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- Episode 50: Chris Chittenden on Real Accountability [The Amiel Show]Think that accountability is just about the organizational structure–about who reports to whom?Think again.Listen to the PodcastThis is a key message of Chris Chittenden, my guest this week on the podcast.When you look at how work actually gets done, it lives in the conversations between people.* If you’re upset at someone for not carrying out a promise, consider this: did they make a promise in the first place?* If somebody asks you to do something, are you aware that a negotiation has just begun–even if that person is your boss?* Have you ever noticed that the reason breakdowns happen is that others see the world differently from you?Chris is a master ontological coach based in Australia. I’ve admired his writings for years and enjoyed this opportunity to dig in and ask: what does true accountability look like?I think you’ll find this interview to have immediate practical impact. Please share with your friends.Highlights* 15:30 What’s missing in traditional leadership programs* 20:00 Accountability is about the interactions between people* 24:00 What kind of conversation are you in?* 29:00 Amiel’s confusion in high school about fuzzy promises* 32:00 The ways we respond to requests–most are unclear!* 39:30 Making effective offers in the workplace* 42:30 Why people give feedback* 46:30 Other people have different interests and interpretations from you!* 56:00 People send email requests with the assumption they’ve been accepted* 1:00:00 It’s also about managing risks* 1:04:00 Four ways you can respond to a request* 1:07:30 Managing promises is about creating points of choice* 1:13:30 How to create a proactive dayTweet a Quote“People send email requests assuming they’ve been accepted.”–Chris Chittenden Tweet this quote“Promises underpin the relationships we have with others.”–Chris Chittenden Tweet this quoteExplore Additional Resources* Talking About, the home of Chris’s coaching and ontological study* Fernando Flores* Newfield Institute* Jacqui ChaplinNew to Podcasts?Get started hereSubscribe to the Show on iTunes (It’s Easy!)* Sign into iTunes using your ID and password* Search the iTunes store for “Amiel Show”* If you get a screen without a Subscribe button (a screen that looks like this), click on the show logo in the lower left corner* Click on the Subscribe button. It’s in the upper left corner of the screen.Give Me a Rating or Review on iTunes (It’s Also...0 min
- Episode 49: Ed Schein On Humble Consulting [The Amiel Show]How do you help employees become more engaged? How do you retain your best people? How, on any organizational challenge, do you provide real help faster?Ed Schein answers this question in his brand new book, Humble Consulting.One thing you don’t do, he says, is conduct six-month assessments of an organization’s problems or culture. That takes too long. Instead, have a real conversation with the person you’re trying to help. Don’t just give them what they ask for. Find out what really matters to them. Sometimes it’s simpler than you think.And Ed Schein has a pretty cool resume. An Emeritus Professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management, he invented the notion of organizational culture. Yeah, that was him! He also was the first person to describe what process consultation looks like. That was him, too!So if you work in and around organizations, you’ve been influenced by his work–whether you know it or not.To understand what he means by “humble consulting” and how it can add value to your work, listen in to this week’s episode.It was an honor to talk with Dr. Schein. I hope you enjoy it!Listen to the PodcastHighlights* 6:30 Why do we need humble consulting?* 12:00 In a professional relationship, the client often mistrusts you initially* 15:00 Evolution from process consultation to humble consulting* 21:00 The most extraordinary gift a consultant could be given* 27:00 Trying to fix an unruly group at Digital Equipment Corporation* 33:00 Staying overnight with the Ciba-Geigy CEO and his family* 41:30 Are you a track team or a soccer team?* 46:00 A company dies but its culture survives–is that success?* 50:00 Ed is described as a “terrible failure” for overpersonalizing a committee* 54:30 Ed’s new partnership with his sonTweet a QuoteDoing an organizational diagnosis & making recommendations is much too slow–Ed Schein Tweet this quoteExplore Additional Resources* Humble Consulting: How to Provide Real Help Faster by Ed Schein* DEC Is Dead: Long Live DEC: The Lasting Legacy of Digital Equipment Corporation by Ed Schein* Career Anchors* Organizational Consulting and Leadership Institute— Ed and Peter Schein’s consulting businessNew to Podcasts?Get started hereSubscribe to the Show on iTunes (It’s Easy!)* Sign into iTunes using your ID and password* Search the iTunes store for “Amiel Show”* Click on the Subscribe button. It’s in the upper left corner of the screen.Give Me a Rating or Review on iTunes (It’s Also Easy!)* Sign into iTunes using your ID and password* Search the iTunes store for “Amiel Show”* Click on “Ratings and Reviews”* Give it a rating.0 min
