Leaders Are Readers -- May 2024

Normally, I would have emailed and posted this on LinkedIn yesterday as my method and meter is to do so on the last Monday of each month. I deliberately decided to not post because Memorial Day is too important to muddle with this missive. Here is what I posted on Friday on LinkedIn as a precursor to Memorial Day:??

This morning, I am putting in final preparations and practice on my comments being delivered this afternoon while I officiate the promotion of a former troop to full-bird Colonel. Seventeen years ago, I promoted this same person to Captain. It is amazing to see how much he has accomplished, and I'm once again honored to serve him in this manner.?

As we pause to remember this coming Monday, Memorial Day 2024, and as I put on my Service Dress uniform for the first time in six months, it occurs to me this is the first Memorial Day in 30 years where I no longer wear the cloth of America on Active Duty.?

The torch of that service has been passed on to the next generation. Some of them will give their all, including breathing their last breath in service and sacrifice so my family and I can continue living a life of safety and security. A life free from fear and full of hope and promise. They are the bridge between our storied past and what I hope is a still surging future.

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Memorial Day Musings -- 2021

Please do not wish me a "Happy Memorial Day".?

While catching up on some work email this morning, an unsolicited request for me to endorse a "no cost" contract was in the inbox with "Happy Memorial Day Shawn". First, I don't sign or respond to unsolicited emails from people I do not know, especially at work. Second, there is nothing "happy" about Memorial Day.?

Methinks this person, from a private company, wasn't mal-intended, but doesn't understand when addressing a senior military official, they should know the context and conditions that led to our Nation, I think rightly, setting this day aside. It is to honor, remember, reflect, and respect all those military members who gave their last full measure of devotion in defense of our liberties and freedoms.?

Those souls who swore an oath to defend the Constitution of this Nation ... the greatest republic in human history. Many of you know this adage, they wrote a blank check to our citizenry; they paid it in full, with a measure of devotion I pray my other brothers and sisters in arms never have to pay.?

Many of you know my career and my history. The names, faces, and stories of a couple thousand Americans are seared into my heart, head, and soul. Every single one gave their last full measure of devotion in service. I buried many of them. Too many of them.?

I was responsible for ensuring nearly two thousand American sons and daughters that we lost in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Northern Africa during the height of wartime operations in Iraq and Afghanistan were returned home with dignity, honor, and respect. It was a solemn duty, and I was moved and motivated to get it done well.?

Memorial Day isn't about lionizing our lost Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, Guardians, or Coast Guardsmen; it is a day to simply say a prayer and offer our silent, solemn gratitude that such humans lived, and died, so that we may live free, safe, and secure. Provide well wishes to a veteran on Veterans Day. Today, just say thank you to those we've lost and remember your freedom came at a price someone else paid.

APPLIED AI & ANALYTICS

Excellent question! Do we trust AI too much? Being careful to avoid an all-encompassing generalization, I posit that yes, many, if not, most people do trust AI without some scrutiny (at times). Within this piece, the author?shares details from a 2011 fire drill experiment. Of course, that was now 13 years ago, but the same instincts to "trust" are human nature, particularly as we've been conditioned by things working correctly, to "instinctively" assign that same trust to other situations and scenarios. Perhaps you, dear Reader, have experienced the same directional mistakes as I have trusting Google Maps, which, according to Google, uses AI "to provide real-time traffic updates, route optimization, location tracking, and in-depth local information". Albeit not often, there have been times, I've trusted Google Maps to get me to a particular location only to find it doesn't get me to the right place. In fairness, some of that is due to the application not either having access?to, or readily accessing, the most up to date data. New neighborhoods that haven't yet been mapped, will yield going to the wrong place. While I haven't yet been turned into a body of water following Google Maps, the author's points about applying our own EQ, or (my add) our own common sense, should be applied to trusting AI. Sometimes, we have that sixth sense that something isn't correct. We need not ignore those instincts, usually born of experience, while also having healthy trust in advancing, and when proven time and again, technologies. From this article's author emphasizing this particular point: "I see several needs for this moment in technology’s evolution. The first — and this probably requires regulation — is that technology companies, particularly those in artificial intelligence and generative AI, need to figure out ways to blend human emotional quotient (EQ) with technology to give people cues on when to second-guess such tools. This will help ensure that customer trust in the technology is justified. Second, users of these technologies have to train themselves to be continually on the alert."?In AI We Trust — Too Much? (mit.edu)

As advanced and articulated in the first Applied AI & Analytics piece this month, AI application is not a binary, all or nothing choice, including in how we recruit personnel. Over the past several years, I engaged directly with a number of companies who are offering capabilities in this space. Two in particular I found quite impressive. One with which, during my time building the US Space Force, we contracted to run a pilot. This company focused on the applying member's interview once their resume was screened into the candidate list. Essentially, their technology highlights cues, competencies, and other things the human may well miss, particularly given the digitized nature of the interviewing process vice in-person. That 75 percent or so of non-verbal communication is harder to adjudge and assess when not in the same physical space. The other company I looked at deeply and deliberately took the opposite side of the interaction. They focused on helping interviewers become better. Both companies readily acknowledge and address that bias does creep into the algorithms. They routinely and regularly review their AI, attempting to minimize those impacts. The company that focuses on the interviewer vice interviewee started on the interviewee but came to the conclusion there was a greater opportunity to limit bias on the interviewer side of the equation and lead to better hiring decisions. Part of the reason we were looking to harness technology was sheer math. For every single civilian position we had open, we received well in excess of 100 applications. Just the first 100 or so open positions net us close to 15,000 applications as I recall. Going through all of those was immensely time consuming and fraught with losing out on the best candidates simply because volume overwhelmed the human brain. Fatigue was a very real thing going through all of those. Applying technology, with human reviews, allows for greater speed and opens opportunities to find better fits. Like the first piece, the authors here propose a need to find balance between AI and human reviews. From the piece:?"Almost every stage in the recruitment timeline from sourcing to talent retention is evolving with the development of AI assistance. But the utilization of AI in people-oriented professions like recruitment needs to be approached with care. While AI can be a useful tool, many executives are increasingly concerned about issues of accuracy and algorithmic bias. Therefore, it is crucial to understand AI’s pros and cons. It is often when humans are removed from the process that an AI pro can quickly become a con. Ultimately, the recruiter, CHRO and their team remain indispensable. Should you use AI in your recruitment—and if so, what do you need to be aware of?"?AI Recruitment Tools: The Pros and Cons (kornferry.com)

