Do you have a leadership bias? Part 2

February 4, 2013 ~ Orlando Ceaser

Consequences

Individuals can be penalized when they are caught in the middle of a leadership bias. A truant officer ran a red light and slammed into the driver side of my Toyota automobile shortly after I graduated from college. He got out of the car and yelled at me. “Didn’t you see my flashing headlights and hear me honking my horn? I was astonished and replied, “No I did not. Where are your flashing headlights now?” I asked. “Well I turned them off just before impact” was his response. He told the witnesses in his car, who were two students on their way to school, to take the bus to school. A police officer arrived on the scene to investigate the accident. The truant officer relayed his side of the story and instantly bonded with the police. The police officer told a story about cars in traffic refusing to listen to his siren when he was involved in a recent emergency. He executed his leadership bias by giving me two moving violations; one ticket for damage to city property and the other for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle. The officer’s identification or leadership bias could have cost me money, but both tickets were thrown out in court. Incidentally, in court he told a story of weaving cautiously through traffic, stopping, looking both ways and slowly driving into traffic before I ignored his siren and flashing lights and hit him. Ironically, we were the only cars on the road.

There can be consequences and complications if the leadership bias is unchallenged. My truant officer’s boss screamed at him when he returned to the police station, but if it wasn’t for his boss and the judge, I would have paid a hefty price.

Our conversations about leadership are usually harmless, but the truth does support that all leaders are not focused on the noble traits of leadership. There are some who have brought down entire companies, as we know from the financial crisis in the last decade. Large corporations have been brought into our living rooms and offices because they have misled their shareholders and stakeholders. People who tried to alert the authorities were, intimidated, ridiculed, fired and their careers destroyed.

Leadership must be kept in check with appropriate oversight to ensure that it does not abuse its power. This is especially critical when evidence exists about intimidation and the reduction in results and effectiveness. There must be a level of transparency, trust and competence to ensure that laws are being followed and leaders are effectively doing their jobs. Turning a blind eye or a deaf ear to harassment, criminal behavior or incompetence could harm a large number of investors and innocent bystanders. An unbridled leadership bias could be detrimental to the careers and incomes of many people. It should not be allowed to exist without the necessary periodic reviews and updates.

We should acknowledge that a leadership bias could also manifest itself as someone totally against the actions of leaders. They believe all leaders are dishonest and should not be trusted.

Treatment

The first step in addressing a leadership bias is awareness and assessment. One of the first rules of human behavior is that people like people like themselves. We may be prone to favoritism and preference. If we periodically approach leaders with objectivity and openness we can catch problems before they develop into catastrophes.

Secondly, we should look at the data as objectively as our experience will allow. As leaders, we have a leadership lens which could contribute to our leadership bias. If we keep this in mind, we can minimize following blindly when we discuss the actions of leaders.

Thirdly, it is good to have a third-party involved where there are serious claims against those in power. The Human Resource Department is usually assigned the responsibility to make sure an organization is objective when a leader is under scrutiny. Another tactic is to maintain open dialogue with employees to gain their perspectives of leadership and to act on suggestions to show sincerity.

Because I have been exposed to excellent leaders who had integrity and professionalism, I am biased to the noble elements of leading. However, not all leaders are leading equally. Additionally, sometimes leaders make mistakes. We have to select and develop the best leaders so that our families, associations, communities, places of worship and organization flourish and use their people and resource to improve society and the world. To that end we can in good conscience, give leaders the benefit of the doubt and our positive bias can be justified.

I am aware of my leadership bias. This awareness should allow me to be more objective and open to the positive and negative aspects of leadership. Do you have a leadership bias? Check yourself and act accordingly.

Do you have a leadership bias? Part 1

January 29, 2013 ~ Orlando Ceaser

I confess. I have a leadership bias. This bias may be related to my leadership addiction. After many years of reflecting, soul-searching and validation, I can announce it to the world. I have an affinity for people who have gone through the crucible of similar experiences. They are comrades in arms, battle tested warriors from the same platoon; people who sacrificed and defended each other. In situations of doubt, where a decision has to be made, I defer to those in power, believing we share a common bond in the leadership struggle.

Recently, I sat in a restaurant and was asked about my vocation. I mentioned my years of leadership experience in the pharmaceutical industry. This initiated a spirited conversation about big corporations and big government. One patron believed that pharmaceutical companies were only out to make a quick dollar and were withholding the cures to cancers because we made more money on maintenance medicines. He felt that corporations and government were ruled by the profit motif and did not care about the average citizen.

