“The key elements in the art of working together are how to deal with change, how to deal with conflict, and how to reach our potential…the needs of the team are best met when we meet the needs of individuals persons.” Max Dupree

To lead teams in multi locations takes open-mindedness and clear goals. Leaders who are able to maintain a fresh view on life and the world are the best people for this type of assignment. The ability to lead teams across the multi locations and/or the world requires the following:

“Conflict is inevitable in a team … in fact, to achieve synergistic solutions, a variety of ideas and approaches are needed. These are the ingredients for conflict.”
Susan Gerke

Solution Thinking - because of different time zones and cultures it takes patience, resiliency, and ingenuity to find places, times and ways to connect. Having the mindset to focus on “how to make this work…”, “I wonder if there is a better way…”, “Could we explore….”, are all the right beginnings to finding new solutions. Finding solutions are not a straight path, it takes being comfortable in ambiguity or conflict until an answer which meets the needs of the many appears. The ability to stay engaged with others during ambiguity or conflict is critical to building team and good solutions.

“A group becomes a team when each member is sure enough of himself/herself and her/his contribution to praise the skills of the others.” Norman Shidle

Commit to connect…a lot - the teams that thrive across the world are the ones who commit to regular and consistent connection as a team and as individuals. Face-to-face is always best, Skype or FaceTime are next best, phone is the option if the other two are not an option. All the other electronic mediums are weak tools to building real connection.

Conflict is It! - expect it, there is no way to work around conflict and it happens even more in a multi-location and cultural company. Those who work in these environment have to get very good at sensing it and learning to work with it. Ignoring conflict or using it for your benefit will harm the team and it’s success. All leaders and players are required to hone skills of tolerance and awareness it makes it more difficult to communicate and make decisions.

“Gettin’ good players is easy. Gettin’ ‘em to play together is the hard part.” – Casey Stengel

Build Trust – Commit to keeping the team in the loop on long term vision and goals regularly (even when it does not seem big to you, it is important to all), make time for team building activities (taking the time to bond strengthens short and long term performance…every time), engage and involve the team on designing new solutions or changes for the company and organization, encourage (and expect) personal contact and communication among all members, and have quarterly meetings which bring the players together in one room.

Leading a world wide team is not for the faint hearted or the arrogant. The type of leader who excels at this has the ability to be flexible, open minded, goal oriented, intelligent, solution oriented, non judgmental, opportunistic, aware, engaged, and invigorated in the face of ambiguity and conflict.

“Real teams don’t emerge unless individuals on them take risks involving conflict, trust, interdependence and hard work.” Katzenbach & Smith

“Attributes of successful world team players – agile with new technologies,
adept at learning new methods, processes, concepts and ideas, curious about different cultures, able to travel to different sites and countries, responsive to customer needs, and they are autonomous and don’t want anyone looking over their shoulder.” Center for Creative Leadership

If you are a leader that is looking to grow and learn… than join others on this new frontier of global leadership and find yourself changed and honed to a new level of leadership.

“You can’t change others, you can change yourself, and when you change yourself….you change the world.”

Take the Challenge,

Bobbie

“We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible.” Vince Lombardi

Vince was right and wrong at the same time.

As leaders we are presented everyday with situations that are described by others as “impossible” and yet we find a way through. What allows the impossible to be possible is simply based on the leader’s ability to listen to all those who are telling you why it can’t happen and what the obstacles are to achieving the impossible. Once you understand all the parameters of an impossible situation you can find a way through. The ability to listen to all the concerns and face reality is fundamental and critical to making the impossible possible.

“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!” — Audrey Hepburn

Making the impossible possible requires a mindset that says, “there is a way through”. If you do not have this world view than anything impossible remains so…

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” Paulo Coelho

The achievement of making the impossible possible only requires one thing… you will have to change, you will have to shift your own mind-set, and you will have to move forward in a new way. Below are the requirements and considerations for moving in a new direction:

Define the new and impossible future clearly

Who do I want to surround myself with to get feedback to be the best possible leader to achieve the desired outcome?

