Rise Leaders Radio

This series began with a conversation with my client, Jennifer Bartkowski, and we’re concluding the same way.

Jennifer is the ‘very proud’ CEO of Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas.  In Fall of 2022 we launched a multi-month, cohort- and practice-based leadership program:  Reimagine Girl Scouts Leadership Academy.  We’ve tracked the journey and interviewed subject matter experts in key  content areas that we covered.

Today we talk about the final results of the program and a few lessons learned. 

Here are a few highlights:

• The general structure of the program, including primary topic areas
• We share actual survey results in key areas as well as observations and impact they have seen on the team and organization as a whole. 
• There were plenty of unplanned and unexpected positive results for the organization and individual participants during the program, and after.
• Jennifer provides her insights on how she’s seen her staff transform and what’s been happening on the inside since the program’s inception.
• We name some key structures we had in place that contributed to the smooth running of the program
• The importance of a mutually respectful relationship between client and consultant
• The impetus of the program was to develop the skills and attributes needed to accomplish the GSNETX mission and that seems to be happening!
• We’re launching another program with a few adjustments based on what we learned

If you’d like to get the details discussed in this episode, including what worked and what we learned, and to see key survey results, visit: https://bit.ly/45R34Uk

To discuss executive coaching, leadership development program design, and workshop facilitation, please visit: https://rise-leaders.com/contact-info/

To subscribe to Rise Words newsletter, visit: https://mailchi.mp/426e78bc9538/subscribe

Learn more about Rise Leaders at www.rise-leaders.com

Connect with LeeAnn Mallory on Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeannmallory/

Follow Rise Leaders on our YouTube Channel:  https://bit.ly/47Wk8do

Connect with Jennifer Bartkowsk on Linked Ini: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferbartkowski/

Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas:  https://www.gsnetx.org/

Also mentioned in this episode:

Rhonda Williams, Phd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhondawilliams14/

Moira Variames: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moira-variames-14228877/

George Floyd: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Floyd

Deloitte:  https://www2.deloitte.com/

CoSpera: https://cosperoconsulting.com/

Yield Giving:  https://yieldgiving.com/

MacKenzie Scott:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacKenzie_Scott

The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey  https://tinyurl.com/md3e5w7b

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni https://tinyurl.com/ydbb9y7u

We have constant demands on our attention, energy and time.  If we don’t have strategies for staying focused on what is most important we will almost certainly lose the battle and succumb to distractions that leave us feeling depleted and frustrated. 

My friend and colleague, Dr. Chris Johnson has literally written a book on how to stay present.  And me?  I created a worksheet with strategies to help you get and stay focused.

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

• To guide your energy, attention and time ask, Who is the person I want to be?  What is the impact I want to make?  
• Pausing allows us to determine where our attention is, or is not
• Multi-tasking is not actually possible for our human brains
• We discuss a few simple (but not easy!) tactics and meta practices for navigating these demands
• Ask yourself, ‘Do I feel renewed?  Do I feel regenerated?’ after time on Social Media
• We get distracted by what is easy rather than focus on what is important
• The importance of a ‘positive no’
• We stay reactive and busy as a way to avoid being alone with our thoughts
• Admit it:  the list is too long and you won’t get it all done (Burkeman’s 4,000 weeks)
• There are common places where we leak energy:  other’s expectations, over committing, worrying

I’ve created a worksheet to help you navigate the demands on your energy, attention and time.  I use it with all of my clients and you can find it here https://bit.ly/3EiEKz5

To discuss executive coaching, leadership development program design, and workshop facilitation, please visit: https://rise-leaders.com/contact-info/

To subscribe to Rise Words newsletter, visit: https://mailchi.mp/426e78bc9538/subscribe

Learn more about Rise Leaders at www.rise-leaders.com

Connect with LeeAnn Mallory on Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeannmallory/

Follow Rise Leaders on our YouTube Channel:  https://bit.ly/47Wk8do

Resources mentioned in this podcast:

To connect with and learn more about Dr. Johnson’s work visit:

Order The Leadership Pause: Sharpen Your Attention, Deepen Your Presence, and Navigate the Future http://bit.ly/44xC4IL

Listen to The Leadership Pause: Sharpen Your Attention, Deepen Your Presence, and Navigate the Future: https://bit.ly/45N5LWZ

Note:  These links will support local booksellers

Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals; Oliver Burkeman:  https://bit.ly/3EjN4Pe

Atomic Habits:  Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results; James Clear:  https://bit.ly/3R3XQR4

The Social Dilemma move:  https://www.thesocialdilemma.com/

No Time to Think by Kate Murphy, NYTimes:  https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/sunday-review/no-time-to-think.html

Note:  Rise Leaders supports local retailers. Books are listed on Whose Books site on Bookshop.org

I’ve worked with a lot of organizations in my time as a coach and leadership consultant and the issue of trust is almost always at or near the center of concern.  You’re never done building and nurturing trust.  As one of my guests today quotes, “trust is the only thing that affects everything” (Stephen M.R. Covey). We gave it a great deal of air time in the Reimagine Leadership program.

