HSOL 203: WHAT IS THIS?

Published: Thu, 02/24/22

Edition 203: WHAT IS THIS?

FEBRUARY 2022

What this is: 961 words of content, including 6 Leadership Tips from Harvard, an invitation to join my R&D team, some shameless marketing, and a 5-minute video. Approximate content reading time: 3.84 minutes plus video time…and isn’t your Happiness worth it?

This newsletter speaks to Leadership, Happiness, and Coaching in your life and work.

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I. This is Marketing

Jim in a suit talking for his demo YouTube video

Long time readers know I like to talk, I like to write, but I rarely do video. A few months ago, I nearly lost a proposal because was I unable to quickly provide proof of my work. YIKES!

That led to some digging in my archives and some cool discoveries. I also engaged a videographer who did amazing editing to produce a new marketing video for my site. She wove together a series of clips so cleanly that the “demo” tells a story!

So, I’m using that story for my main message this month.

What is Happiness? What is Leadership? Watch and learn! Click on the image. If the hyperlink fails, use one of these links:

Video: https://youtu.be/SO-3QCg4WdY
My YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/JimSmithTheExecutiveHappinessCoach

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II. This is Leadership: They Said It Better

The Harvard Business School’s Working Knowledge blog just completed a trilogy of articles on “Leading in the Digital Era.” The third article addresses the human needs of leadership. Their research points to four attributes all leaders must possess to be successful in these times: Adaptability, Curiosity, Creativity, and Comfort with Ambiguity.

The authors offer six pieces of advice to leaders who want to improve capacity in those four skills. Items 2-6 are topics I write about often through a coaching lens. Here’s their take through a lens grounded in research:

1. Be a catalyst, not a planner. You can’t predict anything, so stop spending time planning and managing change. Leaders need to catalyze change and spend far more time living in experiments – set hypotheses, act, gather feedback, iterate fast, repeat.

2. Trust and let go. Forget command and control. Instead, trust the people you hired, and distribute authority widely, both inside and outside of your organization, e.g., to vendors and partners. No one can do it alone (if that was ever true!)

3. Be an explorer. They define exploration as “curiosity in action.” Get out of your office. Ask questions instead of offering answers.

4. Be courageous. While leaders must create workspaces that support psychological safety, leaders themselves must operate outside that zone. NOT taking action may be the biggest risk of all. Thus, "leaders must go from trying to have all the answers to being comfortable with being uncomfortable."

5. Be present. The best leaders stay emotionally engaged and communicate openly and authentically. To do that they must practice radical empathy, admit vulnerability, and become adept at storytelling.

6. Live values with conviction. If you can’t name and communicate your Why, you better figure it out.

For more tips and the data, read the full discussion here.

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Remember, Leadership is not about a title: Anyone can be a leader who brings a curious mind and heart to their work and seeks to learn every day!

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III. This is an Invitation: Help me experiment!

nine photos from Jim's Instagram account: trees, snow, Jim holding a glass of beer, the sky, covid day announcement - what normal is holiday beverages, Jim and his wife, cappucino

I’m looking to build a short-term R&D team (research & development) to support me in an upcoming experiment.

I created an Instagram account four years ago, just for fun. Visit my profile and you’ll instantly understand that I’m all about beer, coffee, food, and funky flooring. Mostly nobody sees it, and I’ve been good with that as I’ve learned about the platform.

HOWEVER, next month I’m going to kick off a short-term experiment with more serious stuff, like Happiness, Leadership, and Coaching Tips plus some giveaways!

What’s an R&D team? It’s a group of folks willing to offer me feedback and reaction. Does this stuff resonate or make sense? Should I do more? Is it stupid? Does it make you think? What would you change or add?

If you are curious and might have a few minutes starting mid-March to look, respond, and drop in a few comments, I invite you to follow me on Instagram.com/The Executive Happiness Coach.

Then stay tuned. Thanks!

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IV. This is a Commercial!

Cruise ship with the words Aspect Travel an Aspect Marketing and Communication Project

I'm attending the 2022 New York State Human Resources CONFERENCE CRUISE. In fact, I'm a featured speaker both on-ground and on the ship -- HR Marketing, and Conversations that Matter – both earning HRCI Business Credits! Yes, cruises are happening (after three pandemic postponements), and what a great way to earn CEUs. See the site for full details including how to have this convo with your boss. Cost effective AND fun? It's a Both/And! https://hrcruise.com/

Brochure for May: https://hrcruise.com/documents/2022_May_Booklet_V4.pdf

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As we near the start of Pandemic Year 3, is your oxygen tank full enough? To remind you how to do that re-read Happiness Principles 1, 2, & 3. Then post this summary of The 13 Principles of Happiness on your board and try one or two new ideas this month!

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V. The Executive Happiness Coach®

If you ever feel like you'd benefit from support for getting where you're going, give me a shout. Same applies if someone walks into your office and says, "Hey, do you know a good coach?"

If you enjoy this message, forward or share with others. Thank you!

Jim Smith, PCC, is The Executive Happiness Coach®, a global player in the space of Executive Presence, Vitality, Team Coaching, Keynote speaking, and mentor coaching.

For more tips on Leadership, Coaching, and Happiness, visit JimSmith.Coach and download my report on "The Ten Terrible Habits That Undermine Leadership...and what to do about them before time runs out."
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