Do you belong or feel abandoned?

I was lucky enough to meet David Whyte in my Stephen Covey leadership course many years ago, at the time I had no idea who he was. Since then I have paid to attend his workshops. I have bought many of his books, audios, and videos. He is something very special. I would like to share a poem he wrote that we have hanging on our wall at home.

Self Portrait

It doesn't interest me if there is one God
Or many gods.
I want to know if you belong -- or feel abandoned;
If you know despair
Or can see it in others.
I want to know
If you are prepared to live in the world
With its harsh need to change you;
If you can look back with firm eyes
Saying "this is where I stand."
I want to know if you know how to melt
Into that fierce heat of living
Falling toward the center of your longing.
I want to know if you are willing
To live day by day
With the consequence of love
And the bitter unwanted passion
Of your sure defeat.
I have been told
In that fierce embrace
Even the gods
Speak of God.

~ David Whyte ~

(Fire in the Earth)

From Success to Significance

When you consider the concept of moving from success to significance. The question arises within yourself along the journey, "Do I have to do something to be significant? Or is it enough that I am who I am? This poem by Mary Oliver called Sunshine brings a greater depth of meaning to these questions.

Sunrise by Mary Oliver

You can
die for it--
an idea,
or the world. People

have done so,
brilliantly,
letting
their small bodies be bound

to the stake,
creating
an unforgettable
fury of light. But

this morning,
climbing the familiar hills
in the familiar
fabric of dawn, I thought

of China,
and India
and Europe, and I thought
how the sun

blazes
for everyone just
so joyfully
as it rises

under the lashes
of my own eyes, and I thought
I am so many!
What is my name?

What is the name
of the deep breath I would take
over and over
for all of us? Call it

whatever you want, it is
happiness, it is another one
of the ways to enter
fire.

TOP HR Professionals on Twitter

List of top 150 HR and Career Professionals on twitter by Chris Perry, you can down load them fast by going to Ninjafollow. Just copy and paste each list into www.ninjafollow.com and you will be following them. What Would Dad Say Blog by GL Hoffman great source for more top twitter lists!

adriennewaldo,alevit,alisondoyle,askamanager,AndreaSantiago,AnitaBruzzese,engagingbrand,
GradtoGreat,andybeal,andyheadworth,andyinnaples,anthonyfisherpb,barbarasafani,BarbaraSher, Barry_at_IMPACT,BarryMoltz,bencasnocha,byosko,beneubanks,BeverlyHarvey,BeverlyMacy,
billiesucher,blakesunshine,glhoffman,bradleywill,careerealism,crisjobcoach,InterviewAngel,CarlosHernandez,iRelaunch,mightycasey, YourOnRamp,ChadALevitt,chandlee,charbrown,ceonyc,CherylPalmer,ChrisBrogan,garybcohen, CareerRocketeer,chrisrussell,cfocoach,prleads,danschawbel,DanThomas,danielpink,dwestjr,
madmain,DavidSandusky,getajob,dawnbugni,CEOCoach,debbieweil,debrawheatman,
DianaJennings,resumesrevealed,eogez,CareerDiva,fbrahimi,GayleHoward,WorkforceFifty, linkup.
Gillian_Kelly,GLHoffman,HajjFlemings,haroldmellor,harparora,eExecutives,heatherhuhman,
mountflorida,IlissaSmanes,jacobshare,valueintowords,janmelnik,jannwatt,jasonalba,jjbuss,
career_advisor,Seiden,jeffjarvis,jeffrey_blake,ysnjen,joanschramm,cheezhead,ducttape,
theresumebay,jonathanfields,jtodonnell,juliaerickson,junloayza,midlifetrip,workinggirl,katiekonrath, kirstendixson,kgrantcareers,kirshnade,KristenFischer,KristenJacoway,kkaleal,Resumeexpert,
laurenstill,lruettimann,Leonard_Lang,LesleyEverett,workguru

