Transforming Non-Profit and Church Leadership

WEBVTT

1
00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:09.640
What's working on purpose anyway? Each
week we ponder the answer to this question.

2
00:00:10.199 --> 00:00:14.880
People ache for meaning and purpose at
work, to contribute their talents passionately

3
00:00:15.199 --> 00:00:19.719
and know their lives really matter.
They crave being part of an organization that

4
00:00:19.800 --> 00:00:24.960
inspires them and helps them grow into
realizing their highest potential. Business can be

5
00:00:25.079 --> 00:00:29.679
such a force for good in the
world, elevating humanity. In our program,

6
00:00:29.760 --> 00:00:33.759
we provide guidance and inspiration to help
usher in this world we all want

7
00:00:34.399 --> 00:00:41.520
Working on purpose. Now Here is
your host, Doctor Elise Cortez. Welcome

8
00:00:41.520 --> 00:00:44.200
back to the Working on Purpose Program. Thanks for tuning in again this week.

9
00:00:44.240 --> 00:00:47.039
I'm your host, doctor Elise Cortez, joining you live from Dallas,

10
00:00:47.079 --> 00:00:49.759
Texas, which is home base for
me. If you've been tuning in for

11
00:00:49.799 --> 00:00:52.759
a while, you know this program
is a thought leadership series that enlightens and

12
00:00:52.759 --> 00:00:57.679
inspires listeners with insights from distinguished business
leaders and subject matter experts. Our conversations

13
00:00:57.679 --> 00:01:00.079
are designed to make you think,
inspire you to ever reach for cultivating your

14
00:01:00.119 --> 00:01:04.040
best, and take an informed approach
towards leadership and business. Our guest today

15
00:01:04.120 --> 00:01:08.799
is Hugh Balou, a transformational leadership
strategist and the president of Center Vision International,

16
00:01:08.840 --> 00:01:12.159
Inc. He's the author of eight
books on transformational leadership and is a

17
00:01:12.200 --> 00:01:17.480
recognized expert in working with leaders and
churches, religious organizations, and business and

18
00:01:17.480 --> 00:01:22.280
nonprofit communities. He is the editor
of the nonprofit Performance three sixty magazine and

19
00:01:22.359 --> 00:01:26.319
the host of the Nonprofit Exchange podcast. We'll be talking about how his previous

20
00:01:26.319 --> 00:01:30.840
career as a conductor informs his work
today, the specific approach he and team

21
00:01:30.879 --> 00:01:34.840
take developing leaders, and hear some
stories about their work and the difference he's

22
00:01:34.879 --> 00:01:38.680
made in the made me oranizations they
serve. He joined today from Lynchburg,

23
00:01:38.760 --> 00:01:42.439
Virginia. Hugh, welcome to working
on Purpose. Well, at least,

24
00:01:42.439 --> 00:01:45.359
thank you for having me or I'm
glad to be here. It's wonderful being

25
00:01:45.400 --> 00:01:49.840
on the other end of the mic, isn't it. Yeah, let's do

26
00:01:49.879 --> 00:01:53.280
this, Well, we have to
start. You have such a fantastic,

27
00:01:53.400 --> 00:01:56.200
long and distinguished career here, and
I'm just so happy to know that you're

28
00:01:56.200 --> 00:01:57.959
still having such a great time in
life and work. It should be like

29
00:01:59.079 --> 00:02:01.359
that, as doctor SEUs says,
it should be like that. So let's

30
00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:05.680
do this for our guests, and
would you just start by saying a little

31
00:02:05.680 --> 00:02:08.840
bit about your expensive life and career, and I want to start this conversation

32
00:02:08.919 --> 00:02:14.400
by learning how you chose your initial
career in music and performed as a conductor.

33
00:02:14.639 --> 00:02:17.520
Why music first, Well, it's
it's about the nurture in the home

34
00:02:17.680 --> 00:02:23.080
and what what shapes us. And
my parents had really good classical music playing

35
00:02:23.080 --> 00:02:27.840
all the time, so I was
fascinated. I took piano lessons, and

36
00:02:27.879 --> 00:02:30.319
so I decided to go to college
and study music. And I was the

37
00:02:30.360 --> 00:02:35.039
person they shouldn't have let in the
music school, and so didn't let out.

