Click HERE watch the video. As someone who works with smart leaders, executive directors, CEO’s staff, board members, and entrepreneurs on a daily basis, I get asked a lot of questions about leadership. Over the years, I’ve noticed that there are common questions, patterns and trends that come up as I connect with clients and colleagues. In the […]
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Happy Friday! Inspired by Valentine’s Day, this week I’ve been thinking about love! And… this extends into the workplace. What?! In his article in Inc.com about leadership at West Point, Bill Murphy, Jr. remarks that “Great leadership — at West Point and everywhere — has a lot to do with love. Not romantic love or […]
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Mindfulness is a state of being fully present, aware of oneself and other people, and sensitive to one’s reactions to stressful situations. Leaders who are mindful tend to be more effective in understanding and relating to others, and motivating them toward shared goals. – William G. George, former CEO of Medtronic, and Harvard Business School Professor […]
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A tired man was driving through a desolate, flat desert with only a lone tree that could be seen up ahead in the distance. He kept thinking “don’t hit that tree, no matter what, don’t hit that tree…”
The miles went on, his head nodded, and…as he swerved and frantically looked up to make sure he wasn’t going to hit anything, his eyes widened as he again locked in on the tree… right before he crashed into it.
In the span of five days, I heard variations on this story from three different leaders I respect (including race car driving, and snowboarding!). Two of them were using it to illustrate how they see me teaching clients the power and momentum that comes by carefully choosing what we focus on, and so that got me thinking…
I consider myself a good listener, but there are definitely times when I hear myself saying to both the organizations and individuals I work with: “blah, blah, blah… while everything you just said is true… NONE of it matters. And, in fact, we’re not going to spend any time on those issues.” Yikes.
“Those issues” often range broadly from “our classical music audiences are dying,” to “we have a dysfunctional board/staff,” to “I feel stuck in my current role.” Pretty significant facts and dynamics, don’t you think?
And yet, while “those issues” may indeed be impacting an organization, when I am immersed with my clients, I find myself focusing on two key things:
It’s so important to create a mandate, or an intention, or a common (and shared) goal. Once that is known, we can more clearly see why “it” must be achieved for the greater good.
The best way I know how to help people achieve anything that matters is to:
Without this two-pronged approach, it can be so easy to spend our time focused on the problems, which then leads to the creation “weakness based” strategies – which, by the way, can often appear as “best practices.” Often, this causes us to feel like it will require “force” of some kind create change.
Or worse, we create an acceptance that our problems cannot be addressed, because they are out of our control.
Instead, let’s focus on what we WANT to occur, why, and what currently exists that we can build upon, celebrate and leverage. This is not “just” positive thinking. This is leadership – and YOU can make great things happen.
The “Tree” will still exist, but your focus will be elsewhere.
To your success,
Kathryn
Happy New Year!
Have you ever wondered why it’s so common to set resolutions and intentions at the start of a new year? (and why they may not always stick?)
The turning of the page to a new year (and time in general), is a purely human construct that helps us measure things. It’s no different than using a tape measure to get the dimensions of your living room.
Years are like inches, miles, kilometers and gallons. They are just units of measurement.
When we see the dawn of a “new year” as simply the changing of the label from this unit of measurement to the next, it begs the question about why we make such a big deal about the New Year’s holiday, and more importantly, how we can make the MOST of this transition to 2017.
According to a University of Scranton study, 92% of all “New Year’s resolutions” fail. There are many reasons for this, but I think the most influential causes are two fold:
So, to maximize our success, live in our vision and be in alignment and in integrity with our purpose all year long, let’s use January as a time to set a clear intention for how we want to BE and what the impact of that will be on those around us in the year ahead… and shift this process to a regular practice.
I encourage you to set aside time over the next few days to give yourself this gift of clarifying your WHY around any new intentions or goals for 2017. What will happen when you achieve them? Why does this matter? To whom? What will the impact be if you don’t achieve what you set out to do? How will you feel?
Then, choose the embodied actions (thoughts, feelings, language, actions) that will support and create the possibility for “getting” what you want. Think about what small shifts you can make throughout your day and your week that can help bring new habits or practices into your life. Let’s do this for ourselves, and for the organizations that we lead, our families, our communities.
This is why I love my coaching work, and consulting with Board members and staff to leverage leadership transitions. When we take the time to pause and find clarity on our strategic trajectory, identify our WHY’s, and focus on our “goals of impact” – all while BE-ing in alignment with ourselves or our organization’s mission – AMAZING things occur!
Helping leaders and organizations create these shifts and clarity around WHY is where I shine as a coach and consultant.
