21. April 2010 by Bob.

When I am in Calgary I have the privilege of living very close to our daughter, son in law and granddaughter. Reese is a vibrant 16 months old and a joy to watch her grow with almost daily changes both physically and in personality. We all marvel at her beautiful curiosity and how quickly she learns and adapts to the environment as it changes or more appropriately, as she changes on a regular basis. I find myself smiling as she seems to come up with new learning and surprises us with her seemingly brilliant mind. She is also at that stage now where all of us adults have to watch what we say or do as she mimics our every move!
Just the other day I sat and watched as Reese performed a new maneuver that had all of us impressed and entertained. I heard my daughter, Megan say once again, “She’s a genius! She’s so smart.” And of course I uttered something about this brilliance coming from the Johnson gene pool. What struck me was how many times in Reese’s short life we have not only verbalized her genius but also smiled and encouraged her accomplishments. And each time we do we see a grand, half toothed, smile come over Reese’s face and she ventures to more attempts of brilliance. Failure is clearly a path to future success and more recognition from parents and grandparents.
My good friend Gregg often tells a story of Gordon MacKenzie, Director of Inside Sales at Kodak. Gordon would give his time to visit schools and talk to kids about art and creativity. Gordon would sit with children in 1st grade and ask them, “How many of you are artists?” He would get 100% of the children wildly raising their hands. He then visited a 2nd grade class and asked the same question. Merely 50% of the children raised their hands. By the time he visited a 6th grade class the number of students that raised their hands was zero! I have heard many times that most talent goes undiscovered. I don’t know if we can say it has gone undiscovered but maybe more realistically suppressed out of us. We go from multi-daily reinforcement of the infant gifts we see unfold before our eyes to telling our children and the people we lead, that they have failed again and to stay within their capabilities. Failure moves from a path to new learning and skills to a scarlet badge of discouragement.
In my psychology and coach training programs we learned about the value of positive reinforcement. Evidence suggests that it takes four positives to balance every negative we experience.  As I experience the joys of grandparenthood I notice how we constantly praise and reinforce any attempts Reese makes to grow and learn. We tend to blow the 4:1 ratio way out of the water! As I watch children grow and adults toil daily at the professions they choose it seems easy to see how we swing the pendulum totally in the opposite direction. We don’t have time to constantly praise people for their accomplishments. In the organizations we have the privilege of coaching it continues to amaze me of how foreign a concept it is to leaders to consider praising the talent in their organization for their great work.
Let’s not chase the creativity and brilliance out of our people. Many have had it eradicated out of them before they reach junior high.  How do we bring back this creativity and brilliance in the people we lead? What will you do, starting today, to reinforce the best resource to business success you have – your people? Lead like they are the untapped brilliance we brought into this world and then I have hope for the world my granddaughter will live and thrive in. I wish only the best for Reese and may she be blessed with many others in her life that nourish her brilliance like her parents and grandparents have and will most assuredly will continue doing well past her early years.

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30. March 2010 by Bob.