38
00:02:35.479 --> 00:02:38.240
I was very intentional about it and
had very little skill, but I

39
00:02:38.280 --> 00:02:44.080
got out and I had I started
directing church choirs when I was eighteen years

40
00:02:44.080 --> 00:02:47.520
old, so I went from tiny
little churches to twelve thousand megachurch size and

41
00:02:47.560 --> 00:02:53.479
work in several megachurches. So it
was on national TV and had who's who's

42
00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:57.560
who's who of national artists come in
and do concerts with us. So I

43
00:02:57.599 --> 00:03:01.639
was able to do big productions and
run big program So it was a career

44
00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:05.879
that was meaningful to me. I
can impact a whole lot of people.

45
00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:08.240
By impacting a whole lot of people, you know that is so beautiful.

46
00:03:08.520 --> 00:03:12.800
One you know that the word meaningful
means a lot to me because I'm a

47
00:03:12.840 --> 00:03:15.319
management consultant and I focus specifically in
meaning and purpose, and I love that

48
00:03:15.439 --> 00:03:19.319
right out of the gate, you
chose something meaningful for yourself, and a

49
00:03:19.639 --> 00:03:22.960
lot of young people don't do that. They take the guidance of other people

50
00:03:23.039 --> 00:03:25.240
that mean the best wishes for them, but kind of steer them off their

51
00:03:25.240 --> 00:03:30.080
path. So I'm glad that you
stay true. That's really really inspiring for

52
00:03:30.159 --> 00:03:31.840
me, actually, as someone who
has a seventeen year old daughter and she's

53
00:03:31.840 --> 00:03:35.719
trying to figure out what she wants
to be when she grows up. So

54
00:03:35.919 --> 00:03:39.039
speaking of that identity is my next
question. So since it's such an anchoring

55
00:03:39.080 --> 00:03:44.000
mechanism in our lives and among other
things, it drives behavior, and I'm

56
00:03:44.039 --> 00:03:46.159
a meaning of work and identity researcher, as you might recall, So I'm

57
00:03:46.199 --> 00:03:51.960
fascinated with the way people answer the
questions who are you and what makes you

58
00:03:51.960 --> 00:03:55.000
you? So how would you answer
those questions for us? I'm an influencer

59
00:03:55.280 --> 00:04:01.199
and I'm passionate about giving value to
people so they can realize the inner skill

60
00:04:01.319 --> 00:04:05.520
they have that they've not really realized
and certainly haven't developed. So I'm a

61
00:04:05.599 --> 00:04:11.759
catalyst for people finding their excellence and
then developing that so they can have impact.

62
00:04:12.520 --> 00:04:15.600
And let me know something about you
that maybe listeners don't know because they've

63
00:04:15.600 --> 00:04:19.199
not had the experience of seeing you
in action. I have. When you

64
00:04:19.399 --> 00:04:24.199
facilitated the Youth Philanthropy conference we did
a few weeks ago, you were just

65
00:04:24.519 --> 00:04:28.040
dynamic. You you were just I
mean, I was. I learned a

66
00:04:28.040 --> 00:04:30.839
whole bunch of things from you,
and I was inspired. I was in

67
00:04:30.879 --> 00:04:34.639
such good hands, And you really
are a catalyst. Well, leaders don't

68
00:04:34.639 --> 00:04:43.279
do. Leaders lead And the conductor
where peoples misperceived what a conductor's power is.

69
00:04:43.639 --> 00:04:46.480
People think a conductor is a dictator. Well, let me tell you.

70
00:04:46.680 --> 00:04:48.839
You've got this little white stick,
and you've got a whole bunch of

71
00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:54.079
union players. They're very good.
You can't make them do anything. What

72
00:04:54.279 --> 00:04:59.360
you can do is influence them.
It's how we use the tools and how

73
00:04:59.399 --> 00:05:02.319
we show up. So a leader
is an influencer. And the culture of

74
00:05:02.360 --> 00:05:05.959
the orchestra, the culture the require, the culture of the boardroom, the

75
00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:11.639
culture of the staff is a reflection
of the leader. And so I learned

76
00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:15.279
that early on, and I was
way down in front. I started directing

77
00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:18.160
a choir when I had no experience
of even being in a choir. So

78
00:05:18.199 --> 00:05:20.800
I've been one of these people either
bray, they're stupid. I just said,

79
00:05:20.839 --> 00:05:25.720
m I bet I could do that. So that started a forty year

80
00:05:26.199 --> 00:05:30.560
career of conducting and still just says
last year I was conducting a symphony here,

81
00:05:30.600 --> 00:05:33.920
So you don't give it up.
I would think not. In fact,

82
00:05:33.959 --> 00:05:36.680
that was my next question as I
was wondering how it wasn't you decided

83
00:05:36.680 --> 00:05:41.480
to add leadership, develop and coaching
work to your career often since I assumed

84
00:05:41.480 --> 00:05:44.839
that you were still conducting music,
So why did you decide it to add

85
00:05:44.920 --> 00:05:49.040
leadership in coaching? What did a
stand with Lynchburg Symphony here in Virginia?