Over the past several years, and in some circumstances, even longer, private and public organizations have added Chief Data Officers (CDO), Chief Technology Officers (CTO), in some organizations, Chief Technology & Information Officers (CTIO) vice CTO, Chief Information Security Officers (CISO), and now Chief Artificial Intelligence Officers (CAIO). Many real and rational reasons for doing so. One question I often consider when adding new positions, particularly at senior levels is, what are the primary reasons for doing so and how are we framing out roles and responsibilities to avoid duplication? An executive must take into consideration how much more challenging their span of control may become by expanding the alphabet. The following piece points to how and why a CAIO is not duplicating what a CDO or CTO does, and also that the position need not be a "C-Suite" position. Regardless, having someone focused deliberately on AI ethics, governance, and strategy is sensible. Naturally, lots of interaction with other C-Suiters, but not every organization can afford to, or really need to, elevate and add another executive. However, as we've been exploring here for the past couple years, someone should helm that ship rather than these responsibilities being an additive set of responsibilities on someone whose primary focus is on something else.?A CEO’s guide to hiring a Chief AI Officer - WorkLife

Good follow-up or enhancing piece the one just above, at least in part, because all of the [new] executives therein addressed need to specifically separate roles vice conflating, confusing, or combining them in a manner where the unique aspects of AI, data, and analytics are honored. There are overlaps, of course, but setting up how to use AI ethically isn't the same thing as leaning an organization into being really adept and agile with understanding how to use data to make better decisions. The five trends explored and explained in this article are: 1) Generative AI Sparkles but Needs to Deliver Value (shared Gartner's hype cycle in April's Leaders Are Readers ... sharing it again here because it remains contextual:?Gartner Hype Cycle Research Methodology | Gartner); 2) Data Science is Shifting from Artisanal to Industrial (as it should be!!); 3) Two Versions of Data Products Will Dominate; 4) Data Science Roles Will Become Less Sexy; and 5) Data, Analytics, and AI Leaders Declare Independence (in some organizations, know these declarations have already been made).?Five Key Trends in AI and Data Science for 2024 | by MIT IDE | MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy | Medium

BOOKSHELF

First off the shelf this month?is Through Blood & Fire: Selected Civil War Papers of Major General Joshua Chamberlain by Mark Nesbitt. For Civil War buffs and those interested in military history, this is a really interesting read. My daughter, who has a BA in American History, gave me this book for Christmas. She and I share a love of American History, and really reading in time context what happened in and around key eras from our Founding Fathers forward. This particular book is a compilation of hundreds of letters Chamberlain wrote during his active Army service years, 1862-1865. Those who know about him likely think about his heroism at Gettysburg, leading to his being awarded the Medal of Honor. There is so, so much more to him than Gettysburg. Reading his letters to family members, mostly his wife and parents, to the Governors of Maine, to other military leaders, including many well-known generals, helps gain a much deeper understanding of the person. Doing additional reading and research, I learned more about his academic pedigree, the fact that he spoke ten languages (teaching himself Greek as a teenager!), and later served several terms as the Governor of Maine. Was also fascinating to learn, he didn't receive the Medal of Honor until 30 years after the events at Gettysburg. He was also wounded six different times in battle, nearly dying more than once, and so much more. This did take me several weeks to get through as some of the material is mundane, and my own military experiences made it, at times, challenging to read (particularly his writing about fallen comrades). The reasons for that being challenging I shared in my Memorial Day notes above. Suffice to say, my being a Chamberlain fan was only made deeper by reading his words. Mark does a great job providing amplifying?data and details about the letters, the circumstances and collisions that were happening when they were written and helps sharpen an understanding of who Chamberlain really was and why his life and leadership have so many still relevant and real lessons more than 150 years after the Civil War ended.?

The next selection is a book a friend, Dr Jason Womack, recommended. Be The Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Habits That Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest, by William Vanderbloemen. This is a very fast read, filled with real-world examples, probative questions to consider, and thoughts about how and why to apply each of the habits. The twelve are: Fast, Authentic, Agile, Solver, Anticipator, Prepared, Self-Aware, Curious, Connected, Likable, Productive, and Purpose Driven. The forward is written by John C. Maxwell. And while William's most formative experiences were as a pastor, he later moved into creating his own private firm to help organizations search for, and find, the best talent. As the title implies, his thesis is predicated on data pulled from research about more than 30,000 top executives, and more than 3,000 specific searches and interactions he and his team have executed over a 15-year period. The data shared within isn't dense, so this is not a statistics-based book, rather enough data is provided to appreciate his exposition about why these 12 habits matter to personal and professional success, no matter in what industry (private, public, profit, non-profit) one works. He provides a couple of examples of how well these habits are applied by people who are most likely household known names for most, if not all of our Readers. While I agree these habits are all useful, if not essential, to being a great leader and becoming and being a "unicorn", at least two of the specific people cited, fall flat for me as extraordinary examples of the habits William ascribes to them. Leaving it to the Reader to form your own opinions without me highlighting those two people in particular here. Including this note and nugget simply because my only real criticism is, better and non-controversial examples are readily knowable and available.? ?

HARVARD YARD

This month's walk around the yard is packed! Or, at least, so many of the daily flows into my read stack connected with my head and heart. Regardless, let's go!

This.Right.Here. Far and away, too many leaders dismiss the differences between generations, or they attempt to apply that there is something "wrong" with how generations differ. Why do these whiny Gen Y and Gen Z demand answers to so many "why" questions? Just do the work we hired you to do already! Why do I need to understand the "feels" Gen Y, Z and Alpha all seem to have about everything. Why do the Boomers get seemingly so annoyed with the younger generations (to wit, they seem to scowl and scream "get off my lawn!", all the time). Is Gen X really the coolest (well, I think so ... :)? How do we build culture, collaboration, and communication that works across now six generations? Do we need to (why, yes, yes and yes!)? Nicholas provides pragmatic, practical points here. I love the idea of looking at generations as cultures and harnessing the best of each.?

Create a Healthy Multigenerational Workplace by Nicholas Pearce

For the first time in history, workplaces are beginning to span six generations: from the octogenarians of the Silent Generation to the teenagers of Generation Alpha pursuing their first jobs and internships. As a manager, how can you lead across this multigenerational workforce??

