Deep Listening: The Leadership Skill
No One Talks About
Have you ever been in a conversation where you realize the other person isn’t really listening? Or worse—where you catch yourself thinking about your response instead of truly hearing them?
Reflecting on my emotions over the last few days, it has occurred to me that what I’m feeling is similar to the early stages of the Covid 19 pandemic a few years ago.
These are very uncertain tumultuous times. But then again, every year feels uncertain and tumultuous, doesn’t it? So, what’s different this time?
YOU!
“I don’t want to hear you on your f**king phone.”
I had just boarded the subway, excited to head downtown for my first Christmas concert this year — a much-anticipated evening of classical music with the world-renowned cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason. My mood was light and joyous. Just as I entered the station, my phone rang. Knowing I had a few minutes before the train pulled out and I lost the signal, I answered the call.
In preparation for a Board of Directors Strategic Planning Retreat I am facilitating next week, I have been reading forecasts about the world in 2025. As usual, there are some dire predictions, but there are also some hopeful ones as well. And even some implausible ones such as, according to the Economist, gorillas getting their own bank accounts (as crazy as it sounds, it’s already in train). In all of this, there’s one certainty: Everything is uncertain
“Why do you want to?” I incredulously asked the security officer at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, in response to her request to feel my hair. Granted, at the time, I had a lot of hair, enough to ensconce a pound or two of drugs, is what she was probably thinking.
Self-care.
The phrase has become a mantra in our lives, a constant reminder that we need to carve out time for ourselves in an increasingly busy world. It’s on mugs, T-shirts, and social media feeds everywhere. There’s no doubt that the core message is valuable: you can’t pour from an empty cup. I am the first to advocate for self-care. I practice it in my life, and have done so for years, following the example of my beautiful mother who was a self-care queen.
A few months ago, at a reunion of my business school girlfriends, a number of them waxed lyrical about NYT Games. We are all in our wisdom years, so we are very aware of the importance of keeping the mind active. Research has shown that mind games like crosswords, wordle, sudoku, help keep our minds active and alert. Intrigued, I downloaded the app (it’s free) and started playing.
In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving environment, having robust Professional Development Plans is not just a nice-to-have – it’s a necessity. It’s critical to equip your team with the skills and competences they need to perform in their current role, and to ready them to play even bigger roles in the organization. And it’s even more critical for you, as the leader to have a Professional Development Plan.
Have you ever wondered if your co-workers could be more than just colleagues? Could they be your friends, or even something more?
A few days ago, I hosted my friend Kay who was visiting Toronto from Jamaica, at the most joyous dinner with her daughter and my family. We have been friends since 1985. We met at work in 1985, and our friendship has remained strong and precious to us both.
Last Thursday morning dawned warm and sunny in Toronto, where I live. With not a cloud in sight, the sky unblemished blue, it was the perfect day to sit outside and write my fortnightly LinkedIn newsletter.
But I was feeling very unsettled as Hurricane Beryl had lashed Jamaica the day before.
“Frankly Marguerite, deadlines give me clarity and focus. I actually love working under pressure.”
Every now and then, I meet a kindred spirit – one, who like me, is energized and thrives on deadlines. Michael, a high-performing C-Suite coaching client, is one such.
In these very divided and contentious times, I often hear people say:
“I don’t agree with everything they stand for, but …”
OR
“I don’t have to agree with everything you say, but …”
OR
“You don’t have to agree with everything I say, but …”
“What do I do if my team asks me a question and I don’t know the answer?” asked my coaching client, eager to learn how to be a more effective leader of her team.
I have heard this many times in my years of experience as a facilitator and coach. It’s rooted in the fear that many leaders feel of being viewed as weak, incompetent and unable to perform.
Recently, a heartfelt and unexpectedly complicated rescue mission unfolded on a busy Toronto sidewalk. Three baby sparrows had fallen from their nest, nestled high in a white pine tree and only one remained alive after being attacked by ants.
“I not only use all the brains I have, but all I can borrow” – Woodrow Wilson
Have you ever thought how fortunate you are to have team members, whose brains you can “borrow”? Are you using those brains effectively?
Delegation involves entrusting tasks to others and empowering them to contribute to the collective goals of the organization. Yet, its significance extends far beyond mere task distribution; it embodies a philosophy of leadership that fosters growth, development, and efficiency within teams.
“You see what I have to deal with”? my coaching client would ask throughout our early coaching sessions. Then followed a cascade of complaints about this or that team member – and I say “team” very lightly, as the people who reported to him hardly functioned as a team. How could they, I wondered, if she was so critical of them, and complained so much.
Jerome is a very busy executive at a leading academic institution. In our second coaching call, I asked him to track how he spent his time over 3 days. Here’s what he found: He spends 3 hours PER DAY on emails!
True or False? Women can have it all.
Happy International Women’s Day! Today, we celebrate the innumerable achievements and contributions of women around the world.
Even as we celebrate, I think it’s crucial to address an “elephant in the room”: the pressure placed on women to “have it all.” But what does that really mean? And more importantly, what does it mean for you, personally?
At the end of each of my workshops, be it strategy facilitation, leadership development, culture articulation, or team alignment, I ask participants to make a simple personal commitment:
“Write down one action you commit to make to put into practice what you learned.”
My team and I were excited. A few months before I had made the decision to invest in an automated CRM. I was tired of having to rely on the CRM that took up space in my head, of to-do lists and post-it notes all over my office to remind me to follow up leads so that I can convert to clients, and of falling short in structured follow up and contact after projects.
New Year Resolutions are notorious for being relegated to the dustbin within a few days of the start of the new year. My son, who is a personal fitness trainer is very busy for the first few weeks of the year.
One thing I really miss about living in Jamaica are the Christmas parties! Organizations go all out to have the most fun, exciting and rip-roaring events, literally vying to be the talk of the town!
Where is joy in dark times? It’s difficult to find it when there is, as Bob Marley sang:
“War in the east
War in the west
War up north
War down south
War, war
Rumours of war”
“We are having a 2-day retreat next week, at (fancy-schmancy resort hotel). It’s for about 24 people. We need a facilitator, but we don’t have much of a budget. Are you available”?