- Episode 48: Ba Luvmour On Parenting Teens [The Amiel Show][Update: in July 2017, Ba’s school, Summa Academy, suddenly closed. It was a shock to our family and others. The way Ba and the other administrators handled the ending fell short of what we wanted and expected given the closeness of our relationship the prior four years. It hurt. Still—and this is the main point I want to make—our family continues using the parenting practices we learned at Summa and continue to see positive results from them. There’s good stuff in here!]Parents of teenagers, this episode is for you.Ba Luvmour, pioneering educator and Headmaster of Summa Academy in Portland, is back.A year ago, Ba and I talked about the unique challenges of parenting kids between 8 and 12 years of age.This week, he describes how around age 13, the rug gets pulled out from under kids. Everything they understood to be true about themselves and the world suddenly changes. The new way that they make meaning of their experience is utterly foreign to them–and their families.Listen to the PodcastYou probably already understand this.But do you know how to adapt your parenting to this new stage of development–and the dislocating transition that precedes it? What big mistakes might you be making by not doing so?If you don’t have good answers to these questions, join the club. Nobody teachers this stuff. If our son wasn’t a student at Ba’s school–and if we hadn’t gone through an intensive parenting curriculum there–we would be clueless.For example, are you aware of the ways that you may be pushing your teen away under the false assumption that they want to be left alone? And do you realize that by shifting your approach–like engaging them in inquiry when your instinct is to judge–you can create more loyalty to you?Yes, I said loyalty.Ba guides us through these questions with a wise and loving hand. And he is the real deal–street smart in the best sense of the phrase. I know this because our older son has spent three years at the school he cofounded and has been nurtured daily by the teachers that Ba trained.Enjoy and share widely.Highlights* 5:00 Nature rips the rug out from teens* 9:00 The giant mistake parents make with teens* 12:00 Playing with identity – sports, zombie movies, academics* 14:00 “My child is in my face or in my lap” and taking it personally* 19:00 When Ba’s daughter dyed her hair* 22:30 Buddies vs friends vs peers* 26:00 Helping kids through loss of friendships* 35:00 If we didn’t get it, it’s hard to give it* 36:15 Boys versus girls* 39:45 Teen romance and sexuality* 47:45 Alcohol and other drugs* 49:30 “Going to the edge” through rites of passage* 54:30 When teen identities are no longer sufficientTweet a Quote“Your teenager isn’t rejecting you. She’s rejecting the former way of relating.”–Ba Luvmour Tweet this quote“See through the child’s eyes. Feel through the child’s heart.”–Ba Luvmour0 min
- Episode 47: Alan Sieler On The 6 Moods Leaders Create [The Amiel Show]Powerful leaders know how to shift the moods of teams, organizations, and countries.But first, they need to observe their own moods.But what exactly is a mood? And why is it so central to action?To explore these questions, I spoke recently with Alan Sieler, founder of the Newfield Institute and author of the brilliant three-part book series, Coaching to the Human Soul.Our conversation was both serious and lighthearted–often at the same time. By the end, I felt so in synch with Alan and his message that I was ready to get named an honorary Aussie.Check it out–and share with your friends.Highlights* 11:00 Why leaders’ moods matter for taking action* 16:30 Alan’s “six pack” of moods* 22:00 The moods of resentment and peace* 25:30 Why a mood of acceptance can help change agents* 30:30 The sneaky mood of resignation* 38:00 Ambition, the go-for-it mood* 44:00 The physical postures of acceptance and ambition* 49:00 The mood of anxiety* 54:00 The mood of wonder* 58:30 Alan reveals his personal experience with moodsListen to the PodcastTweet a Quote“What makes resignation sneaky is it dresses itself up in disguise as stories & justifications.”–Alan Sieler Tweet this quoteExplore Additional Resources* The Newfield Institute, Alan’s global business based in Australia* Ontological Coaching Institute* Coaching to the Human Soul, Volumes I, II, and III by Alan Sieler* Robert Kegan* Statue of Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg, South AfricaNew to Podcasts?Get started hereSubscribe to the Show on iTunes (It’s Easy!)* Sign into iTunes using your ID and password* Search the iTunes store for “Amiel Show”* Click on the Subscribe button. It’s in the upper left corner of the screen.Give Me a Rating or Review on iTunes (It’s Also Easy!)* Sign into iTunes using your ID and password* Search the iTunes store for “Amiel Show”* Click on “Ratings and Reviews”* Give it a rating. Bonus for a review0 min
