Well, it’s no secret that The Benwicks are huge animal lovers! To build on the current theme of Bob’s recent blog on Beau Benwick, I would like to share another perspective on leadership based on the human interaction with canines as we seek to establish the “leader in the pack” not unlike establishing our role as leader in any organization or community.

Cesar Millan, is an incredible animal behaviorist. You may have seen his show on the National Geographic Channel…. The Dog Whisperer…. I tend to tune in the wee hours of the morning on those nights when sleep escapes me – too much late night caffeine! I always get “take aways” from each show….not just in regard to our canine house mates, but I see such parallels to leadership amongst human kind. Cesar’s coin of the phrase “Leader of the Pack” has great meaning regardless of what species provides the context.

While several leadership pathways emerge from observing and reading about Cesar’s choice of methods [read Be the Pack Leader, Millan, C. & Peltier, J.(2007)], I am taken with the emphasis demonstrated on the value of calm assertive energy as a means to bring about desirable outcome…..in canine world this showcases the need for self regulation of the leader’s energy as dogs are all about reading this. It is what they respond to. If we as leader exhibit anger, excitement, anxiety, and/or fear while working with our canines, what will we bring about for them? Clearly we are modeling unbalanced behavior of which they will emulate or respond to. Watching those on TV who reach out to Cesar to bring solution to their canine problems, he is very clear as to who needs the help….the leader! It is interesting to note that those coming from a leadership position that demonstrates anxiety or excitable behaviour also tend to struggle to achieve the bottom and top line results, results they are looking for as their messaging. Just as with canines, they will often come across to others as perhaps reactive and confusing, or unpredictable, intimidating, lackluster and incredulous, often eroding that most important aspect…..trust! 

So what does this mean for us homo sapiens? In our human experience under conditions of stress (that’s constantly around us), the question is, ‘as leaders how do we show up for others and what messaging are we sending to those that we lead? If our anxiety, anger, and/or fear are not well self-regulated, particularly in these challenging times….. can you, the organizational leader, really expect to get desired contribution and performance from your people once you’ve made key decisions? Under continuous growing demands from all around you, in such a state can a you, as leader, clearly produce the best balanced decisions for the organization and its constituents? What tools could your organization provide you with to fully support you to better self-regulate, thus maximizing your leadership effectiveness and providing the leverage for you to become a highly respected “leader of the pack”? 

And….to Cesar Millan, …… it would be a sincere pleasure to eventually have the opportunity to meet a true developer of leaders!

Are there any Cesars in your organization? Are you one? What do you need to say yes to in order to create the possibility! What do you need to start saying no to in order assure its happening?

The name of the fellow you see above is Beau, Beau Benwick. He had what Jim Collins referred to as unwavering resolve. We treated him like a son. Beau came into our life when we had lost a previous rescue Brittany Spaniel, CeCe. Within a few months of CeCe passing away, Bev (my wife and CEO of our global executive coaching firm) had gone onto the American Brittany Rescue Association website and shortly thereafter said, “I’m flying down to Chicago on business and while there I’ll be putting our new rescue dog daughter, Honey, on the first plane to Seattle and please arrange to drive down and pick her up.” I dutifully, yet quite excitedly, said, “Absolutely!” Within two weeks of that, Bev said “Would you also arrange to drive down to Sacramento and pick up our new rescue dog son, Beau?” This was about 8 years ago and they would be our first pair of Rescue Brittanys being brought to their ‘forever home’. 

The foregoing is just setting the stage for the wonderful story to come. Both Beau and Honey settled in very quickly and were showered with love and every amenity any human being could wish for. Although Honey came from a good home and background, Beau came to us as an abused, rough and tumble character that never went around anything, but through it. He was a stoic fellow who never whined, but simply took what life handed out. He had a powerful and quiet strength about him. Both he and Honey became very, very close to Bev, who has an extensive equine background. She has this magic around animals that when they see her, they will come considerable distances just to be near her. It’s actually quite amazing to observe.

Now back to Beau. About two and a half years ago Bev began her Master in Leadership degree at Royal Roads University, Victoria, BC. She took this task on with huge gusto and worked on squeezing every ounce of learning she could out of the experience. What I’m trying to say is that she studied 24-7 for two plus years. Once she started on her thesis project, she literally lived in her second story office in our home. Always with her was Beau, lying at her feet on a sheepskin rug under her desk and computer. 

