We R Human

Transforming companies is hard work.

And there are only 2 ways to do it right.

1️⃣ Grow the leadership team to effect change top down

2️⃣ Build a strong cross-functional leadership cohort from the inside out

This past year, I got a chance to do the latter with with A Place for Mom.

If you gather the highest potential leaders from across your company.

And you put them in a 10 month leadership training program together.

▪️ Where they learn the fundamentals of leadership, teams & leading change.

▪️ Where they start the program by stating their biggest goals & challenges.

✍️ And have them work on themselves & track their progress each month.

▪️ Where they do routine 1:1s with each other

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 So that they can mentor each other & deepen their cross-functional relationships.

▪️ Where they work in small groups on big ideas that can change the company.

💡 And then have them present it to the leadership team at the very end.

If you do all this, you're not just creating a fun & helpful training program.

👊 You're creating the very heart of your company's leadership culture.

Big thanks to Rebecca & Andrea for all their support & opennes. I couldn't have done any of this without some of the best HR leaders backing me.

😁 Time for round 2.

Many Americans thought that MLK Jr. was too aggressive.

In a letter from Birmingham jail, he defended his need to agitate.

At the time, many thought he should negotiate, rather than lead marches & sit ins.

Back then, like today, we don't like tense moments.

♨️ Whether it’s receiving passive aggressive comments from a friend.

🤼Or sitting awkwardly between teammates who’re aggressively arguing.

🤬 Or seeing glares & folded hands when announcing something difficult to our people.

Most of us avoid it like the plague.

But here’s why Dr. King thought that healthy tension was necessary.

1️⃣ Removes Problem Avoidance

He said that without it, people don’t confront the real issue.

This applies equally to our societal problems & our professional lives.

🌵 At the heart of each problem is an emotional root.

If we don’t directly confront that, we’ll never really understand the depth & nuances of the problem.

2️⃣ Spurts Development

MLK wrote that, “constructive, nonviolent tension is necessary for growth.”

If we can balance honesty with respect in a hard conversation, something magical happens.

Individuals start learning, groups start pivoting & societies start changing.

Research shows that teams that dissent more, make better decisions & solve problems better.

⛰️ Ultimately, MLK knew that one needed to nurture tension towards a great purpose.

“We will reach the goal of freedom... because the goal of America is freedom.”

Embrace tension, internally and externally.

✊ It’s what fuels excellence and revolutions.