Build your strategy around all six generations. This means both becoming an employer of choice for everyone and making sure your product mix appeals to all consumers.?

Level the playing field. Ensure that job applicants and employees don’t feel that they must hide their age or apologize for being a member of their generation to access opportunities in your organization.?

Look at generations as cultures—and harness the power of intergenerational diversity. Generational differences in norms regarding technology, communication, and leadership are common. Encouraging employees to build cross-cultural agility, which enables them to navigate differences with humility, curiosity, and flexibility, can help teammates of different generations productively engage with each other.?

Use purpose as a unifier. Employees at every level want meaning and mission in their lives. Help your intergenerational team understand and commit to a common purpose.

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The?first technique is something I know I learned years after managing, then later, leading people. The?ideas of both positive inquiry to elicit more understanding, but in a manner and mode that isn't intrusive, and as the name indicates, leads from a negative approach or seemingly negative connotation. One of my teammates taught?me his technique several years ago. He reframed by saying, "that I think I heard", or "I think I heard you say". That was really powerful because not only does it reframe, it also allows for a moment of reflection prior to providing a response to something that should have a response. I'd add a fourth action, whether or not you have additional questions. Follow-up with a thank you for your time and sharing with me.

Listen with Empathy by Jamil Zaki

The best managers are good listeners, and the best listeners exude empathy. And despite what you may think, empathy is a skill that you can practice and develop. Here are some ways to build the muscle.?

First, try “looping”: When you ask your employee a question, listen carefully to their answer, then paraphrase it back to them. You might add on a simple follow-up question like “Is that right?” or “What else am I missing?” This simple tactic helps ensure you’re understanding exactly what they are communicating.?

Then, reframe your role in the conversation. As a leader, your job isn’t always to offer advice or input. Sometimes it’s simply to be present and supportive. Assuming this more humble role in conversations with your reports will help you listen more deeply and focus less on what you want to say next.?

Finally, take time to reflect after each conversation. Pause and ask yourself: What did I learn from this person? A post-conversation audit is a simple and effective way to confirm that you understood your colleague clearly. If you’re left with more questions, write them down and follow up.

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What? This NEVER happens... Thinking that the detachment and taking action recommendations here apply even when we're motivated. Sure, when we're feeling motivated, we can churn and burn for long time periods. But it is good to walk away, detach, even in those productive, motivated periods. Not meaning right in the middle of flow, rather knowing the flow is only sustainable for so long. Sometimes, when I'm really cranking on something, I find it useful to detach for a few minutes. Get something to drink, stretch, check something out on LinkedIn, just something to keep my momentum forward moving without reaching a burnout point. Most days, even when really motivated, I tend to do a small task first thing as a way to not necessarily ease into the day, rather, to avoid the avalanche some days bring. Several years ago, we explored Admiral William McRaven's book,?Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World. Longtime Readers may remember the book was born out of the commencement address he gave at the University of Texas, Austin in May 2014. Following more than 10 million online views, the book was later published. It's a simple read, but the crux gets after taking action. If you make your bed every morning. A simple, essentially, no fail action, no matter what happens the rest of the day, you will have accomplished something. Sure, it is more about mindset than the actual task, but follows the same idea. When we're unmotivated, feel stuck, have a mental block; a simple, small task often is all we need to get back to flow state. I make my bed every morning. Of course, I spent a long time in the military. That's how I started the first days of my career at "boot camp". While I don't use hospital corners on my bed as the military required, I do make it every morning.?

Feeling Unmotivated? Here's How to Plug Back In by Robin Abrahams and Boris Groysberg

It’s common to go through periods at work where you’re just not feeling it. No matter what’s sapping your motivation, these strategies can help you interrupt the cycle of numbness and paralysis—and restore your sense of agency.?

Detach. Being unhappy at work can cloud your decision-making and make you reactive. Take a step back from work to reset your routine. Meditation, exercise, and reflection can help boost your focus and resilience.???

Practice empathy. Self-compassion is critical for re-engagement. Remind yourself that your thoughts, feelings, and values matter, and resist the impulse to withdraw from your manager and colleagues. Look for ways to deepen relationships and help people meet their goals.?

Take action. Start small. When you make progress on even minor, mundane tasks, your mood improves—as do the chances that you’ll be able to accomplish bigger goals. Outside activities can give you a sense of empowerment and reconnection that carries over to your work.

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Simple, straightforward, and on point, especially the last question. I've watched many leaders investigate, speculate, produce, and interpret. Perhaps it is because so many leadership tools and techniques train us to use four quadrants or to look at things in a four-part manner. The last question provided here I think may be the most overlooked thing. What are we not asking? What are we not thinking through? What is missing? While the author indicates the reasons for not saying the unsaid are all negatively connotated, I'm expanding that thinking to sharpen brain synapses on what we're not asking because we assume everything is fine. For example, and I know I've shared this story in these missives previously. When I was the Wing and Installation Commander at the US Air Force Academy, during monthly metrics reviews, my chief logistician, who was excellent at his job, would tell me the in-service vehicle rate. Meaning, how many of our 330-vehicle fleet, including the largest number of buses in the Air Force (makes sense!), were in operation when the measure was applied. Month after month, he would tell me we were exceeding the Air Force standard, usually coming in at 96.5% or higher. The target was, if memory serves, to be at or above 94%. One month, it occurred to me, we know what is known, we discussed things like rate impacts if we had to address a recall repair, what would we do to?meet mission requirements. We knew how to be most productive with our fleet, including getting cadets all over the place for academics, sporting events, etc, and we did discuss the so what. What we NEVER asked was, what is actually in the 3.5% not in service? Something clicked in my head during one monthly update to ask that question. The leader said, he wasn't sure, but we're exceeding standards. Totally true, but the danger lay and lurked in that 3.5%. I said, "we have five woodland firefighting vehicles, correct?" "Yes, that's correct", he replied. I continued; "If two of those are down for maintenance. That would mean, we only have 60% capacity online. Without knowing the out-of-service details, I have no idea that my firefighting capability is actually very limited despite the overall fleet number being at 96.5% available. Here forward, I want to know what is in that 3.5%." That covered what wasn't being said. He wasn't trying to hide information, rather, he didn't apply the "what's unsaid" question to the rubric. BTW -- having all of those firefighting vehicles in service is very important because about 75% of the Academy's 18K+ acres is natural wood and grassland. There are going to be fires. And when that happens (and it did while I was there), there is no going downtown to find those vehicles in a pinch. We can, however, always charter more buses.