In my 4 decades of facilitating retreats, I have heard this quite a few times. My simple answer is: “So sorry. I am not available”.
“I thought that when management went on a retreat on the North Coast it was all fun and games. I didn’t realise that you really did some serious, hard work” said one of the young special invitees to the corporate retreat I facilitated a few weeks ago.
Silence is a spiritual practice of most religions. It is exhorted as a place to go, a state of being where one taps into inner wisdom. Those who regularly practice silence can attest to how calming and life-affirming it is.
As I countdown to the departure of my flight to Budapest for my vacation, I have found myself floundering. Trying to manage the stress and angst of things to do before I leave, I am realising that I won’t get all of them done.
As leaders grapple with our increasingly complex and uncertain world littered with rapid and unforeseen changes in technology, climate, global economics, demographic movements and political systems, the urgency of improving their strategic thinking skills looms large.
I was facilitating a Leadership Development workshop. Simone turned on her video and apologised for her low energy. She was feeling the impact of the heat, working from home, with no air conditioning.
I have been pondering the necessity to buy another bookcase to house my ever-expanding book collection. Typically, these were acquired on a whim, made super easy by Amazon’s click and buy function and next day delivery.
A few weeks ago, I completed my first assignment as a Flight Angel when I answered the call by the Montego Bay Animal Haven (MBAH) to take a puppy on my flight from Kingston to Toronto. This sweet pup, Nesta (formerly Ella, but now Nesta in honour of the beloved Robert “Bob” Nesta Marley) had her “furever” home awaiting her in Vancouver.
My friend Chris is a wayfinder. Every time I go through the Union Station in downtown Toronto, I think of him and wish the powers that be had hired him to help people literally find their way in this newly (and it seems never ending) redesigned transit hub.
I had the extreme delight of being led by these wonderful guides on various adventures over the last 7 years. Each are from different countries and cultures and led vastly different experiences with different groups of people. They work with G-Adventures, my go-to company for adventure travel.
One of the very first questions I ask a new coaching client is when last they took a real vacation. I am an unapologetic vacationphile, so I’m always amazed at how many leaders don’t take real vacations i.e., vacations with purpose and intention, unplugged and disconnected from work. I have coached many a client in this, and they are amazed when they can actually do it. But it takes quite a bit of planning and preparation.
“How are you”? I asked two C-suite executives I reconnected with at a conference recently.
“Stressed” they chimed in unison.
“Busy” one quickly asserted.
“Busy is an understatement” the other added, just to make sure I got it.
“Well it doesn’t have to be that way you know …”
I was about to launch into the benefits of mindfulness meditation in managing stress, but paused when I noticed the looks on their faces.
“Love is the answer” – easy to say, but so difficult to do.
I look at the crises in my home country Jamaica, and in Canada, my new home, the war in Yemen, Ukraine and other hotspots, the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, political turmoil in the USA and many other countries, and innumerable crises begging for solutions knowing that what we are doing is not working, or not working fast enough.
Many years ago, when I ran my family’s door manufacturing business, our master joiner, Mr. Samuel Reid, drowned.
Mr. Reid’s workstation was right below my office on the mezzanine floor of our factory. I would often look down and marvel at him working. He was a quiet, decent man who worked with patience, meticulousness and well, love.
In a Strategy Kickoff event that I facilitated on Sunday, a fairly new member of the team asked the CEO what’s important to him when hiring people:
“Be nice and mannersable”
The room fell quiet, a silent gasp visible from the looks on people’s faces. That’s it? Yes, he answered. That is all.
Welcome to the new year!
Many of us are making our resolutions, full of hope – confident that 2023 will be different, better, more – THE year when our dreams come true, when we are the best we can be.
This is a very deeply personal post, in which I am opening a very vulnerable space. Note that I may ramble a bit because emotions don’t flow in neatly edited, linear fashion. They are messy.
“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown” – William Shakespeare
In your quiet moments, do you sometimes feel like this about your leadership? Perhaps you are going through a difficult situation and you feel that you are all alone, or a crisis looms and you don’t know where to turn or what to do.
“I have bad news”
I was in a meeting with my team planning and executing the launch of my mindfulness meditation online programme. This was my first online programme, so there had been lots of learning. We were set to launch the next morning.
If this has ever happened to you, read on ….
I slipped up on my morning ritual over the last few days. It had been a super busy week with 3 workshops to prepare for and facilitate, and 2 proposals to write
You arrive at work, whether at the office or your desk at home. Sleep eluded you last night, you are devoid of energy and dreading the overscheduled work day. But work you must. Yet you know that if you stay in this emotional place, you will accomplish very little, and will get to the end more frustrated than ever.
5.00 a.m. on a cold, dark November morning in Nepal. Snow gently fell, making the narrow path up the steep mountain that much more treacherous. We had started out at about 4,800m above sea level, the air at this altitude bereft of oxygen.
Many years ago, when I had my facilitation firm in Jamaica, I read an article in a 1999 edition of the Harvard Business Review entitled: “The Strategic Power of Saying No” by Susan Bishop. It was so powerful that my team and I coined a term – “SPOSN”
I’m noticing quite a bit more discord in the workplace nowadays. We can lay it at the feet of the pandemic, and the disruption it brought to our daily living, how we work, our relationships at home and work (in many cases the same during this time) and our mental and emotional state.
In one of my recent sessions of “The Practice of Leading Joyfully”, my signature Leadership Evolution Program, we were discussing the importance of the Morning Ritual to ground yourself and prepare for the day.
The plane touches down on the tarmac. If you are on a flight to/from Jamaica, there’s probably a round of applause, and maybe a “Thank you Jesus” or “Praises to Jah”.
Over the last two weeks, Silke, my amazing team member who manages my website, blog, and newsletters, went on a well-deserved two-week vacation. I had planned to write all content for posting before she left, but wasn’t able to, due to other pressing commitments.
I really wanted to do it. Problem was – between my “yes” and the conference, I had a 2-week vacation in Peru, a week-long work visit to Jamaica to facilitate strategic renewal for a long-time client, and my HBS Class Reunion in Boston. I knew all that then, but I really wanted to do this presentation.
“Where am I to find the time to read Marguerite? There are only 24 hours in the day, and I feel that I need at least 30 to do all the things I have to do now, much less read.”
