Leading Edge . . . Helping You Move toward Private Practice through Contracting

Photo Credit: Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

A Pandemic and a Coaching Class

The 2019-20 Leading Edge Coaching class has experienced an eventful year! Who could have known that a pandemic would through everyone into telehealth? Doing therapy, coaching, and consulting through Zoom meetings, while not catastrophically different, provided challenges that we all had to navigate. For some, their plans changed dramatically due to the pandemic. For others, it merely put a “hold” on their action plans until the pandemic abated. This “black swan” event led to us continuing our Leading Edge Coaching class into 2020 without adding any new trainees.

This year also highlights some of the advantages of contracts. While my partners and I tried to figure out if insurance was going to pay for telehealth, saw the referral sources shut down for non-essential care, and were challenged to figure out policies and procedures to protect staff, clients, and our families . . . my contracting was largely unaffected. Sure coaching sessions moved to Zoom . . . but other than that there was no change.

Granted, I was fortunate enough that my current contracts were all in essential services — manufacturing, utilities, health services, non-profits. Consultants providing services to industries that were shut down may not have been so fortunate. As it turned out, the traditional private practice continued to flourish through the pandemic as well but there was some temporary uncertainty and this is where the contracting provides a nice counter-balance to that stress.

With our 2019 class scheduled to complete Leading Edge by the end of the year, we will, once again, be adding a few trainees in 2021. For those unfamiliar with what Leading Edge is . . . let me recount our history in becoming private practice contractors and consultants. Then I will describe our Leading Edge process.

A Little Background (for those who need it)

For those new to HSC—and the concept of contracting, coaching and consulting as part of a behavioral health practice —below is a brief history of our journey . . . .

We have been training students and professionals to work with organizations and businesses —through private practice contracting, coaching, and consulting—since 2006. In 2019, we will be using our proprietary developed workflow (developed for the Trello platform) to work with our coaching class. This is the next step in our ability to help behavioral health professionals diversify their services and escape the dependence on insurance and governmental sources of income.. .

Her's a quick history of training behavioral and mental health professionals to work with organizations and businesses.

• 1998: As part of a class on Qualitative Research, Bryan and a colleague started—as part of a university class— a consulting contact with an international manufacturing company. Supported by a couple of our professors originally, the contract would be repeated in 2000 and in total cover 4 years. We were learning and HSC was off and running!

• 1999: Bryan starts working in senior management positions in behavioral health.

• 2002: We repeat the consulting work with the international manufacturing company.

• 2005: Dr. Miller established Human Systems Consulting and HSC begins contracting with organizations.

• 2006: Tasked to teach a doctoral-level course on Consulting with Larger Organizations. Continued until 2016.

• 2008: Conducted local trainings for behavioral health professionals on consulting and coaching.

• 2011:  At the continued urging of the students and colleagues, published Beyond the Couch: Turning your behavioral health degree into cash without losing your soul. (By the way, our Gumroad store sells this for $7.99 a huge savings over Amazon at $24.95!)

• 2015: Published Engaging Your Team: A framework for leading difficult people.

• 2016: Published Private Practice through Contracting: A path away from insurance dependency! (Our most popular title since it’s publication) Began one-on-one coaching with professionals seeking to replicate the contracting, coaching, and consulting of HSC.

• 2017: Presented our model in a day-long institute at the AAMFT national conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

• 2017: Training professionals in a 6 hour workshop as part of the ICET conference in Louisville, Ky.

• 2018: Re-tooled our Trello-based tool and coaching process—Leading Edge Coaching

• Began Leading Edge Coaching for remote professionals wanting to add contracting, coaching, and consulting to their practice.

What is Leading Edge Coaching?

Leading Edge Coaching is one-on-one guidance from Dr. Miller to create and execute a plan to develop your own contracting, coaching, and consulting services. Bryan uses an interactive tool and monthly coaching sessions to help the professional focus their actions, identify a path to contracting, and secure those contracts in a 12-18 month process. The cost is kept down through having monthly meetings and assigning tasks in-between sessions and historically trainees first contract pays more then the entire cost of the training—so we are satisfied that it is a good value to professionals wanting a little mentoring to get started.

To find out more simply email Bryan. There is no cost or obligation and there will never be any pressure . . . just information to help you make the best choice for your own future.

Disappointment . . . and a Job Well Done

Photo by Andre Hunter on Unsplash

Disappointing Your Parents

I’ve been contemplating lately the role of disappointment . . . as a parent.

For example, I am sure some of the life choices my wife and I have made undoubtably were disappointments to our parents. Things like turning down jobs (several times) at the college where my parents worked for 51 years. Perhaps choosing to homeschool our six children. Maybe others. Fortunately, we were blessed with parents that have what behavioral health professionals call “good boundaries” —also what we used to call “minding your own business”—and any disappointments they may have felt were not passed on to us. Thank you Mom and Dad on both sides!

Being the Disappointed

Now, the “shoe is on the other foot.” I am the aging parent with adult children. My wife and I, recognizing the “gift” of not being burdened with our parents disappointments,* if any, are careful to not dump our emotional churning on our children. (Note to my children: No, none of you have “been disappointments” to us as parents. We remain, very blessed to have kids making great choices and doing great things with their lives.)

I bring this up to share the following . . . the very fact that your children make choices that disappoint you* may be an indicator that you have actually done a good job as a parent! Your children are independent. They are learning and growing. They are taking on the challenges of life. They make make mistakes, but who doesn’t? Well done.

Remembering Your Boundaries . . . Internally and Externally: An Example

An little aside: I like stories. They are great tutors. Whether great literature, oral history, or a pithy example . . . I used to love “Drama in Real Life” in Reader’s Digest. It was the first thing I read. So, I remember, and tell, stories. They help me understand and grow . . . here’s one of mine to, hopefully, help make the point and make it memorable for you. Incidentally, I asked my kid permission to share this . . . . (yes, I am making a point!)

One of my terrific kids was on the brink of making a decision that could have been tabled a “disappointment.” It started one day when he came to me and said, “Dad, I talked to my boss and he’s okay with my plan to leave the company and go to Denmark for a year.” He was nineteen. Nineteen! He also was a homeschooled kid and had never lived anywhere except in our home. In fact, I don’t know that he had ever been away from us for more than a day or two.