It was soon after Bev started working on her degree that we noticed Beau was experiencing physical difficulties. He was immediately taken to the vet, who after taking a number of x-rays, shared that Beau had cancer and would probably not live for another month. A complete shock to us and heart rending! As is her way, Bev then pulled out all the stops and had Beau provided with every traditional and non-traditional healing alternative available. This included bringing in an ‘animal psychic’ by the name of Jerry, who has since become a dear friend. After being introduced to Beau, Jerry started to work with him with great intensity. It was in one of the early sessions that Jerry told Bev and I that Beau shared with him that he was not prepared to move on until Bev had completed her ‘work’, meaning her studies. It was about being there for her, supporting and protecting her because he had strongly picked up on her increased stress levels. This went completely in the face of his prognosis.

Through the good and bad they were both there for each other. They were absolutely inseparable. It wasn’t unusual for me to get up in the wee hours of the morning on any night of the week and see Bev working hard in her office with Beau at her feet. He never left her. Bev rarely left her office other than to deliver on her executive coaching commitments, eat and get ’some’ sleep.

Two years after Beau’s prognosis, Bev completed her exceptionally lengthy thesis and pushed the button on her computer with an enormous sigh of relief and a declaration that “It’s finally done!” It was the very next day Beau passed away, March 24th, 2008. It would be an understatement to say his passing was enormous. The lessons learned from this wonderful ‘being’ called Beau Benwick were monumental. In his way, Beau was a wonderful teacher and leader to the both of us.

So, in line with our blog site theme, I believe that Jim Collins, in his influential book Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . and Others Don’t, really captured the qualities of this amazing being who came into our lives and changed us forever . . . and for so much the better. The five attributes that Jim Collins claims typify a Level 5 Leader, were completely aligned with who Beau Benwick was:

1. Self-Confident Enough To Set Up Their Successors For Success – Beau did this in spades for Bev. 

2. Humble and Modest - never did Beau complain during the cancer that eventually wracked his body, but always showed enormous strength in a quiet, loving and caring manner as he supported Bev.

3. Have “Unwavering Resolve” – Beau made it clear the two years previously that he would never abandon Bev, would unwaveringly support and protect her until she had ‘completed climbing her mountain’. 

4. Display a “Workmanlike Diligence” - more plow horse than show horse, this was Beau through and through; nothing deterred him from being at Bev’s side in his quiet, powerful manner.

5. Give Credit to Others for Their Success and Take Full Responsibility For Poor Results - Beau was solely there for Bev, expected nothing but kindness and love in return no matter what the result of Bev’s academic efforts were. She was his hero regardless of the outcome. (By the way she received rave reviews from her Academic Advisor on her final thesis report).

Well that was our Beau. He left an enormous hole in our lives. When he passed away, Honey, who was at the peak of health at the time, quickly deteriorated from his passing and absence and she too passed away three months later. Bev and I simply could not stand the vacuum created in our lives by their loss. Bev got back in touch with the American Brittany Rescue Association and last June and July, 2008, I was instructed to drive to Montana and to pick up ‘Woody’ a five year old male Brittany love machine, and ‘Skya’, a seven your old female Brittany sweetheart who had been rescued from a ‘Kill Shelter’ a month prior (see YouTube). She’s another story because she actually named herself with Jerry’s help. If interested, I would be happy to share this story with you as well.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little tale. It’s been cathartic for me and I thank you for your indulgence. I admired Beau and learned a lot from his quiet strength and unwavering resolve. I would enjoy hearing about similar experiences. Just go to ‘comments’ below and have at it. Have a great day!

“Given the current market and the organization’s poor revenues over the past year, I wasn’t surprised when they gave me notice of termination.” Tony, a senior marketing executive with a large petrochemical firm had just been let go after 15 years with the organization. “So how are you feeling in this moment?”, I asked. “Well, even though I had guessed my number was coming up, it still came as a complete shock. Not only to me, but to my family as well! It’s been a long time since I’ve looked for a job and I’m not sure where to start.” “Well based on what I know about you so far, I’m confident you will do well in promoting yourself, and strongly believe that you’ll succeed in your campaign to find a new job!” I continued, “Let’s really drill down and build a solid foundation for you to move forward confidently and powerfully.”

“What is it you believe you need to do to succeed?” I asked him. Tony is a very outgoing individual with a naturally positive outlook that he would have to lean on as he moved forward with his career transition. “Well, there is no doubt that the way I will look at this whole situation will form the foundation of my job search campaign and probably be the reason why I’ll succeed at it. Plus, I’d like to make solid progress toward landing on my feet in another position as soon as practical and bank as much of my severance as possible!” he said with conviction.