I was mobilized into action. I went into full defense mode. I gave him data on drug discovery and limited patented coverage, generic drugs and the cost to bring a drug to market. I almost implied that he should feel guilty attacking the humanity of noble scientists who chose science to save lives and eradicate diseases. He reluctantly conceded to my argument with the caveat that my company may be different. As I reflected on my actions on the way home, I realized, I had firmly displayed a leadership bias.

I instinctively grant leaders the edge, the benefit of the doubt and presume their motives are admirable, even if I do not know them. It is important for me to learn about my leadership bias, its symptoms, consequences and potential complications and methods of treatment. These characteristics may be relevant in other areas of my life, as I live and breathe and interact with people.

Acquisition

I acquired a leadership bias as a side effect of years of exposure to good leadership. I have learned from phenomenal leaders. I was enthralled by their positive performances and magnanimous motives. This exposure left me predisposed to siding with leadership in many instances.

Additionally, I have been a manager for many years. There were numerous books, movies, training programs and on the job experiences. My leadership immersion conditioned me to the value of a vision, making fair decisions, developing people and leading a team. This exposure fine tuned my expertise and made me speak, dress and act as a leader. I felt a part of an association of leaders because we shared similar experiences. Subconsciously, I was filled with the desire to defend leadership, when challenged. I am not naive. I have been in the presence of leaders who were not very good and were hostile to anyone who disputed or challenged their authority and I knew the difference. You can also identify your propensity to have a leadership bias based on your background.

Symptoms

You can easily identify the leadership bias, by our tendency to defend those in positions of power. This reminds me of episodes of the television show Colombo where the guilty party usually tried to explain the position of the criminal. They would find themselves going overboard defending a suspected criminal, while implicating themselves. This would eventually lead to their capture. Similar to these actors, people with the leadership bias, consistently give leaders the benefit of the doubt and ask for patience and understanding on their behalf.

A local news station was canvassing the city for people to interview during a heat spell. Commonwealth Edison the local electric supplier had instituted a policy of rolling black outs to manage their supply of electricity. My brother asked me to give the interview. I told the reporter that if the management of the electric company thought this was the best way to manage the power, we should defer to their expertise. I immediately took management’s position. I knew that in most situations leaders had access to more information. They could make better decisions because of this abundance of information. The reporter thanked me and told us to look for the interview on the 6 o’clock and 10 o’clock news.

The topic of Commonwealth Edison and energy shortage was the lead story. The station ran my comments about yielding to management’s assessment of using rolling blackouts to manage the supply of energy. My comments were followed by the mayor giving the opposite view blasting the energy company. I realized that I had been defending leadership for years.

As a middle manager I was challenged by my people about the decisions of upper management. I knew more about the decision-making process and some of the variables which led to the decision. But, I was often sworn to withhold some of the data because it was either sensitive to the stock market or we felt the competition would find out. I told my people that if they had more information they would understand the decision better. I would say the following, “Right now you have questions about the decision that was made. Trust me, if you knew more about the variable considered, we would look a lot more intelligent to you.” They would laugh and we would move on. Examine your past behavior for symptoms. You may have displayed this tendency without realizing it.

Do you have a leadership bias? – Part 2 is scheduled for Monday, February 4, 2013

New Year’s Resolutions – Take 13

December 31, 2012 ~ Orlando Ceaser

New Year’s resolutions are an annual rite for millions of people around the world. We approach them with the regularity of the calendar change. Many people optimistically tackle the most important challenges of their lives and hope that the New Year will finally lead to a different result. Conversely, many people have abandoned resolutions or speak of them with apprehension and skepticism. This jaundiced view is due to the fact that historically they have been unsuccessful. This may have been due to entering the activities with insincere effort or expecting to fail.

Despite our history, we create newer versions of our resolutions. We stand optimistic, masochistic or realistic about our chances of success. One thing is assured; we know the first of the year is a great time to start a new objective, because we have a clean slate. It is a new week, a new month and a new year.

Truthfully speaking, we keep some resolutions longer than others. Some actually make it well into the New Year before fizzing out. We feel comfortable, experience some measure of success, but revert to former bad habits. This modicum of success keeps us addicted to the resolution process. Premature evacuation and abandonment of our effort dooms us to failure. Suppose we try an alternative method based on changing our perspective.