My mind raced . . . “WHAT! YOU TALKED TO YOUR BOSS BEFORE YOU TALKED TO US?” (I don’t know about you, but the voice in my head at these times feels often quite LOUD and worth of all caps!) “DENMARK, THAT”S CRAZY!” (my internal voice isn’t very reasonable either) “I THINK THIS IS ‘CAUSE THAT GIRL DUMPED YOU!” Fortunately, I’ve had a lot of practice and not spewing—as a human volcano—but recognize these as an indicator to “go cautiously.” Outwardly, I focused on asking questions and listening. “Why Denmark?” and “What would you be doing?” finally, “Do you know anyone in Denmark?” I told him, that I loved Europe (true) and enjoyed traveling and studying there as a young man. (also true) Then I basically shut up . . . and waited. For four . . . long, long . . . days.

After those four—did I mention “long?”—days, I broached the subject again. “Can I talk to you about the Denmark thing?” I asked. I reiterated what I had said earlier, essentially, that I loved Europe, thought traveling abroad is a great thing to do as a young person, and that I knew the final choice was his. (Note external boundary here—he was legally an adult.) I also told him that going to Denmark seemed like a big step and that I would like him to consider a smaller step first. I told him that his mother and I travelled, twice, to Europe but that we had each other, and even then we cut our second trip short (after two months) and came home. I reminded him that he had never lived on his own and I suggested some possible smaller steps.

Then . . . what seemed like a miracle . . . my son replied, “Well, I already decided, after we discussed it, that this was a mistake . . . and I should do something smaller. I’ve decided to travel around the Midwest and work on local farms.” (A movement, apparently, called WWOOFing.) My mind, already rejoicing with relief, laughed, thinking “We really didn’t discuss it. I simply let you talk.” I also noted to my surprise, “Wow my kid’s a lot smarter than I give him credit for!” A fact I never would have discovered if I unleashed my fear of being disappointed by the decision.

Boundaries are easy to talk about hard in practice.

Parents as Owners in Family Business . . . Beware!

If you are a family business owner, you need to engage in this same process . . . of separating from and allowing independence. Let the kids learn. Let them make choices. Support but don’t criticize. Turn over control. (No, really!) Become an advisor. Demonstrate good boundaries and an appropriate “distance” within the business. Be ready to step in as a safety net . . . but only with the consent of your kids . . . and not too soon (safety nets do not, after all, leap up to catch a tightrope walker do they?) . . . lest you rob them of the opportunity to overcome a real or perceived threat to the business, learn, and become strong leaders.

* In talking about disappointments, I am referring simply to choices. Choices that you, as a parent, may not agree are the best choices. I am not talking about ignoring potentially catastrophic decisions —such as addiction, criminal behavior, still living in the basement, or other life-altering and threatening choices. Too often, this requires a totally different set of actions . . . and more stringent boundaries as well.

Free Resource: Family Legacy: Protecting family in family business.

Cover of Family Legacy. Free Resource

Mental Health at Risk: Private Practice Lessons Made Clear by Coronavirus . . . and free resources.

Covid19/Coronavirus . . . demanded immediate operational changes for mental health practices!

Security and Eggs

“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” Maybe it’s a quaint old saying that has “lost it’s meaning” for most since the chicken coop has long been relegated to a historical oddity (But not for our family! See picture below . . . . So the risk of gathering and storing all our eggs in one basket is reality for us!)

However, I suspect the wisdom of the adage is not lost . . . but simply ignored in the daily complacency of life that hides the threat of imminent risk . . . until something make that risk visible. Like the Coronavirus. Very quickly, mental health practices recognized the risks of “practice as usual.” Quarantines, community acquired infections, work-from-home, state-wide lockdowns . . . so many rapid changes. Many now regret not being prepared to have Telehealth as an optional backup plan.

My kitchen counter this morning . . . Chicken, duck, goose . . . and turkey. Gathered daily then transferred to bowls, cartons, refrigerator, frying pan . . . our eggs are never all in one place.

Few prepare ahead for potential anomalies like the Coronavirus. The failure to be prepared comes from the idea that things will always operate as they have in the past. That the variables won’t change. Or changes will be brief and only moderately disruptive. When a true disruptive event occurs, as inevitably do—either slowly or in dramatic rapidity—-then the risks become profoundly obvious. We “bank on” having time to adjust.

Risk in Mental Health Services

Mental Health Practice has been no exception. Unfortunately, not many ask the question of “what if it all changes overnight?” Internally, we may ask what happens—”What if I am hit by a bus? type questions—but rarely do we contemplate shifts in our business sector. (Again, many are not prepared to ask what mathematicians ask, “What if that variable goes to zero?”)

Here are some questions that ask the “zero question.” These target “variables” that we have commonly assumed would not change

• What if insurance companies shut down for several months?

• What if clients will not come to the office?

• What if interest in mental health services stop?

• What if gatekeepers—teachers, doctors, etc.—no longer refer to mental health?

• What if the government mandates closing our doors?

Some of our hens (with rooster on guard!) waiting to fill up more baskets.

Finding More Baskets

As I listen to the professional chatter about the changes being made due to the Coronavirus, I think the biggest shift is a flight into a different modality. Telehealth. I get it. I am doing it myself. In the short-term, it is the easiest “fix” and probably a necessary “stop-gap” for most private practices. But, this transition still leaves most operating in the same “basket” of healthcare dependent upon insurance and private pay.

Some, no doubt, are in the short term, relying on retained profit in the business, personal savings, or their partner’s income. Uncomfortable. It is a short-term fix that will hopefully get everyone through the current crisis . . . but not a long-term successful business strategy. Most businesses start with one product but they don’t grow by continuing to offer only one product. To do so, increases the risk to the business. What if no one needs an MP3 player anymore, for example?

This leads me to encourage you to consider finding another basket.

