7 minute read
Strategies
Habits of the heart
Being a light in the darkness
I HAVE STRUGGLED to know where to begin with a reflection on leadership as we experience our country as it is today. We are longing for the end of the pandemic. We are looking for a commitment to racial equity. And we are hoping for some level of political harmony. For two years now, what we thought was “normal” was turned upside down.
The reality is nothing remains the same and maybe “normal” wasn’t so great after all. In the midst of confusion, uncertainty and grief, we have been given the opportunity to reset.
The question is: How will we reset? And, who will lead?
What the COVID-19 pandemic imposed was a pause from our daily, take-it-for-granted routines and spiraled us into the unknown. For many, working remotely inspired an opportunity to relocate. For others, it meant an opportunity to consider a job change. For far too many women, it meant leaving the workforce in order to care for children or aging parents. And we have collectively suffered unspeakable loss. In this country alone, more than 1 million people have died from COVID-19. It’s been suggested that for every person who dies, there are at least nine people who grieve. Who, then, has escaped the impact of this life/death experience?
Even though the dust is settling a bit, the storm is not over, and life continues to hold uncertainty and chaos in our work, in our homes and in our communities.
Leaders have a remarkable opportunity to re-engage by acknowledging our reality and shining the light on what is going well.
Today, our hearts and spirits are fragile. It takes more energy to receive constructive criticism. I have wondered if performance reviews ought to be suspended unless there is something time sensitive that needs to be addressed. And, instead for a leader to say: “Thank you for helping to keep our company afloat during the pandemic. I am glad that you are still here. I am glad that you are alive.”
What difference do you think that might make for a leader in your organization to hear those words from you?
Parker Palmer, author, teacher, poet and allaround amazing human being, wrote “Habits of the Heart.” While these were written in 2014, in his book, “Healing the Heart of Democracy,” they clearly have relevance for leaders today.
HABITS OF THE HEART:
1. An understanding that we are all in this together. Parker reminds us that in spite of our, “illusions of individualism and national superiority,” we are interconnected human beings, dependent on one another. This view for a leader leads to a deeper recognition of our common humanity regardless of titles or positions within the organization. 2. An appreciation of the value of “otherness.” When we read these words, we may be translating to “us vs. them.” For Parker, the words mean “us and them,” and suggests the notion of the ancient tradition of hospitality to the stranger. And here, he says, the stranger has much to teach us!
This is not to minimize differences. Rather, it is to embrace them. 3. An ability to hold tension in life-giving ways. Our tendency is to want to be right, which doesn’t allow us to hold tension in life-giving ways, with curiosity and care.
The poet, Yehunda Amichai writes:
From the place where we are right
Flowers will never grow in the spring.
The place where we are right
Is hard and trampled like a yard.
But doubts and loves dig up the world
Like a mole, a plow.
And whisper will be heard in the place
Where the ruined house once stood. 4. A sense of personal voice and agency.
For so many reasons, many of us lack the confidence that we can make a difference.
“We grow up in educational and religious institutions that treat us as members of an audience instead of actors in (life’s) drama.” As a result, we can become spectators to our own lives.
We must find our voices and learn to speak our truth even in the face of criticism. Good leaders encourage that level of communication within their organizations. They are not afraid of the dialogue or the conflict. 5. A capacity to create community. Without community, it is nearly impossible to exercise the “power of one” in a way that allows power to multiply. Leaders have an opportunity to create and sustain community within their organizations by creating the space for building relationships and valuing differences.
In order for these habits to become a reality, leaders will need the commitment and self-awareness to welcome new possibilities. It will take the willingness to be vulnerable by letting go of what was perceived as “normal.” It will take courage. It will take heart.” n
KAREN VERNAL
Karen Vernal is an executive coach and consultant with Vernal LLC, a Milwaukeebased leadership and organizational firm. She can be reached at Karen@ccvernal.com.
Tina Chang CEO SysLogic Inc.
“Setting and driving our culture has been a top priority for me since day one. Coming out of the pandemic, many leaders believe that employees need to be back in the office most of the time or even 100% because it’s part of their culture. I challenge my fellow leaders to ask themselves, ‘Who is in charge of living our culture?’ and ‘Does it need to be in-person to be effective?’ I used to be against remote working environments, but I’ve since changed my position. I recognize it’s easier to do with a tech workforce, though.
“With reiteration and diligence around communication and finding the right work style with each other, we have not only maintained our culture, but also found new ways to foster it. For example, instead of casual connections that were typically made in person for new hires, we scheduled 15-minute meet and greets. It’s OK to virtually meet to shoot the breeze during work time. If your virtual time is all about work, your culture can quickly become transactional.
“Listening to our employees has been paramount. The past two years have proven that if you don’t listen, you will lose employees quicker than you can replace them. We have found new ways to listen - chat platforms, online surveying tools and more one-on-one virtual meetings. And as we transition to a hybrid work environment, those who come into the office will notice new cultural signage across our office.” Raj Patel Vice president, workforce experience Senior human resources business partner Northwestern Mutual
“The pandemic dramatically shifted people’s view of work, and more professionals are weighing their options. Companies must focus on employee experience with renewed rigor to win in the competitive talent market. Here are a few steps we’re taking to become an even stronger employer of choice:
Prioritizing people. It’s essential for leaders – but especially senior leaders – to equally care about others’ personal and professional success as they do about the company’s bottom line. To us, the best leaders prioritize getting to know their people, helping them build a career plan and coaching them to achieve it.
Igniting careers. Talent will stay at a company that sees and values them. Companies must provide clear strategies for their people to develop and advance. That’s why we’ve built a new internal talent marketplace, enabling employees to evaluate career opportunities inside our company, elevate their skills and make themselves visible to hiring managers.
Building culture. Top talent want to work somewhere that considers their uniqueness a culture add versus a culture ‘fit.’ To make this real, diversity and inclusion cannot be performative; it must be a performance indicator. All of our people leaders have a measurable goal demonstrating how they drive D&I and create a culture of belonging.” Lisa Matsuyama Onboarding and training manager gener8tor
"We’ve maintained our culture here at gener8tor by being very intentional about staying connected in a hybrid/virtual environment. One of our main (objectives and key results) company-wide is to have fun, and we do that by interacting with each other frequently (via slack channels) and getting to know each other outside of the work environment. We do our best to ensure our people feel included with virtual events, such as an origami crane class in honor of AAPI heritage month and a sound bath in honor of mental health awareness month, as well as company-wide in-person events, like our OnRamp conferences and two staff retreats this year.
“We also have an employee-led culture committee that was born from the desire to ensure the employees of gener8tor feel heard, valued and included (and of course, to have fun). We have great processes like our ‘buddy system,’ where we set up a new hire with a g8 colleague who has been here for six-plus months based off similar interests, but what truly helps maintain our positive culture is the people that make up gener8tor. You simply cannot sustain what is not there to begin with; we at gener8tor are very lucky to be made up of a passionate, diverse, intelligent and hard-working workforce. We could not grow and sustain a great culture without each of our folks here at gener8tor." n