LiveYourBrand,InteviewCoach,lindseypollak,liz_lynch,louise_fletcher,louisemowbray,mariaduron,CandidatesChair,
stelzner,MarthaFinney,MartinBuckland,resumepro,ExpatCoachMegan,megguiseppi,KCCareerCoach,casseracomm,
N2growth,KeppieCareers,monicaobrien,LeadersCoach,TheLongoReport,imnickarmstrong,Rynge,pamslim,
paulcopcutt,Salesrecruiter,philgerb,philrecareered,phyllisshabad,RachelGogos,10GMRachel,
myreinventure,RobCuesta,RoxanneRavenel,sallywitzky,PRsarahevans,sherryfm,scottallen,
scotherrick,nametagscott,career20,SelenaDehne,SusanHeathfield,SusanIreland,DailyCareerTips, teenarose,MakingSense,tmonhollon,tferriss,SpinStrategy,TomScholte,Brandyourself,AResumes,
gradversity,GetHiredGuru,WalterAkana,wendygelberg,wendymarx,WendyTerwelp,williamarruda, willyf,
pathfindernig,MeghanMBiro,careercampaigns,bfederman,daisywright,socialmoves,brigittevanT,
internetinc,keithferrazzi,dirkindallas,penelopetrunk,ohioresgal,StephanieALloyd, prjobs,coachmupboni,sexythinker,JavaSTL,TriumphCIO,lindagriffin,KrisPlantrich,execjobcoach,jobsearchcoach,
socialmediawonk,goodridge,JobSeekersEdge,CJWebster,MelissaWells,mattliptak,LaurenceShatkin, WorkIntegrity,StevenRothberg,BostonRecruiter,allisoncheston

Top Authors On Twitter by GL Hoffman

List of top authors on twitter by GL Hoffman you can down load them fast by going to Ninjafollow. Just copy and paste each list into www.ninjafollow.com and you will be following them.

danielpink, danschawbel, thecreativepenn,jonathanfields, lindseypollack,tferiss, ducttape,pamslim, jack_welch,jeffjarvis,liz_lynch,scottallen,alivelshi, authordavidbach, suzeormanshow,andreagillies, annettefix, glhoffman,christine22hoef,esmo,helentse,petersagal, stephanieklein, susanorlean, trishryan,wilw,fiora_mackenzie, kriswaldherr, malgeo, maureenogle, benmezrich, elissastein, jennyblee, knitgrrl, marielhemingway, ruthreichl, tammypowley, andybeal, chr1sa, cshirky, debiweil, dmscott, joelcomm, Maggie, mike_stelzner, timoreilly, warrenwhitlock, badastronomer, pd_smith, stevenbjohynson, annettecolby, butterflyhaikus, Deepak_chopra, gtdguy, katebornstein,m_hutchings, michellesedas, mrfire, splver, spunkonastick, stevepavilina, suzywelch,glhoffman, tinatessina, tonyrobbins, zenhabits, ginahyams, hackneye, rtfelton,sandrafriend, bookmarketer,grammergirl, wordywoman, bradshorr, johannayoung, arrianahuff, heytammybruce, matthewemay, petparentauthor,alevitt,keppie_careers, JTODonnell, workinggirl,alisondoyle, garybcohen

Survey: Although Popular, Definition of Leadership Coaching Eludes Managers

Leadership development tops the list of training manager, coaching managers and executives say they prefer, according to a survey by CO2 Partners, an executive coaching and leadership development firm based in Minnesota.

Actually defining leadership development, however, isn’t quite as popular. Gary Cohen, CO2 Partners president, said many people do not fully understand what leadership development coaching is or what it entails.

“Leadership is a captivating objective for most executives and managers,” he said. “So individuals feel obligated to choose leadership development, even if they have no clear sense of what it’s all about. Despite this lack of awareness, leadership ranks first on any survey of coaching needs.”

Cohen said, though, that leadership coaching is not well-defined and that it makes sense many people do not fully comprehend exactly what it is. (Full Article Chief Training Officer)

Employer and Employee Values Don't Always Align

One-third of employees say their employer's core values do not always line up with theirs, according to a survey of 615 Americans by CO2 Partners, a Minnesota leadership development firm.

The telephone survey was conducted March 7 to 11 by International Communications Research.

Gary Cohen, CO2 Partners president, said this situation has the potential to lead to employees experiencing an internal ethical conflict, which in turn, might be a factor in the high disengagement levels at many workplaces. (Full Article Chief Learning Officer)

Few Employees Turn To Boss For Advice

MINNEAPOLIS -- Most employees are unwilling to turn to their boss for advice on problems at work, according to an Internet survey of more than 3,000 employees by CO2 Partners, a Minnesota-based leadership development and executive coaching firm.