Ask Smarter Strategic Questions?by Arnaud Chevallier

With organizations facing increased urgency and unpredictability, being able to ask smart questions has become a key leadership skill—especially when setting strategy. Here are five types of questions to ask that can boost strategic decision-making.?

Investigative: What’s Known? When facing a problem or opportunity, the best decision-makers start by clarifying their purpose, asking themselves what they want to achieve and what they need to learn to do so.?

Speculative: What If? These questions help you consider the situation at hand more broadly, reframing the problem and exploring outside-the-box solutions.?

Productive: Now What? Assessing the availability of talent, capabilities, time, and other resources ultimately helps you determine a course of action.??

Interpretive: So, What? This natural follow-up can push you to continually redefine the core issue—to go beneath the surface and draw out the implications of an observation or idea.?

Subjective: What’s Unsaid? This final question deals with the personal reservations, frustrations, tensions, and hidden agendas that can push decision-making off course.

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This caught my attention, not because I have young children and home any longer, rather because even with two young adults at home with my wife and me, we have to do this same thing! Someone has to have Charlie coverage (our dog), and there are other things that one of the four of us need to do throughout the week because we are all quite busy. We still have regular calendar reviews even though my wife and I don't consider ourselves "working parents" any longer. We aren't running the kids to sports, music programs, extracurricular events, doctor appointments, etc. All those things we had to do when raising them. The "things" have changed, but we still need to plan the week's! And, we me working from home full-time, that is another wrinkle we need to consider for planning things out.

A Weekly Exercise for Working Parents by?Avni Patel Thompson

As a working parent, it can be difficult to juggle competing responsibilities throughout the workweek. This simple exercise can help you keep your schedule under control.?

Start by creating a centralized calendar where you keep track of key family- and work-related commitments. If you have a partner or co-parent, share it with them, and build a habit of proactively updating it throughout the week.??

Then, set aside 20 minutes at the end of the weekend to preview the following week. Go over your calendar and update it with any important events that you may have forgotten to add during the previous week.?

Once your calendar is filled up, review it item-by-item to identify the biggest priorities. Then start planning. Who is responsible for what? What needs to be moved around or rescheduled? What decisions (like meal-planning) can be made in advance? And finally, what commitments require a back-up plan?

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While working with a client on-site over this past month, I asked some pointed and probing questions about this. Mental resilience has rightly gained much more attention over the past several years, and for many organizations, that pre-dates the COVID pandemic. Others, of course, realized how important supporting mental health really is. One of the things I asked centers around the last point below; walk the talk. I watched a number of very senior leaders in the Air Force talk openly about their own mental health challenges. During a podcast I recorded last week, I shared some of my own story there (will share the link when the podcaster finishes his editing process). Senior leaders, in particular, have an enormously positive impact when they openly discuss their own challenges. Of course, there is a "TMI" line that should not be crossed, but just the simple sharing of our own mental health challenges goes a long way to helping our teammates know, not just feel, they can express concerns, seek help, and be supported at work. I know for certain that wasn't always the case in the Air Force. Fear of losing security clearances, being on the "do not arm" list, or worst case, being removed from uniform, led many to simply ignore mental health impacts and issues. Not truly the case any longer. We should talk about all four resilience pillars (mental, social, physical, and spiritual) and encourage our teammates to find ways to healthily support all four.

Supporting Your Team’s Mental Health by Morra Aarons-Mele

Mental health has become a bigger priority for both employers and employees in recent years. But there's still more work to be done to support people's mental health at work. Here are some impactful strategies to prioritize.?

Avoid one-size-fits-all solutions. Different roles and responsibilities require different interventions. To better support your employees, address how, where, and when they work.?

Include frontline managers. External experts can help people managers develop crucial mental health literacy and learn to talk about and model healthy practices. And in turn, people managers can work with external resources to convey the mental health needs of their employees.?

Walk the talk. As a leader, you carry immense power to destigmatize mental health conversations. Be open with your team about your efforts to take care of your own mental health—and the impact of those efforts.

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Some very insightful tips and tidbits below. These actions can certainly seem innocuous, and may be well-intended, but may prove the principle of "too much of anything good, isn't". While I don't lead a team in my current roles, it remains useful to read about, and think through how to engage when I am back in a team-leading situation. Actually, as I wrote that sentence, I had a moment of clarity that it is the case that these same things apply when we're individual contributors on a team!

5 Ways You Might Be Damaging Trust on Your Team by Sarah Moughty, Executive Editor, HBR.org

As a manager—especially one who works at HBR and reads a lot about psychological safety—I’m always trying to think about ways to build trust, both one on one with my direct reports and as a team. I know that trust is a key element of high-performing teams and that the research shows it’s essential to improving engagement, creativity, and productivity.

I once heard someone say that trust is built in drops and lost in buckets. While that line stuck with me, I haven’t often stopped to think about actions I might be taking that ultimately damage trust.?

That changed recently when I read an article from longtime HBR contributor Ron Carucci that explores five ways managers inadvertently erode trust on their teams. While it’s targeted at first-time managers, the list contains a few actions I know I’ve been guilty of taking fairly recently:

Using your expertise to “help”: This can sometimes cross the line into micromanaging, which makes people feel inadequate and like you don’t trust them, thereby eroding their willingness to trust you.

Trying to build a sense of egalitarianism: It can be uncomfortable to lead former peers, but pretending that nothing has changed isn’t the solution, because you’re going to have to lean into your authority at some point. Having a proactive conversation about how your relationship will change and setting mutual expectations is more likely to build trust.

Trying to build confidence by looking confident: Faking it until you make it can be a trust killer for two reasons: 1) Your team will likely see through it at some point, and 2) they need to know that you’re comfortable even when you don’t have the answers.

Checking in to make sure everyone is OK: While it’s important to build relationships with your employees, excessive check-ins can start to feel self-serving and dilute trust, especially if you get defensive or don’t act on people’s feedback.

Building credibility through past successes: “People will accept one or two mentions of your past experiences, because they know you don’t have any other frame of reference,” Carucci writes. “But after a while, people may start to hear it as an indictment of their approach and ideas.”