“How do you plan to navigate through the forthcoming job search challenges and implement a powerful campaign for yourself?” I inquired. “I probably need to start at the beginning!” he said facetiously. “Say that again?”, I responded. “Seriously, I sense that I need to begin taking some kind of inventory of my strengths and get clear on the work I truly love to do, getting some clarity around what it is I want to really achieve, and preparing to package and market myself.” Tony stated.

“It appears that you already have good clarity and a great jump start on how you plan to market yourself and build a strong network of contacts”, I commented, and went on, “What else do you need to focus on?”. “For sure, I’ll need to also take a hard look at my interview and negotiating skills. I just know, there’ll be no room for laying back and taking it easy, not until I’ve nailed down a good opportunity”.” So, how do you need to be as you move forward?”, I asked. Tony, quickly responded with a resounding, “I need to be thoughtful, thorough and persistent in everything I do from here on in. I also need to be physically, psychologically and spiritually at my best!”

With this, Tony and I coached and collaborated around key steps in his career transition plan that would be needed to assure his success. The following capture what we coached around and Tony made happen. 

1. Completed A Full Inventory of Himself: Identified his past successes, current strengths, over-all work and leadership styles, and personal preferences and became expert in the product – himself.
2. Clarified His Career Direction: got great clarity, became focused and realistic all based firmly on his key strengths.
3. Professionally Packaged & Presented Himself: developed powerful résumés (professional brochures) that showcased him professionally.
4. Developed a Laser-Focused Marketing Campaign: created a clear strategy for going after those industries, organizations, roles and key decision makers in a way that took full advantage of his limited time, available resources and assured a successful outcome of his market campaign. 
5. Created A Powerful Strategic Network: engaged in a highly planful and results producing Business relationships building campaign that was vital to his job search success. 
6. Designed Highly Influential Campaign Correspondence: designed and developed a range of professional search campaign letters from introducing himself to following up on key opportunities. 
7. Partnering with His Coach, Practiced His Interviewing and Negotiating Skills: deepened his emotional intelligence that included his self-regulation, communication (particularly asking and listening) skills, and his empathy accuracy and compassion abilities that proved essential to converting opportunities into ready job offers. 
8. Assured His Success In The New Job: We worked together to assure successful leadership transition into the new role by taking steps that would accelerate his transition from being an initial net consumer of the new organization’s resources to a net contributor in as short a time as practical.

Tony was amazingly thorough and persistent in managing his job search campaign. He worked as hard for Tony Inc., 5 days a week, 8 hours a day, as he had for his previous employer. This dramatically contributed to his achieving, and even exceeding, what he truly wanted. In his case it took him five and a half months. He was eventually offered and accepted a position more senior and at a higher total compensation level than where he had been previously working. Nothing to sneeze at! I loved partnering with him as his career transition coach during that part of his life’s journey.

What were the blinding glimpses of the obvious for you in Tony’s experience? What would you add to the foregoing? What part causes you personal trepidation? What would you do differently if you were to do this?

“Listen, I feel confident about most things, but terminating some of my staffs’ employment isn’t really one of them. I don’t want to be one of those managers that simply say, ‘nice tie, you’re fired’!” said Frank, a senior operations vice-president I’ve been coaching. “Given the white-water economy we’re faced with, some serious people decisions have to be made around here, that will probably include cutting some people loose. Again, I really don’t want to do this. However, I’d like to make sure I don’t make any major errors when the rubber hits the ground.” Frank and I agreed that letting people go is more common than not these days and this action needs to be managed competently and with compassion for both the organization and those folks who will be departing.

“So, what would be some key payoffs of your handling these employment terminations well?” I asked Frank. Being a relatively quiet individual by nature, he took some time to think about it before he responded. The following benefits surfaced during our coaching discussion: 

• reduced trauma and the adverse impact of the event to the individuals affected
• avoid some serious downsides when thoughtfully providing the difficult news and hopefully maintain healthy relationships following the event
• minimized potential problems for the organization itself in terms of a well handled meeting, sending a positive message to those remaining, and avoiding unintended comments
• Being in service of the departing employees getting a positive jump start toward landing on their feet as quickly as practical with their job search campaigns

Based on the foregoing, Frank and I further coached around what some of the logical key steps might be when engaging in the process. These included:

DECOMPRESSION: choose an appropriate time and a neutral setting for the termination meeting (not in his office)

SET THE CONTEXT: authentically and briefly express genuine concern for the organization’s current situation and future prospects 

GET TO THE POINT: state the departure very quickly, clearly and succinctly.

TERMINATION PACKAGE AND SUPPORT: explain the termination package, including benefits coverage and any career transition coaching support being made available, and offering to support the individual wherever practical.