In fact, a supervisor was cited by only 11% of employees surveyed as a source for workplace advice. More employees rely on a peer, another senior person, a friend outside the company, and a mentor or coach.

Whom do you turn to for advice on problems at work? (Read Full Article at HR.COM)

Study Suggest More Than Half Managers Get Coaching

MINNEAPOLIS -- A new study suggests as many as half of mid-level managers have received some sort of coaching in the workplace in recent years. Minneapolis consultants CO2 Partners surveyed middle to senior-level executives via the Internet and found that 50% were provided with coaching on more than one occasion. (Read Full Article in HR.com)

Business Coaching Becomes The Focus

As executive coaching continues to expand, the field is shifting away from a therapeutic model to a greater emphasis on business performance and leadership development, according to Minnesota executive coaching firm CO2 Partners. (Read Full Article in HR.COM)

If You Don’t Have Anything Nice to Say, Don’t Say Anything at All

A small office gets back to basics and learns the value of a compliment.

The following story was described by Gary Cohen, a Minneapolis-based managing partner of CO2 Partners, LLC.

THE CLIENT: A small (25- to 30-employee) software value-added reseller

THE PROBLEM: The organization’s employees had very little appreciation for each other, and regular backbiting and complaining had turned the office environment sour.

THE CAUSE: The company was growing very fast, and each employee was focused on himself, his own job, and his position in the organization. The employees did not see how they fit together as a team or how their actions affected others. They also had little gratitude for what they were doing to help each other. (Continue Reading T+D Magazine)

Question

Who do you inspire?

My name is on the door!

Denny is a founding partner (and was chief rainmaker) of Crane, Poole & Schmidt. He has aged since he earned his reputation of being undefeated and has gotten what he calls “mad cow”, Alzheimer. The problem that he really faces is a case of narcissism. I see this sense of self happen with many leaders who are aging and have built something very large and have made a great deal of wealth and fame.


I was in a meeting the other day with someone who was an executive at one of the worlds largest beer companies. He said that he would be told what the name of the new product would be by the aging leader. This was a beer that was going to be sold to 20 year olds. No, focus groups, no research no inclusion of the many people who they have hired to do that exact job of product development and naming. How do you know this is the right name? Because I have one of the biggest companies in the world and my name is on the door, was the unsaid answer.

It totally reminds me of city slickers when Barry and Ira who are two ice-cream moguls (like Ben and Jerry’s) who delight in knowing the right flavor for any occasion.

Barry Shalowitz: What do you think? What would be the perfect flavor with this meal?
Ira Shalowitz: Cherry vanilla?
Barry Shalowitz: No. If it was Chinese food, right on the money, but this? Toasted almonds.
Mitch Robbins: What's going on?
Ira Shalowitz: Barry can pick out the exact right flavor of ice cream to follow any meal. Go ahead. Challenge him.
Mitch Robbins: Challenge him?
Barry Shalowitz: Go on.
Mitch Robbins: Franks and beans.
Barry Shalowitz: Scoop of chocolate, scoop of vanilla. Don't waste my time.
[Flings plate at Mitch as if he throws down the gauntlet]
Barry Shalowitz: Come on. Push me.
Mitch Robbins: Sea bass.
Barry Shalowitz: Grilled?
Mitch Robbins: Sauteed.
Barry Shalowitz: I'm with you.
Mitch Robbins: Potatoes au gratin. Asparagus.
Barry Shalowitz: Rum raisin.
Barry Shalowitz, Ira Shalowitz: WOOF!

When challenged to how they know it is the right flavor. ‘We own 1300 stores nation wide…’ Another words, “Denny Crane, name is on the door!”

Are you in danger of saying, __________, name is on the door?

Leadership of Brand

Leaders want to produce the best work possible, while increasing revenue and limiting expenses. Unless they lose some big clients or receive sharp complaints, they don't always give due consideration to their clients' expenses. They generally want their clients to spend more, not less.

Quality work is important, but leaders need to be mindful of costs--theirs and others'. At Brand Integrity, the partners met a few years back to set top business objectives. Brand Integrity had helped Wegman's Food Markets, Hallmark Cards, Erickson Retirement Communities, and other companies to better define and deliver on their brands, so the partners could have continued their profitable and largely effective practices. But founding partner, Gregg Lederman, thought to ask, "How much of our clients' money are we wasting?"