Jerry Magar and Lori Darley join me in today’s discussion and we talk about:

• Signs that trust may be missing in your organization
• There are defined behaviors that help build trust
• One way to think about trust is a combination of competence and character
• Trust-building can be tangible and pragmatic
• Breakdowns provide a great opportunity to create more trust
• What does it mean to have vulnerability-based trust?

There are many models of trust and we cover two during this conversation.  Check the links below for three (yes three!) earlier episodes I’ve recorded on trust.

To subscribe to Rise Words newsletter, visit: https://mailchi.mp/426e78bc9538/subscribe

Learn more about Rise Leaders at www.rise-leaders.com

Connect with LeeAnn Mallory on Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeannmallory/

Follow Rise Leaders on our YouTube Channel:  https://bit.ly/47Wk8d

Links from this episode

Lori Darley:  https://www.consciousleaders.us/about

Conscious Leaders Wisdom Circle:  https://consciousleaders.us/wisdom-circle

Jerry Magar:  https://jerrymagar.com/about-jerry-magar/

JerryMagar.com:  https://jerrymagar.com/

Rise Leaders Radio episode with Treg Manning:  https://tinyurl.com/k3mwp3zh

Rise Leaders Radio episodes on the Trust Formula: 17 - solo episode explaining Trust model: https://tinyurl.com/5f2w93xr

 #36 with Charles Green, Author of The Trusted Advisor:  https://tinyurl.com/mry4urjv 

#37 with Andrea Howe where we take a deeper dive into the Trust Equation https://tinyurl.com/mv94nakb

The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey  https://tinyurl.com/md3e5w7b

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni https://tinyurl.com/ydbb9y7u

Note:  Rise Leaders supports local retailers. Books are listed on Whose Books site on Bookshop.org.  

When I ask experts in the leadership field what the most important attribute for effective leadership today is, I get some version of adaptability or agility.  In other words, what is most important is that we’re able to read a context and shift our approach to meet circumstances and challenges with new thinking and behaviors.

My guest today, Pam Boney, is so passionate about this that she created an assessment that displays our strengths and helps us know how and where we may need to shift to increase our effectiveness and feeling of fulfillment in life.  The assessment is Tilt 365, and Pam is the company’s founder.  

We used this assessment in the leadership program that this podcast series is centered around.  The program began with each leader studying themselves because self-awareness is foundational for our ability to manage our emotions and thus take effective, sustainable action.  It’s also vital to our ability to coordinate well with others. So we take the Tilt assessment at the beginning.

Because of the developmental nature of this assessment, each leader was able to define areas where they wanted to grow and then identify practices to help them get there.  

Rather than using labels, Tilt 365 is clear about our ability to shift, or Tilt, to meet new situations and work best with others.  

We take a walk around the Tilt model discussing:

• The four quadrants of the model:  Spirit/Resilience and Head/Wisdom on the vertical axis and Heart/Humanity and Gut/Courage on the horizontal axis.
• Aristotle’s Golden Mean:  all ‘virtues’ lie in the middle way between two extreme states: excess and deficiency. This has been popularized as ‘any strength overused becomes a weakness’.
• Oftentimes our fear causes us to move into the extreme states.
• The four profiles that each combine two of the quadrants:
• Impact/Change Catalyst combines the quadrants Spirit/Resilience and Gut/Courage
• Structure/MasterMind combines the quadrants Head/Wisdom and Gut/Courage
• Clarity/Quiet Genius combines the quadrants Head/Wisdom and Heart/Humanity
• Connection/Cross Pollinator combines the quadrants Spirit/Resilience and Heart/Humanity
• The model goes deeper and deeper into personas which give further nuance to why a Tilt style will be animated differently by different people
• Pam and her team have created offers for individuals and teams and ways to explore more fully how to better understand our strengths and how to develop towards agility.