The Stanford University School of Business conducted a study on leadership effectiveness spanning over a 20-year period.  Their primary conclusion was that barely 15% of a leaders’ success comes from technical skills and knowledge and 85% comes from the ability to connect with people and engender trust and mutual understanding.
Even knowing this, we still find a significant percentage of leaders and executives continue to rely on their past technical expertise in their attempts to guide their business.
The same study showed that over 96% of executives today believe they have “above average” people skills. Those of you with statistics backgrounds would recognize this as a statistical improbability. We all make up reasons for believing something to be true and as coaches we see many of the reasons executives still rely on their technical success to drive their leadership roles, the number one reason being that they wonder if they actually have the skills necessary to effectively lead. Many became leaders and executives through the strength of their technical success. Now different sets of skills are necessary to succeed at leadership.
Additional studies confirm that 75% of North American CEOs believe they are “better” than other leaders in their industry, while 90% of physicians, pilots and investment bankers rate themselves in the top 10% of their field. We work with CEO’s in a vast number of industries and believe through our experience that most might say they believe they are “better” than other leaders and after sitting through countless private coaching sessions find most really operate from a place of fear – not knowing how to effectively lead or open up to learning how. After leading for so many years, how do you admit to not effectively knowing how?
Take driving as an example. After a proud record of no traffic violations for over 12 years I recently got a ticket during one of my monthly trips to Phoenix. An option I received was to attend a one evening; four-hour defensive driving class in order to have my violation dismissed and continue to have a clean driving record. I accepted that option and looked forward to the upcoming class with little enthusiasm. Of course I’m a good driver! In fact, better than most. I also have two motorcycles and through necessity ride with a very defensive mentality. So what could someone teach me that I didn’t already know after over 40 years with a driver’s license?
I will admit to learning, or I should say re-learning, many of the things my almost 40 years of driving had come to be ‘natural’ experience. I was surprised to find out that I remembered only a few of the more obscure rules and laws that I just took for granted. And, the instructor asked us who considered themselves good drivers. Of course, I raised my hand, as did all but one other participant. You have all probably heard the old belief that most drivers consider themselves above average drivers, which is another statistical improbability. This semi-forced learning class led me to contemplate what I once read the retired head of Intel, Andy Grove said, “Success breeds complacency and complacency breeds failure.”  I admit to learning how complacent I had become when driving and wonder if the class I took made me aware of that and helped me avoid the back end of a three car pile up while driving downtown just last week. I wonder how many pile ups leaders are having and/or avoiding these days?
When leaders of organizations, particularly those that consider themselves very successful, approach us to consider coaching for themselves and their leaders, their desire to step out of their comfort zones and truly develop their leadership skills and shift away from reliance on technical expertise have a greater potential for leadership success and avoid more pile ups than those that keep ‘driving’ like they always have since the day they got their leadership ‘license’.

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5. February 2010 by Bob.

I find myself sitting in the lobby of my hotel in Muscat, Oman. For the next two days I will deliver a coaching workshop to one of the banking institutions here. It is another opportunity to see a part of the world that I have not yet experienced. I treasure these trips and the chance to experience first hand the many cultures our world has to offer. In the past three months I have facilitated workshops in Saudi Arabia as well as St Vincent in the Caribbean.

These trips also give me wondulful opportunities to sit and reflect. With business, family and life in general I find I have not taken enough time to consider the gifts life has brought me over this past lifetime. I would say that my trip to St Vincent provided the perfect landscape for such reflection. My very good friend Gary and his wife, Cheryl have a beautiful second home on Palm Island, a small 110 acre private island in the south Caribbean. I visited Gary and Cheryl for a few days just before the St Vincent workshop. There were no disturbances of regular life. No work, no diversions, no nightlife. Just the most spectacular view you could imagine, steps from the ocean.

I spend time listening to the surf hitting the beach. We snorkeled and kayaked in the clear multi-blue colored waters. I took many pictures as I continue to learn more about photography. The time to reflect passed me through many thoughts and ponderings about life. What about my business, the work we do, the good it does in the world. Is it my life’s work? Is there something else I am meant to bring to the world? Who me? Am I big enough to deliver something? It brought me to a place of wonder related to passion versus pension. Many people work their life away chasing a pension and waiting for the day they can relax and then pursue lifes passions. I hope that I am truly in pursuit of my passion and lifes work.

I believe we all need to take time to reflect. It doesn’t have to be in as idyllic a setting as I had the privilege of experiencing on Palm Island, although I believe it sure helps! It means more about being curious and taking the time to allow our thoughts to appear, grow and develop. Too often we don’t take the time to allow our thoughts and dreams to expand and grow. Too many things to get done!

Consider the advise the 100 year old you might look back and give you today. Imagine that in this more vital society we live in that we may reach that pinacle of age in our lifetimes. What story would that 100 year old us want to tell? What does significance mean for you in your lifetime. Are you pursing that significance?

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11. December 2009 by Bob.

“The best connections are rooted in the synergy of great conversation”  George Fraser

