The "100-year flood" hammered Boulder, Colorado. Between September 10th and September 15th, 17+ inches of rain poured down, including over 9 inches on September 12th alone. The torrent overwhelmed the steep terrain of the foothills and flat-landers to the east.

In my last post, I introduced the idea that developing  a deep level of interpersonal agility is critical to being successful as a senior leader. That's partially because as senior leaders rise to higher levels in their organization, they are less likely to hear the truth.

In last week's Ignite Leadership Launch training workshop here in Colorado, a curious participant asked, "How do I deal with an employee who isn't changing even after I give her feedback?" An insightful response came from another participant that I thought would be helpful to share. Here's a summary of what she had to say…

Do you consider Emotional Intelligence -- self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills -- when interviewing new candidates in your organization? 

How about in the process of identifying future leaders?  

In Matthew Kelly's book The Rhythm of Life, he says...
 
"Everything is a Choice. This is life's greatest truth and its hardest lesson. It is a great truth because it reminds us of our power. Not power over others, but the often untapped power to be ourselves and to live the life we have imagined."
 
Kelly goes on to say that it's a hard lesson because it causes us to realize that we have chosen the life we are living right now.
 

I was having a discussion recently with a group of participants in a 5.12 Solutions' Executive Coaching and Leadership Development Program here in Denver. We were making the distinction between caring (about someone) and showing interest. One results-oriented participant asked, "Can you care about someone without being interested?" 

The performance management process in many organizations is irrelevant. Create 12-month/annual goals and then ignore the goals throughout the year.

How about a more agile process instead?

1. Create quarterly or more frequent goals that are aligned with organizational goals.

2. Make the review process more frequent - e.g., quarterly.

3. Update goals throughout the year so that they are in line with the latest organizational and market changes.

Let’s face it; we all need help along the way.

Congratulations on establishing your goals! That is a huge step toward personal growth and success in the coming year and beyond.