What do Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Mark Cuban have in common? They are avid readers, with a robust daily habit of reading. Leaders read. Author Michael Hyatt identifies 5 benefits of reading for leaders
As I prepared for my first adventure travel trip in over two years – 12 days trekking in the Andes and the Amazon – the overwhelm of what seemed like a ton of things to do threatened my sanity, my sleep, and frankly, my joy.
Tanya has a problem. As Vice President of Sales and Marketing at a financial services firm, she has experienced a severe shortage of staff over the last year or so. A results-driven professional, she was concerned that her targets were in jeopardy if she did not have her full team in place.
Now I see my body changing in other ways, and these changes perplex me, for they seem to have no reason. Yet I know they must. The loosening and wrinkling of the skin, the achiness of bones, tightness of muscles, the movement south of tummy, breasts, butt, arms … everything, it seems, is changing.
Daniel, one of my star coaching clients, has long delayed taking vacations because he worried that his team wouldn’t be able to cope. 3 months ago, he shared that during his recent vacation, his team members really pulled together.
8 workshops, 16 days (including weekends).
I was full of joy – “inna mi ackee” as I shared in a video on LinkedIn. That’s how Jamaicans express unimaginable joy. I loved being with my client of 15 years again – 2021 being the only year we had missed an annual strategy review.
“Do you have time for a very quick chat? Nancy let me know that she’s received two job offers recently and it seems one of them may have caught her eye”.
Have you noticed the word “love” popping up more and more in business literature? Certainly, when I was doing my MBA at Harvard Business School many decades ago, I don’t recall ever hearing “love” spoken about in class. I welcome this progress.
A few months ago, I came to the realisation that blogging was no longer joyful. Since February 2013, I have been posting a blog every fortnight (more or less). I had enjoyed my espresso machine-like writing process – the sparks of insight, days of mulling, reflection, then the spurt of writing that in a matter of hours produced a blog.
How mindful are you at work? To be mindful is to live in the present moment. That is hard enough to do on a meditation cushion, and in the stillness of the morning or evening, but even more so in the cut and thrust of a busy workday.
Even before the pandemic smashed into all 7.8 billion of us on this planet, there was an emerging buzz about a “new” technique that every leader had to do. As far back as 2015, highly respected business publications like Harvard Business Review, Forbes and Inc. were speaking to the benefits of this magical tool for leaders – and I have been blogging on it since 2013! What is it?
“I’m tired of blogging”
I texted my friend Ingrid Riley, my go-to advisor on all things digital.
“Well stop” she replied in a voice note, her tone strident in its instruction.
So I did. I emailed Silke, who posts my blogs, to let her know I am taking a break from blogging.
But this morning, I woke up and thought that I should let you, my loyal subscribers and readers, know.
The post-lockdown movement back to the office has accelerated, with most organizations planning a return in the fall.
What should leaders be considering?
One of my favourite books on leadership is “A Sense of Urgency” by John Kotter. Kotter speaks to the importance of a true sense of urgency in leading change.
“I need your help in getting my team to engage in deep thinking about our strategy”, Richard (not his real name) said when he asked me to facilitate his annual strategic plan review. A long-time coaching and strategy client, he recognises how drastically our world has changed over the last 18 months.
Leaders read. Why? Because leaders are learners, and reading is a great way to learn.
Warren Buffet reads 500 pages a day; Mark Cuban reads 3 hours a day; Bill Gates reads 50 books a year; Barack Obama, Elon Musk, Tony Robbins are all avid readers.
Why is a coach important?
Coaches provide structure to the enquiry. I learned from facilitation and even further back, from my experience managing manufacturing businesses, about the value of process. In manufacturing, you start with inputs (raw materials) and end with outputs (finished goods).
“Marguerite. I would love to have a call with you about my retirement” emailed my client, “It’s 5 years away but I want to get things in place from now, and I need some guidance”. On the same day of our call, I saw a post on social media of someone I knew announcing her retirement.
What is a business book? What qualifies as a book on leadership? To my mind, it’s any book that brings insight about my work, how I serve my clients and what lessons I can share with them. I have a very eclectic list of business books, to which I have added: “Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones”.
This Monday was a public holiday in Canada and many countries in the English-speaking Caribbean. Most people were at home due to the pandemic. In Jamaica, the holiday marks Labour Day, a day on which the entire country focuses on community projects. Not this year. Jamaica was under curfew from 3.00 p.m. Sunday to 5.00 a.m. Tuesday. Everyone stayed home.
The cornerstone of my coaching and leadership development programmes is the crafting of your Personal Leadership Vision. Why do I do this?
Just like you, my clients are already leaders in their organizations, and very accomplished and successful. However, they come to me because they want to do and be more. They want to lead better and more powerfully.
Who first said: “Failure is not an option”? Was it some military general of yore leading his troops into battle with the enemy in pursuit of victory for country, honour and life? Or a visionary entrepreneur with some potentially disruptive technology, driven by his/her goal of dominating or even eliminating the competition?
The most scarce resource that a leader has to manage is time, his or her own, and the time of others. The workplace is driven by time. There are specific hours for starting and ending the workday and for taking breaks, with some having to physically clock in and out.
How mindful are you at work? To be mindful is to be aware of the present moment, what’s happening and who you are being NOW. That is hard enough to do on a meditation cushion, and the stillness of the morning or evening, much less in the cut and thrust of a busy workday.
I was 23 years old, with a cherubic face that looked more like 16, all of 5 feet tall, when I assumed the mantle of Managing Director of my family’s door manufacturing business. I struggled with how best to lead the group of 70 hardened and rambunctious male employees, well aware that I needed to be seen as strong, assertive and no walk-over.
“Look at my week Marguerite!” Daniel had indicated prior to our fortnightly coaching call that foremost on his mind were the endless meetings that cluttered his days. He was feeling overwhelmed, time-strapped and frustrated in not being able to devote the time necessary to close important deals for his company.
Before ZOOM, there were face to face meetings. And they were a problem.
There were too many, and they were too long, lacked focus, had the wrong people present, and were poorly designed, conducted or chaired. In a word, or phrase, many meetings were considered a waste of time – “colossal” was an oft-used adjective.
