Leadership

Whatever you do, keep moving.

January 16, 2015 By Marta Goertzen

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered for many important speeches and actions.

I love this particular quote from Dr. King,

“If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl but whatever you do, keep moving.”

Excellent advice! Keep moving at whatever pace and by whatever available to achieve your goals. Once you stop moving you begin to accept your current situation. You lose site of the fact that you can make a difference in something if you simply keep moving.

In this time of hyper partisanship, it is appropriate to contemplate Dr. King’s words to see how we can make a difference. How can we come together to make the world a better place for our families and our neighbors?

Dr. King was the face of a movement. His voice soared. We are just small people wandering from day to day trying to cover the basics. It is still possible for each of us to make a difference if we just keep moving.

The Interview Doctor remembers Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on his birthday.

Turn 9/11 on its head!!

September 11, 2014 By Marta Goertzen

Today I attended a fascinating presentation on how to manage multi-generation workforce’s. This is a hot topic on the presentation circuit since business leaders are trying to figure out how to juggle four generations in the workforce. Each generation has its own perspective and style based on life experiences.

This is a timely subject in my house. My husband, Kermit, is solidly in the Baby Boomer generation, growing up in the sixties during the Vietnam War. He wants to understand “why”. He works hard and accepts what comes his way, albeit with a some skepticism.

managing multi-generational workforce

I am younger, not quite a Gen Xer and not completely comfortable among Baby Boomers who are mostly older than me. My kids range from Gen X to Millennial. Their life experiences are different. They all are products of divorce and working parents so they are latch key kids. They grew up with games and lots of technology. My husband, not so much. I try hard to keep up.

Millennial’s always want more. They have been praised for every action. They expect a response. The other day my daughter, Marissa, got a raise. She actively pursued it by presenting the reasons why she deserved the raise. She did everything that was asked of her. She improved in every area requested. Her quality of work is excellent. She deserved a raise but she complained to me later, “I expected more than a 5% raise.” I was speechless. The average merit increase in 2014 is around 3%.

Older folks call them spoiled and entitled. I disagree. They are the children we raised. They reflect the realities of their times and the parenting they received. Marissa works hard and expects rewards. She always got rewarded for her hard work in the past. Why should she not get rewarded now? A true millennial generation response.

I bring this up to honor my daughter, Marissa, a wonderful Millennial who will turn 26 on 9/11. She was 13 on that important day. Certainly she has been influenced by constant war and terror. In that way she is not so different from Kermit’s life experience coming to age in the Vietnam War era. Every year her birthday is a somber celebration of a terrible American tragedy.

Can you imagine? This is so much worse than having a birthday on Christmas or New Year’s. At least those holidays (for those who celebrate) are happy. But Marissa is tagged with a tragedy.

Yet she is a happy, confident young woman, a proud representative of the best of her generation.

It is time to use 9/11 to focus on the future to commemorate those lost in that terrible tragedy 13 years ago.

Let’s give the Millennial generation a break. Give them what they need. Show them how to direct their energy to lead in a positive inclusive fashion. Show them how to overcome this 9/11 burden to be productive, contributing leaders.

And wish Marissa a happy birthday!!

Sustained Desired Change: Learning and Renewal

July 1, 2014 By Marta Goertzen

Learning and Renewal at 2014 ICF Midwest Conference in Cleveland

I attended a wonderful conference last week, the 2014 ICF Global Midwest Conference in Cleveland.

This was a wonderful time for coaches to gather and learn from each other. I met some fascinating people! I would like to share a few ideas I learned that might be useful in your business life or in your job search.

This blog will focus on ideas useful in your business life.

Richard Boyzatis, a professor at Case Western University specializing in resonate leadership and emotional intelligence, gave the keynote speech opening the conference.

He gave us an exercise to kick off the session that was particularly interesting.

You became who are you are today from the relationships you had in the past.

Pick a few of those important people. What did they say to you that made a positive impact? How do you feel when you think about those people and those stories?

Try this right now.

I imagined my father. He pursued adventures and stretched himself intellectually, spiritually, and physically all the time. Even so he was a quiet man and a little fearful. He taught me to stretch despite your fears. He had a strong impact on my life. When I think of him I become more adventurous; I put my fears aside and try something new. I feel warm and confident when I think of him.

When I experience this warm feeling I get a sense of excitement and openness. This feeling is actually a release. It is a wonderful stress antidote!

Dr. Boyzatis said that we are hardwired to pick up emotions from other people that sense their stress intuitively, without realizing it. The emotional energy that leaders and coaches send out are more powerful than the words they say or even their actions because people pick them up unconsciously.