If you need a refresher on building trust, I highly recommend this magazine article from 2020 in which HBS professor Frances X. Frei and leadership consultant Anne Morriss outline the three dimensions of trust: logic, authenticity, and empathy. They offer advice on what to do if you have a “trust wobble” in one of these areas, and they tell the story of how they worked with the leadership of Uber to rebuild trust at the company after a series of high-profile scandals.

Thanks for reading—and take good care, Sarah

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The Gartner research highlighted below is something I've discussed with several of my clients. Each of those Executives have confirmed these same concerns about what has happened to managers over the past couple years and, frankly, how far behind organizations are in not just acknowledging these facts, but also how to deal with them. Relying on other Gartner research, we help those Executives think through how to alleviate burdens, how to upskill managers for the "new normal", and how to build similar ongoing resiliency inside their organizations.

Why Managers Fail by Sarah Moughty, Executive Editor, HBR.org

If you feel like it’s been harder to manage people in the last few years, you’re not alone. In a new piece this week, four researchers from Gartner’s HR practice explain why. Here are some figures from their article that I found to be pretty stunning:

The average manager’s number of direct reports has increased 2.8 times over the last six years

Managers have 51% more responsibilities than they can effectively manage

54% of managers are suffering from work-induced stress and fatigue

44% are struggling to provide personalized support to their direct reports

20% said they would prefer not to manage people if given a choice

Why has the manager’s job become so unmanageable, as the authors put it? They wanted to understand what predicts manager failure, and their analysis zeroed in on four risk factors.

The first is when the manager lacks self-awareness. Some of the behaviors associated with this trait include a defensive response to feedback, a refusal to delegate, and a need for senior approval on decisions they should own.

The second predictor of manager failure is when empathy is a one-way street from the manager toward the employee. We’ve written a lot about empathetic leadership and how teams can practice empathy, but the Gartner research highlights employees lacking empathy toward their managers as a risk factor. This could be because they believe they could do their manager’s job, or it could be an issue with their manager’s style.?

The third predictor is when manager-employee interactions are unproductive. Only 47% of employees reported that meetings with their manager led to valuable outcomes. Unproductive interactions are when one-on-ones are ad hoc, top-down, and focused on the work that needs to get done, while more productive interactions are regularly scheduled coaching sessions where employees drive the agenda.

The final predictor is when managers don’t align employees’ work with their personal career goals or with team goals. This can be challenging in times of uncertainty or organizational change, which is also becoming more common.

The implications of manager failure are stark. As the authors write, “Employees reporting to managers at risk of failure are 91% less likely to be high performers, three times more likely to want to leave their organizations, and four times more likely to underperform on both customer satisfaction and innovation goals.” They offer advice on how organizations can address these risk factors. I thought the article offered some food for thought—and if any of these risk factors ring true, an opportunity to discuss what kinds of support you need with your own leaders.

Thanks for reading—and take good care, Sarah

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I know, this is article number 4,752 or so covering Return to Office (RTO) considerations. This piece includes some research insights from my current organization, Gartner, where we have undertaken a lot of deliberate and deep research into this particular area. Every one of my Gartner clients has concerns and questions about how to "best" implement RTO. No solution set should be universally applied because every organization has its own unique culture. Obviously, many positions cannot be remotely accomplished. One of my clients, for example, has an in-the-field workforce that must be in-person and a fairly sizable administrative workforce. Here, there is already a cultural divide between those two general groups. Overburdening office workforce with heavy handed RTO will most assuredly impact retention. One thing I found new or novel in this piece compared to all those others we've been reading in these spaces across the past couple years is the idea of having one week each month where people who can telework, choose what to do that week. Most organizations I've been working with have a per pay period in-person requirement. That policy could be amended to three weeks this month (or four when months have five weeks) requiring at least some number of days in-person. That fourth or fifth week is entirely up to the teammate. If they want to be in-person one or more days during that workweek, fine. If they choose to telework that entire week, no harm or foul. The article closes with the need to measure results. That is 100 percent on point. Implementing RTO without any measures may lead to continuing a detrimental policy rather than being aware of outcomes and adjusting for the organization and the member's benefit.?When Someone You Manage Isn’t Following the Return-to-Office Policy (hbr.org)

MEDIUM MUSINGS

The title of this piece is a little misleading, while the things the author advances do impact our persuasiveness as a leader, he explains how Aristotle's Rhetorical Triangle can be applied to becoming a more impactful speaker. The three covered components are: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. He summarizes those parts in this way (numbers added): "1) Ethos appeals to the credibility of the writer or speaker. As a speaker, you need to demonstrate your credibility and command on the topic through your skills and experience. 2)?Pathos appeals to the values of the audience. As a speaker, you need to know your audience, and understand their values and emotions so you can tailor your story and argument accordingly. 3)?Logos appeals to the logic of the argument. As a speaker, you need to have the data and evidence to back up your argument, and make sure you deliver your message with a logical flow that makes an impact." Ever on the lookout for tips, tools, and techniques to improve my own public-speaking capabilities, competencies, and credibility, I appreciate the framing of his questions to help craft better communications.?The Art of Persuasion in Leadership | by Gaurav Jain | ILLUMINATION | Apr, 2024 | Medium

Books, articles, research papers, podcasts; really whatever we can consume that adds something valuable to our minds is worth the time. My dad, at least I think it was my dad, used to call the television the "stupid box". The more you watched, the dumber you got. There is something to that, excepting for?certain channels, I suppose, like the History Channel that actually advances interesting information. I digress. While the author here shares how she lost her reading habit and is working to get it back because of how beneficial the practice was to her well-being. Not just being well-read for the sake of being well-educated or well-informed, rather how the practice became an important part of who she is, or was anyway. Openly shares her journey back to that place. Call it her own personal mental reading nook.?Re-learning to Read. Turning to books to save my life again | by Citizen Reader | Apr, 2024 | Books Are Our Superpower (baos.pub)