Did you know that:
“51% of adults perceive that COVID-19 negatively affected their mental health” (October report on “The Importance of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support during COVID-19 by the International Red Cross and the Red Crescent Movement)
We greet 2021 with anticipation and apprehension after the battering that 2020 gave us. We are grateful that 2020 is over, but wondering what will 2021 bring? Will it be more of the same?
Time moves on, at the same pace it always has. For us humans, infinitesimal specks in the sweep of time and space, time had a different cadence in 2020, at times grindingly slow, at others, swooshing past faster than we could cope.
December’s here at last, and all eyes now turn eagerly, yet perhaps with some trepidation, towards 2021. No doubt you have completed your organisation’s plan and budget for 2020.
Many of us wish we could write off 2020. It has been a most tumultuous year, even for people like me, who try to view the glass as “full to overflowing, appearances to the contrary”.
Times of great uncertainty challenge our ability to be hopeful, yet call for us to keep hope alive. On the one hand, when we are in the abyss, it’s dark and difficult to see the way forward.
How mindful are you at work? To be mindful is to live in the present moment. That is hard enough to do on a meditation cushion, and in the stillness of the morning or evening, but even more so in the cut and thrust of a busy workday.
Even before the pandemic smashed into all 7.8 billion of us on this planet, there was an emerging buzz about a “new” technique that every leader had to do.
My January 16, 2020 blogpost had me in stitches as I packed for my 1-week vacation last week. I just couldn’t stop laughing. It was entitled: “Want to have a great 2020? Make sure to schedule your “ebb time” now!
Our world is quieter now – less traffic on the road and in the air, reduced economic activity, and a slower pace of life. On the other hand, people are in turmoil, with much inner noise and drama as they try to navigate the uncertainties each day brings as best they can.
Last week, I was speaking with a new LinkedIn connection. It was a “getting to know you call” – the virtual reality of coffee at Starbucks. She shared that she had successfully defended her doctoral thesis last year.
“The next 3-5 years will remind us that COVID-19 was the lightning before the thunder” * This sentence in a Fast Company article, reinforced a creepy feeling that this pandemic will be a longhaul adventure.
“Nothing to do, nowhere to go” I first learned this a few years ago as a walking meditation in a “Meditation and Writing” class. It is based on the book of the same name, authored by the beloved Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hahn.
When the ground beneath us is shaking, what do we hold on to? How do we steady ourselves? One tool that I draw upon daily is affirmations.
Why was I laughing, my neighbours were probably wondering – not a “ladylike” titter but a big, out loud guffaw (what Jamaicans call a “dutty laugh”)?
As the lockdown eases, and our economies “reopen”, what should leaders be considering?I was speaking with a client earlier this week, getting updated on how his business was faring.
How do we deal with the uncertainty of knowing what will happen next in this pandemic? Is it possible to even get to the point of “delicious ambiguity” as Gilda Radner posits?
I got a shock last week when my client turned up for his ZOOM call in a suit and tie. I commented on this and we had a brief conversation about the ridiculousness of wearing suit and tie as standard dress in offices in Jamaica.
I returned to Toronto from Jamaica on March 5, having completed the last of 3 Strategic Planning assignments for beloved clients there. They were clear on their strategy, and I was clear on mine.
By now, many of us are working from home, and are finding it’s a HUGE adjustment. In this vlog, I share 3 temptations that I have experienced over 27 years of working from home.
By now, many of us are working from home, and are finding it’s a HUGE adjustment. In this vlog, I share 3 temptations that I have experienced over 27 years of working from home.
We are hearing a lot of “working from home”. But how do we lead from our home? In this video, I share 3 things I believe are critical for leaders to effectively lead their teams virtually. Please do not hesitate to call or email me with questions, or to discuss any of the points I made.
In the pre-dawn darkness, I raised my wrist, tapping my Apple watch to check the time. 4.27 a.m. I had been awake for at least 30 minutes, thoughts of the Covid-19 virus weighing heavily, pushing all prospects of sleep further away.
“Marguerite! You are not listening to me!” Wade blurted, his voice at a pitch, likely honed from his years as a professional cricketer, shouting to his teammates on the field.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single small step”
How do you get your team members to improve their performance?
Have you ever got the feeling that someone believes they are indispensable? Have you ever heard people say things like:
I am the only one who can do this job;
Without me, this project/team/organization would fail;
We are already halfway through the first month of 2020, and I want to make sure that in your planning for this year, you have scheduled something very important to you, your loved ones, your team and your organization – you ebb time!
As 2019 comes to a close, you might be considering how to be more productive and efficient in 2020. As you make big plans, consider the small things you can do that might have HUGE impact.
Gratitude is ingrained very early in our lives. One of the first things our parents teach us is to say “Ta” when we receive something.
Two Leadership Lessons from Bob Marley in Nepal
“Where you from?” people asked, as I trekked through the mountains of Nepal.
“Jamaica.” I replied, and then added, noting the blank stares that indicated that they had no idea what or where Jamaica was: “Bob Marley.”
For some strange reason, over the last 3 weeks, many of my clients have sought my advice on how to “deal with” millennials. I gave a simple answer…
For some strange reason, over the last 3 weeks, many of my clients have sought my advice on how to “deal with” millennials. I gave a simple answer…
Last week, my friend and tech entrepreneur and investor, David Mullings, shared a Harvard Business Review interview featuring Kevin Johnson, Starbucks CEO.
Recently at a business lunch, I was asked to share my thoughts on strategies for building a talent pipeline for the digital age.
It’s said that bad news comes in 3s … I certainly had my fill of bad news in the last 2 weeks. 3 proposals: 3 rejections. My immediate, and I must admit prolonged response was to.
Keith (name changed), my coaching client, was bemoaning the impact that travel was having on his quality of life and home relationships.
I wrote this blog on June 28, 2008. I share it again as a reminder that our words are never “just semantics” – they carry great weight and breadth. We never know where the energy of our words will find receptive ears, and the action that those receptive ears will take.
Caribbean people are great storytellers. We were brought up on the oral traditions of our ancestors, when the right to read and write was forbidden to them. Yes, we are now literate, and enjoy reading, but oh how we love a good storyteller.