If you’re feeling inspired, I invite you to schedule some time with me here to chat about what it would look like for me to guide you or your organization in 2017 to set and achieve YOUR intentions for this year and beyond.
To your success in 2017!
Kathryn
” I never cease to be amazed at the power of the coaching process to draw out the skills or talent that was previously hidden within an individual, and which invariably finds a way to solve a problem previously thought unsolvable.” – John Russell, Managing Director, Harley Davidson, Europe Ltd.
In-between the bittersweet goodbyes as I completed my latest consultancy as Interim Executive Director for the Santa Barbara Symphony, I’ve been reflecting about my journey during this first year of launching my business.
In simple and profound terms, this has been the best year ever!
Mr. Russell’s quote above beautifully summarizes my experience both as a leadership coach myself and as someone who has been working with a leadership coach.
In my own coaching practice, I have seen first-hand how my clients find their “Dream Jobs,” create new-found momentum and clarity on who the are and thus what they are working towards, and become fearless in their determination to have the impact they are meant to have.
My coach provided key support as I took the “leap” into entrepreneurship, and continues to both challenge and inspire me, and provide tangible tools as well as moments of shift that may come days after our conversations.
I’ve been thinking about why I hadn’t considered working with a leadership coach prior to this year, perhaps for some of the same reasons so many successful leaders I meet, especially in the arts industry, may be resistant to coaching:
What’s interesting though, is that in other industries, or even for other people like us, we tend to understand the value of coaching much more easily. I’m sure we all know athletes, corporate executives, or parents who’ve hired coaches (tutors), and had great success.
As John Russell eloquently states, we all have talents that need to be revealed in order to make this world a better place. We all have moments when we feel that what we “want” is not possible or practical, and we all have areas of resistance that left unchallenged, continue to show up – job after job, relationship after relationship, and can be the barrier to helping others and to achieving our mission and purpose.
Hiring a coach doesn’t mean we are weak. It means we are committed to growth, development and learning. It means we are strategically and intentionally choosing to take the embodied actions (thoughts, feelings, behaviors, actions) that will help us reach our “goals of impact.”
For the past 11 months, investing in myself by hiring a coach is the best decision I made and continue to make.
So if you’re in a leadership role, I challenge you to look at any areas of your work or personal life that you may be avoiding, or being drawn to. Are you positioning yourself in ways that will achieve the impact you are seeking (for your business, organization, career, family)? It’s my mission to inspire and guide leaders like you to make the difference in the world that you were meant to make.
If you’d like to have a conversation with me about what coaching might look like for you, schedule a complimentary clarity call with me and let’s roll up our sleeves together!
To your success,
Kathryn
As we wind down 2016, I’ve been reflecting on the people I’ve had the opportunity to work with this year, and can’t help but feel tremendous gratitude for my clients, and how they’ve touched my lives this year just as much, if not more, than I’ve touched theirs.
When I launched this coaching and consulting business 12 months ago, I knew it would be quite a journey, and seeing my clients experiencing breakthrough after breakthrough is, as they say, PRICELESS.
This year, as an Interim Executive Director, Transition Strategist, Group Facilitator and Guest Speaker I’ve worked on-site in Brookfield (Milwaukee), Santa Barbara, San Antonio, Seattle, Puerto Rico and at home in San Diego, and am coaching leaders around the country.
Through my work, and creating an email community of smart, purpose driven leaders, I’ve been blessed to have made life-long friendships and witness breakthrough’s and transformation this year.
As we look forward to a new year, with new goals and new intention, let’s also use this next week to celebrate the year that is ending. Celebrate what we learned, the challenges we faced and how we dealt with them, the new experiences we stepped into, and the impact we’ve had. And share these “wins” with others in order to presence what matters to you, acknowledge the momentum you’re creating and provide the launching pad for your vision for 2017.
See if you can tell what matters to ME:
I’m celebrating the leaders who made a choice to invest in themselves, be vulnerable, and set an intention to curate a career/life that has impact and brings joy.
“The impact of Kathryn’s coaching was tremendous, resulting in a positive next step in my career trajectory: from associate artistic director at The Pasadena Playhouse to deputy artistic director of Arena Stage.” – Seema Sueko
And celebrating the Boards and Staff of organizations facing leadership transitions, who made a choice to leverage the moment of change and strongly and strategically move forward.
“Kathryn communicated with a positive can-do attitude, and provided a fresh opportunity-focused perspective that energized the board, getting us ready for our next chapter!” – Peter Schlueer, Board Member, Santa Barbara Symphony
And celebrating all the successful people who continue to look for and find inspiration and insights.
