​Colleagues,
 
Being a strategic leader takes contrasting blends of humility, courage, and a willingness to use power.
 
We must be humble enough to serve, courageous enough to take risks, and willing to influence people to do what the organization needs. 
 
One of the challenges I’ve seen in leaders is that their humility sometimes gets in the way of people truly understanding all that the leader does.
 
Much of the work of bringing an organization into alignment is hidden and people don’t actually see all that the leader does, even when a leader’s actions directly benefit people in the organization.
 
However, if more people understood what leaders actually do, there would be more trust and cooperation within the organization.
 
When I trained teachers to become principals, my students would begin to change. The teachers would begin to see and understand all that principals did, and as the teachers understood more, they became more positive collaborators and team members.
 
So, do the people you lead actually know what you do? You don’t need to brag, but people should be aware of all of the things you do to help them be better at their work. This week consider educating people about what it means to be a leader, about what it means to be you. It will benefit both you and them.
 
Do good and be well,
 
Frederick

Colleagues,
 
Yesterday I noted that Thanksgiving is a tough day for a lot of people and not representative of the experiences of many Americans. It is a matter of perspective. Sitting in different places, we see different things.
 
Way back in in 2019, I attended a concert (the Infamous Stringdusters) at the Orange Peel in Asheville, NC. I had a lot of trouble seeing the stage, which is rare. At 6’2” I can usually see over most people’s heads, but this particular concert seemed to have attracted a large number of people taller than 6’ 2” and they all decided to stand near the front of the hall.
 
It was a different experience. Not only could I see less, but I felt more closed in and was more aware of the people around me. It was very different.
 
Later I shared with Pam what I had experienced, and she looked at me quizzically. At 5’6”, her typical concert experience mirrored my “unique” encounter in the music hall.
 
It is a matter of perspective, and here is why this is critical to leaders. Your default perspective is not the same as others’ perspectives. You don’t see or experience what they see and experience. What you think is the problem may not be their problem.
 
While leadership can often help you get the 40,000-foot view, it can also block the 5’6” or 6’ 2” view.
 
This is why strategic action cycles depend on the participation of all the stakeholders.
 
Today is Friday, so it is time to reflect:

• What problem are you dealing with? 
• Who is intimately involved? 
• Have you gotten their perspectives?

 
Do good and be well,
 
Frederick

Colleagues,
 
Like so much in the year 2020, this Thanksgiving offers us a mixed opportunity. There is still much to be thankful for, yet Thanksgiving is a celebration that honors some people, while ignoring many others.
 
Early this fall I had the privilege of officiating a wedding at the Kituwa mound, the mother place of the Cherokee people. Participating in the culture, I could not help but witness how the arrival of Europeans has negatively impacted my friends’ ancestors, inflicting harm and scars that my friends carry today. Similarly, we have yet to reckon with the legacy of slavery and its surviving children – systemic racism and oppression.
 
Add in the disease, isolation, and loss of loved ones, and the prospect of sitting down to a Pilgrims’ feast seems less than appetizing. And yet…
 
Perhaps it is fitting that Thanksgiving became an official holiday in 1863 in the midst of a terrible civil war, borne of the idea that in the midst of so much wrong, we might still take stock of what is right.
 
And so, I am thankful for you. You all are remarkable leaders. You can and must continue to confront the broken, the bad, and the wrong. Yet you will remain optimistic, active, and you will inspire hope in others. 
 
There is a lot of work to do and many people to nurture and empower, but today let us be thankful for the many leaders in our families, communities, and organizations who work to make things better.
 
Do good and be well,
 
Frederick

​Colleagues,
 
Tomorrow’s Thanksgiving post is a bit intense and heavy, so today I will keep things short and light.
 
What must you do before tomorrow?
 
You must do today.
 
We can become so focused on the next step, that we fail to fully immerse ourselves in the current step.
 
At work, at home, and in your community, try something over the next couple of days. Focus on today, on right now. Be fully present to the person in front of you. Listen to the running water spilling over the dirty dishes. Watch the steam rise from the casserole. Just be present in each moment.
 
You can’t do tomorrow without doing today, so appreciate each moment in that moment.
 
Do good and be well,
 
Frederick

Colleagues,
 
As I take stock of the work my clients and I have been doing together this year, I must admit that we haven’t made the kind of progress any of us had hoped for. We are all working harder than we ever have, yet our efforts aren’t really moving things forward in a significant way.
 
I suspect most of you readers are experiencing something similar. You are working harder, yet not making the kind of progress you would like to.