MARVELOUS MCKINSEY

Lots to unpack here. McKinsey formats some of their material in what they coin as "five-minute briefs or fifty-minute-deep dives". The following links to the five-minute brief, with embedded links for the deep dived details. Reviewing the ~55 second video about purpose, the last line shares researched detail that people who find their purpose is aligned to the organizations are five times more likely to say they are fulfilling their purpose at work. Put another way, when values align, people tend to be more productive, fulfilled, and will remain with that organization. We read a bit about empathy in at least three of the Harvard Yard pieces provided above. Think it is important to point out that it goes in both directions. Meaning, it isn't just about the leaders around us, or our managers displaying and demonstrating empathy to us. We have an in-return and response role to play in that exchange and engagement. We should give ourselves a break (self-empathy) and reflect the same back to an engaging executive, for example. Reaching far back into my memory banks, in my first level command in the Air Force, I taught a four-hour onboarding session attended by every new member of our squadron (e.g. "business unit"). It was important to me both as the leader to set engagement expectations and examples immediately as the senior most member of that unit AND I always shared the following: "you choose your attitude". Yes, life is going to happen. You have a sick child, you got a flat tire on the way to work, you are having a really bad day on the job, etc. You have a role to play here where you don't default to victim status, rather find ways to be victorious in the face of challenges. Engaged leaders not only model this behavior, they can also identify what's "troubling" teammates and find ways to resolve them to everyone's benefit.?How to improve employee engagement | McKinsey

Undoubtedly, our Readers have heard about quantum computing,?and some, I know, are engaged in this space,?working to "make it work" for any number of applications. McKinsey defines it this way; "Quantum computing is a new approach to calculation that uses principles of fundamental physics to solve extremely complex problems very quickly." This piece not only defines quantum computing and how it works in a manner that even I could readily understand, the piece shares where it is being applied, what the current shortfalls?

are, and future potential applications once designers and developers figure out how to stabilize the qubits (also defined herein). Really interesting material.?What is quantum computing? | McKinsey

While the focus here is on B2B businesses, my takeaways aside from covering the scaling lessons within three elucidated phases are the necessary human-resource, or talent-management-related precepts and preconditions: "Five core areas underpin every growth stage and can either propel or hinder success: talent, culture, planning and decision making, the CEO and top team, and the board and investor management. Sustaining continuous growth requires companies to appropriately nurture each of these areas." Submit these are applicable to every organization! Of course, in the governmental sector, there are no CEOs or investors (with some exceptions where public-private partnerships exist), but leadership is leadership. Boards may be?executives by another name, and investors are the public governmental agencies serve and support, the fundamentals shared here are almost universally applicable to any and all organizations.?Leadership lessons on scaling start-ups | McKinsey

STUDYING STOICISM

Bottom line, stay humble. Hemingway is but one example in a very, very long line of incredibly successful people who came from humble homes and basic beginnings who?grew too enamored with the praise, power, and / or positions they later attained. Success is great and should be celebrated. Nothing wrong with gaining wealth, fame, power. How it is used when realized matters. I've had the opportunity to meet a number of widely well-known actors, musicians, industry and thought leaders. Some are truly terrific people with whom I very much enjoyed spending time. A couple actually surprised me with how down-to-earth and "regular" they are. Others, well, they have moved into Hemingway territory. Good reminder to me to not believe all my own press. Staying humble also helps us stay hungry to being a better, or the best, version of ourselves.

"He had started out as a journalist, a poor, starving artist. A man who loved craft, who didn’t need much provided he had a few pencils and a notebook and something to write about. But after the success of?The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway—like so many successful artists—changed.

The editor Samuel Putnam had drinks with Hemingway not long after the book came out. “It did not take long for me to discover that the somewhat shy and youthful reporter whom I had met in Chicago had vanished,” he observed. “In his place was a literary celebrity.” In his?Meditations, Marcus Aurelius writes of his worry of something similar happening to him. He had seen what being emperor had done to his predecessors, and?he wanted to escape “being Caesarified,”?being changed by the purple cloak of absolute power. It was a fight, he said, to be the person that philosophy tried to make him—especially with all the trappings of success and fame around him.

Hemingway remained a talented writer but became more and more of an asshole as his career went on. He cheated on all his wives. He bullied friends. He talked behind their backs. He believed his own myths and legends, became a bloated version of himself.

Nobody wants that. All of us are in danger of being “imperialized,” to use a phrase from one of Marcus Aurelius’ translators (that’s the Gregory Hays version). We need to stay humble; we need to fight to maintain ourselves, even as others puff us up and flatter us. We can’t believe the marketing. We can’t be stained by our success…or corrupted by our power.

It’s a bad look and it’s also a loss. Hemingway lost the better version of himself. Marcus Aurelius didn’t."

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I learned something new reading this. Did not know, or at least did not remember, that Lincoln was a huge Aesop's fables fan. Reading through the following, it evoked a number of recollections about how he wrote, spoke, and conveyed stories and messages. History is a great teacher. If this is accurate, clearly Lincoln, who was a master communicator, learned and applied how to share stories connecting people to the points he was making in reachable, very human ways. Also, the added benefit we all well understand, reading to our children remains as timelessly important as it has always been!

"Abraham Lincoln was shaped by one book more than any other. You might guess that would be the Bible, given the ease with which he would quote and allude to ideas from it in his speeches and letters over the years. But Lincoln’s faith was something that evolved more slowly over time, especially after the tragedies that rocked him later in life.

Instead, when he was young, he fell in love with Aesop’s fables (our favorite edition for kids and adults is?here). This was a book he read, “over and over again,” one friend observed. These fables, written by a slave and storyteller who lived in ancient Greece around 620-564 BC, spoke to Lincoln’s soul. He memorized large chunks of the book. His mind, which had always tended towards anecdotes and story, just locked on to Aesop’s brilliant method for teaching complicated moral lessons in clever little fictions about mice and lions and foxes. It became?a lens through which he came to understand human nature, the language with which he would try to communicate reality through. You know his famous line about how a ‘house divided against itself cannot stand?’ That was Jesus he was quoting, but he did it next to a recounting of Aesop’s story about the ‘bundle of sticks’ (Aesop has a second fable illustrating the same point but told about a lion and three bulls).

Where would Lincoln have been had, he not been introduced to this wisdom early? Where might the country have ended up?without that wisdom making its way into his brain as a child? And the same could be said for thousands of generations of men and women who were introduced to Aesop and his lessons—whether they were learning about sour grapes or golden eggs or that slow and steady win the race. And the fact that you almost certainly recognized at least a couple of these phrases or ideas without hearing the full stories demonstrates how indelibly they have made their way through western culture.

However old your kids (or grandkids) are, you should take some time to read them these stories.Talk about them with them. Illustrate the lessons and ideas you want your kids to know through them. They are timeless for a reason. It’s because they’re true, because they?work."