We watch movies and have seen out takes, bloopers and retakes. We know that movies differ from plays because in a movie or commercial, they can stop the action and repeat the scene. However, in a play the actor can improvise and keep moving. The audience may not notice the error. In a movie/ commercial, you will hear the director say, “Action” and scene begins. The director says “Cut” when the scene is not going according to plan. If there is a mistake, they can;

Provide immediate feedback
Give the actor the missing information, i.e. the lines they forgot r the emotion they want to see performed a certain way
Offer support and encouragement by challenging the actor to stay focused and review their character’s motivation
Start the retake in a timely manner. The director doesn’t say, “I don’t like that, let’s do it over next year.”

What if we used the same director’s approach with our resolutions? We could set up the resolution, knowing the result we want to achieve; allow it to run and when we make a mistake, instead of abandoning the project, we should take it from the top and start over. We would finish more goals and achieve better results if we adopted the “do it over until we get it right mentality.” We tend to regard resolutions as disposal entities, instead of a work in progress. This level of dedication and persistence to the resolutions will enable us to reach our goals.

I am encouraged by the number of people who flock to the health clubs the first week of January. Obviously they made resolutions regarding health and well-being. They have a workout goal linked to better health, losing weight or fitting into certain clothing before spring. This is very apparent in my spin classes at the health club. Many people with good intentions; give up quickly; judging by their disappearance after only a few short sessions. But others view it as a movie and experience as many retakes as necessary to reach their goal.

As you approach the New Year, let’s use the director’s technique to resolutions. Roll the tape, Action! Cut! But next time don’t stop until we have the finished project. Take as many retakes as possible to make our resolutions, a reality. We have the time, so just tweak our perspectives and motivation and make our 2013 resolutions a successful entry into our life practices.

What matters most / Precious little angels

December 20, 2012 ~ Orlando Ceaser

We are often reminded of the priorities in your lives. We have an awakening that relationships and God give true meaning to our existence. What matters most and Precious little angels are two poems that put our priorities and purpose into perspective.

What matters most

What matters most,
Competes for time on our schedules
Like a client who makes an appointment.
They jockey for position
And request private audiences,
Primacy and priority status.

What matters most,
Believes in the seniority of faith,
The value of the home
And intermittently,
Issues demands to be moved
To the front of the line.

What matters most,
Is discontent with quality time,
For it serves to rationalize
The crumbs of attention
Thrown in their direction.
The left over morsels of time
Are insufficient,
For they do not meet the minimum
Daily requirements
Of our obligations.

What matters most,
Views a pedestal
And questions what occupies
The place which was reserved
For the critical elements
In our lives.

What matters most,
Tugs at our conscience,
Looks at us with solemn eyes,
Begs us to come home early,
To love God,
And treat our neighbors
As we wish to be treated.

What matters most,
Addresses our hearts,
Awakens feelings of responsibility,
For they know,
It is character over credentials,
And fulfillment of potential,
That grows our spirit.

What matters most,
Knows it is not power or possessions,
But the heartfelt confessions
To a Holy God that secures our eternity;
That relationships give us strength
And add seasoning and significance
To the caliber of our lives.

Precious little angels

Precious little angels

We’ll miss you tonight.

We were not prepared for your flight.

Our routine was to read and recite,

Say your prayers and kiss you good night.

Handsome and lovely ones don’t be afraid,

For Heaven will stage a parade.

We asked for assistance and when we prayed,

For the favorite games you played.

Precious little angels know that we feel,

The pain of the carnage is real.

You are a bright light that some tried to steal;

And the hurt will take time to heal.

The horror tries to exceed our faith;

Fear leaves us stunned in our tracks;

In very hard times we need our faith;

To gain strength when bad things attack.

Precious little angels, the last embrace

The memories of games of chase,

Must comfort us until we can replace

Your picture with your smiling face.

www.watchwellinc.com

4 Ways to Resist Unwanted Temptation

December 10, 2012 ~ Orlando Ceaser

The bigger they are the harder they fall. We heard this phrase when we were children. It was usually uttered by someone facing a larger adversary. It was a phrase to give him confidence. David probably gave a similar battle cry before he confronted Goliath. This comment relates to many areas of our experience; business, politics or in our community work. Not only can we say the harder they fall, but also the more miserable they are when they hit the ground.

Business leaders, politicians, associates and celebrities can be arrogant and obnoxious. They can be self-centered and treat others in a ruthless and dispassionate manner. They may use power as a weapon and hide behind the rules and regulations to justify their behavior. A District Manager from a competitor bragged about firing someone 18 months before their retirement after many years of service. He had a reputation for being heartless and plain old mean. He never looked for mutual benefits in resolving employee problems. He wore his tough demeanor as a badge of honor. People felt he could have worked out something for the man and his family, but he did not.