Business Contracting, Consulting & Coaching

In my world, contracting and coaching with businesses and leader provides some “down side protection” from the risks of health care. (Ahhh! It’s a different basket! Yes!) While business has a basket also can be effected by seismic shifts like the coronavirus . . . like has happened in the entertainment sector . . . but business is not uniformly impacted in all sectors. Therefore, it lowers risk by spreading that risk over sectors impacted in to different degrees.

For example, in a recent coaching session, I asked a business owner how the coronavirus was effecting their market and business. “it’s not. At least yet,” he answered. It seems that this particular business sector is one deemed critical to the response to the pandemic. Unlike other business sectors, it remains open for business and operating as close to normal as any in our country at present.

Someone remarked to me just this week that in the times we are in business and leaders more than ever could use the guidance of professionals who understand people. No doubt. I only wish more were available.

Learn more!

Get started with a Free Video on Private Practice through Contracting on You Tube

or download a Free eBook; Private Practice through Contracting.

Coronovirus (Covid19) Flu, Profit Margins, and Survival

This sign, I think, depicts what I am saying . . . . Closed—but thanks to good practices—not gone. Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Coronavirus (Covid19)

So the world is facing a new pandemic. It’s all over the news and everyone I know is assessing the risks to the people they love that may be particularly vulnerable. Universities are closing. Healthcare providers are taking employee’s temperatures before allowing them into work. Sports events are taking place with few or no fans in attendance. Some are avoiding going to restaurants, changing vacation plans, or working from home.

Globally, I recently read that in Italy all businesses are shut down with the exception of grocery stores and pharmacies. Imaging that! In my local context, there is a lot of fear, many people working to try and contain and lower the risk, and speculation about the actual size of the threat (here I speak in global terms not individual outcomes which obviously can be catastrophic) which remains unknown—and possible unknowable—as I write..

Local . . . and Global . . . Impact

Even in my small arena and in the smallest businesses that I work with, consideration of the risks and substantial departures from normal operations are taking place in order to cope with this emerging threat. People are asking a lot of questions they did not have to consider only a few weeks ago. What do you do if customers will no longer come to your “brick and mortar” for services? What actions do we need to take to protect employees? What do we do when our sales stop for a time . . . due to the changed behaviors of customers due to this threat?

A Terrible Event . . . and a Business Lesson

However, while trying not to minimize the terribleness of this pandemic, this very public crisis demonstrates the very real need for business to plan for such events. You can’t, for example, provide free services (vaccines for example) if your employees quit because you can’t pay them. Businesses who regularly create a “rainy day fund”—by collecting a profit—are able to continue to provide services even if their revenue stops temporarily. Businesses that don’t do this have to find someone else’s cash (banks, private loans, grants) to survive.

The grim reality—the coronavirus and it’s threat to businesses—frankly reminded me of conversations I regularly had with graduate students in the behavioral health programs. I hope those conversations helped them to be prepared to ride out the turbulence of a crisis like we are facing now.

Business Survival and Profit

Talking to those students about the “business side” of being a health care provider . . . and the role of accounting for the three traditional components of business—operating costs, labor expenses and a profit margin in establishing a fee structure . . . I would ask students, “What exactly is profit?" I could often see these good-hearted students squirm as they struggled with their answer. Every semester these students—most of whom had never had a business class in their academic careers—would answer with some variation of the following . . . “It is adding an amount to your fee because you want to make more money.” Or . . . “It’s deciding the market will pay you more so you raise your fees to make more money.” No and No. The first definition, as students described it, should be labelled “greed.” The second, some form of “price fixing or gouging.”* Adding a profit margin to your fee is neither of these . . . and the present crisis illustrates why.

Businesses who only cover their expenses (operating costs and labor) have no insurance policy for a severe crisis like the coronavirus. Thus, when a crisis hits, these businesses are dependent on an outside entity to rescue them . . . a government bailout, bank loan, or private funds.**

In my own private practice, I have had to weather periods of no cash flow. Most notably when the Affordable Care Act was started. Insurance companies were unable to tell us what copays to collect and were not paying in a timely way. Everyone in my practice survived on the savings (profit) that they had collected and we were able to stay open for the three months we had no revenue coming in. Others, albeit lesser disruptions, include changes in the insurance industry, transitions to electronic medical records, billing department personnel changes, etc.

I genuinely worry about some of my colleagues in health care in this current crisis. During the Affordable Care Act transition, I heard colleagues talking about drawing on their own personal savings, getting short term loans to float their practice, drawing on personal lines of credit . . . or other measures to keep operating.

In the present crisis some, especially those who have believed that charging a profit margin is equivalent to being greedy instead of a means to insure agains risks like the coronavirus, may find themselves in a similar crisis. What will they do if insurance payments cease for 30 to 90 days? If their client load drops significantly for a time?

Maybe they can draw on outside support to survive. Perhaps they’ll get a loan. Maybe the government bailout will be accessible to small business owners. Maybe they will draw on their own personal assets to float the business for a while. I assume most will “get by” somehow. Hopefully not, but it’s likely a few may simply close their practice.

Still, as the old business adage goes, “you can’t operate even one day without cash” so it is my sincere wish that my students and the professionals I have trained and coached have planned ahead . . . building profit margins into their fees, retaining these earnings in their business, and as a result have less fear and angst about the current threat to their livelihood. After all, none of us need more to worry about at a time like this.

Here’s wishing you all the best!

Resources:

Learn more with Bryan’s free eBook: Private Practice through Contracting.

Got a question? Ask Bryan.

* I am not arguing that no one sets fees in this manner, they most certainly do. In fact, I have no doubt that some have become very wealthy in this manner, it is not, however, in my view an ethical way to establish fees.

**Yes, a business can plan ahead by establishing a “line of credit” to borrow against in a time of crisis but you are driving up your operating costs by not planning ahead and saving money in your business to weather a crisis where there is no cash coming in.

