel’s south; early days of the Syria Civil War that challenged Israel’s security in the Golan Heights; and well into Iran’s nuclear program development that—if completed—would pose an existential threat to Israel.  There was even talk of a possible third Intifada that would most certainly impact safety and security in Mayor Barkat’s city.  And despi...
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In Order To Build Trust, We Must Give It Freely

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Trust, or more accurately lack of it, has recently been highlighted by our employees as one of the key areas for our organization to address in the 2016 Voice of the Employee report.   This happens to be one of my favorite topics to contemplate, but I have to tell you that I am worried about the direction we are heading.   In a TED Talk entitled Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe , author Simon Sinek says, “The problem with concepts of trust and cooperation is that they are feelings, they are not instructions. I can't simply say to you, ‘Trust me,’ and you will.” Simon Sinek argues great companies make their folks feel safe Many times throughout my career I have felt that my organization asked more of me than I was comfortable giving based on the level of trust I felt.   Because of that, I now work very deliberately to inspire trust in my team, and demonstrate the trust I have in those who work for me.   I interact, I delegate, I give top cover, I prac...
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You Cannot Regulate Your Way to Culture Change

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Recently someone at work circulated an interesting article from Forbes magazine entitled, “ Five Signs You’re in Denial About Your BrokenCorporate Culture .”   In the article, author Liz Ryan highlights some symptoms of organizational culture gone awry, including this: “New policies spring up to make it even harder to get anything done.   Suddenly you need a manager’s approval just to get a replacement ID badge or new stapler….”   I think we can all relate to this, and in response to the article someone wondered aloud what would be the impact on our organization's culture and business process if we were to eliminate every self-imposed policy we have in place.   I actually know the answer, and it is not what you might expect. From 2014 to 2016 I served as Chief, Talent Management for a federal government agency with around 9,000 government employees.   This gave me oversight of all recruitment, hiring, and career development process, including implem...
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