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A Busy Quarter
Is it already time for Q3? Time sure goes by quickly
when you are
having
fun!
We have had at an eventful spring and
summer here at
J.Ferm and we would like to welcome Meghan Klein to
the J.Ferm
team.
She will keep our offices running
smoothly while I spend the month of August at our Göteborg
office. Please don't
hesitate to contact her at:
meghan@jferm.com
We are looking forward to a busy fall and encourage
you to contact
us with your organizational or individual leadership
development
needs. We hope you enjoy the reminder of the
summer and look
forward to catching up in October.
| We Recommend |
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True North: Discover Your
Authentic Leadership, by Bill George
Summer is the traditional time to read books that otherwise take a
back seat to my technical "must reads" and articles about business
development. Fortunately, this summer I went to "True North" and I
finished it before the release of the
new Harry Potter, which is next on my list. Now, I have
time to devour some serious magic wand tips and strategies
(you'd surprised how
often I wish I had a magic wand!)
"True North" is not a book about magical solutions to seemingly
complex problems. It is a deep book with an important leadership
message. The introduction opens with an important question: "Do
you know...when you are being true to yourself?" When asked
this question, many of the senior executives and leaders I work with
find it hard to answer. I often hear "What do
you mean?" or "Please explain in more detail." For other executives,
there is a
crystal clear answer to this question.
In this book, George
points out
the importance of having an internal compass that is made up of five
key areas: Self-awareness, Values and Principles, Motivations,
Integrated Life, and Support Team.
These
concepts are
not necessarily
revolutionary, but they bring back an important focus to
the internal traits and skills that leaders must possess in order to be
effective. This book offers insight into how famous (and not so
famous) leaders stay authentic during difficult times, how they
sometimes derail, and what they do to regain focus. It also offers a
wealth of intersting exercises for the reader.
Though you
may not agree
with all the leaders profiled, the book offers wonderful insight
into the challenges these leaders experience and the diverse group of
leadership styles available in corporate America and the non-profit
community. We recommend it as a thought-starter to your own
leadership development.
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| Success Strategies |
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How does one develop authentic leadership or management
skills? What everyday steps can one take to move closer to self-
awareness?
Here are some tips we know work:
- Schedule a "leadership tune-up."
Set aside at least two hours away from the office and bring a pen and
paper. Write down your personal standards for working and living
authentically. They may sound something like: "I will speak the truth
as
I see it," "My family is more important than any job," "My health
comes first," "I don't accept bullying behaviors from clients or
employees," etc. When you have listed about 3-10 standards, rate
yourself based on how well you are doing currently. You may want to
use a 1-10 scale. Circle the one
with the lowest score to begin developing action steps around. In the
future when you
experience a situation that may challenge your authenticity, check
the situation against the list and decide how you want to react in
order to
remain authentic.
- Check in on your boundaries.
If you are not
crystal clear about where your boundaries are, chances are someone
else will find the edge of them and try to move you outside your
comfort zone. Identify at least three boundaries that you have around
your leadership style and write them down on a piece of paper. They
may sound something like: "I don't mind if people have good reasons
for occasional tardiness. Pervasive and consistent tardiness is not
acceptable," "There may be times when withholding details is
necessary. Outright lying is never OK," etc. These exercise help
clarify where you stand and gives others a clear sense of what is
important to you.
- Start your personal "Integrity
Program."
After realizing that she was making decisions
that didn't exactly jell with her values, one of our clients began what
she called the
"Integrity
Program." It was self-designed process by which she assessed her
own decisions and actions against her internal values. The integrity
program became her guide for doing what she knew was right even
when other options were more tempting. Begin your personal integrity
program today and say goodbye to defending and justifying decisions
and actions that do not jive with your values.
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Client Stories |
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Stuck on a plane, with no access to his BlackBerry or computer, Ernie
had a few rare moments of uninterrupted time to reflect on his recent
accomplishments. As the new CEO of a major corporation...
Read on...
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