86
00:05:49.480 --> 00:05:55.800
And so I worked with the previous
president and help them build their strategy,

87
00:05:55.879 --> 00:05:59.720
help them build the board engagement.
So it's really like shipping a musical.

88
00:05:59.759 --> 00:06:04.360
On we come in, we have
a very clear distinct intent, purpose driven

89
00:06:04.439 --> 00:06:08.920
intent. So we were very clear
on the purpose everything we do. Why

90
00:06:08.920 --> 00:06:11.800
are we meeting, what are we
going to do? And then one day

91
00:06:11.839 --> 00:06:14.680
they said, oh, you're directing
the next concert, and I said okay.

92
00:06:15.360 --> 00:06:17.600
So I didn't even know if they
knew about my conducting, and so

93
00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:20.120
they said, well, we've seen
some videos of you and we want you

94
00:06:20.160 --> 00:06:25.000
to conduct. And so for the
first time in the history of the symphony,

95
00:06:25.040 --> 00:06:27.920
they filled the hall and you know, it was the talk of the

96
00:06:27.920 --> 00:06:33.000
town because I did something different which
engaged the whole population of the community on

97
00:06:33.120 --> 00:06:40.759
stage and in the audience. So
really it's it's I managed large music programs

98
00:06:40.800 --> 00:06:45.360
and in my church in Atlanta was
twelve thousand members. We had several hundred

99
00:06:45.360 --> 00:06:48.639
events a week. I had seven
hundred and fifty people in music program So

100
00:06:48.839 --> 00:06:53.279
you know, you had to learn
how to manage systems, how to create

101
00:06:53.319 --> 00:06:56.639
systems, and how to get out
of a way because they were very competent

102
00:06:56.680 --> 00:07:00.000
people. And you know, any
leader depends on having combinant people, and

103
00:07:00.199 --> 00:07:05.519
we influence them to step up and
step out and do their best. Beautiful.

104
00:07:05.920 --> 00:07:11.000
I love the work as well.
Your Your company that you started is

105
00:07:11.000 --> 00:07:14.759
called Center Vision. Why did you
start the organization? And can you can

106
00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:18.639
you say it for us a bit
about what's the vision behind energism? So

107
00:07:18.839 --> 00:07:25.519
it's it's the synergy that we get
from having a common vision. And I

108
00:07:25.519 --> 00:07:30.879
actually have a Centervision family of brands
Centervision International as I work with corporate leaders,

109
00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:35.959
MidCap corporations, Centervision Leadership Foundation,
I work with nonprofit leaders and churches,

110
00:07:36.360 --> 00:07:43.319
synagogues and educators. And in Centervision
Publishing, I publish a magazine and

111
00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:46.160
I do have an editor run the
publisher and actually let me write for it.

112
00:07:46.439 --> 00:07:51.160
And I write books and publish programs, self study programs and have a

113
00:07:51.160 --> 00:07:57.720
community. So it's like ensemble in
music. So you know, a drama

114
00:07:57.839 --> 00:08:01.079
ensemble plays together, they learned to
play off each other. A musical ensemble

115
00:08:01.160 --> 00:08:05.399
is very much the same. We
rehearse, so we developed this extra skill

116
00:08:05.439 --> 00:08:09.879
set. We don't give up being
independent, we don't give up our skill

117
00:08:09.920 --> 00:08:15.839
set, but we developed this other
skill as the ensemble. So Centervision is

118
00:08:15.240 --> 00:08:22.439
the word that kind of resembles that
ensemble feeling that is delightful, absolutely delightful.

119
00:08:22.839 --> 00:08:26.079
And I also recognize just all the
moving parts that are in that.

120
00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:28.800
I have several moving parts in my
business as well, but it's really quite

121
00:08:28.839 --> 00:08:33.799
spectacular that you keep all of those
parts moving beautifully in synchronicity. I think

122
00:08:33.799 --> 00:08:37.919
it's amazing. Have you ever seen
a musical score. It's a very long

123
00:08:37.000 --> 00:08:41.440
piece of paper and it's got all
the instruments on it, and there's sixty

124
00:08:41.559 --> 00:08:43.720
seventy eighty instruments in the orchestra,
but there's a bunch of strings that you

125
00:08:43.799 --> 00:08:46.919
got a line for each one,
and it goes across the page very fast.