Denial is Often Subtle . . . 3 Types of Denial

“Okay, it sounds like I’m the problem,” the CEO said. I was in a one-on-one meeting reviewing the aggregate results of our in-depth interviews with his leadership team before meeting with the larger group to work on creating action plans to address some issues in the organization. His voice sounded relaxed, matter-of-fact. I didn’t sense any defensiveness. I glanced at his face, no sarcasm, no guilt, no embarrassment. “What do you mean?” I asked, checking to make sure my observations were on point. “It sounds like I haven’t been really listening to the concerns of my senior leadership and I’ve been hanging on, too much, to what has worked in the past.” I felt myself relax. Here was a leader who wasn’t threatened, who was aware of his strengths and weaknesses, and who wouldn’t escape to some form of denial . . . it was a great sign, and an indicator that the consulting relationship had a high probability of making the organization better and, in fact, it proved to be true.

Photo by Akshar Dave on Unsplash

Leaders and Denial

If you were a “fly on the wall” watching my work with families and leaders over the past 30 years, you may have noticed a small, yet significant, pattern. A pattern of subtle . . . denial. Denial is not the same as ignorance—a “lack of knowing.” Instead, denial—in psychological terms— is a “poor coping-strategy” where the person denies what they actually know. Denial is a means of not accepting an uncomfortable truth. It creeps in, camouflaged in “normal speech,” in the smallest terms, in such words as “if, may, should, will, or possible.”

In business conversations you will hear it in statements like these . . .

“We really should talk about it, sometime.” (We are avoiding it.)

“We might be just kicking it down the road.” (You are.)

“I’ve been in business a long time and I know what works!” (I’m not willing to change.)

“If we really have a problem, it could be critical.” (You do, and you know it.)

“What the employees are doing doesn’t make sense.” (Because we don’t want to face the real issue.)

“When problems come up, we address them.” (Without considering why we have problems repetitively.)

“I’m pretty honest about my weaknesses as a leader.” (But employees view them as defensive, inflexible and demanding.)

“I think I do a pretty good job of communicating.” (However, employees don’t risk telling leaders their true thoughts because “no one listens.”)

“Our team is like a family.” (But, don’t ask me their kids names!)

“We know that employees will make mistakes.” (Yet, mistakes are hidden, lied about, or ignored—and are not harnessed to improve the team.)

Avoiding the Uncomfortable

For some, the denial is all about avoiding how they themselves,-or someone they care about,-will feel, in Family Businesses a comment, such as “I don’t want Mom to think we are trying to push her out.” Or “I don’t want it to seem like we don’t appreciate Dad’s vision and sacrifice—we wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for what Dad created,” are common examples. Core values the leader possesses can’t lead them to turn a “blind eye” to problems.

In other, venues it can be “soft-peddling” around key employees whose behavior is problematic. A supervisor with an anger issue. An absent senior executive. An owner who impedes operations due to their need for a sense of crises, or conversely, control . . . or one of a multitude of other presentations of difficult personnel situations.

Contradiction in Terms

At other times, the subtle denial may be seen in contradictory statements. “I love this organization” and “They can’t make me quit!” INo matter how much damage will result!) Or “I trust them to be in charge,” and “but, if they can’t do it right, I’ll have to take over.” (I don’t really trust them!) We want to harness employee’s creativity. (But we punish mistakes.) “This trend will pass.” (But the company made it’s mark by innovating.")

Contradictions are often noticed by other leaders. However, the means to address issues and produce changes often frustrates the best attempts to find a sustainable solution.

The denial, in these conditions, is likely only to get stronger in the face of direct confrontation. The leader simply insists that they are doing what is best for the organization. Yes, they believe it . . . and the opposition merely reinforces this belief. After all, who would go through the “attacks” they are getting if they didn’t love the organization? The contradictions, in a world of denial, make good logical sense. Operationally, they are the prelude to a an emerging crisis, if not a potential disaster.

It’s all too frequent . . . For example, leaders, with a talent for being innovators in their markets, fail to see the need to continue that innovation. Ford, the manufacturing pioneer, insisted that consumers only wanted “basic transportation,” stoped innovating, and allowed competitors (General Motors,etc.) to capture the market; IBM didn’t see the personal computer as the next step in leading the way in the industry it created; Xerox, Blockbuster, Polaroid, Yahoo, J.C. Penny, Sears, Blackberry, My Space, Radio Shack . . . all too frequent!

Forms of Denial

Denial can present in three primary ways:

1. Denying the facts: In this denial the leader argues that the problem, symptoms, behaviors or needs don’t really exist.

2. Minimizing/Rationalizing the problem: In the second type, the facts are acknowledged but there is a denial of the severity of the problem and/or there can be significant rationalization about why the problem exists (usually, not implicating any mistakes on the part of the leadership)

3. Short-sighted Focus: A third type of denial is an unwillingness to acknowledge the long-term consequences of the problems. Similar to the second type of denial, this is “future focused” denial. Seeing the problem as acute, a “phase,” or a fluctuation and not considering the consequences over type of the problems is denial.

Next Post: Denial is Acute . . . in Emotional Systems like Family Business

The forces that can lead to accepting the “smoke scene” of denial are particularly acute inmate “emotional systems” like non-profits, ecumenical organizations and family businesses.

Think of it like this, if you saw some teenager bullying a younger, or smaller, kid you would intervene, wouldn’t you? Calmly, assertively, you would step in, stop the bullying, and take whatever appropriate action was called for. Now . . . what if that kid was your son or daughter? How calm would you be?

Our free resources: Family Legacy: Protecting the family in family business.

Engaging Your Team: A framework for leading “difficult” people.

Leading or Managing?

Every parent is both leader and manager. Photo by Andrea Lightfoot on Unsplash

Do you see yourself more as a manager or leader? Sometimes, I think those in positions to make decisions in organizations tend toward one or the other. Perhaps based on personality, interests, or their own earlier experiences within organizations. The fact of the matter is . . . you are both. (In fact, as I write this post, it is hard to describe these roles without defaulting to one or the other of these terms! Try it and you’ll see what I mean.)

“Leadership and management cannot be cleanly divided into separate functions. Leadership involves taking action in such a way that it influences others in a desired direction. Management consists of taking action to control a course of events. Both leadership and management happen when action is taken. Every act is an act of leadership and management.” ~ A. Keith Miller, Major U.S. Airforce (Ret.) from Lessons Learned Around the World: People-centeredl leadership.*

People who are effective understand the interconnectedness of managing and leading. Someone who really takes the management role to be primary may be very good at those tasks. The organizations may run like clockwork. Problems are not avoided. Employees are well trained, supervised, and supported. Yet, the role may not recognize that the “leadership” message may confine optimal growth. it’s as if the manager is saying, “We are going to be really good at what we do now.” Which may, inadvertently, imply, we are not thinking about, or planning for, the future.

