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How to become change-resilient is the question

November 20, 2014 By Kevin Pokorny

“One can die at forty and not get buried until ninety.”  Ouch!  Oh my, this quote rings true when we don’t deal with change positively, whether it’s a job change, personal change or organizational change that impacts us.  There are many ways and methods to respond to change positively.  One approach is to become change-resilient.  Its definition is “to consciously adjust with courage and confidence whenever ‘It’ happens. . . while achieving the best possible outcome for yourself, others you care about, and your organization.”  The “It” is whatever the change you are facing is.

I’ve been working with a new program called “Make Change Work™ For You” that has 5 action steps in helping us become change-resilient. [Read more…]

Filed Under: business strategy, leadership, Mindfulness Tagged With: business strategy, mindfulness, mindfulness practice

How to bring mindfulness to the workplace

November 6, 2014 By Kevin Pokorny

How to bring mindfulness to the workplace

ii1Last week I facilitated a session on The Power of Pause – Practical Mindfulness for Leaders to about 60 people currently participating in leadership development programs or graduates of the programs.

Toward the end of the session, a person asked, “As a leader, how would I begin bringing mindfulness practices to my team?” I paused to consider his question. I then responded that I think it begins with SELF. [Read more…]

Filed Under: business strategy, Mindfulness, workplace training Tagged With: business strategy, mindfulness, mindfulness practice

Are you a Teal Organization?

October 31, 2014 By Kevin Pokorny

Are you a Teal Organization?

flight-from-wholenessI’m reading a book called Reinventing Organizations – A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage of Human Consciousness by Frederic Laloux, 2014.  This is a serious book that begins with the premise that “the way we manage organizations seems increasingly out of date.”  This is my final blog in continuing our discussion.

Ask yourself this question: “As an organization, do we try to minimize the need for change by predicting and controlling the future OR do we see change that happens naturally and continuously?” [Read more…]

Filed Under: business strategy, leadership

“We see the world not as it is but as we are.”

October 30, 2014 By Kevin Pokorny

“We see the world not as it is but as we are.”

~Talmud

 

World_in_Our_HandsDid you know that women have fewer teeth than men?  For almost 2,000 years, this was the accepted wisdom proclaimed by Aristotle in 350 BC.  Then one day, someone had an idea:  let’s count!  We both have the same number of teeth.

How many brains does a human have?  One you say?  Maybe two?  Try three brains:  [Read more…]

Filed Under: business strategy, leadership

Is Your Organizational Plan Out of date?

October 29, 2014 By Kevin Pokorny

 “You never change things by fighting the existing reality.  To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

~ (R. Buckminster Fuller)

reinventThis quote begins the first page of a book I’m reading called “Reinventing Organizations – A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage of Human Consciousness” by Frederic Laloux (2014). This is a very profound book that begins with the premise that “the way we manage organizations seems increasingly out of date.”  Laloux  presents the idea that we are on the verge of a new stage of consciousness that will radically change the way we run our businesses, nonprofits, schools, and hospitals.  This new stage will be more “soulful” and “purposeful” and “wholesome” for everyone.  His book explores this new stage in every facet of organizational life, e.g., human resources, structure, daily life, and processes.

Here are a few sentences and questions that just grabbed me. [Read more…]

Filed Under: business strategy, leadership, Uncategorized

Work Culture as an Ecosystem

October 28, 2014 By Kevin Pokorny

article-2478609-03A9DFDC0000044D-605_634x392In August, I was in Chicago working with a senior care retirement community in a 53 story high rise two blocks from the John Hancock building and four blocks from Lake Michigan. All the community’s managers gathered on the 53rd floor, overlooking Lake Michigan, for a day focused on building relationships and finalizing their community’s mission and values. One couldn’t have picked a better visual sight for a day of engagement. [Read more…]

Filed Under: business strategy, leadership

3 Attributes that are Critical to Relationship Building for Managers

October 28, 2014 By Kevin Pokorny

A client asked me to facilitate a three-hour learning engagement on Relationship Building for Managers. So, where does one start?

After reviewing several books and lots of content, I came up with three attributes that I consider critical in relationship building for managers. [Read more…]

Filed Under: leadership, workplace training Tagged With: authenticity, listening, relationship building managers, respect

Mindfulness Practices can Deflate the Helium Balloon Effect

October 28, 2014 By Kevin Pokorny

kevin pokorny executive coachingI’m a sage advisor to an Executive Director for a nonprofit. We met the other day and the Executive Director said (I’m paraphrasing), “I feel like I’m in a helium balloon. Every day, more helium is being let in to the point that it’s going to explode.” Then, he wondered out loud if he was the right person in his role right now.

When too much helium gets in our balloon, the effect we feel is frenzy, which is how the Executive Director described it. We can’t focus, we are quick to make decisions that are prone to error, we move from one thing to another, and we can’t catch up. It affects our sleep, attitude, desire to be engaged, and our sense of control. This is exactly how it affected the Executive Director. [Read more…]

Filed Under: leadership Tagged With: choose a response, decision making, executive coaching, mindfulness practice

Quotes to Inspire, Questions to Inquire

October 27, 2014 By Kevin Pokorny

Kevin Pokorny QuotesI received as a gift from a coach a card deck of quotes and questions. There is a quote on one side and several questions on the other side that challenge us about the quote. Quite clever, I thought.

Earlier this month, I used the card deck with a client at a staff retreat. I pulled 10 cards from the deck of 50 that were relevant to the purpose for the retreat – deepening our understanding of each other. They did 3 rounds in pairs, each pair selecting one card and dialoguing about the questions for 10 minutes. Then, we came together to find out what they learned about each other and how do the quotes and questions speak to where they are as an organization.

We started first from a personal perspective and then related to the cards from an organizational perspective. Here is an example from one card that was selected:

Quote: “Nothing is more desirable than to be released from affliction, but nothing is more frightening than to be divested of a CRUTCH.” (James Baldwin) [Read more…]

Filed Under: workplace training Tagged With: organizational perspective, questions, quotes, staff retreat

Make Peace With Not Knowing

October 27, 2014 By Kevin Pokorny

47153044111155“If you want to learn, be willing not to know.”  (Julio Olalla, president of the Newfield Network, a coaching school and consulting company in Latin America and the United States)

We strive in our businesses and life to KNOW and to be RIGHT!  Leaders, in particular, are faced with this dilemma in dealing with change and in making financial decisions.  The reality is ambiguity and uncertainty are present in our work and lives.  The question is, “Can I give myself permission not to know?” [Read more…]

Filed Under: leadership, workplace training

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My Walk With Grief

 

I invite you to read Elaine Olson’s new book, My Walk With Grief, about her journey in living before and after her husband’s death.  It is raw, personal, and down to earth, but inspiring and hope-filled.  One of the best books I’ve ever read on grief from a personal story.

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Des Moines, Iowa

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