Eventually, the District Manager received a new and younger Regional Manager. The new guy was not impressed with his draconian methods and blind loyalty. The Regional Manager felt his current performance was not up to par. He could care less about the historically loyal achievements. He was asked to improve his performance, but was subsequently demoted. The new manager however, gave him an opportunity to save face, which was something he never did for others. The Regional Manager let him a sales territory anywhere in the country. I saw the demoted District Manager on his last week prior to moving to Florida. He told me, “I did everything I could for this company and look what they did to me. Young man, be careful and don’t ever give your all to a company, because it may come back to bite you.” I thanked him for his advice, but he was a pitiful sight to behold.

Some authority figures flagrantly disregard ethics and operate, as if they are above the law and will never get caught. When their indiscretion is discovered however, they are on television weeping and asking for forgiveness from their family and their constituents. They are the epitome of sadness; tears are everywhere and the sobbing touches your emotions. The irony is that many of these politicians are on record castigating their colleagues who were caught in similar offenses. Their ruthless nature would suggest they would replace the signs in stores they say “Shoplifters will be prosecuted” to read “Shoplifters will be persecuted.”

Role models who abuse power the most; the haughty, cocky and arrogant ones are the most pitiful on the way down. They did not hear when they were told to be nice to people on the way up, because you will meet the same people on the way down. They did not realize until it was too late that it is better to be humble than to be humbled.

The fallen ones are quick to ask for forgiveness, patience and understanding. They ask for leniency which they frequently denied to others. They somehow feel their situation is different and they should get clemency when others should not, which is linked to their arrogance.

Disgraced individuals elicit mixed emotions from their public. Their constituents may be outraged by the violation of their trust. However, some will caution against being judgmental. They will advise people to forgive, that they are only human and concentrate on the good they have produced. Many of us may be tempted and may give in under a perfect storm when circumstances meet our weakness. To ensure that we are not mired in a hypocritical state, we should consider implementing some of the following strategies.

Greater self and other awareness – Realize your vulnerabilities and the motives of others. Samuel L. Jackson once noted that women may not be after him for his good looks, but his celebrity was the driver of some of his attention. Power attracts people, so understand how it works.
Have an accountability partner or mentor – They will serve as a confidante or sounding board. This could be good friend on personal matters. A variation on this theme is to surround yourself with people who are beyond reproach who are not afraid to challenge you when you get out of line or start drifting from proper behavior.
Control the situation – Focus on how things might look to others. Optics is a word used to describe how it might look to people who don’t know your character or do not know all of the facts. It is not always about your intentions. Innocence can look suspicious under the wrong lights. Evangelist Billy Graham was once said to be adamant about never putting himself in a position where he was alone with a woman other than his wife. There was always another person present. This is not paranoia, but being careful. You might not be morally the strongest person on record, but if you control the optics and the circumstances you can rebuke some of the challenges.
Calculate the cost of the indiscretion. When you are contemplating the power of the temptation, you may want to consider the itemized cost. In order to deliver a pre-emptive strike, consider the total value of your assets and divide this by the time spent with in the indiscretion. It is best to do this before the temptation puts its hooks in you or you are blinded in the heat of passion. You will arrive at an astronomical rate that would far exceed what you would be willing to pay on the open market.

Recognize that power and temptation are often companions on our walk through life. Power causes excessive pride and is converted into arrogance in us and in our leaders. It feels good to flex our managerial muscle and watch people scurry and respond to our will and selfish demands. The ego may swell when power increases and we experience a feeling of entitlement and invincibility. We may develop the urge to abuse power and convince ourselves that we will not suffer the consequences. If we are not careful we will find ourselves if not on camera, in another setting begging for forgiveness and another chance to act responsibly and earn someone’s trust.

5 Symptoms your Employer is Cheating on you or Thinking about it

October 29, 2012 ~ Orlando Ceaser

There are symptoms that point to an employee losing favor in the eyes of an employer. If you are paying attention, the breadcrumbs will lead you back to their original intentions. Also, as in any relationship, the people around are the first to see the symptoms that something is wrong.

We are creatures of habit and have a tendency to emit clues. You should always look for feedback and indicators on how well you are performing on the job and be able to spot the precise moment when things are drifting off course. If you are quick to respond, you may be able to up your game through an intervention. For example you may get training in an area to increase a particular skill. Or if the case is hopeless, engineer a soft landing where you can land on your feet in a better situation.