Oh, for “those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer” … they’re finally here! Many of you will be taking time for well-deserved vacation.
Twice last week I found myself sharing the above Jamaican saying with my coaching clients. In each case, they had requested an urgent call with me for help on how to deal with a particularly difficult person at work.
Corporate Governance starts at the very highest level – the Board, and filters throughout the entire organization, with management having the responsibility for implementation. It is something that you MUST take seriously.
Corporate Governance starts at the very highest level – the Board, and filters throughout the entire organization, with management having the responsibility for implementation. It is something that you MUST take seriously.
Murder was on my mind … for an atom of a moment. Then I came to my senses, knowing that it was an accident, born out of the best of intentions.
“Don’t freak out but yesterday I had to go to the emergency room. I was cutting open an avocado and the knife sawed straight into the wedge between my index and middle finger. 5 days.
No phone. No wi-fi. No social media. No TV. No news. No coffee.
Yoga. Meditation. At least 1,000 OMs.
That’s how I spent my Easter weekend.
“I feel so guilty” my client texted me, responding to the sudden illness of one of her team members. She felt she had contributed by giving too many assignments to this very competent and willing member of her team.
“We employ 250 people and have a network of over 200 suppliers” declared my friend Norman when I asked him how his business was doing. He owns an agro-processing business, now over 30 years old, located in a very depressed and forgotten area of rural Jamaica.
What does it mean to live your values? I treasure my morning coffee ritual, made more special by a gift a high-powered espresso machine for my new home. I had noticed sparks in the outlet from when I first plugged in the power cord.
My gentleman and I went paint shopping at Home Depot last weekend. As we waited for the paint expert to complete our order, I noticed a smiling young man in a Home Depot uniform, close by.
Perhaps the “newness” of the New Year has worn off, the cold of winter is still biting and you may feel lacking in energy and motivation.
“Can we just move on? It’s just semantics,” moaned the CEO, weary of listening to his team grappling to pinpoint the right words to craft their organisation’s mission statement.
As we close 2018, I say a big “thank you” to everyone who read, shared and commented on my blogs. It has been a pleasure to write them (even in the wee hours of the morning as my own deadline looms).
Recently, someone said something to me that I found inexplicable and hurtful. The person accused me of being arrogant and offensive. Now that is not my intention at all of how I intend to live my life.
In early December last year, a client’s mother died, two weeks before Christmas. A very valued employee, he managed the regional operations for a retail business.
What do you do during the safety procedures drill at the beginning of a flight? Are you paying attention? Or are you like me?
“Don’t freak out but yesterday I had to go to the emergency room. I was cutting open an avocado and the knife sawed straight into the wedge between my index and middle finger.
Over the last 3 weeks, I launched my second book, “Forget It! What’s the Point?” on social media and then live in Jamaica. I am now into full execution mode for my book tours. It’s a great time for me to stop and reflect on my journey with this book over the last year…
Please indulge me today, as I introduce you to my new book: “Forget It! What’s the Point? Letting Go and Claiming Joy”
I launched it last week on social media and will soon be trekking all over the place on my book tour, reading, talking, listening and helping people to explore their own stories of holding on and letting go.
As summer nears its end, and thoughts turn to Back to School preparation, take a moment to think about and plan for your own learning. Perhaps you are already enrolled in a program at a formal institution of learning, or an inhouse company program.
Some 3 years ago, I was working with a client to develop a new product. We would have regular meetings and make significant progress, but at each stage, she would say that she had to get her boss’ signoff.
A few weeks ago, the world was riveted by the story of 12 boys and their soccer coach who had disappeared in a cave in Thailand. The events unfolded in real time, moving from a local search, to discovery and then an international rescue operation.
Time. It’s the one finite, non-renewable resource that’s given to everyone in equal measure. There’s nothing we can do about that. Yet as fixed as time is, some people seem to have many more hours than we do. But they don’t.
Warren Buffet, legendary investor with a brilliant mind that has served him well for over 90 years, gave this advice when asked how to be successful in investing: “Read 500 pages every day.” Bill Gates, another legend, reads 50 books per year.
It’s June, and time to make sure that you have planned your vacation. Have you? I notice that many kind and caring leaders put themselves last and allow their team members to book their summer vacations first.
Dr. Marion pressed her stethoscope to Betti’s chest: “She’s gone. I will leave you with her. Knock on the door when you are ready for me to come back in.”
We all know the story of Malala Yousafzai, the young girl in Pakistan who, on October 9, 2012, was shot in by the Taliban for taking a stand for girls’ education. I recently had the honour of meeting her.
It was a glorious spring day in Toronto. Just 1 week before, there had been a surprise storm that deposited 3 to 4 inches of crusty snow over the city. We all wondered if spring “didn’t get the memo.”
“Is this Ms. Margrett Oran?” the caller asked, with an accent that I placed somewhere in Southeast Asia.
“Yes it is”
“Thank you for taking my call ma’am.”
Uh oh, I thought, I have been caught by a telemarketer.
He identified my bank and added: “I am calling about your business account.”
“Do you want to change up the group on Day 2?” Ulla, a treasured member of my team, asked. “Yes. I think that would be good” I replied. “Always great to shift the energy and have people working in new groups. After all, that’s what they do all the time back at work.”
How smart is your business? This is one of the questions that came to mind from attending the Grace Kennedy Foundation Lecture 2018 by Dr. Parris Lyew-Ayee on March 7.
Have you ever walked through a beautiful garden, where the plants and all within it are flourishing? How did you feel? Perhaps a sense of peace, order, tranquility? Joy, perhaps even bliss?
February 6 this year would have been Bob Marley’s 73rd birthday. As a teenager, I remember seeing him tooling around Kingston in his BMW, which he declared stood for “Bob Marley and the Wailers.”
My phone rang. It was Judi, my business coach. She had emailed earlier to request a call to discuss a workshop later in the month. I responded that I had a 4.00 p.m. call with a client and would email her when it was done. I did so at 4.25 p.m. but hadn’t heard back from her and so did not expect her call.
In my last blog, I asked you to look for the silver linings in the negative experiences of 2017. I am sharing messages from two of my clients that reinforce how silver linings always appear.