I really encourage you to explore the Tilt 365 website and all the offers.  If you’re interested in taking the assessment, please contact me!

You can find out more by connecting with the following:

To discuss executive coaching, leadership development program design, and workshop facilitation, please visit: https://rise-leaders.com/contact-info/

To subscribe to Rise Words newsletter, visit: https://mailchi.mp/426e78bc9538/subscribe

Learn more about Rise Leaders at www.rise-leaders.com

Connect with LeeAnn Mallory on Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeannmallory/

Follow Rise Leaders on our YouTube Channel:  https://bit.ly/47Wk8do

To connect with Pam and Tilt 365, visit: 

https://www.tilt365.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tilt365/

https://www.youtube.com/@tilt365developagilepersonality

To discuss executive coaching, leadership development program design, and workshop facilitation, please visit:

https://rise-leaders.com/contact-info/

As part of the Reimagine Leadership limited series, this is the first episode where we dig into content that we actually threaded throughout the program I developed for the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas.

Jim Fallon is an Executive Coach for The Conscious Leadership Group and a Strategic Advisor for many organizations.  He spent decades as an executive for many organizations across various industries, which I feel results in a very grounded pragmatism in his approach.

We talk about the book, The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, and specifically about the organizing principle of the book:  leading above and below the line.  

Here are a few highlights from our rich conversation:

• Jim’s wake up call and why he transitioned from CEO to Executive Coach and Strategic Advisor.
• The important distinction between content and context.
• Another Big Idea of the book: To Me, By Me, Through Me, As Me.
• A great description of Locating Yourself (above or below the line).
• The power, and necessity of accepting ourselves when we find that we are ‘below the line’ (which happens regularly for most of us).
• Jim does a walkthrough of the 15 Commitments with lots of context.
• Try the novel and playful approach for teaching others how to get the results you DON’T want - another way that CLG has made this content easier to take in.
• Jim gets vulnerable and provides a personal example of taking Radical Responsibility, which is Commitment #1.

Jim does a beautiful job of embodying the generous, humanizing content from The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership. As you listen, you hear in the conversation my own ah-ha moments and how this conversation will impact the way I explain some of these concepts in the next program.

You can find out more by connecting with the following:

To discuss executive coaching, leadership development program design, and workshop facilitation, please visit: https://rise-leaders.com/contact-info/

To subscribe to Rise Words newsletter, visit: https://mailchi.mp/426e78bc9538/subscribe

Learn more about Rise Leaders at www.rise-leaders.com

Connect with LeeAnn Mallory on Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeannmallory/

Follow Rise Leaders on our YouTube Channel:  https://bit.ly/47Wk8do

Conscious Leaders Group  https://conscious.is   

Jim Fallon:  https://conscious.is/team/jim-fallon  

Book:  The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership:  https://tinyurl.com/15-Commitments 

Locating Yourself handout:  https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=udhrtalK

Transformation Happens in Community.

We don’t reach our potential alone.  Without conversation, without rubbing up against each others’ nervous systems.  Without vulnerability, self-awareness, being mirrored by others and without engaging to support their development as well.

I knew this episode would be special and it was, because I was engaging with deep thinking, big hearted people who care a lot about creating structures and ecosystems where others feel safe enough to take risks and shuck off old, familiar ways of being in the service of leaving a big legacy.

Rick Voirin, Chairman and Human Performance Partner at Stagen and Raft Viton of Slalom Consulting are my training partners in this episode. 

Here are a few highlights.  This was a juicy conversation that I hope you enjoy!

• Development that sticks typically:
• Spans a period of time
• Keeps a cohort of leaders engaged and together over this period
• Is practice-based
• Requires commitment and accountability 
• Reference to the Greek proverb: “A society grows great when old men plan trees in whose shade they shall never sit” and what this means practically.
• Training vs Development: Training is more about what’s needed right now and filling skills gaps ; development is expanding that skills cup for the future and usually focusing it on the collective.
• The power of doing  integral leader development inside a system is that it expands the impact  to all stakeholders:  employees, clients, client’s clients in ways that we can’t even imagine
• Integral leadership development is growing human potential in multiple dimensions: career, relationships, spirituality, emotional,  physical all those intelligences together. It’s a community-based way of being that puts us in a situation that invites us into believing that progress is possible for us.
• The primary commitment is to helping others reach the promise of their potential

Adaptability is a key (the key? ) attribute for all of us to thrive. Adaptability Intelligence.