- Episode 46: Barrett C. Brown On Leadership For Conscious Capitalism [The Amiel Show]This week, Barrett C. Brown joins me to talk about the connection between two topics near to my heart: leadership and conscious capitalism.I invited Barrett for this conversation because he has been working in the field of sustainability for two decades and is an international expert on leadership development and vertical learning.He brings a calm wisdom and peaceful passion to a topic of epic proportions.Listen in and share with your friends.Highlights* 7:00 Developing inner capacities is the leading edge for sustainability* 13:00 Whispers from the future* 20:00 The power of vertical learning* 33:00 Highly conscious leaders are different from Level 5 leaders* 43:30 Later stage leaders who eject themselves from organizations–or reengage in new ways* 49:00 What kind of narrative are you choosing to create?* 51:30 Barrett’s practices: meditation, action inquiry and Bulletproof Coffee!Listen to the PodcastTweet a Quote“Leaders who are calm amidst change & ambiguity end up being more effective”–Barrett C. Brown Tweet this quoteExplore Additional Resources* Barrett’s article, “The Future of Leadership for Conscious Capitalism”* Barrett Brown* Presencing Institute and Otto Scharmer* Polarity management* Biohacking* Bulletproof Coffee* Lumosity* Relaxation responseNew to Podcasts?Get started hereSubscribe to the Show on iTunes (It’s Easy!)* Sign into iTunes using your ID and password* Search the iTunes store for “Amiel Show”* Click on the Subscribe button. It’s in the upper left corner of the screen.Give Me a Rating or Review on iTunes (It’s Also Easy!)* Sign into iTunes using your ID and password* Search the iTunes store for “Amiel Show”* Click on “Ratings and Reviews”* Give it a rating. Bonus for a review0 min
- Episode 45: Deborah Helsing on Deliberately Developmental Organizations [The Amiel Show]Let’s talk about how a DDO is different from CYA.Most of us in the West know the term CYA. It means cover your, ahem, behind. As in: don’t give others any openings to attack you. Doing this is important to individual success in most organizations. So we watch what we say, hide our mistakes, and do whatever it takes to look good to the boss.A DDO is different. DDO stands for deliberately developmental organization. It’s a place where you are expected to reveal your weaknesses and vulnerability rather than hide them. Really? Are you kidding me? Where giving and receiving feedback is part of everyday work and a path to personal growth and organizational success, rather than a dangerous landmine. Seriously? In a DDO, growing people is central rather than peripheral to the company’s strategy. Baloney. Your accountants must be high on something.DDOs are different!If you’re skeptical that it’s possible to work in a DDO, join the club.If you’re curious what life is like in such a place, set aside an hour this week to listen to my conversation with Deborah Helsing.Deborah is coauthor with Robert Kegan, Lisa Lahey, Matthew Miller, and Andy Fleming of the brand-new book, An Everyone Culture: Becoming a Deliberately Developmental Organization. She also heads up Coach Learning Programs at Minds at Work, teaches at Harvard, and is a researcher at Way to Grow.I’d never met Deb before this interview, yet we hit it off right away. Our conversation covered unusually powerful–and unusual–collective practices in three very different DDOs–and how these places contain relatively little CYA behavior. (By the way, the term “CYA organization” doesn’t appear in the book, and I’m not sure it even exists).Enjoy this provocative conversation!Highlights* 9:30The second job nobody pays you for* 24:00 Getting feedback on your “backhand” at Boot Camp* 31:00 Talking Partners “meet, vent, and work” first thing every morning* 41:30 Using the Issues Log to express dissatisfaction—and respond* 45:15 The Dot Collector, a way to give real-time feedback to the person running a meeting* 51:00 DDOs feel really strange at first* 1:01:00 When employees aren’t a fit in a DDO* 1:03:30 A job for high school students unlike any other* 1:06:30 The pure business value of running a DDOListen to the PodcastTweet a QuoteIn a typical organization, my second job is expending a lot of energy to look good.–Deborah Helsing Tweet this quoteGiving & receiving feedback is woven into the life of deliberately developmental organizations–Deborah Helsing Tweet this quoteExplore Additional Resources* An Everyone Culture, Deborah’s book coauthored with Robert Kegan, Lisa Lahey, Matthew Miller, and Andy Fleming* Next Jump*0 min