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I have never read Meditations. I am quite certain I've read and reviewed countless excerpts taken from it. While we dedicate some space nearly every month to the Stoics, their teachings, and their wisdom often born from suffering, I still haven't gotten to the book! Well, one day ... If you're in the same boat, the end of this short piece links to a guide to help read Meditations. I'm not paid by Daily Stoic, so I am not committed to advertising for them as part of some responsibility, rather, sharing this information if any of our Readers finds it helpful.

"You could read the book on your own. You could wing it. You could hope to stumble through and come out the other side with a comprehensive understanding of a book that while short and to the point, is still, as we said last week,?pretty difficult.

Marcus Aurelius, the author of that book—Meditations—would steer you in a different direction. “Mastery of reading and writing requires a master,” he writes. He knew this from experience. Sometime around the year 141 CE, Marcus was introduced to the philosophy that would change his life by his teacher Rusticus. “The remembrances of Epictetus,” as Marcus would refer most gratefully to the book Rusticus gave him, “which he supplied me with out of his own library.”

We can imagine the underlining's in Rusticus’ copy that would have called Marcus’ attention to particularly important passages. We can imagine the marginalia that would have provided valuable context and insights. We can imagine the discussions the two would have had as Marcus was familiarizing himself with the teachings of Epictetus. Marcus would write in?Meditations?about “going straight to the seat of intelligence”—by that he meant asking questions, hearing from the experts, really wrestling with wisdom as it was meant to be wrestled with.

So, if we’re going to sit down and read Marcus today, why wouldn’t we do the same? Why would we wing it? Just hope we’re getting the gist of it—when that’s something Rusticus taught Marcus to?never?be satisfied with, just ‘getting the gist of something.’

For the past decade, we here at Daily Stoic have been engaging with?Meditations?day in and day out, wanting to understand its wisdom so that we can apply it in our own lives. We’ve spent hundreds and thousands of hours with the book itself, and just as many hours hunting down papers and analysis by scholars, historians, and translators—many of which we’ve gotten to talk to and interview. It’s the work of a lifetime exploring the depths of?Meditations,?making sense of what Marcus wrote and what those writings can do for us—and as Marcus said, it requires the help of a master.

Our new guide?How to Read Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations (A Daily Stoic Guide)?is designed to be that master. It’s a book club for a great book. It’s intended to be what those scholars, historians, and translators have been to the Daily Stoic team. It’s a comprehensive, carefully crafted resource that draws upon decades of reading, research, analysis, and practical application of Stoic philosophy. Just as Rusticus provided Marcus with a well-worn copy of Epictetus’ teachings, complete with invaluable notes and insights, this guide aims to be an indispensable companion for anyone seeking to truly understand and embody the wisdom of Marcus Aurelius."

STUPID STUFF

This is a new reading category, which may not be a recurring component. I had no better way to frame this next piece because what Dell is doing here around Return to Office (RTO) is just plain stupid. I wonder who thought this was a "good idea"? Hat tip to Debbie Lynch, one of my Gartner teammates, for sharing this. An easy caution to any of my clients (or anyone) wrestling with RTO ... don't make people wear differently colored badges, signifying?varying levels of in-office presence. Supporting data will be collected by tracking swipe-ins when physically entering the workcenter and also log-on VPN tracking. Teammates who don't hit in-office quarterly quotas of 39 days, may be ineligible for promotion possibilities. Think about that. This is a simple attendance check prior to potentially being considered for growth and promotion. Not merit based. Not performance based. Starting point is, as one Dell employee states, like "grade-school attendance". It's like those old 100 percent attendance certificates I remember being presented in elementary school. Too bad if you were sick with Chickenpox and still managed to land great grades; no certificate for you. You're not as good as that student over there who showed up every single day but has average academic scores. As one of my Gartner teammates rightly intoned; "gross". Great way for Dell to trash trust, crater credibility, and reduce retention rates amongst their teams.?Dell to color-code employees based on office attendance through badge swipes & VPN monitoring | HR Tech and People Data | HR Grapevine USA | News

SUPER SLOAN

In Marvelous McKinsey above, we read an article highlighting the importance of organizational and personal purpose alignment. The other side of the purpose coin (maybe it is the same side?) is values. What do we, as leaders, value? Is that static? Do they add or subtract over time? Do we revisit them to cement consistency? This piece highlights the importance not only of advancing and articulating what leaders value, they should also be introspective about maintaining them and demonstrating they are walking the talk. We all know this. Sometimes, it is useful to have short, simple reminders to not lose those things. Live out our purpose and values that anchor who we are.?Effective Leaders Articulate Values — and Live by Them (mit.edu)

WINNERS WISDOM

Great notes from Jim regarding his engaging Gen Z! Our first read in Harvard Yard above touches on the multigenerational aspect of our professional work environments. I share Jim's sentiments. Most of the Gen Z'ers with whom I've had contact over the past couple years really are not all that different from my generation (X, yep still the best!). They want to have meaningful relationships, work experiences, be valued for what they can do and the perspectives they offer, and on. Yes, there are other differences, and some in this generation are, well bluntly ... entitled, spoiled, and unserious. Some of my peers were also that way. Let's not pretend as though this is a new thing. It may be more widely cast in the digital age, but in the end, we're dealing with humans. Technology may be different. Pressures aren't the same as I faced at the same ages (in some ways things are both easier and more difficult). That old Mark Twain quote applies; "When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” Gen Y, Z, A?need the older generations to provide guidance and support, even if they haven't figured that out or appreciate Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, and Gen X just yet.

They Want Us to Know?by Jim Stovall

Recently, we had an intern working here in our office. She is interested in writing, speaking, filmmaking, and creating intellectual property. We’ve had many interns over the years, but Julia is unique among them as she is a junior in high school. She was 16 years old when her internship began, and she turned 17 just before she completed her time with us. All of our past interns were college students or graduates looking for experience.

Ever since television journalist and author Tom Brokaw wrote his groundbreaking book, The Greatest Generation, the world has identified and compartmentalized people who were born in various eras. The Greatest Generation gave way to the Baby Boomers who were succeeded by Generation X, followed by Millennials, and then Julia’s contemporaries known as Gen Z. Obviously, there are various names, labels, and time frames, depending upon what you read or who you talk to, but it is clear that more than ever before we seem to be assigning certain traits and elements to various populations of people based upon when they were born.