That question helped transform a pivotal service offering within their business. Over the next few years, Brand Integrity expanded its employee performance practice by moving away from paper-based tools and by integrating a software development and service business. With an online peer-to-peer employee engagement solution, Brand Integrity found they could do more for their clients for less money. The paper system couldn't detect whether employees delivered the brand strategy consistently. Now, their clients can do so internally to reap the benefits of rapid data collection, information sharing, and employee appreciation. In addition, they can better measure return on investment and identify useful new best practices.

While eliminating the paper-based training may have cost Brand Integrity some revenue in the short term, it has led to far superior results and even created new revenue streams. With their Partner Program, they are now offering their solution to other industries that work on strategy development, such as advertising and branding agencies, business consultants, and providers of Human Resource tools. They are also better prepared to address the needs of organizations of all sizes.

Before your clients turn to one of your competitors to provide better value for their money, ask, "How much of our clients' money are we wasting?" The answer may yield more efficient practices and more business.

Aspen Global Leadership Network

Just returned from the Aspen Institute's Global Leadership Network. This was the second gathering of the alumni from all the Aspen Institute's Leadership initiatives from around the world. Of the 900 members there was a very strong showing of support with 150 members in attendance. If you spend any time at the Aspen Institute you know you get a 'rocky mountain high'. Both the conversation and the network is amazing. And for those of us who have been going for better than 6 years it has begun to feel like a global family. And the most amazing of all is the work this group is doing around the world.

We heard from Dele Olojede one of the fellows from South Africa. He is founder of Timbuktu Media, which is building a platform-agnostic information company in Nigeria and the rest of Africa, including newspapers and digital products. He is the only African to win the Pulitzer Prize and a former foreign editor at eh New York Newsday. Dele spoke to us about what it takes to speak truth to power. In a country like Nigeria where bribery is not even skirted under the skirt of innuendeo but direct and overt. His news paper is the only one to not take bribes in the entire country. This is a country that if your part of the power system you can create a total backout of any news story you want. If you are a politician in Nigeria you will be one of the best paid politians in the world. They have pay and benefits of over $2 million per year. In order for the newspaper to make the story understandable to all readers they break down these numbers into tangible numbers that will be understood. Dele is an inspiration - his willingness to leave his comfortable life in New York to put is life at risk in strating a media company in Nigeria takes an amazing act of courage.

We heard from Jaqueline Novogratz who started and is now CEO of Acumen Fund, a non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty. Acumen Fund currently manages more than 40 million in investments in South Asia and East Africa, all focused on delivering affordable healthcare, water, housing and engergy to the poor.

We were discussing readings and many of us had very strong points of view on being ethical and holding to moral high ground not knowing that Nuhu Ribadu a senior fellow was part of the group. Nuhu was Executive Chairman of Economic and Fiancial Crimes Commission in Nigeria. He was responsible for bringing charges against those who were caught recieving bribes. On October 20, 2006, Ribadu told the BBC that over 380 billion dollars has either been stolen or wasted by Nigerian governments since independence in 1960. While testifying about corruption before a U.S. Financial Services Commssion. He testified against former Niger Delta Governor. Nuhu was offered millions in bribes in cash. Nuhu refused and tendered the cash as evidence against Niger Delta Governor. He is no longer safe in his country and is now living in England as an Oxford Fellow. Again the courage of his leadership and the strength of his values truely informed not only our discussion but the people of Nigeria.

Just Ask Leadership goes global

Hanover, Germany - Presenting to executives from a a business that manages cross-border MRO supply, V-Line. The participants were from all over the world - Saudi Arabia, Omen, Bahrain, Pakistan, Brazil, North America, Germany, Netherlands, Finland, China and Japan.

You may ask what type of business is that: Whether it is tiny stainless steel screws or entire industrial plants: V-LINE Europe Export Marketing delivers original replacement parts directly from the manufacturer to clients on four continents guaranteed on-time, at a fixed price and including processing of the various custom formalities.

Because the presentation was totally interactive the diversity of opinions on the subject of leadership was dynamic. Each time I work with Global Audiences it continues to inform me how transferable Just Ask Leadership is to organizations around the world.

What seemed to be of most interest to the participants was the message about how leaders who come from a place of knowing with their staff are less effective at engagement.