It’s been a while since my last post. I would like to say it’s because I have been deep in conversation with all the people that are most important to me in my life. And I have to say that it isn’t 100% accurate. I love the deep, intimate, fully vulnerable conversations that take two or more people to a much more connected place.  I would also say that I have been blessed over my lifetime with a multitude of beautiful and fulfilling relationships. The older I get, the deeper these relationships become and the more I cherish and seek out more.
I also find that the majority of clients that I coach seek the same depth and intimacy in their treasured relationships. For many, this pursuit is long and painful. For some, their coach is the only one with whom they find they can be fully vulnerable.
This is my work and my passion as well as my own work to do. New relationships in my life are easy. The new, more mature, sage, older Bob can now enter new relationships with full openness, trust and personal vulnerability. Old established relationships are much harder. The old Bob is there. The nice, mostly introverted guy.  As a child, teenager, and young man, I learned to not let little things bother me. Most things were no big deal. I had learned that “If you don’t have anything nice to say about someone don’t say anything at all.” Therefore, I still find my longest-term relationships to be the hardest to show the “changed” or more mature Bob.  The relationship work I do as an executive coach is near and dear to me as I continue to grow in my own learning.
If this is what I coach others to do how do I keep from being a hypocrite? Keep trying myself. The relationships that matter most and have the longest history seem to be the hardest. There is more invested and at risk. Data suggests that the highest rate of divorce is among the Baby Boomers. Maybe we spent so long together not being in conversation and now both parties crave it and don’t know how.
I have also found that the economy brings issues of avoided conversation to the forefront. When we were running hard and making money the little things that bothered us about each other seemed to go unnoticed or unspoken. Now the small issues have surfaced to be bigger than we may know how to manage or enter conversation about. And it infects our whole system, not just the two that are having difficulty. Our work has grown to include coaching individuals, pairs and whole teams how to have the conversations that are necessary for success and for some, necessary for their very survival.
I hope to bring more conversation to the world as we all continue to grow and explore the best possible versions of ourselves. As my old friend Laura Whitworth once said, “We will all forever be perfect works in progress.”

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3. August 2009 by Bob.

Three years ago I hiked what is called the ‘Rim to Rim’. We started off at an early hour around 5:30 am from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was still dark out and we started with long pants and jackets on along with our headlamp lights strapped to our heads. You start at 8200 feet and descend seven and a half miles of switchback trail to the northern base of the Canyon at approximately 2300 feet. A more moderate descent across the canyon for almost nine miles gets us to the Colorado River and the base of a more grueling uphill climb out. After eleven hours and almost 26 miles under our belts we emerged atop the South Rim after climbing eight miles up from the base of the Canyon at the Colorado River. It was a wonderful and challenging hike and one I will long remember.
Later this month I will be back into the Grand Canyon. This time we will be staying overnight at the base of the Canyon at a beautiful spot called Phantom Ranch. This time around I want to really experience the grandeur of the Canyon. The last trip was a grand test of my endurance as we charged into the Canyon and marched the 26 miles in and out in one day. On this trip I look forward to a challenging hike down into the Canyon and even more challenging uphill climb out the next day. And, I look most forward to just ‘being’ in the experience of this beautiful place without the rush of getting in and getting out in one day.
The Grand Canyon is a majestic place and the last trip left me unfulfilled as we rushed through the experience in order to accomplish our goal of the one day ‘Rim to Rim’ challenge. I was proud of the accomplishment and also left with a desire to go back and truly experience what I missed through the rush of achieving a goal.
I often wonder what true experiences are missed when we rush through life to the beat of setting and meeting challenging goals. Much of my life also centered around playing individual and team sports that were measured by win/loss statistics with a clear end result of scoring more than the opponent within a defined period of time. And I would say that I still get the rush of a great challenge achieved. As I age I seem to find greater wisdom and understanding as I choose to just experience life as it unfolds in front of me, particularly as I get to experience this life with those I love and cherish. I fully expect to leave the Grand Canyon this time with more joy of just having been there and experiencing it as it is.

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22. June 2009 by Bob.

A close coaching friend sent me a You Tube link to A Wonderful World. I watched a youthful Louis Armstrong sing his song for the ages. It triggered a significant memory that that has sat in the deep recesses of my mind for years.
I was about 7 years old when my parents announced we would be going on a road trip to the Steel Pier in Atlantic City. It was about a 90 minute car ride, not much of a road trip by today’s standards. It was big for us since we were a relatively poor family and any road trip away was an adventure.
Two things struck me that day and have remained as distinct memories these many years later. One was the diving horse. A girl rode a horse up a large elevator lift of some sort and jumped from a high platform to the pool below. A pretty cool event and still not as powerful as the event that followed.
Later we were walking along a portion of the Steel Pier when we stopped by a small 3 or 4 piece band. I found myself mesmerized by the lead singer that also played the trumpet. He had a white handkerchief wrapped around his trumpet. His voice was silky smooth. We listened to a few songs before moving on. When my father told me it was Louis Armstrong – it meant nothing to me, and when he sang ‘It’s a Wonderful World’ it touched me. That song is a beautiful reminder of what is wonderful in this world. We could all use this type of reminder on a regular basis.
What are you doing to appreciate the beauty in this world? And I hope you will share the beauty that is you.