Alternatively, those who emphasize the role of leader may be very good at getting others to “buy in” to the bigger vision and the hopes for a better tomorrow. However, if they lack a focus on good solid managerial duties, the frustrations and realities of today may dull the luster of a promise of better things. Employees wanting more structure, reliable work conditions and controls may leave. Others will wonder if a bright future can be achieved when the present day is less than stellar.

Thus, for leader/managers who want to engage people to be high achieving teams. both managing and leading are critical.

*Just a quick note about Lessons Learned Around the World: The author is my brother. Despite that, I can honestly say that I know him to be someone who is concerned not only about managing but leading. His “lived-style” has always been people-centered. In fact, although he notes (with pride?) that he is the only sibling without some degree in Psychology and the fact that he was “career military,” his style is more pastoral than command—which is why I encouraged him to write the book and why I am providing it to my audience. (Incidentally, for those interested, we are presently offering it at a discount on our Gumroad site.)

Innovation to Mastery

Dad’s notes on his goals for the college. A plan he followed through out his 51 year tenure.

Note: This is a follow up to our Posts “Be a Disrupter . . . Or Not” and “If Not Disruption . . . then What?”

Reliability over Time . . . or Continuous Innovation and Mastery

Regarding my beloved Huskers (see earlier posts above), I am more impressed by Tom Osborne’s consistency over 30 years (9 wins or more every season) and the flexibility to overcome the annual obstacles of being very good, even elite . . . than I am by the achievements of the “Decade of Dominance” and the national championships.

Dominance, like the Huskers had in the 1990s, requires a lot of things to “go right” or simply “fall into place” (The Miracle in Missouri and Matt Davidson ring a bell?), many of these variables, the leader simply has no control over. (One year, we had three different quarterbacks win games. How many teams had that kind of depth?) Will a player fail their classes, have a family tragedy, suffer an injury? Will the team chemistry in the locker room support or detract from their performance? Leaders try to manage all these contingencies but, in the end, they simply cannot control all the variables necessary to successful win a championship.

The goal then should not be to become a disrupter but to seek innovation and driving to mastery.* This is easily said and very hard to do.

Brook Berringer’s career wouldn’t be described as disruptive by most—he wasn’t even the starting QB—but at least one national championship, maybe two, wouldn’t have happened without him. Photo credit: Wikipedia

By wht_wolf9653 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/white_wolf/5417349804/in/photolist-9fHkmQ-9fHkXd/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37640562

Is Mastery an Achievable Goal?

One problem is that you can never really say you’ve arrived . . . at Mastery. If you think you have, then someone, still innovating, will prove you wrong. Mastery is the goal, Innovation is the path you take to get there. But innovation doesn’t mean “blowing where ever the winds take you.” Instead, it means having a strong commitment to a vision . . . and then seeking any means necessary to achieving it.

I know this firsthand. When my father—who worked for one organization for 51 years, most of it in leadership positions—passed away, we found a bullet list of goals he created when he first started in senior management. We shared it with the President at the time, who took one look and said, “It’s remarkable! He still had that same focus throughout his entire tenure! Yes, he did.

But in 51 years, neither my father, nor the organization—despite much success—had “arrived” at mastery. The organization’s success, once achieved, was not sustainable without continued innovation. Nor was the organization’s mastery anything akin to perfect. The goals, met any many ways, were constantly challenged by changing conditions. I witnessed the struggle to “stay on point” over the years despite the “winds” blowing from many different directions—social forces across the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s for one—and that sustainable drive wasn’t without a focus on continuous innovation and mastery. (see post “From Doc to . . . Mabe the Babe.”)

A close up shows the title of his old note pad. Simple typed letters, “From the desk of Mabrey L. Miller. No as fancy as todays versions.

Time’s Effects on Leadership

Exercising leadership is not without it’s erosive elements. The demands of the “mantle” weigh heavy. Leader’s daily tasks include fixing problems—a task that is never complete. The pressure to impulsively attempt quick fixes is always present and amplified when troubles are evident. Leaders, ground down, by the abrasion of their role become ineffective. Their passion for the vision no longer provides the “fire” to push forward. They begin to look to avoid, try and control more variables, or grasp at new leadership “straws” that they hope will fix the problems they are experiencing. Too often, it’s without a deep, rigorous approach to understanding what their team really needs.

The biggest need, for most leaders, is not to search for a easy fix. They don’t need a wholesale adoption of a new approach with new “buzz words,” a new disruptive scheme that will contort their direction of growth, or even a brilliant guru.** They need a deeper understanding of their team and how to continue to innovate and improve within their own scheme.

What leaders often need is perspective . . . and the courage to act—not be reactive—regarding the human elements of their organization or business. Board member comments, customer complaints, employee issues, the list of stakeholders that can increase the potential for reactive leadership is long—all suggesting how to quickly improve the situation. While a leader should “stay aware” of possibly new disrupters, models, etc. that could create a competitive edge, they shouldn’t focus on chasing them. Yes, there is danger in being stagnant. But, a larger threat looms. Leaders can get caught up in chasing model after model and destroy continuity and crush the stakeholder’s belief in leadership.

Why is it that some coaches can get more out of their talent than others?

I remember a conversation I had with a former Division I quarterback about a team. “They don’t want to play for these coaches,” he asserted. “Just look at their body language,” he continued, “heads down, not making eye contact, avoiding the coach when they come off the field.” He was right. The coaches had lost the team and their performance, and subsequent downward spiral of losses, proved the accuracy of his observations. The players no longer believed in the coach.

Which brings me to this . . .

It’s about the people. It’s always about the people.

There probably are as many ways to “innovate and master” as there are people. In business, the “Lexus model” does not duplicate the “Walmart model.” Nor should it. What makes a team highly functional is the shared vision, application of discretionary effort, interpersonal trust, and other “soft” factors. Call it team chemistry, operating as a “family,” being hungry, or several other euphemisms . . . success is through, and about, people’s willingness to sacrifice, work, and their drive to achieve. To succeed as a leader, you better understand the people element. To wit . . .

