Ross Blankenship, PhD

Award for least effective coach, change agent, or facilitator ever? “Stand up, share an idea,” a corporate trainer ordered them during a training session, according to the WSJ. “You’re going to self-organize.” After decades of hierarchical control, the resulting learned helpless and loss of aliveness means self-organization - a function of interdependent and empowered living systems - is all but impossible. It’s the right thing to do. We are all intelligent complex living adapative systems and self-organization is an emergent feature of our capacities… assuming we have developed deep and broad muscle is collective sense making, co-creation, interdependent boundary management, and relational intelligence. To make to work, Bayer will have to transform into that kind of culture, one mindset and habit at a time, over many months and years. You can’t bypass the slow transformation of biology. I imagine they really don’t want to do the hard (and thus expensive in time and investment) work to rewire how power is wielded and how collaborations are cultivated. Instead i assume they just want to get rid of the costly managers needed to make hierarchies function with a gloss of enlightened self-organization. It’s almost certainly a silver bullet fix, read about in an article about Haier or similar, proposed by a consultant who doesn’t understand the deeply developmental work that genuine self-organizing teams take to nurture after trained under hierarchy. You cant do a one-and-done training session and have a self-organizing culture after employees been trained for 30 years to follow rules and orders, cope with power plays and withholding, and deliver efficiencies without failures.

7

While failure is an inevitable part of innovation, expensive failure is not a necessary part of the process. Understanding this distinction can help leaders manage innovation failure in times of uncertainty: https://hubs.la/Q02BSl510

15

1 Comment

Interesting research from Zengar Folkman indicates that developing core competencies in individual contributors that are usually reserved for those in leadership nets a positive improvement in those employees' effectiveness (and builds future leadership potential). https://lnkd.in/gBytSQQ7 #softskills #corecompetencies #leadershipskills #leadershippotential #leadershipdevelopment #emergingleaders #leadershipskills

4

I was honored (!) to share insights with InHerSight for their recent article: “Are You Guilty of Virtue Signaling? (Hint: We All Are)” More about the 4 tips in this post can be found here: https://lnkd.in/ekRTwHax #leadership #virtuesignaling #brokenpromises

7

2 Comments

Do I use #ChatGPT to help me write? I sure do. It's a ROBUST source for brainstorming, organizing my ideas, OPTIMIZING my sources, and even highlighting holes in my thinking. Do I want everyone to be able to tell that I use #ChatGPT to AUGMENT my writing? No way. That's why I edit, adapt, and rewrite before sharing my work with the world. If you want to learn how to UTILIZE #AI in an INNOVATIVE way to write blogs, newsletters, articles, social media posts, books, articles, and more, join me for my new INVALUABLE and THOUGHT-PROVOKING cohort class this August, "Writing and Publishing for Coaches and Consultants". https://lnkd.in/eZBHWhaU And if you want to know how to make sure that your writing doesn't sound like it was AI generated, check out this great article by the University of Virginia Darden School of Business's Margaret Efron: https://lnkd.in/efYwK3wH (Hint: the words in caps in this post are the ones most likely to be overused by AI.) #coaching #consulting #writing #publishing #businessdevelopment

11

It can be hard to figure out how to become a truly great consultant. That's true when you're just getting out of school. It's also true when you are transitioning into consulting after 20 years in industry. In this episode of Rezzer Rewind, we discuss how to become a great consultant. Thanks Jess Carter and Ryan Gould for a great convo! #RezzerRewind #Resultant https://lnkd.in/ghrMqV9B

28

1 Comment

🌟 Check out our recap of the 10-4 Powered By WOW event hosted by Robin Shatzkin and WOW founder Juan Vides , featuring Amy Geffen, PhD (she/her), a career coach with over 30 years of experience! 🌟 https://lnkd.in/edcxhxFy Amy shared valuable insights on staying vigilant about professional development, especially regarding resumes and job searches. Here are her key points to help you get unstuck in your job search: 🔹 Networking: Join professional associations, alumni groups, clubs, or volunteer organizations. Connect with five new people each week and build relationships. 🔹 Online Branding: Optimize your LinkedIn profile with keywords and recommendations. Be mindful of your social media presence, especially on Facebook. 🔹 Thinking Outside the Box: Consider freelancing, volunteering, remote jobs, or starting a consulting business. Use skills from previous roles to transition to new fields. 🔹 Working with Recruiters: Build relationships with recruiters, even if there are no immediate job openings. Use portfolios to showcase your work. 🔹 Asking for Advice: Seek career advice from your network and utilize free resources like SCORE or the SBDC. 🔹 Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS): Apply to job ads promptly and use exact keywords from the job description. Network to find the hiring manager’s contact information. 🔹 Organizing Your Job Search: Keep lists of network contacts and target companies. Dedicate significant time each week to job searching activities, treating it like a job if unemployed. Stay proactive and keep pushing forward in your career journey! 🚀 #CareerAdvice #Networking #JobSearchTips #ProfessionalDevelopment #WOWEvent