- Episode 44: Carolyn Coughlin on Growing, Getting “Grabbed”, And Women’s Leadership [The Amiel Show]The era of the one-trick pony in leadership development has ended.Excellence takes many forms and comes through a myriad of paths. That’s because leaders are human beings, and humans are complex.Really complex.That’s why conversations about leadership are more practical when they cover more territory.Let me be clear. This is an argument not for eclecticism but for integration.Not mismash, but mesh. For example:* What happens when we look at adult development through the particular experiences of women (or men)?* How do we think differently about women’s leadership when we consider the power and challenge of self-authorship?* How do we answer both of these questions differently when we look at the human body and how it can get “grabbed” or triggered?To explore these questions, I had a great conversation recently with Carolyn Coughlin, cofounder of Cultivating Leadership, teacher of Growth Edge Coaching, and business partner with my guest in episodes 3 and 14, Jennifer Garvey-Berger.Take a listen and enjoy!Highlights*9:30 Making the body “object”*13:00 Carolyn dodges requests with her body*20:30 Getting confronted with a very different way to coach*23:00 Reducing stress using a centering exercise*25:30 Practicing getting “grabbed”*28:30 A leader who gets grabbed, then anxious, then crazy with her team*35:30 Women’s leadership through the lens of adult development*37:00 Where everybody speaks male*51:30 Carolyn’s biggest growth arena: her three teenagersListen to the PodcastPlan in new window l DownloadTweet a QuoteWomen growing into self-authorship is a way to grow out of the pain they feel–Carolyn Coughlin Tweet this quoteExplore Additional ResourcesCultivating LeadershipGrowth EdgeCarolyn’s articles on developmental coaching and leading in complexityRobert KeganRondori—an Aikido practiceChanging on the Job by Jennifer Garvey BergerStrozzi Institute0 min
- Episode 43: Steve Drotter On Managing Managers & The Leadership Pipeline [The Amiel Show]We talk a lot on the podcast about stages of development within adults–why they matter and what you find while transitioning to a new stage.But what about levels within organizations? What new capacities does each call for? What happens when you’re not doing the work of that level–or haven’t developed the inner and outer capacities to do it well?To explore these questions, I turned to one of the world’s top experts on succession planning: Steve Drotter. When I say “top,” I mean it. Steve has advised half of the Fortune 10 on CEO succession and decades ago helped build GE’s famous succession planning machine.And then he wrote a book with Ram Charan.In 2001, Steve partnered with Charan and Jim Noel on The Leadership Pipeline. It filled a massive void in succession planning by defining six key leadership passages in organizations. And it sold hundreds of thousands of copies.But that’s not all. In 2011, Steve wrote The Performance Pipeline, which identifies the work to be done at each level of leadership.Recently, Steve and I chatted for an hour about these two books and how they are reshaping our view of leadership and organizational success. We explore:* How is managing managers dramatically different from managing individual contributors?* Why do function managers often feel like they aren’t accomplishing much?* What makes it important for business managers to bring together multifunctional teams?* Why is being a group manager less fun than you might think?* What are CEOs truly responsible for?Highlights* 8:00 Steve’s work with John Reed at Citibank on succession planning* 12:30 Your first job out of school—learning time discipline and adopting company values* 15:30 #1: First line manager = 100% change in the work requirements* 18:00 #2: Manager of managers, another major transition* 32:00 The first question to ask when work isn’t getting done (as manager of managers)* 33:00 #3: Function manager—the first strategic layer* 42:15 #4: Business manager—ask how the business makes money* 43:45 #5: Group manager—connect all the businesses to the enterprise* 47:00 #6: CEO—setting enterprise direction, attending to culture* 54:30 The sweet spot with the pipeline model: $100M-$5B companies* 57:00 Coaching leaders using the pipeline framework* 1:04:00 Steve’s transition from top HR executive to external consultantListen to the PodcastTweet a Quote“I can name ten Fortune 100 companies without high enough expectations for managers of managers”–Stephen Drotter Tweet this quoteExplore Additional ResourcesThe Leadership Pipeline: How To Build The Leadership-Powered Company by Ram Charan, Stephen Drotter, and James Noel0 min