As a leader once you shift into new skills and actions the movement towards achievement of the impossible starts. The more you operate in the impossible future state, so too do those around you.

I have personally done this many times in my life time and I get the good fortune to help others to move into the impossible everyday. The ability to move beyond our comfort zone and into the impossible strengthens our core skills as leaders to move mountains.

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” – Walt Disney

Go ahead, think big and start moving in the direction of your dreams,

Bobbie Goheen

“The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.” ~Elbert Hubbard, The Note Book, 1927

Leadership and life are a continual learning process. To learn is to engage in new situations and experiences. This ability to step into fresh experiences and learning keeps leaders strong, capable and centered.

“Why?”, you ask…

Because Leaders may not have all the knowledge of where they are going, but they do have knowledge of how to learn and grow in any situation. Leaders are not afraid of making mistakes, in fact they are afraid they won’t make one ….which means they have grown complacent.

“It was when I found out I could make mistakes that I knew I was on to something.” ~Ornette Coleman

Making mistakes are a true and bold sign of learning and growth. Once you get the hang of it you see the value in being wrong or your concepts not quite working…it means you are in the place of growth, objectivity, inspection and learning. Mistakes are a clear sign of forward movement.

“While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior.” ~Henry C. Link

It easy to stand in “the spectator seats” and observe what others are doing wrong. It is harder and more rewarding to be on “the playing field” making mistakes and finding a path forward. You have to decide what do you want to be a “spectator” or a “player”?

The choice is up to you. One choice has less personal impact and keeps you comfortable….the other choice will keep you in the game, you will rarely be comfortable, and you will certainly say “ouch” more than just a few times.

Make your choice….. “comfort” or “ouch”?

Engage,

Bobbie Goheen

“Art begins with resistance – at the point where resistance is overcome. No human masterpiece has ever been created without great labor.” Andre Gide

The best ideas take hard work. That is why passion for an idea, concept, etc is so critical for it is the energy which fuels the work. To be passionate about an idea means you will have:

The drive to make it happen.

The drive to engage others in the process.

The drive to keep with it when others keep pointing out all the hard work and problems there are with your idea.

In the movie “The Field of Dreams” there is a quote “If you build it they will come”. What the movie infers but never says “you have to build it and market it” for others to come. Watch it again with new eyes.

The passion and drive to see something come to life takes work. The self development and growth you will experience is exponential. You will be changed, you will grow and you will be ripe for the next opportunity.

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Thomas Edison

Finally, the truth is opportunity becomes reality through hard work and focusing on what needs to be done to make it happen. That labor may be doing things you don’t want to do and yet you need to do. To accept this early on unleashes the unimaginable strength of the leader.

“There are a lot of things that go into creating success. I don’t like to do just the things I like to do. I like to do things that cause the company to succeed. I don’t spend a lot of time doing my favorite activities.” Michael Dell

Now the secret is out between average and extraordinary… it is hard work.

Go Ahead Sweat Success,

Bobbie Goheen

In the book “Playing to Win” by Larry and Hersch Wilson they define the journey of growth as playing to win. To grow requires you to challenge your core maps and redefine them to align with your values and true sense of self. This is the epitaph they share:

“I took the risk.
I discovered who I was.
I changed.
I grew.
I learned.
I was an adventurer.”

To choose growth is to choose risk.

What risk are you holding back from that is in alignment with your true self?
What conversation do you need to have with yourself that you have been holding back on?
What would you do if you accepted this premise “I cannot fail, I can only learn and grow”?
Why should you choose growth which will stretch you and make you uncomfortable?
Why would you choose a path that is not comfortable or convenient?

Share your thoughts when you are ready.

Leap,

Bobbie Goheen

“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.” Pablo Picasso

Risk is inherent in any endeavor. Leaders know the more time they spend not taking risk the slower they grow. Risk is simply growth, taking on new skills or opportunities you have yet to learn about. By limiting risk, you limit learning, and if you are not learning, you are not growing …. you are shrinking.