If you are in a bad mood, other people will notice it without realizing what they are noticing. You would be so much more effective and have a much more positive reaction on those around you if you feel uplifted.

If you feel uplifted others around you will feel uplifted.

This positive energy will make the day more positive; work will happen faster, better, more positively. It is like magic! But it is real.

He says it starts with a vision. Know what you want and why. Then take action to make it happen. Engage in some activity that renews you so you can send out positive energy. For example, mediate or pray to a loving God, get physical exercise, take a walk, or laugh. These actions counterbalance stress and renew our spirit. This opens us to joy which is contagious.

What have you done recently to renew yourself?

Take a few minutes today to actively renew your spirit so your team will feel renewed and uplifted. Imagine what you can accomplish with an uplifted positive attitude and a team that supports your vision? It is breathtaking!

How to be a Father’s Day Role Model

June 13, 2014 By Marta Goertzen

Father’s Day is more than a day to buy a card and a cheesy gift. Father’s Day to me is a day to remember my favorite role model.

“Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.” – Albert Schweitzer

Roger Dreuth 2nd from left

My dad, Roger Dreuth, was a neat guy. His mustache and goatee reinforced his professorial look. He was a musician, a teacher, almost a PhD, an artist, a great debater, and a tinker. He had a million hobbies. His wood sculpture is on display in a museum. Music filled our home. The basement was always a mess with half-done projects in various stages of disrepair.

To my mind he invented the idea of a bucket list because he and my mom always had one constantly being revised as they checked off major accomplishments.

Dad wanted to hold his daughters close forever but bravely sent us out into the world to face challenges, heartbreak, and accomplishments even as his heart broke for our difficulties. But this is what parents do. They do their best to infuse the proper values and habits then they let us spread our wings and take on the world.

He kept his mouth shut as I made mistakes then held me close when the disappointments hit home. He never once said, “I told you so” even when I richly deserved it. He was always there with a comforting word.

When I grow up I want to be someone’s role model. I want to behave in a way that someone wants to emulate. I want to keep my mouth shut and let others make mistakes so they learn by doing, not because I keep butting in with my opinion. I want letting go to make someone strong and confident.

I want to do this with my own children, with my clients, and with my protégés. I want to be a role model like my role model.

This Father’s Day, say thank you to your role model. Maybe it is your father. Maybe it is someone who is like a father to you. Then think about what it takes to be a role model to someone important in your life. Be quiet. Be present. Most of all, let your actions speak louder than your words.

Thanks Dad. I miss you every day.

Katherine

Career Lessons from Flight Dynamics

December 27, 2013 By Marta Goertzen

If you pay attention you can pick up knowledge in the oddest places. I attended an information session last week about focus. The points made just as much sense for people who work in business as it does for small business owners like me.

According to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, “stability and control are much more complex for an airplane which can move freely in three dimensions, than for cars or boats, which only move in two.”

An airplane has three axis’ of movement: yaw (rotation around the vertical axis), pitch (rotation from side to side), and roll (rotation around the front to back axis). It is as if three lines run through an airplane intersecting at right angles at the airplane’s center of gravity. You must pay attention to many details at one time.

I can drive boats and cars but I cannot drive an airplane. It looks pretty complicated. If you mess up one of the three elements the plane goes out of control and becomes unstable. This is serious stuff.

It got me thinking. A career is like an airplane. You have to control many elements:

Your brand or reputation – the sum of your experience and relationships with others.
Your network – the relationships you build with people you meet.
What you know – the quality of your work and the way you seek out information to solve problems.

Every day is an adventure in control and stability. Make a mistake in any one area and you wobble a bit. Lose control of any two and you have big problems.

Wake up every day committed to keep your career stable and under control. Take calculated risks. Reach out to build your network or learn something new.

Leadership

The Interview Doctor remembers Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on his birthday.

And wish Marissa a happy birthday!!

Learning and Renewal at 2014 ICF Midwest Conference in Cleveland

Take a few minutes today to actively renew your spirit so your team will feel renewed and uplifted. Imagine what you can accomplish with an uplifted positive attitude and a team that supports your vision? It is breathtaking!

Father’s Day is more than a day to buy a card and a cheesy gift. Father’s Day to me is a day to remember my favorite role model.

If you pay attention you can pick up knowledge in the oddest places. I attended an information session last week about focus. The points made just as much sense for people who work in business as it does for small business owners like me.

Take control of your future in 2014!