You want to do a survey and ask what would make employees more satisfied? Implement a new attendance policy? Iinstall a slide at work? Start the morning with a team chant? You better have a good idea about why this change will be good for your particular organization and understand how people are likely to react to the change. Far too many “good initiatives” have back-fired on leaders and given them the exact opposite of what they hoped to achieve.

Being Real

This starts with “being real.” A leader needs a good grasp of where the team is . . . and where the leader wants them to go. People, even young people, will know if you are not being real. For example . . .

I remember watching a youth baseball game some years ago. One team had an obvious advantage in “talent” and was pummeling the other team. The coaches, obviously steeped in the “lets not focus on winning and losing” model were trying, desperately, to tell the kids that “it’s not about winning” and we are not keeping score!” The coaches continued to correct any attempt by players to draw comparisons on performance that came up. Yet, as the game drew to a close, two young contestants exited the field and walking by me, I hear one say to the other, “They killed us, like 27 to 3.”

{Side note: I, for one, as a former athlete, am not against de-emphasizing the win-lose emphses—particularly with the very young—who we would like to focus on learning skills and enjoying the competitive process. I am against pretending that if we tell them to compare themselves by the amount of funds scored then we have accomplished something if in fact they continue to compare themselves in that manner anyway.}

Leaders exercise this same “wish fulfillment” approach with employees because “if they believe it the employees will too.” However, they are often wrong . . . because they do not have an outsider perspective. Leaders tell me, “Our team is on board.” Is it? “Employees believe in the mission.” Are you sure? “We’re a family.” Yes, but are you functional or dysfunctional?

The leader’s ability to be clear about the reality of where they are and to engage the team to achieve more is an art . . . and largely dependent upon the emotional intelligence and people skills of the leader.

* Yes, I know. I think it was Wayne Gretzky who said, “I miss 100% of the shots I don’t take.” I am not advocating giving up on one’s dreams. But many of us had to change our vision of being the next greatest, in my case a NBA player, as reality became apparent. I, for one. when faced with being a 6’1” forward going up against 6’8” college competition, altered my path into academics.

**Yes, new vision and approaches can be helpful in continuing to improve your vision and at times can be a venue to a competitive advantages. It can, for example, help hire millinials in the IT world but mimicking a successful model (ala: Pixar) won’t make the company perform like it’s model company. Trying to be Pixar-like, or Amazon-like, or whatever . . . in a world that already has a Pixar and Amazon . . . or assuming the model with translate across industries, locations, and time is, at best, a wild hope.

Often, disrupters are simply those who have a viable idea and then dogmatically work to achieve it. They learn how to harness the right people to accomplish their vision and understand how to continue to navigate the inevitable pitfalls of the human dynamics present in any organization.

Cover of our free eBook.

Get our free eBook: Engage Your Team: A framework for leading “difficult” people.

If Not Disruption . . . then What?

The wheel lives on! But, thankfully, not without innovations.

By Randal J. (RJFerret) - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=930869

If not Disruption . . . then What?

In our earlier post, Be a Disrupter . . . or Not, we outlined why most leaders should not strive to become a disrupter in their industry. But where does that leave us? Accepting mediocrity? Hardly. It simply means that a leader should not overestimate the control and influence they have on a market. Dreaming to be the Next-Greatest-Thing is not the same as having The-Right-Conditions-and-Opportunity to be The-Next-Greatest-Thing.

I recently had a conversation with a business owner. This owner is brilliant. He has created products that did not exist in the industry before he created them. So is a a Disrupter? Yes . . . and no. He has a thriving company and continues to create new ground-breaking products that have not existed in the market and solve real problems. These products are slowly changing the industry itself. But these products remain a successful . . . but small niche within the market itself.

But . . .

Even with this great success, he will be the first to tell you that if there had not been an “Act of God,” at a critical moment in the company’s history, the company would not even exist today. It took an unlikely event, at the right moment, to get the industry to see the value of these new, unique, products. As we all have experienced, people, organizations, and even industries resist change. You can build a “better mousetrap” but if no one buys it then you are out of business. This company would have floundered, and failed, if not an event that made the industry adopt their products to deal with an emergency.

I wish this product was a disrupter!

Me holding my favorite guitar pick . . . the ZeroGravity Orbit Tethered Guitar Pick. I buy multiples of them when I can find them. I give them away to other players. It is a great product . . . but hardly a disrupter.

No guitar players I have ever asked have even seen one. They are often out of stock and can be hard to find. I’ve never found anything but “mediums” available . . . although “thins” and “heavy” are sometimes mentioned. I love them because I have trouble with a conventional pick “spinning” in my fingers as I play. This prevents that from happening and lets me relax and play more naturally.

Disruption in a market is exceedingly rare. Most leaders simply do not have the leverage to shift an industry . . . unless the industry is ready for a change. Most truly innovative and remarkable new products and services fail to capture the market’s attention. These organizations typically run out of funds, or other necessities, before they can recreate the market.

Oh, it’s true that there are successful disrupters—even dramatically successful ones. That’s why we know the names of Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, to name three. These leaders and their organizations are the “stuff of legends,” but one must remember that they are outliers, oddities, famous . . . because of how rarely it happens . . . and not replicable models to follow—no matter what the motivational speakers and writers are selling. Most leaders need to focus on something more reliable and attainable . . . Innovation and Mastery.

Innovation and Mastery . . . An Alternative to Disruption

Here’s an example of the problem we talked about in the last post where gurus tout the goal of disruption: A 2012 Entrepreneur article stated it like this, “One of the most interesting, exciting and potentially lucrative things you can do as an entrepreneur is disrupt a big market. One of the smartest people I know puts it very simply: If you manage to disrupt a big market, business will follow. Blow things up and you’ll make money.” *

The problem is not ambition. In business, like in football, most leaders I meet are already trying to find ways to “capture the market” or “win a championship” . . . but most attempts to “blow things up,” only result in . . . a newly-formed, and oddly familiar, crater. Aiming to be a disruptor is more like throwing a Hail Mary than having a sound game plan . . . it may end in a remarkable win but it’s more likely to get knocked down or intercepted.