• It takes courage to change - to let go of what we know.  
• Change is easier when… we know where to focus our attention,  when we have practices to follow,  when we have a supportive  environment, when we have a clear path and we’re with a community of people.  (Thank you for the reframe, Raff!)
• People will be attracted to those who are committed to figuring it (challenges) out, to evolving.
• When engaging with development, what you think is going to happen is not going to happen.  We put structures in place in hopes of channeling energy and people will apply the learning in unique ways and have unique (and beautiful!) experiences.  Or not

This episode is full of passion - we each care deeply about the work we do with leaders and with organizations.  We see the power of social learning and grappling together with the challenges of our times.  We believe that we can follow a path of intentional practice to expand our individual and collective ability to adapt,  reach our potential and create environments that work for everyone.

To discuss executive coaching, leadership development program design, and workshop facilitation, please visit: https://rise-leaders.com/contact-info/

To subscribe to Rise Words newsletter, visit: https://mailchi.mp/426e78bc9538/subscribe

Learn more about Rise Leaders at www.rise-leaders.com

Connect with LeeAnn Mallory on Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeannmallory/

Follow Rise Leaders on our YouTube Channel:  https://bit.ly/47Wk8do

To learn more and connect with Rick and Raff, visit: 

Stagen:  https://stagen.com/

Slalom:  https://www.slalom.com/

Rick Voirin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-voirin-a43413/

Raff Viton:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphaelviton/

Jennifer Bartkowski, CEO of Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, and Cris Lopez, Senior Vice President at Village MD join me today and we talk about the various and important perspectives to consider when providing development to current and future leaders in your organization.  

Cris sits on the Board for the Girl Sounds of Northeast Texas and played a key role in advising Jennifer on selecting participants for the program.

I love this episode.  Here are the important topics we discuss:

• Tying leader development to the mission and vision of the organization
• The important questions to ask individuals when doing succession and development planning.  Is there a will to lead?
• The role the Board of Directors can and should play in shaping the future of any organization, whether it’s non-profit or a corporate board
• Developing people will change your culture!
• The importance of the executive team’s commitment to their own development 
• Recognize the current reality of how your organization operates today and how that will enable and pose challenges to the new behaviors  you wanting to see exhibited
• There will be surprises in how and where people apply their new learning - and where it doesn’t get applied!
• Leader development sits in the context of a larger commitment of the organization.

If you’re leading an organization, advising an organization, or consulting with an organization committed to evolving to meet the needs of all stakeholder, you find yourself listening to this episode over and over!

To discuss executive coaching, leadership development program design, and workshop facilitation, please visit: https://rise-leaders.com/contact-info/

To subscribe to Rise Words newsletter, visit: https://mailchi.mp/426e78bc9538/subscribe

Learn more about Rise Leaders at www.rise-leaders.com

Connect with LeeAnn Mallory on Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeannmallory/

Follow Rise Leaders on our YouTube Channel:  https://bit.ly/47Wk8do

Connect with Jennifer Bartkowsk on Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferbartkowski/

Connect with Cris Lopez on LinkedIn: Cris Lopez: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristinaclopez/

Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas:  https://www.gsnetx.org/

Village MD:  https://www.villagemd.com/

Women of Distinction Luncheon: https://www.gsnetx.org/en/support-us/donate-locally/women-of-distinction.html

Opal Lee:  https://www.opalswalk2dc.com/

In this first episode of Reimagine Leadership, I’m joined by Jennifer Bartkowski, the “very proud CEO of Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas”. This is the episode where we make strong links to organizational vision, mission and strategy and how leadership development is critical to an organization’s ability to thrive. It is the thread that connects strategy to execution to the fulfillment of the mission..

In addition to laying the groundwork for the seven-month program that was designed for the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas (GSNETX), Jennifer describes the size, scope, and incredible assets of the organization.  She does not shy away from the challenges the organization is facing and how she sees leader development as crucial to the organization’s success. 

In the spirit of, ‘leaders go first’, Jennifer shares how she felt her own leadership skills first had to shift during COVID and the civil unrest we were all experiencing.  She knew she could not change the organization on her own, which is why she wanted to make sure she gave everyone committed to the future of GSNETX the chance to be part of the unique program we were developing.

We hear Jennifer’s views on how the impact of Girl Scouts was declining; she acknowledges that their ways of serving the community had become misaligned with the actual needs of today’s girls and the challenges they face.  We discuss the details of how the program was set up, how the module topics were selected to align with who and what the organization wanted to be. The program had to help build the capabilities and skills required to serve the community.