I love this time of year, less so for the Christmas flurry of partying, gift giving, celebration and yummy food, and more because it’s a time for me to reflect on the year that is about to end and to approach the new year with a sense of hope and new beginnings.
To speak ill of others is a dishonest way of praising ourselves; let us be above such transparent egotism. If you can’t say good and encouraging things, say nothing. Nothing is often a good thing to do, and always a clever thing to say.
To speak ill of others is a dishonest way of praising ourselves; let us be above such transparent egotism. If you can’t say good and encouraging things, say nothing. Nothing is often a good thing to do, and always a clever thing to say.
Did you know that there is an epidemic of loneliness at work? I didn’t, until I read an HBR article this week on “Work and the Loneliness Epidemic”
“Welcome back. We haven’t seen you in awhile” said Vanessa, the front desk receptionist at the Hilton Trinidad Hotel. The last time I stayed at the Hilton was about 18 months ago.
“Kyle didn’t make the team this year” my sister Carole shared on one of our evening walks with our 5 dogs some 5 years ago. “But he’s now the equipment manager, which is really just lugging the team gear.” Tears muffled her words.
“It’s not about you” is a Coaching 101 lesson from Glen Mills, Usain Bolt’s coach (see my blog here). But whilst this is a necessary condition for being a great coach, it is not sufficient.
I glimpsed the top of his head 3 rows below me. Balding, the remaining shards of his hair gray, he sat alone, seats vacant on either side, his shoulders rounded. Through the phalanx of black, green and gold…
“You are going on vacation again?” exclaimed Roxanne, one of my coaching clients. I laughed as I confirmed that yes, I was off on 2 weeks’ vacation in early August, my 4th vacation for this year alone.
There are times when you read a book that is so in sync with your values, philosophy, practice and approach, that you wonder “How come I didn’t think to write this?”
“I need a sabbatical” I wailed to my coach a few months ago, my lofty 2017 goals and extensive “to do” list lined up in my journal like soldiers waiting for my command.
Are you feeling that the whole world is leaping from crisis to crisis, and that you, and your team members are swept into a never-ending deluge of catastrophe? There is no doubt that our world is changing…
You are the owner of a small business providing personal care services. A lady purchases a gift certificate for her fiancé for Valentine’s Day. She returns to you 3 months later asking for a refund as he died.
It’s spring in Toronto (finally) and nature is budding, blossoming and blooming, so I am inspired to continue my “Organizational Nourishing” theme, thinking of ourselves as gardeners, and our organizations as gardens.
Have you ever walked through a beautiful garden, where the plants and all within it are flourishing? How did you feel? Perhaps a sense of peace, order, tranquility? Joy, perhaps even bliss?
“Transformation” – everyone wants it, few do it. “We need to transform” says the business/political/church/school/organizational leader, and immediately, peoples’ ears perk up, their emotions race at…
In the movie “Grand Hotel”, Greta Gabor famously said “I want to be alone.” I have been feeling that way for the past year, on my return from each of my extremely hectic business or vacation trips.
How’s this for a job title? “Customer Happiness Manager”. As we continually redefine the world of work in an effort to be and remain competitive, we are realising more and more that the experience of the customer is tantamount.
“So you think you can run it?” the Chairman of the conglomerate I was working for post-Harvard Business School asked. He had just made a major investment in a food processing company in Jamaica.
One of the coaching assignments that I particularly enjoy is when someone calls me and says “Marguerite. I have a new job and I would like you to prepare me to start in the right way and to coach me through the first few months.”
I recently addressed 120 beautiful ladies, members of Lean In Canada, as part of an event: “Make This Your Year: What Can You Do Better in 2017?” This is the substance of my talk, which I hope will help you to make this your best year!
January – it’s Resolution Time! Time to wipe the slate clean and start your life all over. In particular, it’s the time to reflect on the past 12 months, and decide what’s going to be different in the upcoming 12 months.
2016 was an amazing year! Yes, it was! I declared it my year to “Live Bold, Wander Far” and I did. And along the way, I met some wonderful people, had time to muse and learned/remembered some things, for which I am very grateful…
In 2007, the West Indies, an archipelago of former colonies of Britain, hosted the Cricket World Cup (CWC). With venues in 9 sovereign states…
Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States of America. It’s the one holiday that all Americans revere. I note the joy that this holiday brings as…
“My greatest strength? Probably that I am always early” chuckled President Barack Obama a video clip urging people to vote early.
Years ago, my daughter Victoria was a Starbucks barista. She worked at one of the busiest Starbucks in Toronto and often got (or got stuck with) the opening shift…
On August 17, Athletics history was made at the Rio Olympics when a Jamaican, for the first time, won the Men’s 110m hurdles. Digital Strategist Ingrid Riley explained in her blog what happened next.
I continue to take my own advice, and am now winding down from my vacation! Here’s another article from my guest blogger, Ingrid Riley!
I am taking my own advice, and am away on vacation! I am therefore so thrilled to introduce my guest blogger – Ingrid Riley!
One of my life’s simple pleasures is to meander through a book store. It’s a walking meditation as I stroll Zen-like through the aisles, leafing through books that catch my fancy.
Summer is rapidly upon us. Do you have your vacation plans set? Are you taking a vacation? When last did you take a real vacation?
I was at the tail end of my group on our final leg to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro and I finally understood the Swahili term “pole pole” – “slowly slowly.”
“This really tells the story of my job,” observed James during the debrief phase of my workshop to develop Personal Balanced Scorecards (PBSCs) for his organization.
“Things work in India; they just don’t work the way you expect them to,” Dushyant, our G-Adventures CEO (Chief Experience Officer) had declared in the kick-off meeting for our 7–day trek in India.
“Executive Presence” – what do those words conjure? Designer suits? Swiss watches? Tumi luggage? Private aircraft? Men and women who are confident, polished and accomplished?
“Don’t panic. Don’t panic,” crooned Israel, patting Nigel’s back in symphony with his words and tone. We had arrived at Base Camp, our final camp before our Kilimanjaro summit…
“This has totally exceeded my expectations,” I declared over and over to my fellow travelers on my recent trek up Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, emphasis on TOTALLY.
Mindfulness is the state of being aware of the present moment, observing with detachment our thoughts, feelings and whatever is happening around us without judgement.