Most leaders biggest problem is not necessarily to be different, aim bigger, “try harder,” take more risks, or the like . . . as if they have failed in some fundamental lack of vision or ambition. Almost every ambitious leader I have met has a vision of what they want to achieve and would love to be the next disrupting force. The wisest of them understand the difficulties and barriers to that happening. Unless the leader is suffering from burnout, paralyzed by the trauma of leadership, or struggling personally, most do not rise to their positions with out a strong strain of ambition, a vision for what they want to accomplish, and the will to act.

To go back to the Huskers (see last post) . . . prior to the 1990s, the “Decade of Dominance,” many national pundits seemed to intimate that Tom Osborne’s I-formation offense was stuck in the past. Surely, the prudent thing to do would be to move toward a new offensive scheme (like Florida!) and not continue the past “three yards and a cloud of dust,” run-heavy, scheme. But close observers new that Osborne’s offensive scheme was not stagnant. Osborne continued to innovate—creating unparalleled versatility in the running game (remember the Bumerooski and Fumblerooskis?)—and focus on mastery of his offensive scheme that he believed would work best in that conference and in the midwestern climate.

The challenge is, “How do I continue to find room to be innovative within the framework of a focus on mastering our processes, services, and/or products?” It turns out, the skills needed are mostly about managing people—the human systems through which the leader will impede or succeed in the march toward the goal.

Next . . . we’ll talk about making a habit out of Innovation and Mastery.

*I’m sure (?) the author is not saying, “If you just ‘blow things up’ you will automatically be a success!” I have to believe, the motivation is to get entrepreneurs to move forward, dream, pursue their goals, and put in the hard work of building a successful enterprise. Now maybe espousing hyperbolic maxims is great for the entrepreneur who, I would argue, already is seeking to become a disrupter—win or lose. They are already encoded in their DNA to take risks. To go for the “big win.” But, at least here in the Midwest, some of us are skeptics of the benefits of “pie-in-the-sky” talk. We’d rather just get to work. Maybe it’s the farm mentality. The reality of entrepreneurial ventures is . . . some succeed, many do not. Few, very few, will become market disrupters.* (Just like a “5-Star recruit” who dominated the football field in high school, and may think they can repeat that dominance in college and eventually the NFL.)

Cover of our free eBook.

Ready to “go deep” and really understand your team? Here’s some help!

Get our free eBook: Engage Your Team: A framework for leading “difficult” people.

Be a Disrupter . . . or Not.

The Goal: Become a Disrupter . . . or Not?

I’m a big fan of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. I watch their games . . . when I don’t have time to watch any other sports teams. I follow their recruiting cycles. I read the news . . . and gossip . . . about the program. I remember vividly the 1970 Orange Bowl . . . and loved the decade of Husker Power in the 1990s—three national championships baby! Of course, I’m not alone in my “fanatical fandom” . . . others are just as freakishly passionate about their teams.

Following a program, especially a Division I program, is a great bird’s eye view into the various topics of leadership. After all, these coaches are essentially the CEO’s of a major organization with all the personnel, budgeting, on-boarding, and cultural issues of any type of organization. Vicariously, the fan can contemplate the day-to-day decisions and actions driving the program to success . . . or not.

Unfortunately, right now, my Huskers have been suffering. Yes, suffering. In my opinion, based on observation and comments by the coaches, the team needs a few more “disrupters” to get back to national significance. You know, those players that can change a game, take over, cause the other team to change their plan to account for their presence. Game changers.

Ndomukong Suh: A disrupter! Photo: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ndamukong_Suh

In business, there has been a lot of talk about organizations becoming disrupters as well. But most businesses, like most football teams, cannot count on the reliability of finding, or developing, a disrupter. Disrupters are rare. Instead, most businesses have to be good at innovating, mastering disciplines, and hard work. We’ll get to that later. At the moment, consider this . . .

Looking For a Decade of Dominance . . . and Setting Goals

I fondly remember the 1990s because Nebraska was dominant. Teams adapted to us. I remember commentators talking about how the national championship always ran through Nebraska. Since our decade of dominance that mantle has passed on to others . . . Oregon, Alabama, Clemson, and (as much as it pains my to type it), Ohio State.

Next year, Division I coaches will meet with their team and set their goals for the year. Every coach, hoping to become the next dominant organization, will set the same ultimate goal: win a national championship! But, how many teams have a realistic chance at that ultimate goal next year? Not many. Ten? Twenty? (Yes, I know cinderella seasons do happen and every coach can dream, still, the point stands.)

How many coaches next year, trying to become the “Next Greatest Thing”—or save their job—and improve their team’s performance, will try some significant new change, hoping that this change will be the key to unlocking better performance? What percentage will graft in some new component—a new offensive coordinator, a new defensive scheme, adopting RPO principles, etc—hoping to achieve the results that have worked with some other program. For most, the exercise will be like trying to keep a inflatable buoy under water, as it stubbornly continues to rise to the surface. (No Nebraska fan will forget how many times Tom Osborne’s I formation was criticized as outdated.* Many experts seemed to think the new offensive schemes were superior. This belief and the arrogance that it promoted, I think, was one component in Nebraska’s Decade of Dominance!) But often seeking the “quick fix” is attempting a easy solution to deeper fundamental issues that are causing the problems.

In human systems theory, this equilibrium or homeostasis** is the tendency for organizations to get “stuck” in applying the same solutions to problems. These solutions, whether it is avoiding problems or wholesale reactive “fixes,” only lead to yet another return to the normal functional patterns the organization has maintained over time. The on-going “reciprocal interactions” and “feedback loops” that have defined the system, and kept it from escaping the “status quo,” will—without addressing the underlying structures—reorient the organization, returning it, like a buoyant object to the water’s surface—to it’s normal state.

Buoyancy as the homeostatic normal state. Photo by Lukas Juhas on Unsplash

Understanding the difficulty of real changes, some leaders will grasp—albeit superficially too often—the need for fundamental changes. Thus the concept of “disruption” becomes appealing and influencers have seized upon the hunger to find a solution.

