Hi!
Summertime, and the livin' is easy...for some, but for far too many it's a scary time right now, even as glimmers of hope appear on the economic horizon. More and more we're finding that the Total Leadership program helps people deal with uncertainties by offering a proven approach for learning how to be more grounded, resilient, and competent in creating sustainable change; how, in other words, to be a better leader and have a richer life, especially when you have to do more with less, or adapt to do something new.
Building connections and strengthening relationships are at the heart of it. I've had the great fortune to travel extensively the last few months to bring the Total Leadership method to organizations in such places as Puerto Rico, Chile, Israel, and throughout the US and Canada, meeting many remarkable new friends along the way. In this issue I share news about what I'm learning along with updates from alumni that I hope you'll find useful and interesting. |
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In this issue
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NIH funds research on Total Leadership
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First Total Leadership alumni reunion held in San Francisco
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Where in the world is Total Leadership?
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Impact of Total Leadership
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My recent blogs
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Total Leadership in the media
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Causes we support
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New books we like
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NIH funds research on Total Leadership's effect on women's careers and health
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Following a successful pilot program at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, the National Institutes of Health just awarded a grant to a team of researchers for a three-year study on the impact of the Total Leadership program on women's careers, health, and other critical aspects of life.
Organized by faculty of Penn's School of Medicine, our team will explore systematically how the Total Leadership program works in concert with other initiatives designed to enhance the experiences of women in academic medicine. Penn's President, Amy Gutmann, praised our project, now underway, as a "path-breaking study". Let us know if you'd like to see the proposal, which describes the study in detail. |
| First alumni reunion held in San Francisco |
A fantastic group of alumni and friends of Total Leadership met in San Francisco on July 31 to reconnect, have fun, and honor the legacy of my friend and mentor, the late Joel R. DeLuca, midwife of the Total Leadership program. Special thanks to Tara Einis (W '04), who managed the event; to Kathy Morris, Joel's widow, who sponsored the gathering and spoke movingly about Joel's legacy; to the staff of Wharton West, who hosted us, especially Bruce Brownstein (W '80); and to everyone who came, including Gil Ben-Artzy (WG '02), who was in the inaugural version of Total Leadership offered at Wharton, in Fall 2001. We had a great time and - based on the enthusiastic reaction of those who attended and the wishes of many more who wanted to be there but couldn't make it to San Francisco - we're now starting to figure out how to do more gatherings like this. 
Among the many useful insights I took away from this event was how important it is to make the effort to stay connected with people who you trust based on some shared, valued experience. I was inspired to do more to help make this happen for our growing community of alumni around the world.
Stay tuned for news on our next steps. If you want to help organize a Total Leadership meet-up, please get in touch! |
| Where in the world is Total Leadership? |
An increasing number of companies and communities are interested in learning about Total Leadership and bringing it to their members in order to improve performance in all parts of life. In addition to a number of domestic jaunts (Chicago, San Francisco, northern New Jersey, and Delaware), June was an exciting month of overseas travel for me on behalf of Total Leadership.
I spoke in Puerto Rico, where I was hosted by the Universidad del Turabo; in Chile,  at the invitation of both Communidad Mujer and the Universidad Catolica de Chile; and in Tel-Aviv, at a soiree for "young and promising" business leaders of Israel, sponsored by The Marker, a major Israeli publication.
Find articles about these visits in the media section in the side bar to the right. Click here for information about where Total Leadership is going next. |
| Impact of Total Leadership |
Here's news about how some students and alumni are using Total Leadership:
Gianna Driver (W' 04) wrote recently: "After completing the Total Leadership class at Wharton, I thought a lot about how to integrate the four domains of work, home, community, and self into a successful, professional career. Years later, I found myself asking these same questions, which contributed largely to the founding of GIANNA, an eco-fashion and fair trade home décor business that works with women artisans to help alleviate global poverty.
"We work in high-needs communities abroad, empowering artisans to live wholly and authentically through sustainable, enriching commerce. The 'business' part of GIANNA is merely one aspect of the company -- we've created systems (very similar to the Total Leadership framework) that educate and enable our artisans to lead self-directed lives that encompass what matters most to them.
"I love what I do and am honored to bring Total Leadership to artisan women around the world. It's amazing what we can do when we remain authentic to ourselves and our values. Win-win situations really do exist!"
Miriam Leigh,  a current student at Wharton West's Executive MBA program wrote: "One of my experiments is to make more time for my food blog...I'm really excited to start posting more content and more often. I got a lot of material to write about when I cooked Father's Day dinner for my dad in LA yesterday. Here it is! Let me know what you think."
Corrin Silver (WG '09) just completed Total Leadership in Wharton's MBA program and posted this note to our community Web site (which is still in beta, not yet ready for public release): "In the spirit of experimentation I have decided to run the 2009 NYC Marathon and in the name of reciprocity I ask that you sponsor me in raising money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. 
"During the Total Leadership course, one of my experiments was to run the 10-mile Broad Street Run in Philadelphia. At the time that I undertook this experiment, I could not run one mile, let alone ten. On May 2, 2009, however, I was able to complete my goal by running all ten miles of the race! As a result of this experiment, I was pleased with not only the improvement of my physical health, but that of my emotional, mental and spiritual health as well. Training for the NYC Marathon is an extension of my original experiment; however, this time I am further integrating my community, home and career. The race is truly a four-way win for me because I will get into better condition through my rigorous training program, I am raising money for a charity that is very meaningful to me, I am training with one of my good friends and stakeholders, and I will begin my career at Bain & Company three days after the marathon both mentally and physically prepared to re-enter the business world.