One of my favorite authors is the great American historical fiction writer Louis L’Amour. He said, “No one can be judged except against the backdrop of the time and place in which they lived.” While I agree with Tom Brokaw that those individuals who won two world wars and survived the Great Depression were indeed great, they were called upon to be great. None of us fully knows our own talents, capacities, and abilities until we are called upon to stretch to our limits.

I work extensively with university students from around the world at the Stovall Center for Entrepreneurship at Oral Roberts University. This interaction has put me in touch with a multitude of Gen Z young people with widely differing backgrounds and cultural experiences. Some of them were born into affluence here in America, while others come from third-world countries or a wide variety of cultures. The media and observers of modern culture have labeled Gen Z as being addicted to technology, not resilient, and lacking in interpersonal relationships.

After spending time with our intern Julia and college students from around the world, I find Gen Z to be as resilient as their environment has required them to be, masters of technology but rarely slaves to it, and they form wonderful, significant relationships utilizing different communication tools than their parents or grandparents used. Despite what the critics may want us to believe, my own interactions with members of Generation Z leave me optimistic and eager for the future.

As you go through your day today, remember that people of all ages basically want the same things; they simply pursue them differently.

Today's the day!

WORKLIFE WISDOM

Returnships. This is compelling commentary about how to welcome people back into the workforce after an intermission period. Knowing what my wife sacrificed while we moved from one military assignment to another, and the challenge military families have with career continuity. Thankfully, the Department of Defense, Congress, and other governmental agencies have been attuned to these acute challenges for many years. Not that every puzzle or problem has been solved, it is good to know at depth and detail efforts have been ongoing to address these all too real impacts. Be it licensure reciprocity across states for attorneys, medical professionals, insurance agents, cosmetology, etc., many states took to accepting those needed licenses across state lines without enforcing retaking the Bar exam, for example. DOD also worked with Congress to defray or reimburse licensure costs and other program efforts. This article shares what Pepsi and IBM are doing to welcome people back into the workforce. Removing or reducing stigma and working to really welcome people back as full-fledged teammates. Returnships have a nice ring to it.?'Huge benefits to our organization': PepsiCo, IBM share why their 'returnships' work? - WorkLife

Have not previously heard of this; "prompt engineering". The following explains the meaning and why this is important in the evolving GenAI environment. I was a little concerned (more than curious) about this statement from within the piece ... "Prompt engineers are people who know exactly what questions to ask AI platforms to get the answer they want."?My first response was, well no, that isn't what we want; prebaked answers that align with what we want. The piece goes on to explain, it is more about understanding how the technology works to make best use of it. Minor criticism; lead with that next time. Regardless, being able to use emerging and growing technologies has long been an upskilling or reskilling focus. No less now than the advent of the digital age in which we've been for some decades now. Perhaps, it is only accelerating, and organizations are desperately?(and some decidedly) trying to keep pace.?WTF is prompt engineering, and will we all need to acquire the skill? - WorkLife

Ok, some are going to likely push me on this topic. That is what I want, discussion, deliberation, and discourse! Fair to say, I am not sold that workplace norms need to be significantly different amongst assembled teams, while also not minimizing the differing environments in which people thrive. The word "neurodivergent" has been in my feeds more and more often of late. While it appears, upon further?research and review, to be a decades old topic, it is fairly new for me. Leaders need to be curious and careful in setting different conditions for RTO and daily operating norms amongst teammates. This isn't to suggest or say there can't be some different applications; rather caution is in the offing because it may create the impression of "haves and have nots' ". If someone identifies with particular sensitivities (e.g. ADHD, being on the Autism Spectrum), that is important to know in cultivating and curating the best from teams, while also recognizing leaders (and managers) may be overly accommodating to the detriment of the broader team and organizational outcomes. Balance is what must, at least, be attempted to strike.?Is neurodivergence a reason to grant RTO exceptions? - WorkLife. Continuing my research and reading, I specifically reviewed the following couple definitional information items from Harvard Health and WebMD:?What is neurodiversity? - Harvard Health?and?Neurodiversity: What Is It? (webmd.com). The following Worklife article also addresses this topic. Again, good leaders seek understanding before making "blanket" decisions, and must work to find the balance amongst teammates, being accommodating?where and when it is mutually beneficial, and being careful not to unintentionally create competing priorities and personnel decisions.?Breaking barriers: how neurodivergent leaders play to their strengths - WorkLife

Many, if not most of my current clients are being asked to address succession planning. Curiously, this is far from a "new" topic, yet far too many organizations seem to have not planned or programmed how to build the next CEO. More broadly, not building out most of the C-Suite successors. My own experience over decades in the Air Force was more of a "post and pray" approach. Put people in the next level posts (positions) and pray they perform well there. I was working on this while leading Talent Management Innovation for the Air Force, how to move away from proxy indicators into really deeply and deliberately developing the leaders (C-Suiters) ready and relevant for the future. We did a number of things advancing that agenda. I'm proud of that. COVID slowed and stymied a number of the pursuits. I know the Air Force, and the Department of Defense, writ large, has been aggressively pursuing the same. In that "business" as in likely every other, organizations can't afford to get this wrong. This piece discusses some important ideas about what is a choke or hampering point for developing ready future executives.?Four reasons why leaders are drowning, damaging a CEO pipeline - WorkLife

This makes complete and total sense! Given how often I hear my clients share that other C-Suiters think of HR as purely transactional business, meaning you folks handle things like onboarding new employees and executing annual appraisals, vice really understanding not only is HR a fully integrated, contact sport across each and every organization; getting Talent Management Lifecycle components right have enormous impact and influence on organizational objectives and outcomes being met. In the absence of the strategic and operational success of Talent Management, pretty much everything else is moot even where the best product (good or service) is being offered. Earlier in my career, even as a military member, I was directly responsible for P&L organizations. Yes, those exist even in the military. If we weren't profitable, people's jobs were in jeopardy. Programs being available to support base and installation populations were impacted, and we did face closing on base businesses if we didn't figure out how to serve and support a consumer base in a manner they enjoyed and became repeat customers. So even as an HR professional wearing a military uniform, I totally understand this thinking. When CHROs are challenged with making payroll, hitting sales targets, and other profit and loss-related operations, I agree with the basic premise here ... they will be better CHROs for that experience.?‘Get profit-loss experience’: Inside the modern (and aspiring) CHRO’s toolkit - WorkLife

Lead and Read On!

Shawn