FORWARD21: #9
FORWARD21 is a weekly newsletter with top hand-picked forward thinking human and workplace advice and resources for 21st-century executives, leaders, and change agents.
Words that Grow Next Level Leaders and Workplaces
Words have been on my mind a LOT lately. It’s the first word I’ve chosen to use in the headline for this newsletter. It’s also the headline on my home page at Forward Thinking Workplaces, and on the landing page for this newsletter.
There are many other words I could have used such as strategies, ideas, insights, etc., but I think it will become clearer shortly why I settled on using words.
I’m also reading an advance copy of a new book from leadership expert David Marquet, Leadership Is Language: The Hidden Power of What You Say–and What You Don’t, coming in February 2020.
Leadership is language is a concept that David first wrote about in his bestselling book, Turn the Ship Around, and has been a recurring theme in his writing and work since then. I’m discovering that David has done a lot of thinking and work since then, and I think you will find his upcoming book fascinating and a must-read.
Then to top it off, the concept of words came up again in a post I did this week on my interview with Andrew Bennett:
I connected with Andrew through his fascinating TEDx talk, The magic of words–what we speak is what we create.
Above and beyond using magic to help us see how the impossible is possible in all areas of our lives, Andrew calls attention to the idea we all overlook: the power of our words to create.
In response to a post I made on LinkedIn, Andrew further illuminated on this idea with the following comment:
Abracadabra means, “What I Speak Is What I Create,” and it’s a reminder to us all that our words create our world. It’s important for everyone, and especially leaders. Leaders should always be thinking, “Are the words I’m using right now, moving us to our desired future?”
The magic of words is just one of many powerful ideas that Andrew contributed to this interview. You’ll also learn that Andrew worked for H. Ross Perot, Former US Presidential candidate and founder of EDS. He has a fascinating experience to share on what it was like to work with Perot.
And perhaps most exciting of all is that Andrew is a highly accomplished and recognized magician! He was encouraged by H. Ross Perot to bring the power of magic to the business world.
Here are just a few of my favorite takeaways from the interview:
Key Takeaways
- Much of what is unconsciously at play day in and day out in the workplace is fear, so it’s important to ask, “Where might I be unconscious of how fear is getting in my way?”
- We can facilitate a connection between the employee and the purpose of the organization by asking, “How can we make the world a better place?”
- Be mindful that our words have great power—what we speak is what we create.
- Magic helps us experience something you thought was impossible being made possible, giving us a taste of an invisible force that is greater than our understanding of the material world.
There’s a lot more in the full interview, so I hope you will pick up a copy of The Future of the Workplace and discover more magic from Andrew Bennett!
What people are saying about The Future of the Workplace –
Bill, the words you share through your writing are creating a better world by encouraging leaders to deepen their consciousness about what’s possible in our world. You create hope through your words.
Andrew Bennett
Leadership Coach and Professional MagicianFORWARD21: top articles that got my attention
I’m still figuring this out, but this is the current narrative that my work has led me to describe.
How do you see this?
Do you agree?
New game: Now, you win by asking powerful questions and allowing the collective voice, wisdom, and energy of everyone on the team or organization to emerge. It’s the age of Forward Thinking and allowing people to be themselves.
— Bill Fox (@BillFoxStrategy) January 13, 2020
Ask Employees Two of These 20 Questions Every Month ⎜Inc. Magazine
Here at Forward Thinking Workplaces, we think it’s crucial for leaders and employees to ask each other more and better questions. That’s why two of the questions we ask in every interview explore the most important questions leaders and employees should be asking each other.
In Inc. Magazine, author Laura Garnett presents her list of 20 questions along with the suggestion to ask two of them every month. A great idea and practice to follow.
A few of the questions I like in particular are:
1. What aspects of your job do you think are aligned with what you’re best at?
2. Is there any constructive feedback you have for me in regards to my leadership and management abilities?
3. What changes could you make to make you feel more autonomous, and how can I help?
What questions did you find most intriguing in the article?
I was initially attracted to this article because I love all things aviation-related and have experienced a few tense situations myself as a private pilot wishing I was back on the ground.
However, I wasn’t expecting this key takeaway:
“Open questions are vital to effective communication in high stake situations. But we also learned something new: Open questions are vital in all decision making processes as a means to come up with the best solutions and also as preventative measures against potentially dangerous or imperfect outcomes.”
Sound familiar? This is precisely one of the core ideas behind the work and interviews I do at Forward Thinking Workplaces.
In response to the article, I posted the following comment on LinkedIn and at HBR:
“Thanks for this article. The most intriguing idea in this article for me was the power of open-ended questions and that they are vital in all decision making, not just high-stress situations. I was fortunate to be mentored by a master pilot when I was learning to fly. He always cautioned me that your IQ drops about 20 points when you are piloting because of all the additional sensory information. I found this to be accurate, and I think today’s modern workplaces are placing similar demands upon everyone. The widespread use of open-ended questions and humble inquiry are ideas ripe for today’s world.”
What’s your key takeaway from this article, and what do you think? I invite you to respond in the comments on the post on LinkedIn or at HBR.
The Emergence Process⎜Michelle James on LinkedIn
When the work that I do first appeared in the form of my interviews for 5 Minutes to Process Improvement Success, many people urged me to “package” it, so I could bring a new methodology or framework to the business world. But I couldn’t do it because I knew it was always changing, growing, morphing, and leading me forward.
At some point, I learned that I was experiencing Emergence. Emergence continues to this day, and I’d suggest that it may be the way forward for most people and organizations of today and tomorrow.
Michelle James shared this recent quote from David Whyte, which describes the emergence process:
FORWARD21: books
The 2020 Forward Thinking Success Series ⎜Bill Fox
Learn the best ideas, questions and strategies from 70+ pioneering leaders by signing up for The 2020 Forward Thinking Success ebook series. This is a special edition I’m publishing to encourage newsletter subscriptions. Sign up today because this offer ends on January 31, 2020!
In Closing
Thanks for reading. If you like this newsletter and want to support it, please consider forwarding it to someone who’d benefit from it or consider buying a copy of my new book The Future of the Workplace.
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To your great work life & success!
Bill Fox
Care to Let Us Know?
What did you find most intriguing in this newsletter?