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8. June 2009 by Bob.

Below is a copy of an article written in a local magazine when I was interviewed about executive coaching. It does a nice job of highlighting how coaching is recession proof and a necessary commodity for business success during trying times. Many would say that we have never before experienced recession like what has impacted us recently. For those of us with more grey hair than others I would argue we have seen a roller coaster ride with highs and lows throughout our experience. And I would believe we will come out of this dip and experience another high like the ones that have followed previous downturns. For those that weather this storm, greater success awaits on the other side. This creates even a more significant need for successful maneuvering of leadership and relationship skills during downturns. If we apply these skills during the most difficult times we are best equipped to take advantage of the good times. Those that retreat during difficult economies will find themselves playing catch up to those that invested in their own development as well as the development of their key people. Read the article below from 2001 and notice if it strikes a recurring theme to match the economic times we face today:

One industry that is thriving during the economic slowdown is executive coaching.

While many companies have cut back on employee development programs to save money, others are recognizing the increased return on investment and are keeping coaching firms busy.

These days, investors are being more selective about which companies they fund, so top-level execs are investing the time and money to hone their leadership skills, says Bob Johnson, founder at Leader Search Inc. of Calgary, Alberta a coaching services firm.

“Some companies are cutting back on non-direct revenue producing initiatives, but others are investing more,” says Johnson, who’s been coaching executives for over 18 years.  “The good companies are encouraging their executives to get coaching because they want them to not just survive but to prosper when their competition doesn’t.”

For the past few years, there was a “gold rush mentality” in the resource sector, where people didn’t believe leadership skills and business models mattered, says Johnson.  But the economic slowdown has forced companies to get back to basics.

“When there’s a clanking noise in your car at 100 kph, you can’t hear it. But you can hear it at 50 kph,” says Johnson, who splits his time between coaching execs in Calgary and Phoenix.

While most executives stay in their roles after coaching, some realize they aren’t the right person to lead the company, says Leader Search’s Johnson.

“My mistakes were easily costing the company more than Bob’s fees,” says Paul, one of the executives Bob coaches.   Like the CEOs of many companies, Paul’s background was in technical engineering, not business and particularly not leadership.  And, he says, the company’s ability to move to the next level, retain its good people and not become a take over target was weighing on his shoulders.

“My biggest area of weakness was my decision making,” says Paul, who stepped down as CEO after several months of coaching.

“After we brought in a new CEO, we increased revenues by $2.5 million,” says Paul, now COO and vice president of operations. “The results speak for themselves.”

Programs vary by coaching firm and the needs of each executive.  But intensive, one-on-one programs such as Leader Search’s typically begin with a “360-degree assessment” in which the coach shadows the executive and then interviews those who work closely with him or her.

Leader Search’s coaching program typically involves three sessions per month for six to nine months, with the cost ranging from $12,000 to $20,000. Fees vary by coaching firm, and depend on the scope of the coaching and level of the executive.

“A good executive coach works with the natural style of the leader, but then discovers their ambitions and fears,” says Johnson. “CEO coaching, in particular, is really about accelerating the natural growth curve of a person who wants to be a leader.”

Another CEO that receives coaching from Bob, hired Bob because he wanted feedback from someone with leadership knowledge.   “One of my fears is that my knowledge or lack thereof will be the reason that the company does not grow at a maximum rate,” says Ken. “By using coaching I am able to get an outside, unbiased evaluation on our effort and results.”

Ken also adds a word of caution. For coaching to be successful, coaches must be committed to their client’s goals.   “Too many executive coaches have their own agendas,” he says. “That’s a disaster.”

Companies are willing to spend the money on coaching because the return on investment can be significant.  The average ROI — in the form of increased productivity, reduced turnover and other factors – is $100,000, according to a study in the Boston-based Manchester Review.

“The direct monetary impact of coaching can be difficult to measure”, says Ken.  For him, coaching is valuable because the ideas generated enable him to operate his company more effectively.

“Once in a while you can point to a specific situation where the coaching made a measurable monetary difference,” he says. “I have asked for advice in negotiations when I was unsure of what the other company was trying to do.  Based on my coach’s input I changed strategies and we won the contract.”