5

2 Comments

Hey folks. Here is the rated G version of my best-selling book. Everything is exactly the same, but I've removed any profanity (there isn't much in the original) to make it more palatable for university and public education use. Pick up the clean version here! https://lnkd.in/eHjruPqG

12

"Biggest Mistake Leaders Make" - From Episode 015 of the “Conversations on Leadership with Dr. Dave” podcast with special guest Vice Admiral Dan Abel (USCG Ret.). Check out the full episode at https://vist.ly/zjgy Linktr.ee/DrDaveMiles #leadership, #podcast, #DrDave, #executive, #CEO, #transformativealignment

3

Boards should not and can not be complacent. For any organization, It's up to the board to ask the hard questions and fight against complacency to move the company forward. This article from Liz Fedor and Twin Cities Business specifically takes a look at Boeing and the negative impacts of a complacent board. Read the article here: https://bit.ly/43J258R #TrueNorth #BattleComplacency #Boards #Boeing

22

4 Comments

Our relationship with time is dysfunctional. Coming on my next show to help us explore possibly the most critical effect of AI on the pace of life is Oliver Burkeman, author of the best-selling self-help book "Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals" and former author of the psychology column “This Column Will Change Your Life” in The Guardian. Most of us can attest to being severely overworked and with a shrinking amount of personal time left over. This is true despite the introduction into our lives of a huge amount of technology from the PC to the Internet. Why have tools like email, Google, and instant messaging not reduced our workload and stress? In fact, it’s not hard to believe that they are responsible for making those things worse. In which case, we must ask, what effect will unleashing AI – which accelerates everything it touches - have on our work life?  This is exactly the thought space that Oliver inhabits, and his work has made a major difference in my own life. Read Oliver's posts and subscribe to his newsletter at OliverBurkeman.com. In this first half of the interview we talk about the parable of the rocks in the jar and how it’s a pernicious lie, the psychology of perceiving life as finite, and how technology has not changed our work stress and may be making it worse through induced demand.  Link coming here Monday 10 AM Pacific https://aiandyou.net

11

Our relationship with time is dysfunctional. Coming on my next show to help us explore possibly the most critical effect of AI on the pace of life is Oliver Burkeman, author of the best-selling self-help book "Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals" and former author of the psychology column “This Column Will Change Your Life” in The Guardian. Most of us can attest to being severely overworked and with a shrinking amount of personal time left over. This is true despite the introduction into our lives of a huge amount of technology from the PC to the Internet. Why have tools like email, Google, and instant messaging not reduced our workload and stress? In fact, it’s not hard to believe that they are responsible for making those things worse. In which case, we must ask, what effect will unleashing AI – which accelerates everything it touches - have on our work life? This is exactly the thought space that Oliver inhabits, and his work has made a major difference in my own life. Read Oliver's posts and subscribe to his newsletter at OliverBurkeman.com. In the conclusion of the interview we talk about whether this is Luddism, the influence of the Silicon Valley billionaires’ pursuit of immortality, the appropriate use of AI to save us time, and what will remain constant throughout any amount of technological evolution.  Link coming here Monday 10 AM Pacific https://aiandyou.net

2

This is a great article from the Admired Leadership blog. It stresses the importance of leaders mediating and asking for all perspectives on an issue instead of taking sides and assuming one side as truth. Those who do not seek to mediate are practicing management more than leadership.

2

From The Voice of Leadership archives: What Successful People Do (Episode # 377) Do you and your teams practice the 3 Ps – Positive Possibility Perspective? In this episode, Dr. Karen shares the 7 attitudes and mindsets of successful people. You will also discover what the 3Ds mean and why the fastest path to your desired destination occurs when you Seek to Serve. https://lnkd.in/entZPAdk #success #successmindset #executiveleadership

3

Episode 2 - Organizational Change: Past, Present, and Future - The Outliers Inn https://lnkd.in/ejkSjw2

1

Assumptions vs. Deductions: Key Insights for Strategic Planning In strategic planning, understanding the difference between assumptions and deductions can make or break your strategy. 🔍 Assumptions: What Are They? Accepted truths without proof. Role: Foundation for planning. Risk: If incorrect, they can undermine your strategy. 🔍 Deductions: What Are They? Logical conclusions drawn from premises. Role: Validate your strategy. Certainty: Conclusions are reliable if the premises are correct. Key Takeaway: Start with solid assumptions, then use logical deductions to test and refine your strategy. This approach ensures your plans are both innovative and robust. #StrategicPlanning #BusinessStrategy #Leadership #CriticalThinking #ProfessionalDevelopment #AnalyzeCorporateStrategy #eWorkshop

2

Every profession has its underperformers and scammers. Coaching is no different. Consumers of coaching, and coach training programs, must do their due diligence to make sure who they work with is legitimate, qualified, and ethical. Berman Leadership Development carefully curates our coaches to ensure that our clients receive the best executive coaching to be found anywhere. #executivecoaching #coaching #leadership

28

2 Comments

When reviewing an idea, my advice to leaders is to focus on strategic alignment. Leaders need to provide clear strategic guidance on the arenas they want their innovation teams to explore and ask the right questions: https://hubs.la/Q02zRxyq0

6