For years I drove by this gentleman, who stood all day in the hot Jamaican sun on the corner of Barbican Road in Kingston, gently offering his pillows for sale. His ever-present smile sparked smiles from my children and me – that and the colourful designs of his pillows always brightened our day.
Remember the supervisor who refused to move her performance appraisal score from 3.9 to 4.0 and so cost you a sizeable bonus? How about that “boss from hell” who yelled you out in front of the entire department and made you feel smaller than the bug scurrying along the floor?
For years I struggled with my weakness of not paying attention to detail. I knew I had to overcome this in order to grow. I needed to pay attention to the details of my business and in my work with clients. I certainly could not allow any mistakes with clients, and those mistakes typically arose because “the devil is in the details.”
“Happy New Year. Happy New You. May this be the year that your dreams come true.” I love this greeting – sharing it and receiving it. It’s uplifting, positive and empowering. You might be thinking about the “new you” leader, parent or spouse at this traditional time for goal-setting and resolution-making.
Remember the supervisor who refused to move her performance appraisal score from 3.9 to 4.0 and so cost you a sizeable bonus? How about that “boss from hell” who yelled you out in front of the entire department and made you feel smaller than the bug scurrying along the floor?
“Marguerite, what do you think of assessments?” my client asked. “Do you use them? Do you recommend them? Do you find them useful?” I am no expert on employee assessments, but I have come across a few in my years (decades) leading organizations, consulting and coaching. I must admit that I have mixed feelings.
As I watch Justin Trudeau make his first steps as the new Prime Minister of Canada, I reflect on criticisms leveled at him during the campaign regarding his inexperience. His opponents tried to highlight this by running a campaign theme “Justin? He’s just not ready”.
When Kyle Stewart moved from Jamaica to Canada he had a dream of playing soccer for Ryerson University. This video chronicles his long, difficult journey to achieve his dream – and the lessons his coach learned about selecting the best players for his team.
I don’t cry easily but Miami Airport had me at the point of tears, tantrum, tempest or all three. Immigration and Customs were a maze of misdirection and wrong, conflicting information. I felt like I had picked the Chance card in Monopoly – “Go Directly to Jail; Do not Pass Go.”
The group of 10 senior leaders I have been facilitating in Trinidad in a series of planning workshops over the last 2 months was different in our final workshop. In prior workshops they were focused, relaxed, participated fully with no distractions and were disciplined in the use of their cell phones. This time the energy was different.
We often hear the term “best practice” typically used to indicate initiatives, which the management of an organization desires to implement in order to achieve excellence.
“Cheerleader” – the song of summer 2015! This surprise hit by a little-known Jamaican singer named Omi (real name: Omar Samuel Pasley) has been scooting up the charts like Donald Trump’s ratings.
I am having a delightful time facilitating a client on their Blue Ocean Strategy exploration. Working with the leadership team over the past few weeks, I appreciate even more that the most important and powerful “tool” on this innovation journey is their mindset.
It’s summer in the northern hemisphere and our thoughts turn to the beach. With great anticipation of a lovely day, we pack our beach bags, prepare our picnic and herd our family and friends into the car. What would we do if when we got to the beach the water was red, turbulent and teeming with people?
I have seen many Bosses From Hell (BFH) in decades of management, consulting and coaching (I just really hope I haven’t ever been one!) I have heard about enough of them and their antics to believe that their behaviour does not happen by chance.
“This is what I do for a living and a loving,” I said as I introduced myself as the workshop facilitator. I paused as if a bird had stopped mid-flight to consider the miracle of its defiance of gravity. The words had flowed without conscious thought from somewhere deep within me.
The great quest of our life seems to be to find balance. We crave a sense of stability in our relationships between home and work, career and children, material desires and spirituality.
One of the resources that a leader has to manage is time, his or her own and the time of others. The workplace is driven by time. There are specific hours for starting and ending the workday and for taking breaks with some having to physically clock in and out.
“But isn’t silence a sign of weakness?” my coachee asked. We were discussing a difficult meeting he had with his peers, who had pummeled him with questions for which he was unprepared. On reflection, he was very dissatisfied with his response which he felt came across as being defensive.
Recently, I facilitated a highly interactive, fun, joyous workshop for 70 people as part of a corporate Core Values Initiative. We sang, did skits, danced (even a conga line) all whilst doing some very serious and important work.
In over two decades of management consulting, I have yet to find anyone who likes performance appraisals. They cause no end of stress for both appraiser and appraisee and are dreaded by both.
How would you feel if you walked into your office one morning, a normal workday, to be greeted by your employees all over the world, hailing “You’re the Man”? That’s exactly what happened to Mark Sebba, retiring CEO of Net-A-Porter.
On January 19, HONY (Humans of New York) shared a photo of Vidal and this brief conversation…
Many years ago, when I was the CEO of a food processing and distribution company, a line worker was caught stealing a jar of jam. I fired her. She pleaded with me that it was only one small jar, sobbing as she told me about her children, and her very poor circumstances. I was emotionally moved, and still feel a great deal of sorrow over it.
Recently, one of my clients experienced what I can only term a “catastrophic event”. A catastrophic event is one that brings a sudden end to an existing situation and usually strikes on a large scale. It is unforeseen and unplanned for and rocks the foundation of your business.
“Simple can be harder than complex. You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains” – Steve Jobs
In response to my post 2 weeks ago, a VP-HR e-mailed this comment to me. She has given permission to share, but anonymously. “So true! We used to have all the managers at our monthly Managing Committee meeting.
In my conversations with CEOs and other senior leaders, I often hear frustration and disquiet with the leadership of their Human Resource function. Because my work is in strategy, they express disappointment with the role he/she is playing in the formation and execution of strategy.
“Field trip”! Those two words were music to my ears when I was at school. Field trips were always the highlight of the school year. Rue any teacher who didn’t organize one!
This January, my daughter Victoria and I decided to read the Bible. By February, she had finished. I was still at Genesis Chapter 10. I wondered why, since I am a fast reader. “Mummy, your problem is that you read and analyse everything. I just read it like literature”. Wise child.