- Episode 42: Lisa Marshall On Exiting, Firing, and Burnout Nation [The Amiel Show]Sometimes it takes a wise voice unperturbed by convention to make us radically rethink everyday acts. Consider these questions:* How do you lay someone off?* How can you exit an organization gracefully?* What does it take to make meetings juicier?Lisa Marshall wants you to consider these questions with greater maturity, clarity, and thoughtfulness. That way, in the very act of doing what you’re paid to do, you can grow into a leader others want to hire, partner with, and follow.Listen in as this seasoned leadership coach and author breathes new life into old questions.Highlights* 5:00 We still live in Burnout Nation* 13:30 Why Lisa insists on putting her coachee’s interests first* 16:15 Meaningless meetings vs environments rich in stories of helping customers* 22:30 Why the juiciest subjects belong at the start of meetings* 25:30 Body language tells you whether a “yes” is genuine* 32:30 How to tell someone they’ve been laid off* 38:00 Leaders hold the walls of the container* 49:30 How to leave an organization gracefully* 1:00:00 Saying “I’m sorry” before you leave the organization* 1:07:30 Why maturity matters* 1:11:30 Why Lisa gardensListen to the PodcastTweet a QuoteAny meeting without an agenda is almost by definition a waste of time.–Lisa Marshall Tweet this quote‘Thank you’ and ‘I’m sorry’ are the two key elements of completion.–Lisa Marshall Tweet this quoteExplore Additional ResourcesSpeak The Truth And Point To Hope: The Leader’s Journey to Maturity by Lisa Marshall“Burnout Nation”—Lisa’s article“The Top Five Regrets of the Dying”—article by hospice nurse“On Telling Someone They’ve Been Laid Off”—Lisa’s article“Word To Leave By”—Lisa’s articleThe Smart Work Company, Lisa’s coaching firmArbinger InstituteJohn SearleFernando FloresWilliam Bridges and the “neutral zone” in transitions“Where Are The Grown Ups?”—Lisa’s article“Stealth Culture Changes”—Lisa’s articleNew to Podcasts?0 min
- Peter Block interview – now up on iTunesLast week, my interview with Peter Block, author of the seminal book Flawless Consulting, went live.Or so I thought.Actually, iTunes didn’t publish it until Friday. Thankfully, some of you noticed and told me.It’s up on iTunes now. Take a listen. You’ll not only hear great stories from a wise man. You’ll also catch this famous consultant say, “You are amazing. You frighten me.”Yes, it was yours truly to whom he was referring.And, no, I was not “humbled” by this comment. I was fired up!Now, here’s my note from last week in case you missed the email.******************************************************One of my favorites interviews of all time!In the consulting field Peter Block is a giant. His book Flawless Consulting–now in its third edition–taught us how to show up in client relationships with authenticity, rigor, and an eye for potential pitfalls.Peter also influenced a generation of managers with his book The Empowered Manager. Today, he brings his passion to building local community around people’s assets.In this interview, Peter and I walk through the trajectory of his career–his earlier years as an ambitious internal consultant, the decision (unusual at the time) to start an external consultancy, how he learned to build relationships with others despite being a self-described “loner,” and the questions and commitments that have pulled him in and shifted how he works.For a serious conversation about big ideas and a full life, this was a heck of a lot of fun. Enjoy–and share widely!Highlights* 5:00 Getting into the field by accident & influence of Chris Argyris* 12:30 A loner finds connection in Gestalt and T-groups* 16:30 Early years of restless ambition and almost getting fired* 22:30 The risks of being authentic* 25:30 Influence of Werner Erhard, language, and speech acts* 31:30 The Philippines—working with citizens and loving it* 37:00 Taking two years off to raise kids* 42:00 Peter tells me, “You’re amazing. You frighten me.”* 47:30 Why focus on gifts rather than deficiencies* 50:30 John McKnight’s work on asset-base community development* 58:30 Contracting in place-based communitiesListen to the PodcastTweet a QuoteAuthenticity–putting into words what you see happening–is risky.–Peter Block Tweet this quoteAs soon as you acknowledge your gifts, you become accountable.–Peter Block Tweet this quoteExplore Additional Resources* Peter Block’s web site* Chris Argyris* T-Groups and Gestalt Therapy*0 min
About The Amiel Show
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The Amiel Show provides people who are hungry to grow as leaders and human beings with cutting-edge conversations about leadership. What’s the one skill or quality you can improve that will build your…
public identity as a competent and trusted leader? What does it take to manage your commitments to yourself and others so that you produce better results with less stress? How can brain science inform how you develop people and organizations? What becomes possible when you reframe organizational politics as the practice of understanding and aligning with others’ interests and concerns? How can you make your conversations and meetings more powerful and impactful? Join Amiel Handelsman, executive coach and author of Practice Greatness, as he explores these questions with thoughtful executives and pragmatic thought leaders. For all past episodes, visit www.amielhandelsman.com