“Thank you for the wonderful “Happy Friday” emails, they are enthusiastic and vital to me. I have to whip my disease and be vigorous and work to overcome my disorder.” – Brooks Joyner
A year ago, I made a “leap” and launched my consulting business in order to focus on helping individuals and non-profits navigate times of transition. I expressed it as wanting to do things that make my heart sing. Now a year later I am celebrating and SINGING with the gifts my clients have given me.
As I reflect on these experiences, I’ve learned that the reason I get so excited by my work is not only about the successful revenue-generation, increased attendance, and increased effectiveness – its about being a part of the transformation of individuals and thus the organizations (and families) they lead. Successfully moving from a Point A to a desired Point B. I know that when they succeed, it means they’re making the world a better place. Isn’t that a pretty awesome reason for celebration?
So my question (and challenge) for you is this:
What “wins” are YOU celebrating, and how will you celebrate them? Has this been a challenging year? Then, even more importantly: how did you keep moving forward?
I know first-hand that celebrating these wins publicly, no matter how small they seem, will build incredible confidence and momentum as you enter the new year.
To your success,
Kathryn
p.s. If you need some support to start 2017 with a clear, energized intention, get on my calendar now for January and let’s talk.
Some snapshots from 2016:
Leading Visioning Summits, and Workshops, Sessions and speaking engagements on Leveraging Leadership Transitions, Interim Management, and Curating the life/career you’re meant to have.
Pictured: Director, Kevin Maifeld and students, Seattle University MFA in Arts Leadership
Working with amazing Board members and supporters, as Interim President & CEO.
Pictured: Board Presidents Jan Wade (outgoing) and Fred Syrjanen (incoming), The Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts.
Getting to lead, support, empower, and super-charge staff during transition!
Pictured: Dr. Amy Williams, Director of Education & Community Engagement, and amazing team at the Santa Barbara Symphony
Happy “Black Friday!”
What does this day mean for you?
Do you thrive in finding a deal? Or does Black Friday shopping feel “superficial” or not in alignment with your inner work? Or perhaps you are conflicted?!
And to expand the question: As leaders in mission-driven organizations and heart-centered entrepreneurs where every dollar, contribution and investment counts, do you ever feel guilty about spending money on yourself or investing in overhead for your organization?
As we set our intention each day to make a difference on this earth, there are so many things to be grateful for – our jobs, our right to vote, a warm fall day, our ability to have what we need. It’s easy to get caught up in consumerism during this time of year for sure, and I suggest that as long as we’re focused on gratitude and giving, it’s completely okay to spend money on things that we or our loved ones will enjoy.
In our organizations, it’s okay to spend money (i.e. invest!) in resources that we know will increase our capacity to advance our mission, increase sustainability, and help us provide more value to the communities we serve. Knowing that what we do matters, it’s critical to accomplish our mission or purpose – and to do that, we need resources.
In their introductory free “Awakening Prosperity” videos, transformational leaders Dawa Tarchin Phillips and Jack Canfield talk about the significant barriers many purpose-driven people have in creating wealth. Somehow the unspoken belief is that it’s not okay to want to build wealth (or spend money in the case of Black Friday?!) if you are aiming to good in the world.
Do we pride ourselves in managing on a shoestring budget, or not spending money on administrative staff… and then find ourselves with debilitating turn-over, losing market share or unable to deliver on our mission-driven programs at the level needed in the community? Do we have trouble investing in professional development or other self-care activities, and then find ourselves burnt out?
Often, our goal is stated as wanting to make more money or raise more in contributions for our non-profit, or to save money by cutting back on spending, overhead, programming, and even self-care and development. However, it’s important to connect the act of making more money and creating more wealth to what it will then allow us to DO in and for the world, our community, our families.
How we view money (both earning it and spending it) can have a huge impact on how much of it shows up in our life or organization, and how much of a difference we can make when it does!
So – express gratitude AND go spend your well-earned money on some great deals, and ways that will fill you up! Have fun! You (and your organization) are worth it!
To your success!
Kathryn Martin
P.S. – If you’d like to have a candid conversation about making a case for investing in your organization – or yourself, or just get more clear about your best next steps, schedule your complimentary clarity call with me here.
So many thoughts, and questions.
Often, big questions don’t have easy answers. When feeling this way, I look to the thought and transformation leaders who inspire us to reflect and move forward.
This week I’m inspired by my friends who are engaging in dialogue with grace and gratitude … and perhaps a new-found strength and determination in speaking their truth. We are in a time of transition, and Wednesday night I found incredible inspiration and resolve as I spoke about my experience leading organizations through leadership transitions to an amazing group of students in Seattle University’s innovative MFA in Arts Leadership program.