“In the past, executive coaching was viewed as a perk; now companies realize it can help their bottom line”, says Johnson.   “When times are really good, people don’t think there are any problems,” Johnson explains.  “In these times, people are much more aware of their limitations.”

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30. April 2009 by Bob.

I read an article written in a March 2009 issue of Calgary Inc magazine that profoundly encouraged organizations to consider the critical value of staying with their corporate retreats during these trying economic times versus the knee jerk reaction of dropping the retreats in the name of cost cutting.
One quote suggested “Companies want to bring people together during these economic times and come up with ideas for how they are going to ride this out together”. We have seen an increase in not only our coaching business activity, but an increase in interest in executive retreats as well.  Retreats look different than they have in the past when cash was king and the agenda was predominately fun, celebration and recognition. Today we see clients staying closer to home, inviting less people and digging into deeper work agendas. Presently, the days of golf or fishing outings in the name of teamwork seem to be a fading memory. Deep and meaningful conversation seems to be the mainstay coupled with dinner and less casual conversation at night becoming the place for learning more about each other.
Challenging times create bigger irritants out of things we tended to ignore when we were running hard and makin’ money. During those grand times many of us would live with the teammate we didn’t get along with. Now we can’t stand them and these relationship challenges affect the entire organizational culture. Tougher times call for conversations that we would likely have avoided in the past. And many don’t know how to hold these necessary conversations. This becomes the work of coaches as they facilitate the conversations that are necessary to produce the relationships that work in order to create the results that are even more critical in these trying times.
Therefore, we have seen a decrease in traditional classroom training and an uptick in coaching, either on site in the workplace or in newly designed retreats that focus on the key relationships and the necessary conversations people need and want to have. As one of our coaching clients said recently, “Leadership is no longer for the faint of heart!”

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20. April 2009 by Bob.

I spend about a third of each month at our place in Tempe, Arizona. I love the Arizona climate. It seems that as each year passes I become more enamored with the warmth of the Arizona sun than the cold Alberta winters. And I get to play golf year round. There are literally hundreds of great golf courses to play in the Phoenix area and I do not belong to one club. With my flexible schedule I often play at different times and at quite a variety of courses. This means I often show up at a course as a single player and get placed with one to three other players. I consider this a wonderful opportunity to meet other golfers (and in some cases, potential client prospects).
On this past trip I did the usual and walked on to one of the local courses in Tempe as a single and got placed with a man named Rueben. Rueben is an aging black man with steel wool type gray hair sticking out from under his ball cap. He looked old to me and I later received confirmation that Rueben just turned 80 years old. Imagine the story I made up about the man I just got paired up with. He instantly gave me a sense of being a nice, kind man with a glowing smile and bright eyes. But I was mostly concerned with his ability to keep up with the group ahead of us and even more importantly, which set of tees he wanted to play from. I usually like to play the back tees, or as I age myself, maybe the next set up. Would I need to play the forward tees to accommodate the kind old man? As we came up to the first tee I stopped and asked Rueben which set of tees he preferred. To my surprise he asked if it was OK if we played from the back tees (the tips in golf talk).  We stepped up to the tee box and Rueben hit a beauty right down the middle. If not for dumping a shot in the water and taking a double bogey on the 18th Rueben would have scored under 100 for the round. He played wonderfully and was a joy to spend the afternoon with. He told me he played 210 rounds last year! So much for wondering if this old man could keep up!
I believe the game of golf is much like life when it comes to relationships. Think about the stories we make up when we first meet someone. What about the stories they make up about us?  I wonder what stories Rueben made up about me.  And of course, I had my own performance anxiety as I stepped up to the first tee with my newfound friend watching. I had a pretty good score this time and couldn’t help make up stories of what Rueben would think if I had hacked the ball around the course. Consider the opportunities we may have lost over the course of our lifetimes because we made up stories about people the instant they crossed our paths. We then discount someone as not worthy of our time or energy and move on to the next possibility.
What if we considered:
• Everyone we encounter as worthy of our time,
• Someone we could learn from,
• A credible human being with their own unique gifts,
• Someone we would minimally get as much from as we would give to them.
I would encourage all of us to upgrade our level of tolerance for others and to live in a higher place of abundance and care. Then may all the stories we make up be positive about others and prove to be true. Here’s to all the beautiful Rueben’s in the world!

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16. April 2009 by Bob.

The Baby Boomers and the Millennials have
more in common than either will admit.

