key practices ... with
@greenleafcenter and
@jeffmiller79, the first class was on september 9, and our second class (of five) was september 30.
got started ... the week before our first class, i shared a bit
over here, including a description of course requirements, what we've been asked to do as part of preparing for first class, a list of our required reading, and a tools for consideration. and as part of my staycation on sept. 2, i squatted at
paddy's finishing up part of the first class reading assignment.
humilty is ... as shared in the preface of hayes/comer book -
start with humility (
over here) -
"Humility is of course a highly personal thing. It is about one's values and attitudes about oneself, others , and the world in which we live. Humility is affected by spiritual issues, the ego, and practical, daily pressures."
the humility dynamic ... with an emphasis in taking action,
start with humility proposes what is called "the humility dynamic" -
humanness/authenticity +
humble behaviors results in
trust/response and can lead to
inspired followers.
and then i was reminded of a recent movie,
"you better check yourself before you wreck yourself"
check yourself ... i enjoyed the book, particularly given shared stories/profiles of people and the 'workbook' format that encourages self-reflection and action for developing and sustaining humble behaviors. by building upon the definitions, behaviors, actions, and what are characterized as
humble responses from the authentic core, part of evolving toward humble behaviors references
daniel goleman's primal leadership for the following pattern -
- self-assessment
- motivation
- practice
- feedback
- with these four steps later described as
train the brain. essentially, self-improvement doesn't just come from simply saying you understand and agree with something you read. there is a learning do-loop, coupled with behavioral change.
self-awareness ... the key - making adjustments through self-awareness. 5 profiles are shared, linking each person's humble behavior story to a particular key word - accountability, kindness, open-mindedness, appreciation, modesty. following each profile is a workbook format for completing a leadership self-assessment and leadership actions,
e.g., actions one would take regarding humility to enhance one's leadership.
coaching tip take-aways ... after the 5 profiles, behaviors associated with 6 humble competency areas are listed. several coaching tips for building behaviors in a particular competency area are provided. the 6 humble behavior competency areas addressed -
- accountability
- kindness
- open-mindedness
- advocacy
- appreciation
- modesty
check myself ... the last chapter of the book -
sustainability - putting into action what you have learned - emphasizes the benefits of making and sustaining behavioral changes. a distinction is made between targeting the brain's neo-cortex rather than the limbic brain -
"The neo-cortex is where we learn facts and figures, remember basic concepts, and process analytical and technical concepts. The limbic part of the brain is the part that governs feelings, impulses, and drives (in other words, those behaviors that often get us in trouble at work). ... The limbic brain learns through motivation, extended practice, and feedback."
believe ... the
train the brain steps are coupled with the foundation of belief. an overview of The Belief System™ (from authors thad green and merywn hayes, who authored a
book over here ) is summarized as -
"basically says that when it comes to motivation, what a person believes is often more important that what really is. ... believe the can make the change ... believed there will be an outcome or consequence if they make the change ... be something they want ... Belief 1 - Confidence, Belief 2 - Trust, and Belief 3 - Satisfaction ... much more to the The Belief System™ ... basics will be enough to show how the concept applies to behavioral change."
train my brain in three areas ... as part of the book's message, when applying the behavioral change concept, three specific changes should be identified. after choosing the three areas to change, the
train the brain four steps of self-assessment, motivation, practice and feedback are engaged.
the assessment of "what's what" ... there are certainly several behavioral changes i can make. at this time, the humble behaviors (associated with the humble comptency) i have chosen - with references to a few coaching tips (provided in the book) and lessons learned that were shared as part of the 5 profiles - are a follows -
- being an effective listener (kindness) - understand the ideas and feelings expressed by others. listen entirely to the other person, concentrating on what the other person is saying and recognizing that the person's ideas are important to them.
- practice using silence. you can't listen while you're talking. pause three seconds before answering questions.
- lessons learned as shared in the profile of alex gregory, ykk corporation
- find your voice ...
- show people you really care ...
- drive change by building trust ...
- managing emotions (open-mindedness) - aware of one's impact on others but also utilize one's own self assessment to tap into the emotions of others to get positive results.
- pay attention to the time between stimulus and response. in order to neutralize the response from your hot buttons, don't respond in the moment. instead leave some breathing room between whey you want to emotionally respond and when you actually respond.
- lessons learned as shared in the profile of general frederick m. franks, jr., u.s. army (ret.)
- all you have to do is ask ...
- let go of your ego and you will fuel winners ...
- have courage to be who you are ...
- developing others (appreciation) - ways to ensure others are growing and developing personally and professionally. "other oriented" - interested in the growth of others and not constantly grabbing opportunities for themselves.
- ensure you know others' strengths. check on your perceptions of their strengths by talking with them about their strengths and development areas.
- lessons learned as shared in the profile of linda combs, former controller OMB
- celebrate the accomplishments of others ...
- be tough on problems - but gentle with people ...
- encourage others to grow and develop their talents ...
- make time to remind people they are important - they really are! ...
motivation, practice, feedback ... in a follow-up post (or posts), i'll include more about the three humble behavior improvements i have chosen and the following steps i have already been taking -
- motivation - how to make the behavior stick as in "i believe i can make this change and that its result will be beneficial for me because ..."
- practice - use of coaching tips on a daily basis, specific, measurable, and on-going as in "specifically this is what i plan to do differently on my job, at home, etc.) starting tomorrow ..."
- feedback - reinforce the practice (or changed behavior); ensure behavior is constantly happening as in "i will ensure i am getting appropriate feedback on this change by: (example: asking for peer feedback, meeting with my manager, etc.) ..."
thank you ... meanwhile, thanks to l.a.g. and shiny penny andy for being part of my feedback process. others are welcome!
"crucible moments are transformational experiencesthat often define a person's worldview or philosophy"
the simpsons ... AND john kricfalusi?! YES!!! john kricfalusi (on facebook, blog) known to many because of ren & stimpy (on wiki).
