Bridging Leadership Lessons from the Workplace and Those Experiences Shaping Today's Youth and Tomorrow's Leaders
 Before agreeing to provide leadership development sessions, I spend time asking questions to understand the pain points an organization is experiencing and how I can tailor the session to provide the most value.
One of the most frequent issues brought up is the conflict between teams or team members that gets described as silos. Silos Often, what I find is that silos are built unintentionally due to a lack of awareness as to the role others play to the overall success. People may know the role they play, but don’t know the roles others play and therefore don’t respect the roles. I created a simple tool to help create awareness and to force some self-reflection that has been successful in helping to tear down silos at its best and at the least, creating awareness that they are also part of the reason the silo exists. The Impact Awareness Tool This tool was initially a discussion topic in my session to get attendees thinking about who impacts them and how they impact others. However, when I created the IMPACT Legacy Tool I realized that taking the same focus but instead turning it onto the work relationships will have a much greater impact within the work teams. The tool really has two parts. The first is uncovering who does work that impacts you and your work, identifying what their activity/role is and then consider the ways it can impact your work positively and negatively. The 2nd part is where we look at who is downstream from us and how our work impacts them. The power comes when we have to consider how our actions could negatively impact the work of others. You know the tool is working when people start on the 2nd part and the room gets quieter. The realization that the work they do, that they are so confident in, could negatively impact others slowly comes to the surface. They start to reflect on past conflicts that they tended to blame on others but now are not so sure. How Others Impact You The first part is to identify the people who are upstream from you, that do a job that impacts you. We identify the person and the specific role or activity that directly connects to your work. (i.e., they provide data analysis on market trends you use for your product plans.) Once you have the people and activities identified, reflect on how the activity impacts you. Consider how that activity can positively impact you and your role as well as how it could negatively impact your work. By looking at both the positive and negative potential it can open your mind to why things may have a negative impact. Putting it All on the Table Self-reflection is wonderful and is the start of bringing growth. When we take the small discussion and turn it into a large conversation is where the eyes get wide, the heads start to nod, and others jump into the conversation. It’s the moment of transparency and vulnerability when people stand up and share with the group how others impact them and how their work impacts others. They listen to people who are both upstream and downstream share their perspectives and experiences. Fostering a brotherhood, if you will, that they are all in this together. That everyone has challenges in their work and people are not malicious and evil, but unaware of how what they do could negatively impact others. Awareness Creates IMPACT We always break after this part of the session, and you see people in the room start to search out others and share their thoughts. There might be apologies or words of appreciation for what others do, but always you see greater awareness that they are not alone. Not stuck in a silo. That awareness of your impact on others, energizes a team Beyond Today. Download the IMPACT Awareness Tool
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 Making an IMPACT seems to be at the heart of most people’s purpose in life. Leaving a mark on the lives of those you have touched, is where the legacy comes to play. In this blog, I share stories of people and situations that have made an impact on my life. The day I died, a mentor who shared tough words, a mentor who encouraged, or a the beauty of a daughter.