Providing a bad service experience need not mean the end of a good relationship with your customer. Indeed, it can actually increase customer delight, as was expounded in the classic HBR article “The Profitable Art of Service Recovery”
Do you ever wonder what happened to the playground bully of your childhood? The boy or girl who tormented you, called you names, hit you, teased you and any of the gamut of things that bullies do? Did he change? You wonder – did she outgrow her behaviour and become a sweet, caring soul? Wishful thinking …
During a coffee break in workshop a few years ago, Megan asked if she could have a quiet word with me. Two years prior, she had applied for a position in the company and was passed over for someone else.
Of all the people on your team, you worry the least about Alex. A quick glance at Alex’s nodding head and slight smile, indicates to you that you are on the right track in meetings. Alex is quiet, always seated to the side of the room.
Does your Board micromanage? Do you feel that they are making decisions that are the purview of management? Do you believe they are requesting information that they really don’t need or shouldn’t have? Are they interfering in operational matters? It happens.
Perhaps you had a stray thought over the last 2 weeks “But what happened to Marguerite’s newsletter”? You would be right to wonder, for this is my first “fortnightly” newsletter in a month.
“Bring Maggie in,” I offered, not betraying the struggle I had just resolved in my own mind. “Bring Maggie in to work with you.”
Maggie is a baby, a baby not yet weaned. The CEO was giving Maggie’s mom permission to bring her to work.
It is so easy to hire and so hard to fire. Getting the wrong person in the job has HUGE implications for your organization, so think about your hiring practices: Source of applicants: Where do you get your applicants? An advertisement? Job sites?
As a coach, I am asked to help executives correct behaviour that has resulted in serious personal and organizational performance issues. Typically, the boss will call me and point out the deficiencies and the problems that have ensued. And I will ask: “Have you told him (or her)”?
1. May you have clarity of purpose
2. May you find what you seek, and may it truly bring joy to your heart
3. May you have delightful relationships with your team members and customers
4. May you grow as a leader, tapping into your potential and rising into your magnificence
The great man amongst men, a conquering lion, has been laid to rest after 95 years of a most difficult and amazing trod on this earth. There are few who cannot be inspired by Nelson Mandela’s demonstration of courage, integrity, strength, and resilience.
December’s here, and all eyes now turn eagerly, yet perhaps with some trepidation towards 2014. No doubt you have long completed your organisation’s plan and budget for 2014.
I was quite amused to see an ad with the headline “Become a certified necessity”. Nowadays, there is certification for everything. Resumes, bios, business cards and LinkedIn profiles reveal a long list of the possible certifications that one can now get.
Toronto, where I live, is abuzz with the admission by our Mayor that he smoked crack in one of his drunken stupors, and that further, he had lied when asked point blank a few months ago if he had done it.
Recently, I attended a luncheon where an assortment of sandwiches was served. Now typically, this presents a mystery worthy of Sherlock Holmes, to figure out what is in each sandwich, particularly if you have special dietary needs/preferences.
Most of us work too hard. I know I do. I love my work, I love my clients. I work hard to help them solve their problems – with ease, grace and joy. And some of their problems are really big, so it means much thought, research, diligence, collaboration, communication and planning on my part.
I attended a client’s weekly management meeting. It was such a joy to see the team embrace the strategy that I helped them develop a few months earlier, use it as the guiding light for their operations and make very focused decisions in a short period of time – all with laughter and much camaraderie.
With the best of intentions, management, processes and team members, things will go wrong. Yes, we will upset our customers sometimes. That’s a given. What’s not given is how we deal with it. I recently had an experience with the Toronto Transit Commission that reminded me of this.
A gunman walks into a school in Georgia with an AK47 and threatens to start killing people. 19 minutes later, the man has laid down his weapon and is lying on the floor asking why the Police are taking too long to come and get him. How did this happen?
Leaders are human, and as humans we sometimes lose our cool and get upset. We get upset with our team members, for them not doing something that we asked or expected them to do. We get upset with our suppliers and contractors for not delivering on time and/or to specifications.
“Work is only part of life. But work is life only when done in mindfulness. Otherwise, one becomes like the person who lives as though dead” – Thich Nhat Hanh
How mindful are you at work? To be mindful is to live in the present moment. That is hard enough to do on a meditation cushion, and the stillness of the morning or evening, much less in the cut and thrust of a busy workday.
In our quest for success, we sometimes find ourselves trading off perfection for timeliness. We submit the report a few days late in order to make it perfect. We dot every “I” and cross every “t” really make the report look perfect – but late.
For some months, I have been considering adding an additional member to my team, to support in administrative matters. One of his/her key duties would be filing. Filing is the Medusa’s head of office work – as soon as you file, more paper just piles up.
Summer is rapidly upon us. Do you have your vacation plans set? Are you taking a vacation? When last did you take a real vacation?
For many busy executives, a vacation is way down on the list of priorities.
Automation was supposed to reduce the amount of paper we use and accumulate. Yet many of us are drowning in piles of paper that need to be read, processed, filed, archived and/or destroyed.
Every two weeks, I will share with you my musings about Leadership, the Balanced Scorecard, my most recent blogs and interesting articles that I have happened upon. My aim is to help you develop as a leader in all spheres of your life, and to help you open to the possibility, and the practice of living the most magnificent life of your choosing.
You will note a new format this week. The articles remain “short and sweet”. You can now leave comments at the end of each article, and I encourage and welcome you doing so. Happy reading!
How often do you celebrate at work? I don’t mean the annual service awards shindig, or the once in awhile pizza party. I mean the spontaneous, no-holds-barred heralding and honouring of good deeds and special occasions, no matter how large or small.
Every time I enter the always-crowded Apple store I marvel at their business model – how they have created not just loyal users, but lifetime, devoted partners. “Once a Mac, never go back” – and I have yet to meet anyone who has returned to a PC from a Mac. It just doesn’t happen.
Even though “Love Month” is now over, let’s consider the role of the core/coeur, the heart. In particular, how does a leader lead from the heart in an era where “big data” rules?
It is no accident that I am publishing this newsletter on Valentine’s Day, the day when millions of people celebrate LOVE!
You see, I believe that love is the foundation of great leadership. Before you can practice the skills of leadership, you must truly love the people whom you lead.
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