Warren Bennis noticed leaders who take risks make one or two big mistakes a year and leaders who don’t take risks make one or two big mistakes a year. Leaders get mistakes will happen and remain open to learning from mistakes to improve. When we limit our growth, we stagnate and so to do others around us.

“Yes, risk taking is inherently failure-prone. Otherwise, it would be called sure-thing-taking.” Tim McMahon

If you are always focused on getting it right you are losing the opportunity to see new possibilities. It is through trial and error that growth happens.

To create new ideas you have to allow yourself or others fail… Companies build exploration into design groups, research, beta stages, testing, etc. All new ideas need a place to have a trail run…as do people. The best learning happens by doing.

Keeping an open requires only that we remain open and ask “how could I do this?” vs “why should I do this?”. When people stop learning, organizations stop growing.

“I believe in getting into hot water; it keeps you clean.” G.K. Chesterton

We live in a world steeped in the false expectation that we “get it right the first time.” This is just not true and yet the expectation continues. Odd but true.

Being comfortable with “getting into hot water” with the full knowledge of being prepared for course correction helps build a healthy path for success.

“Take risks: if you win, you will be happy; if you lose, you will be wise.” Author Unknown

Leaders take risks to expand the horizons for themselves and others. To lead others one must constantly be in a personal growth mode. To not grow would limit the possibilities for self and others. The conundrum here is sometimes “not changing” can provide good short term results and many buy into the short term gains at the expense of long term growth.

To take risks in today’s world you have to constantly and consistently be planting many long term growth ideas or you will not be able to deliver short term growth constantly and consistently.

“Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must flow. To convince them, you must yourself believe.” Winston Churchill

If there is a secret to risk it is belief. Pick up any leadership book and they all boils down to what are the leader’s core values and beliefs.

Being clear and true to who and how you are means it is no longer about risk, it is about following a dream with passion, courage, conviction, foresight and insight.

Risk taking is no longer risk taking when you are following a grand and powerful dream that creates positive outcomes for all involved.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain

Dream big and live true,

Bobbie Goheen

“A wonderful emotion to get things moving when one is stuck is anger. It was anger more than anything else that had set me off, roused me into productivity and creativity.”
Mary Garden

After working with a vast diversity of leaders from around the world it is clear the most successful leaders seek out new possibilities and are extremely creative. Creative leaders understand that the conduit to creativity is through emotion. The emotion could be passion, love, anger, playful, sadness, happiness, laughter, joy, frustration, irritation, surprise, etc. but the key to creation comes through emotion.

Creativity cannot be made to happen, you have to let it come through you.

Leaders who want to inspire others and find new ways are comfortable with allowing their emotions to flow through. They take the time to notice and understand what is at the core of the emotion. In this understanding new possibilities and growth emerges ….also known as new creative options and possibilities.

“Creativity requires faith. Faith requires that we relinquish control.” Julia Cameron

Letting go of control is perhaps the most important practice a leader can have and it is not easy. Here are some practices which support letting go:

In the business vernacular, it would be to “delegate”….allow others to do what you think only you can do.

Practice seeing with new eyes everyday. Continuously put yourself in new learning situations where you are the novice and not the expert.

Once you have the answer to a question, situation, or problem …ask yourself and others “what is another right answer?”, keep with it to you have something even better than you imagined

Spend more time in nature

“Creativity can be described as letting go of certainties.” Gail Sheehy

Let the emotions flow through. In order to open the conduit of creativity, you have to let go…to let grow.

Imagine,

Bobbie Goheen

“In dreams begins responsibility.” – William Butler Yeats

The ability to dream is one of the great responsibilities of leadership.

Everyday the noise of the world is wanting to engage you in the short term focus of the day. Yet the work, the real work is to hear the vision of the dream. Once you hear and see the dream you can help others focus the conversations, behaviors and actions to bring the vision to life.

Building the vision of the dream…the Longview …is for the courageous few. Leaders are not rewarded for having a Longview. Today they are rewarded for the smart ideas they have to show short term growth.