DOCUMENTATION: ensuring a letter outlining the specifics of the termination package, including a release document, be given to the individual so that they can study the letter and package later when the dust starts to settle. “ LASER LISTEN: Allow time for the individual to react and raise questions of clarification, yet being clear the decision has been made and is final

COMPASSION AND SUPPORT: offer moral support, but not in terms of reversing the decision that has been made.

TERMINATION TRANSITION: following thorough pre-planning, discuss the specific details concerning the individual’s transition out of the organization.

CAREER TRANSITION COACH: introduce the separating individual to the assigned R. W. BENWICK ASSOCIATES career transition coach or internal Human Resource Management specialist. Meeting Length: total meeting time to be kept to 10 to 15 minutes max! A longer meeting could very well deteriorate, and end up creating unnecessary concerns.

AFTER THE MEETING: once the departed individual has worked with their R. W. BENWICK ASSOCIATES coach and prepared for their employment search they may want to meet with Frank for some information, advice or suggestions relative to their job search campaign, or they may want to approach him to provide a reference. Here, the R. W. BENWICK ASSOCIATES coach can help to smoothly facilitate the terminated employee to move forward quickly and reduce any related discomfort experienced by Frank.

Frank felt quite confidant at the end of our coaching meeting on the topic and now knew where he needed to spend more time deepening his understanding, planning, organizing and preparing to handle this difficult task thoughtfully and compassionately. 

What else do you think Frank needs to consider? Other potential problems? What else might he do to prevent these or to minimize any adverse consequences should they arise? Your thoughts and feelings around the foregoing would be most appreciated.

 ”For some reason when I tell them what I want accomplished, I simply don’t appear to be getting the results!” stated Barbara, my executive coaching client. “So how do you feel about that?”, I asked. “Frustrated as hell, impotent, and powerless to make things happen!”, she replied. She went on, “I thought I understood this leadership and power stuff, but I think I’ve missed the boat somehow.” We engaged in some solid discussion and coaching around what power is and is not for her. From this Barbara mined some great insights and confidently identified what she needed to start, stop and continue doing as a leader to improve her ability to enhance her relationships and dramatically increase her group’s strategic contribution to both her Division’s and the organization’s success.

As we coached, she quickly became more aware that she can’t just power someone, she can only influence them. However, she also realized that she needs power in order to effectively influence others to do want she needed done. She noted in our coaching discussion that power for her was in fact an essential leadership resource. She also quickly ascertained from our exchange that there are basically two sources of power that are available for her to tap into: organizational position power that came with her role, and her own personal power.

As we explored sources of position power, Barbara concluded that this came from her access to the formal power essentially her right to command. She also noted that with her role came the ability to use rewards, be they financial or non-financial rewards. She quickly added to the foregoing her ability to use coercion to get want she wanted from others, be they threats, denial of rewards or even the use of punishment. Although she tried not to use these, she felt some folks may have seen it more often than not. After further discussion, she concluded that other sources of her position power might also include her control of her function’s business processes, access and control of key information, and the power to represent her strategic business unit. Although, all legitimate, she was very clear that these should be used with considerable forethought, sparingly and by exception. Unfortunately, in hindsight she confided that she was concerned about her inappropriate use of some of the foregoing and wanted to modify related behaviors.

We continued with our discussion around those sources of power. She emphasized a desire to increase her ability to get results through others, whether they reported directly to her or not, and assure that they would also be highly satisfied with their working relationship with her. She felt if she could achieve this the result would probably be higher motivation on their part, resulting in generally increased effort to make things happen and thus support successful achievement of her and their overall performance  targets.

This then lead to more coaching around Barbara’s sources of personal power. These tended to include her expert power such as her specialized knowledge, experience and judgment that the others needed access to because they didn’t have it themselves. Another source was her ability to rationally persuade others that the goals she wanted achieved were desirable and the way to achieve them reasonable. And last, but not least, was what we both agreed was absolutely one of her greatest sources of potential power and that was her ability to influence others because they genuinely like her and want to identify with her. Barbara knew that would be possible only if she takes the time to invest in relationships with key others and allows herself to withdraw when needed to get critical results accomplished.

It became obvious that for her to achieve important results through not only her people, but also through her peers, boss and key others, personal power was the most critical area for her to continue to develop and enhance. She felt the focus would now be on developing her likeability—referent power. This is one smart lady and I know she will become even more powerful and influential in advancing her organization’s strategic advantage.

Based on the foregoing, what would you have added that could enable her to be a more powerful leader? What was the gold nugget for you in Barbara’s situation? Oh, the places she’ll go when she gets on top of this one!