"I am dedicating the race to raising money for research on Parkinson's disease (which has unfortunately affected several members of my family) because I believe my work as a 'Team Fox' member will shorten the road to a cure. Please help me reach my goal by making a contribution."
Sarabjit Singh (WG '08), who was in my Executive MBA class in Philadelphia in fall 2007, recently wrote: "Last year I helped one of my direct reports relocate to Utah for family reasons. Senior management was reluctant and not sure if it would work. We are a small company and I had to work against the old 'face time requirement' issue. It did take some effort to make the remote arrangement work. I'm pleased to report that last month this person got a Director-level promotion. This is yet another example that work and family don't have to be at odds...I think I speak for all my fellow classmates and alumni that we are glad you are out there spreading the good word." |
| My recent blogs |
How a Two-Minute Story Helps You Lead
Leaders gain trust and teach people what's important to them by telling stories. But these days there's so much to attend to - now! - coming at us so fast. You might be tempted to let slide your soft skills, like how to tell a useful story. Just get to the point and move on to the next thing on the list. No time for fluff. More.
Become a More Creative Leader - Think Small
What kind of leadership do we need now?
This was the question I asked last week at the beginning of a day-long workshop attended by a group of senior-level women at a major technology firm headquartered on the west coast of the US. And I've been asking this question of thousands of other business professionals over the last year or so in similar settings around the country. Just a few days ago, in Puerto Rico, I asked it again at a gathering of business executives and, again I heard pretty much the same thing.
By far, the most common responses? Adaptive, flexible, and innovative. More.
The Power of Preventive Assessment
I just returned from Toronto where I spent some time in the hands of an amazing corps of health care professionals at Medcan, North America's biggest preventive health clinic. ( Shaun Francis, WG '03, and a TL alum, is CEO.) I heard more than one story of how Medcan's preventive assessments saved lives - and enormous medical cost. More.
I hope you'll read my blog, subscribe to it, and share it with anyone who might be interested. --------------------------------------
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| Are you sharing Total Leadership with people in your world? Let me know by writing to info@totalleadership.org.
Until next time, Stew
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Share this book! |
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If you or your friends, family and colleagues prefer listening to reading books, you can hear Total Leadership: Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life on your iPod or any other listening device, narrated in mellifluous tones by yours truly. Find it at iTunes or audible.com.
Just announced! Polish translation is now in the works.
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Total Leadership in the media |
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Business Plus (Ireland)
Total Leadership
Your success as a leader isn't just about being a great business person. Stewart Friedman tells Yanky Fachler that you've got be a great person, performing well in all domains of your life. Read more.
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The tendency to concentrate only on your work and to neglect all other aspects of your life is a problem for the modern manager. Prof. Stewart Friedman's research proves: if you invest more in your family and in yourself - your performance will also improve. Read more (English translation; Hebrew).
Inc.
Here's a clip from Meg Hirshberg's bold and funny article: Recently, I sat in on an executive M.B.A. class at the Wharton School, taught by Stewart Friedman. Friedman's course is about the relationship between "work/life integration" and leadership. He preaches about the importance of being fully present no matter what you are doing -- e.g., when you're with your kids, be with your kids. Give your family, your community, and your personal life the attention they deserve, and your work will benefit also. More.
Articles from Santiago, Chile
Con Stewart Friedman finalizó Ciclo de Socias de ComunidadMujer in CommunidadMujer.
Mujer y Trabajo, Familia y Trabajo: Una Mirada distinta (Women and Work, Family and Work: A distinct look) in PuntoMujer.
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| Causes we support |
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Total Leadership is devoted to helping those who suffer from mental illness and their families.
We support Mental Health America, which is celebrating 100 years of advocacy. MHA "is the country's leading nonprofit dedicated to helping ALL people live mentally healthier lives."
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New books we like |
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Sophie Oberstein
Take someone with over a dozen years of training and development experience; have her shift gears to become a leadership and life coach; and then tell her to distill what she does down to ten easily reproducible steps, and you have Sophie Oberstein's 10 Steps to Successful Coaching. Oberstein (spouse of TL alum, Jeff Oberstein, WG, 06) provides practical coaching tips in a thoughtful manner, marrying her instructional background to her passion for coaching. The idea is for managers to infuse their day-to-day interactions in the workplace with this powerful development tool, yet employees at all levels can benefit from the activities here.
The book also is for readers who understand that these skills will help them in all parts of their lives. This is a solid how-to book with heart.
Dev Patnaik with Peter Mortensen
Through stories,  neuroscience research, and case studies, Wired to Care makes a convincing case that business at its best is a fundamentally human endeavor. It's a fun plane read that will remind you why you went into business in the first place - and provide best practices for identifying and developing new growth opportunities for your company.
This book enlightens readers about the untapped talent pool of people with disabilities, parents of children with special needs, and older workers with age-related impairments. Vogel, the CEO of Springboard Consulting LLC, along with co-author Cindy Brown, offers guidance for recruiting, training and supporting people with disabilities, making corporate culture more inclusive, and evaluating facilities to accommodate all workers. The book offers data, inspiration, examples of innovation, and guidance on etiquette in potentially awkward situations.
 Dive In is informed not only by Vogel's expertise, but by statistics and interviews that illuminate the best practices of today's global business leaders.
For more stuff we like go here. | |
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