There are instances where organization indicates they are looking for someone else as a temporary or permanent replacement. You must be aware of these symptoms to protect yourself. You may have to lash out in self defense if your stability is threatened. There are at least 5 symptoms to indicate there is trouble in paradise. Your employer is either cheating on your or thinking about it.

1. Interviewing your replacement

They bring someone from the outside as a consultant and ask you to train them. This is innocent enough until you find out they are gunning for your job. You train them, but realize they are looking at your strengths and weaknesses and may be taking them back to your boss. You ask the right questions, but there is not a lot of transparency around the person’s next job and why they were hired in the first place. Your co-workers give you their point of view which is to essentially watch your back.

Eventually, you decide the company is grooming your replacement behind your back, not as part of transparency associated with succession planning. You have to decide what to do which means to gain insight into how you are perceived within the organization and think of an alternative route outside of the company. You cannot afford to be career naive when it is true, other people want your job.

2. Broken Promises

Your boss promised you a position and gave you extra work to prepare you for the transition to the new role. This causes you to get your hopes up high and work harder. What is unknown to you is they have no plans to give you the assignment. They brought in someone, whom you find out through the grapevine was promised the same job. How do you respond? It is a delicate situation. Should you confront your boss about the rumors or the grapevine laden conspiracy? It is appropriate to ask for a meeting to ask about your performance and if you are on course to assume the promised assignment. There response will determine your next move. I believe in expecting the best, yet preparing for the worst. This mindset will enable you to be very professional if things don’t go your way.

3. Change their disposition toward you

You begin to detect a change in your bosses’ reaction to you. For some reason they become aloof and unavailable. You internalize the reaction and wonder what you have done wrong. You instantly think it is work related and begin to work harder and longer hours, but there is no change. You want to ask if you have done something wrong, but it may not be you. Promotional decisions are sometimes changed by Upper Management. If your boss promised you the job, but headquarters or his boss thinks it should go to someone else, they are between a rock and a hard place. A true leader will sit down and talk to you, but their hands may be tied. Some leaders will tell you that the decision is no longer in their hands and leave it at that. A transparent leader may say, this particular job is off the table, but they will work with you on the next available position.

If your supervisor told you the whole story, you may confront his manager and put your boss in jeopardy. Many managers will dodge their responsibility by finding fault in your performance.

Suddenly you can’t do anything right. The amount of critiques escalate, even when you do things the way they taught you to do them
Reduction in your rating without warning – you need to improve, but they can’t tell you how or why… They will know it when they see it is their response

4. Unprecedented candor

Some Managers have a reputation for not providing feedback until or unless something is wrong with your performance. There is a raging debate in managerial sectors about the level of transparency around career upward mobility. Some would prefer to hold back information that indicates that you have reached your peak and have gone as far as you can ascend in the organization. One reason for reluctance is the subjective nature of many of these opinions. Management could change and the new manager may see untapped potential, so they are reluctant to give the definitive word on your career possibilities. However, if your manager would like to replace you with a newer or a different model they will not hold back. They will:

Let you know that the promotion or position you aspire to will not be given to you in the future.
You are told you have gone as far as you can go and if you want to stay at your current level the job is yours
They may suggest that you are safe for now, but at some point they may decide you are blocking a position which could be a primary training ground for another upwardly mobile employee

You know when someone has made up their mind about you, but they will not tell you the truth. They hope you will quit, thereby making it easy on them. They try to make it hard on you so it is difficult for you to stay. You have to keep your performance fresh and in shape through continuous improvement and exercising your mind.

5. Rewriting your job description

A common means to displace or replace an employee that a company wants to leave or take out of contention for a key role is to rewrite their job description. This new and improved job description contains education requirements, experiences and duties that you do not currently perform. They tell you they are upgrading the job to attract better talent in the future when the job becomes vacant. Sometimes they ask you to start writing the job description if one is not currently on file. Once the job description is rewritten the company may announce a downsizing and the new job description will be the basis for the interviews. You find yourself in a position where you are interviewing for your job. They bring in candidates from the outside whose experiences and education match the new standard.

It is imperative in this competitive marketplace to always strive for excellence and elevating your performance. You may be in style today, but it is imperative for you to keep up with the knowledge and technological skills necessary to compete. It is reasonable for a company to want the best employee for their jobs. As long as you are growing, your familiarity, intellectual knowledge and intellectual property should give you the inside track. However, you must be observant in case you run into these 5 symptoms which is indicative that your employer is bored, has a wandering eye and is looking around and holding auditions for your replacement.