To discuss executive coaching, leadership development program design, and workshop facilitation, please visit: https://rise-leaders.com/contact-info/

To subscribe to Rise Words newsletter, visit: https://mailchi.mp/426e78bc9538/subscribe

Learn more about Rise Leaders at www.rise-leaders.com

Connect with LeeAnn Mallory on Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeannmallory/

Follow Rise Leaders on our YouTube Channel:  https://bit.ly/47Wk8do

Connect with Jennifer Bartkowsk on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferbartkowski/

Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas:  https://www.gsnetx.org/

Also Mentioned in this episode:

George Floyd: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Floyd

Stagen Leadership Academy: https://stagen.com/

Deloitte:  https://www2.deloitte.com/

CoSpera: https://cosperoconsulting.com/

Yield Giving:  https://yieldgiving.com/

MacKenzie Scott:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacKenzie_Scott

Welcome to the first episode of Reimagine Leadership, a limited series podcast on Rise Leaders Radio. In this episode, I introduce you to the leadership program I was invited to create and deliver for the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas.

This transformational program was focused on developing the leadership capabilities required to build an organizational culture internally that could meet the needs of today’s girls externally.  The seven-month, practice and cohort-based program used an inclusive approach in growing these leaders professionally and personally.

I’ll  give a high-level overview of the program, the strategies used, and what you can expect in the episodes throughout this series.  For details on each episode, please listen and refer to the show notes. 

To subscribe to Rise Words newsletter, visit: https://mailchi.mp/426e78bc9538/subscribe

Learn more about Rise Leaders at www.rise-leaders.com

Connect with LeeAnn Mallory on Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeannmallory/

Follow Rise Leaders on our YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKZAhRU1iLsXYwpvCECVreg

“I bet half of our anxiety is the energy of trying to remember which hat to put on in my relationship with [others]…And people end up becoming a less real version of themselves. …Why can't we be fully present to this process, and not have to put anything on the side - not try to take away the personal parts of who we are?”

Showing up fully human

What if I told you it’s possible to bring your full self to the workplace? Jeff Shiefelbein thinks it's not possible, but necessary for forming humans and building great cultures.

Jeff and I discuss how draining it is to change our personalities depending on where we are and who we're with. The expectations to leave your heart and your personality at the door when you come to work are changing. Jeff also explains the magnetism of authenticity and how facing difficult topics can help form connections and trust.

He speaks with experience: The company he co-founded has won multiple Best Places to Work awards, as well as five consecutive appearances on the Inc 5,000 fastest growing companies in America. His tenets behind the “Undivided Life” have contributed to this success.

You'll also hear how a run-in with the law in college inspired him to launch a nationwide nonprofit that has likely saved hundreds of lives.

At its core, successful businesses are comprised of engaged people working in concert.

Authenticity opens doors

“As you step into these bold moments of living, the way we’re actually designed to be, show up…what comes after [is] the freedom, mentorship, accountability, cool opportunities that you could have never predicted in your life. It’s because people feel like they know you, they might start to connect to you because you’re speaking and leaving a message that they have buried in their heart.”

Create connections at a micro-level for macro-change

“You start to develop this trusting relationship…And if you can keep building, your circle gets bigger and bigger, the ripples get further and further apart. You’re this pocket of people that you have a trusting and loving relationship with, and you're connecting…even if our big giant company or whatever organization has cultures within it that are toxic, let's just make the part that's right around us a place we like to come to. And that begets confidence; it begets this sense of ‘this is possible.’”

Caring about people leads to organization success

“You don't run the business by metrics, you run your run it by getting highly engaged, fully formed adults, loving, trusting, and empowering them, and getting out of their way…therefore, I think the whole health of that person becomes an input to the company's long-term health and success.”

“An undivided life also respects the fact that we weren't made to be 24/7 working machines that are 24/7 available. There's a dignity and respect to that person - that if I recognize the personal side of who they are, I also respect their personal time.”

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Undivided Life:

https://www.undivided.life

Connect with Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/schiefelbein

Energy By 5:

https://www.energyby5.com

Rise Leaders interview with Nathan Havey - Episode 60:

https://rise-leaders.com/podcast/

Link between Heart Attacks and Monday Mornings study:

https://www.menshealth.com/health/a19524979/heart-attack-timing/

To subscribe to the Rise Leaders newsletter for more resources:

https://mailchi.mp/426e78bc9538/subscribe

To discuss executive coaching, leadership development program design, and workshop facilitation, please visit:

https://rise-leaders.com/contact-info/