Yet the truth of the future is held in nature. The strongest trees glow slow, steady and thick, fields produce more when they lay fallow one year, it takes years to raise a child, and the examples go on. To engage in growing good ideas, teams, businesses, etc takes the ability to see the Longview and it takes tenacity.

Having the Longview requires:

The ability to make decisions for the Longview, the vision/dream vs short term gains

The practice of “leaning into your values” to guide you and others to achieve the vision

The ability to discern questions from yourself and others as ideas or doubts….

The Longview is not an easy journey, yet a rewarding one. You can take the road of making short term gains happen, be like others, make things happen to have day to day success…..or you can focus on the Longview. It is all a matter of what feels most true to you.

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.” Robert Frost

See past the horizon,

Bobbie Goheen

“As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” Goethe

There is no word that creates more energy and discussion than this word. In leadership so many passionate discussions are based around this word:

Do I trust this new hire?
Do I trust this salesperson?
Do I trust this business deal?
Do I trust my colleague?
Do I trust my new manager?
Do I trust this decision?
Do I trust the economy?
Do I trust the politicians?
Do I trust the media?
Do I trust the mail?

I am sure you could add a few.

The list goes on and on… and if you listen closely and look you can see behind the questions is ….doubt. Doubt and uncertainty, these are two words that have more energy than trust.

Leaders are dealing with these doubts, fears and uncertainty of emotions everyday. In a time of great unrest and change the core skills you need to be prepared with the shifting tides of doubt which erodes the trust you have built over time are as follows:

“When I’m trusting and being myself… everything in my life reflects this by falling into place easily, often miraculously.”

1. Define what you believe in and be able to articulate it clearly.

4. Share with others small wins you have seen or experienced by moving in this direction. Share the risks you have vetted and mitigated before beginning the journey.

“Without trust, words become the hollow sound of a wooden gong. With trust, words become life itself.”

5. Speak the truth over and over. State their fears, doubts and uncertainties and shine the light on them. Share with them your insights, experiences and belief.

7. Be aware that others doubt and uncertainty is not about you, it is about a lack of trust in self. The willingness to take the adventure into the unknown is filled with uncertainty, mistakes and potential failure. What they don’t realize is that staying the same can still be filled with uncertainty, mistakes and potential failure.

“Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work.”

8. Remember to believe, for it is your beliefs which will hold you as move through the mystery and define new areas of growth.

“Trust that little voice in your head that says “Wouldn’t it be interesting if..”; And then do it.”

Being a leader means your are often in the position of defining new paths and moving into new areas. You have learned to trust the voice inside you that says “wouldn’t it be interesting if…” and if you are this type of person than you have to get good at reaching out to others and help them learn to trust themselves as they move into the mystery…with you.

Keep enjoying the adventure,

Bobbie Goheen

“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.” Roy Disney

Decision making is a core leadership skill. The secret or trick is to know yourself. Good decisions will grow yourselves, your companies, your team, your family, your community and will require you to be a bit (sometimes more than a bit) uncomfortable.

Thoughtful decision making requires the following:

1. An understanding of yourself and your own value system (clarity here makes all decisions flow)

6. The keen awareness when you decide that you are ready to “take the ride” because you will grow and change

“Do not plant your dreams in the field of indecision, where nothing ever grows but the weeds of “what-if.” Dodinsky

Decision making is the beginning of a journey. Even if you choose to do nothing you are still going to move in a new direction.

“A ship in port is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” Grace Murray Hopper

Successful leaders know the responsibility to make decisions is the “ability to respond” and they have learned that the odds are often better to move into the unknown, the undiscovered, the unconventional, and the untried, because the adventure of growth and discovery is far more rewarding than the mitigating the risk of staying the same….since “nothing stays the same”.

“Good decisions come from experience, and experience comes from bad decisions.” Author Unknown

Once you are clear on your decision and it is alignment with your values… good change begins to happen. Thoughtful decision making grows you and others as well as creating strong and positive momentum for all involved.

Good decision making takes thoughtfulness not time.

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen. ” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Continue to thrive,

Bobbie Goheen