Family leadership, reunions and knowledge transfer

August 5, 2012 ~ Orlando Ceaser

Companies strive to develop stronger leaders. They know the power of leadership to propel their organizations to greater profitability and influence. They also seek continuity and to perform excellently in the area of knowledge transfer. Expertise in this area is a critical component in their succession planning process. Necessary skills and information will enhance productivity and minimize any disruption in performance. Successful organizations develop their talent pool or bench, by ensuring the smooth transfer and implementation of institutional knowledge.

Companies ideally want the new person to have time with the incumbent when a person is promoted. They want them to learn the mechanics of the job and the history of the position. If the new person understands the lessons of the past they are most likely to repeat the right ones. The experts realize this grounding in the past is a benefit. This awareness is helpful before the new person suggests any radical changes.

New employees gather available information by;

reading information on file and on line
one on one discussions with the former job holder
interviewing employees and customers
formal job orientation programs

A person is admired if they can quickly get up the learning curve and deliver value. They are able to speak intelligently about some matters for a seamless transition within the department. This increases the new person’s confidence during the early days in the new position. Successful knowledge, defined by knowing what was done in the past and current practices is an asset.

The process of knowledge transfer can also work well in families. Adults in the family acquired years of education, instruction, experiences and expertise. Such information could be shared with their family members. Reflect on the vast amount of knowledge accumulated over the years. Your children have received the benefit of some of this data. But there is still so much that could be exchanged.

Knowledge transfer already occurs in many families, with or without structure. This is especially evident if they are in a business together. They are present and the coaching can be delivered first hand. On the job training in the form of shadowing or following the relatives around the office or one on one meeting is a helpful practice. Bringing children to work is a great idea to let them see what the parents do on the job. It could allow them to see if their parent’s job is what they would like to do someday.

Most of the time knowledge is transferred through our actions as we live out our values and beliefs in the home. This happens around the dinner table or other places where the family gathers to interact. These opportunities could be intensified, if awareness and structure is added. If we intentionally design content and intent, we could better prepare our families for a competitive future. The world, the workplace and life is more challenging and grows in intensity and complexity each year.

One of the advantages of children getting older is that you can discuss matters related to your employment. The more we can tell the stories of our workplaces, the better they can learn about at least one job. This sharing of information is not designed to force them to choose the same occupation, but to expose them to the job and the character traits needed to be successful. Children brought up in a supportive instructive environment have an edge when they go into the workforce.

Family reunions are a great venue to share values, family history and coach members about our collective acquired expertise and experiences. We share this information with our immediate relatives, but could accomplish so much more if we shared with more people. The value of these years of experiences and connections could enrich the entire family network.

Consider setting up a procedure for the working members of your family to discuss their professions with the youth. Many times these gatherings are social, but they can be so much more. The following structure can be used to have adults share their experiences, education and expertise with their relatives at a family reunion. The format is as follows:

Knowledge & Experiential transfer – Enriching Families with the Talent Within

Premise:

There exists with the collective family, valuable assets that could be a competitive advantage for individual family members. People in the family play many roles on their jobs, in church and in the community. They accumulated knowledge and skill to succeed in these roles. Family members have received intensive training in school and on the job. If we could tap into this wellspring of talent and transfer it to others in the family, we would have a pool of mentors to help our youth perform and compete at a very high level.

Family members are not often aware of the talent that is present across their bloodline. Some do a greater job mentoring people and offering advice outside of the family when the need is also great at home.

Objective:

To identify and share the wealth of information in the form of knowledge, experiences, expertise and skills within the nuclear and extended family and across the bloodline.

Procedures:

Assess family members who are willing to talk about their jobs in a workshop or panel discussion. This could include the mechanics of the job and their journey to the position.
Solicit questions from family members before the meeting to get everyone thinking and prepared for the session.
Notify family of the objectives of the session and expectations of excellence from all in the family.
Celebrate those family members who have achieved excellence in any area whether on the job or in their education.
Select certain adults to roam through the reunion to answer questions about their profession. They can wear name tags that have jobs or areas of expertise. These individuals can be sought out at the family reunion to tell their story.

This is a brief overview of how we could stress excellence within the family and utilize the talent within to increase our greatness and fulfill our purpose. The self confidence and feeling of collective strength will add to the esteem and image of the entire family.

Family members can models leadership in every interaction with each other. We can intentionally build processes and structure to transfer knowledge. Taking advantage of these interactions will allow us to share our expertise, education and experiences and benefit the group, through living out our purpose.