In our next post, we’ll give an example of how business gurus push the idea being a disrupter . . . and lay out a more viable option that what most leaders need to focus on.

*Especially enjoyable for the Cornhusker fan are clips of the experts predicting that Florida’s Fun & Gun would dominate Nebraska in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl!)

**Note, homeostasis can be exhibited by constant attempts at change, which ultimately, fail. Thus no real change happens.

Cover of our free eBook.

Get our free eBook: Engage Your Team: A framework for leading “difficult” people.

Link to Article on Mindfulness at Work

Photo by Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash

Feeling stressed, burnout, or wishing you could avoid work altogether? Your not alone. Or maybe it’s not you, your’re just concerned about a friend. :)

Ran across a good introductory article on mindfulness in the work environment . . . from Go Daddy of all places. Linked to it to share with leaders and consultants I am working with but since it is coming from an “unusual” source . . . not the Harvard Business Review or New York Times, for example . . . I’ll share it here as well.

The article is focused on entrepreneurs but applies to any work environment. I like it because it gives a concise, clear, definition of mindfulness. Explains the benefits of implementing mindfulness, and gives some practical beginner tools to implementing it in your work.

Here’s the link. Hope it helps!

It’s free. Get Bryan’s eBook, Engaging Your Team: A framework for leading “difficult” people.

Five of my favorite questions to ask therapists.

If you are a subscriber or a regular reader of our posts, you know that I was trained as a mental health professional turned consultant. You may also know that as well as consulting with organizations . . . I continue the tradition of “giving back” to the profession by training a few helping professionals each year to add contracting and consulting to their product line through our Leading Edge* Coaching.

I each case, the professional and I start by tightly defining what they want their contracting and consulting work to look like. Most have only been practicing for a few years and are just getting started in contracting, so I ask them to respond to five of my favorite questions. These five, listed below, attempt to help them focus on a few critical issues that need to be addressed to make their planning complete and their plan to be rigorous enough to succeed.

Your planning needs to answer these 5 critical questions:

1. What problem am I solving?

2. What resources do I already have?

3. What funds do I need to get started?

4. Who else is doing this?

5. What will I do to "surprise and delight?"

Bryan

A screen shot of one of our Leading Edge Trello boards. We use Trello not only to facilitate our training but to help professionals learn it as a means to maximize their ability to work with organizations using this very robust platform!

A Reminder . . . 

If you are ready to get started now, we can help through our Leading Edge* Coaching. We work one-on-one with you to develop contracting and consulting work. In on-line sessions we guide you through the development of your contracting and consulting business, developing your first contract or to make contracting a more substantial product line for your future. 

Consulting Quick Tip: Managing Expectations . . . or "Don't you have a quick fix?"

Speaking of a “quick fix,” don’t these look amazing? They certainly raise my expectations . . . would they taste as good as they look? Photo by Diogo Nunes on Unsplash

No Expectations . . . but a Real Surprise!

Years ago, my wife and I were in Paris and we decided we wanted to take a break from touring basilicas, museums, and galleries . . . and . . . just . . . go . . . to a movie. As we perused the newspaper (yes, it was back then!) a helpful Parisian told us to look for “VO” or “Version Originale” and we would get a film in English. With this information, and trying to pick something suitable, we picked a movie where the poster was of a piano player. The movie? Amadeus. We were blown away. Blown away by the music, the story, the acting. It was a block buster (no surprise to us) and to this day we still have special memories of going to the movie on the Champs Elysees.

The French paper had a illustration of a piano player. Not nearly as dramatic. If you haven’t seen the movie . . . you should. At least in ,my humble opinion. Image from Wikipedia

More common, however, has been a different experience. The experience of having “high” expectations for movies . . . instead of none . . . and being disappointed when they don’t deliver. Maybe you can relate? Expectations in consulting, as in movies, are a critical element of the experience

A limitation for Newbies

One of the challenges when you are new to consulting is . . . you are limited in experience and thus, the scope of your ability to intervene in client’s situations . . . to say it more plainly, “you are not sure what you can do.” Not yet. Even professionals appearing the most confident may be masking their inexperience and less-than-robust-resolutions-to-consulting-issues. Still, many get into consulting because they want to help and often, naturally, tend toward a personality of helping solve problems, encouraging others to develop their own competencies, and expecting continued growth and accountability for themselves.

The new consultant often can make one critical mistake: “trying to do too much.” A correlary to this problem is, “letting the customer assume you can do more than you can.” A consultant must manage both the customer and their own expectations.

One Goal but Two Views

One way to have good outcomes, early on, is to remember that the client does not see what you see. But, at the same time, you do not see what the client sees either. You have to describe it to them—and they to you—and, working together, you understand and then act.

Imagine for a minute that you are trying to defuse a bomb. All you have available to you is your observation skills, prior experiences, and intuition to guide you as you look at the bomb. But as a consultant you do have one other thing. You have a partner—the customer. Now imagine that although this partner can’t see the bomb—they are not seeing it like you are—but does have something you don’t . . . a manual telling how to defuse the bomb. How would you proceed?

Seems easy enough, doesn’t it. You communicate and defuse the bomb. Having done this multiple trainings with work teams, I can tell you that one of the first barriers to succeeding at this task is to rid one’s self of the expectations of what the “other” partner should do. The person at the site of the bomb expects to be told exactly what to do. The person with the manual expects the partner to help them “see” the bomb. Their expectations—and maladaptive coping—make them focus on elements that preclude a successful approach. At first. Slowly, they learn to focus on their own tasks and begin to work as a more efficient team, eventually solving the problems and succeeding.

The point is, to be successful, you need to carefully, manage your own . . . and your client’s . . . expectations. Leading the customer be being realistic in their expectations, recognizing the time involved in developing the past patterns and issues, and helping them to face the real work of change gets easier with experience. For the “newbie,” just remember two things: One, focus on what you really can do (“I can interview the team and see if I have a suggestion for how to help, and if not, help you find someone who can.”); and Two, don’t let the client’s hope for an easy or quick fix over-ride your judgement of the needed actions.