Many people can recall people and events when asked, but most need time to reflect to uncover and sift through all those impactful moments to find those that are truly meaningful. Through this blog, it is my hope to help foster and promote an IMPACT Culture. If we are going to live in a culture where IMPACT is desired, then we must change our mindset and embrace those who have impacted us and be intentional in recognizing how we have grown and been impacted by them. It is then up to us to honor those by living the IMPACT Culture and realizing that everything we do impacts others. Whether positive or negative depends upon you. Beginning intentional is what the IMPACT Culture is all about. IMPACT Legacy This is a tool I use to help people understand the power of IMPACT. To help people take time to reflect on their past experiences and how they have shaped you as well as how you have used that to IMPACT others. Often, during the reflection, people uncover ways that people impacted them but only after the reflection and not at that moment. This realization becomes the true impact in their lives, as they understand what was missed and the true value in that relationship. Let’s take a look at the tool. Recognizing IMPACT Spend time thinking about people in your life that made an impact on you. Maybe it was an event or situation, more than a specific individual. The impact might have been a negative experience that fueled a change in you or pushed you down a different path that what was originally before you. Identify that IMPACT. Now, peel back the onion and the superficial layers and identify where the deep impact happened. What imprint did the person or situation leave on you? IMPACT on You So, what changed in your life? How did this impact change how you see the world, how you approach your day, or how you see others? Make the connection. Look for the ways that can be tied back to that impact to see the fingerprints left behind in your life. Your Turn to IMPACT This is where it gets tricky. We are raised to be humble. To dismiss our impact and leave it to others to recognize. Take time to unpack where you are impacting others. Who is impacted by you and what you do? As you open your mind and loosen the self-induced restrictions, that list will grow as you realize how many people you actually impact. Choose a person or group that you feel you impact most. Dig deep. How are you impacting them? Where are you passing on a gift to them…the gift of IMPACT? How is their life changing because you are connected to them? The IMPACT Culture This is what it’s about. Being a Person of IMPACT. Living a life of IMPACT so that we can help make the world a better place. Download the IMPACT Legacy Tool and go through the process. Share it with others. Take time to honor those who have impacted your life and take pride in how you impact others. Creating an IMPACT Culture starts with you and by doing so, we will make the world a better place, Beyond Today.  One of the biggest challenges I face in my coaching practice is to avoid being a solutions provider. To offer up the answer or even a possible answer. I’ve spent a lifetime addressing the challenges before me and now I need to put it aside, because the simple truth is coaching is not about me.
Providing an answer or pathway forward to the client doesn't make an impact. It might satisfy my need to feel like I am making an impact, but in reality, in the long run, it could make matters worse for my clients. My job is to listen and ask questions. To use the input from the client to help guide the client toward their OWN answers. Below are 3 areas I am focusing on improving so that I can Be Better Today than yesterday. Overcoming the Urge to Advise It’s understandable why we go here. We have a natural desire to help. So, to change, we need to rewire our mindset and build some new habits. Self-Assessment After each session reflect on moments when you gave advice or was tempted to give advice. What triggered the urge? (e.g. their frustration, your experience, and obvious solution?) Pause & Reflect During the session, when you feel the need to give advice, just shut up. Instead, change the focus from YOU answering to what you can do to help THEM discover an answer. They are the Expert You must remind yourself that they are the experts in their own life and you are there to guide, not solve. Your role is to unlock their wisdom, not provide yours. Embrace Open-Ended Questions Often, a spark is needed to help your client explore deeper into their situation. Open-ended questions don’t only open the door; they create a launching point to multiple pathways. Create a Question List Write down questions that you can use to create connections with your client. Find questions that fit your style and work for you. Look for questions that can be reflective (e.g., “How do you see this aligning with your values?”), exploring (e.g., “What else could you consider?”), and action-oriented (e.g., “What is 1 thing you could do today?”) Practice Use your conversations with family and friends. Gaining experience on how you ask questions will only strengthen those relationships. Focus on questions that start with “what”, “how”, or “why.” Ask for Feedback Explain to peers, mentors, friends, or family how you are trying to improve. Show vulnerability by recognizing an area to improve. This way you are more aware, and others can reinforce when you ask good, open-ended questions as well as highlight when you are advising. Active Listening This is the foundational component to coaching. Are you focusing on them or yourself? Are you listening to understand or to answer? By learning about how you can better focus, it will help you become a better listener. Becoming More Aware There are many ways to improve mindfulness such as prayer and meditation. Apps such as Headspace & Calm can walk you through the process. As I write this, I have the White Noise app playing Brown Noise to help me focus and drown out distractions. Paraphrase not Parrot Summarize a key point they made. Don’t repeat it back word for word, but show you understand by restating in your own words. Verify that you understand the perspective and intent of what they said. Help them Empty their Bucket Often, a point that is brought up is not really the point they want to make. Ask questions that help them and give permission to delve deeper. These are my 3 focus areas. What are you focusing on? What are you doing to Be Better Today? By focusing on these 3 areas, I know that I will improve my listening skills and that will improve my impact as a coach, Beyond Today. |
AuthorTom Brown - a husband and a father who is simply trying to make a difference. Using my experience as a Manufacturing Executive to connect leadership from the boardroom to the hardwood to help teams grow and develop to make a difference in the lives of others. 
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