At the end of this month I have the honor of concluding my ninth Interim Executive Director role. I get to navigate a familiar transition for me; physically shifting to new client work, while knowing energetically I will continue to think and care about the organization I am leaving. In this case it’s the Santa Barbara Symphony – who after 64 years is experiencing a momentum that’s catapulting their impact through education programs.
As a professional interim leader, I’ve chosen a role that means I constantly meet and help new people and communities to move forward towards a common goal. In some cases, the direction is clear and already known, and in other cases we must find it together. And always, it is setting this intention that provides the framework for how I lead organizations through empowering transitions.
What I’ve learned in all of these leadership roles is that during times of transition, there can be initial resistance, and sometimes that resistance is quite intense. People often need to just vent, talk about the past, or there may be concern, fear or even shame that a transition is happening.
It is because of this resistance and many practical “reasons” for getting things in order first, that they don’t believe advancing during transition is even possible. And yet – what’s the alternative?
To wait until a new leader is appointed before advancing the organization? To retreat, stay stuck, stagnant, blame others? As non-profit 501(c)3’s face leadership transitions, our commitment to our community cannot be put on hold. What we do matters.
As a leadership coach, I work with clients to observe whether they are acting in alignment with standards they hold for themselves, or RE-Acting as current situations trigger feelings that remind them of something in the past. We must be mindful of the difference and choose. We also must always check in to see if our action (or RE-action) is moving us towards the goals we’re aspiring to.
Clearly, there are parallels here to our nation’s leadership transition – or perhaps this perspective is part of me still processing and wanting to understand and shift my intention from pre-election to post.
What are we aspiring to? What is our shared common goal? What are the embodied actions (thoughts, language, feelings, choices) that will GET us there, and what are the RE-actions that will not?
Meanwhile, as we search for these answers, and as we build momentum and clarity, we are beginning now, in this moment.
We must BE the leaders and people we want to be. We must hold up our standards for peace, justice, love. So today, take a minute to identify what you are envisioning, set your intention, and then commit to doing your good work.
And if we are fortunate enough to work in the arts and culture industry – now more than ever – we must find ways to connect our country by doing what we do, and what we are meant to do.
With gratitude,
Kathryn
P.S. – If you’d like to have a candid conversation about an organizational or individual leadership transition, or just get more clear about YOUR best next steps to getting “unstuck,” schedule your complimentary clarity call with me here.
Last weekend my husband and I took a whirlwind trip back to my childhood home in New York to celebrate some family Birthdays.
On this trip, unlike what I’d normally do, I decided not to fill the days with plans in advance. My experience is the inspiration for this week’s post. In four days we visited friends and sights from NYC to Stony Brook, to the tip of the Long Island.
Are you a planner? Are you great at setting priorities and establishing goals, and achieving them? Can you juggle complex schedules and move at the speed of light in getting things done?
These important abilities serve us very well as leaders. Having ambition, a strong work ethic and passion can certainly help us to deliver great results, but there’s also tremendous power in just BE-ing present and living in the moment.
As I learn from transformational leaders, I’ve found that the journey is just as important as the destination. Or rather, every moment IS the destination – and if we’re not careful – we may miss the lessons and opportunities we are meant to receive in order to achieve what we really want.
When I work 1:1 with high achievers; successful people with a tremendous value and pride in the quality of their work, we often take some time to “slow down,” reflect, notice, observe and analyze.
In some cases, this can feel counter-intuitive, or perhaps even unsettling as we become less “busy,” because there’s always a lot to get done, and the stakes are high!
It’s possible that in these moments, the need to be practical and organized could be hiding feelings of not being “enough.” We may find that fear-based questions of “what if…?” can begin to surface. We may ask: “What if I don’t get everything done? What if things don’t go how they need to go? What if I let people down? What if people think I’m lazy, not good at my job, etc.?”
On this recent trip, I replaced the “What if I don’t see everyone/do everything I want?” with “What if I do exactly what I am meant to do?”
I trusted, and I was “in” every moment. It was one of the best four days, ever! When I look back on all that we did and experienced, it seems almost impossible.
Time seemed to expand, connections were made, and magic happened – like randomly coming across the Imagine mosaic in Central Park JUST as I was pondering what the next year will hold.
I couldn’t have planned that if I tried. I think I’m on to something. 😉
As always, if you’d like to get more clear about YOUR best next steps to get “unstuck,” or strike that balance between proper planning and BE-ing in the moment, CLICK HERE to schedule your complimentary Clarity Call with me.
To your success,
Kathryn