Most of what we have read, researched and interviewed has brought us to the conclusion that there is not a discernible difference between the Baby Boomer (born between 1946 and 1964) and the Millennial (born between 1977 and 1998) generations when it comes to wants and desires. We have discovered that if the two took the time to talk with each other they would find the battles between the two to be almost laughable. The primary culprit in this generational war is nothing more than age. The Baby Boomers have forgotten all they stood for when they were young professionals and the Millennials have yet to experience the full benefits of age. Sit back and explore with us the similarities and the differences between the two and you will find that these two generations have more they share than the sandwiched Gen Xer’s have with either one.

“Because the demand for their services so greatly exceeds the supply, young graduates are in a strong position to dictate terms to their perspective employers. Young employees are demanding that they be given productive tasks to do from the first day of work, and that the people they work for notice and react to their performance.”

Sounds very much like the words of many of the Baby Boomer leaders we have coached as they speak of the sassy Millennial professionals entering their organizations today. The key to understand is that this is a quote from a Fortune magazine article written in April 1969! The more recent May 28, 2007 Fortune edition recites this 1969 quote as part of an article about managing the Millennial Generation titled “You Raised Them, Now Manage Them.” If this all rings such a familiar refrain, we will again, profess that there are many more similarities than differences between the two generations.
We have found that the search for the holy grail of leadership is still outside the grasp of almost all organizations. Through countless workshops, retreats, team development exercises and years of recruitment contracts, the qualities of the Sage Leader are often talked about and revered, and any organization that paid the fare to hire one or discovered one in their system coveted their prize possession. They learned to spend strategic time determining what it would take to find, develop and keep more of this sacred commodity.
Believing the qualities of this Sage existed only in the tenured ranks of seasoned Baby Boomers, companies have recently begun to realize this expertise is retiring and leaving in droves with little development of the leadership capacity remaining in the system. We have found that the wisdom of the Sage leader is available regardless of age or tenure. Mining the commodity from within the ranks of more tender aged employees becomes the task of the aging Baby Boomer leaders before they leave the ranks of corporate systems.
Let’s take a look at the differences, as well as the similarities between these two distinct generations. Consider that the Baby Boomer generation is into or fast approaching the second half of their lives with vitality never experienced by previous generations. They are healthier in mind and body and have an insatiable desire to stay connected to society and contribute. This contribution has appeared in many forms with a particular emphasis on giving back, legacy and making a difference while they also enjoy the fruits of their labor over the past thirty plus years. Life balance, contribution and being recognized for their capabilities motivate them to redefinition of the concept of retirement.
The Millennial Generation wants to design their careers, balance life, contribute to society and have more control over how they spend their time. And they want it now. They are a ‘work to live, not a live to work’ generation. You will find Millennial’s buying vacation time from their employers or quitting jobs altogether to travel, give time to noble causes or share staying at home to raise their families.
Both generations want for the same things. The battle lines have been drawn because the Baby Boomers expect the Millennial Generation to earn this right like they did. The Millennial’s have witnessed the impact of the live to work system of the Boomers. The missing component is a mutual respect for each generation. With this respect in place the cultures of organizations will transform and with it comes a better world for all.
Boomer parents in a fast paced, multi tasked, high tech, structured and scheduled activity environment raised the millennial Generation professionals of today. We have watched them play video games masterfully while talking on cell phones or text messaging their friends. At work they can be talking to a client while they e-mail memos and text message their friends setting up plans for after work. Yet, they still crave direct contact and a personal connection with their boss. That is assuming they have respect for their boss. Respect is earned, not a right of position or authority. With this respect, Millennials want a boss that is personally invested in their professional development. They want Sage Leaders to develop them, teach them and let them try, fail, learn.
Baby Boomers have a history of very direct supervision from their immediate boss. Respect was a right earned by tenure and position. Resentment crept in when respect was not evident since respect was assumed via positional power. Millenial’s want leaders and organizations to treat them as allies and partners, not ‘masters’ of them. Respect is not granted freely due to position or tenure. Respect comes with time proven success. They want their leaders to be mentors and strategists. Leaders that show their human side and want continual growth and learning for themselves as much as for their people.
Notice any similarities? As we have brought generations together to be in conversation we have had the pleasure of understanding emerging. May we all recognize that like many battles over history, the lines in the sand are drawn because we don’t take the time to understand each other. If I can contribute to some of that understanding I will consider myself content and fulfilled.

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