126
00:08:48.320 --> 00:08:50.519
And there's no way unless you study
the score and really know what's going

127
00:08:50.600 --> 00:08:54.159
on, there's no way you can
take in everything right away. So you

128
00:08:54.240 --> 00:08:58.960
have to know the score. My
leadership principles start with know the score.

129
00:08:58.320 --> 00:09:03.480
We have to be in tensional to
be purposeful about where we're going. And

130
00:09:03.559 --> 00:09:07.080
so that score is a skill set
in itself. So it's it's what holds

131
00:09:07.120 --> 00:09:11.519
us together. It's the common plan. So without a strategy, we're nothing.

132
00:09:11.600 --> 00:09:16.519
As business or nonprofit leaders, we
must have a roadmap. One of

133
00:09:16.559 --> 00:09:20.720
the things that I find beautiful about
what you've done in your life you is

134
00:09:20.720 --> 00:09:26.159
that you have stood on the career
of music, and now you use that

135
00:09:26.200 --> 00:09:30.000
as an anchor or an informational conduit
to what you're doing now in leadership development,

136
00:09:30.240 --> 00:09:33.799
and I always encourage people to not
forego wherever they came from before,

137
00:09:33.840 --> 00:09:35.120
but fold it in and let it, let it flavor, if you will,

138
00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:39.039
Where would they go next? So
how does your experience conducting inform your

139
00:09:39.120 --> 00:09:43.200
leadership today? Well, it took
me forty years to write my first book,

140
00:09:43.279 --> 00:09:48.679
movie Feel So Much Better, Thank
Your Lives. So that was my

141
00:09:48.720 --> 00:09:52.039
first first book and it's really and
it took me thirty days put it on

142
00:09:52.120 --> 00:09:56.840
paper. And so it's the church
musician, it's transformational leader. So you

143
00:09:56.879 --> 00:10:01.519
have a bunch of singers, you
transform them into Acquire. You transformed Acquire

144
00:10:01.559 --> 00:10:05.440
into an ensemble and in a faith
community, transform people's lives. And so

145
00:10:07.519 --> 00:10:11.399
in this book, after our left
the twelve thousand member church, I define

146
00:10:11.480 --> 00:10:16.120
my job as music director that ten
percent. Ten percent of my job was

147
00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:22.480
music. Ninety percent allowed that to
happen. So the blue ten ninety rule

148
00:10:22.600 --> 00:10:26.399
is as a leader, we have
the vision and the skill to make that

149
00:10:26.679 --> 00:10:31.240
that's ten percent of what we do. Ninety percent is that iceberg that supports

150
00:10:31.240 --> 00:10:35.159
the iceberg underwater. That ninety percent
allows us to do it, and most

151
00:10:35.200 --> 00:10:39.480
of us don't have the skills or
the knowledge or the experience to develop that

152
00:10:39.600 --> 00:10:43.240
ninety percent. So at least that's
why you and I have worked, because

153
00:10:43.240 --> 00:10:48.679
people need us to be able to
highlight their expertise and achieve their vision.

154
00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:52.120
So it really works together. So
being able to be on stage, that's

155
00:10:52.159 --> 00:10:56.879
just a little bit. There's a
whole munch behind that that really makes it

156
00:10:56.919 --> 00:11:00.559
happen. So when the battime goes
down, boom, it's the elimination.

157
00:11:00.639 --> 00:11:03.240
Like being on the radio show,
being on the TV show, being in

158
00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:05.639
a movie. There's a whole lot
of work that went on to make it

159
00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:09.759
happen. Isn't that the truth?
Well, so that question was specifically to

160
00:11:09.799 --> 00:11:13.080
your leadership, how your music informs
your leadership? I'm also interested in maybe

161
00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:18.399
it's the same answer, but how
does your background in music inform how you

162
00:11:18.440 --> 00:11:22.240
coach and how you consult? You
know, God gave us two ears,

163
00:11:22.360 --> 00:11:28.279
two eyes, and one mouth,
so coaching is ninety percent listening with our

164
00:11:28.279 --> 00:11:33.600
eyes and our ears, and so
coaching is more about asking questions and listening

165
00:11:33.600 --> 00:11:39.360
and reframing and helping people discover things
about themselves. The misinterpretation there is that

166
00:11:39.480 --> 00:11:43.440
coaches tell people what to do.
Now, there are several styles of coaching,

167
00:11:43.519 --> 00:11:46.519
several areas of coaching. There's content
coaching, there's leadership coaching, there's

168
00:11:46.559 --> 00:11:52.639
process coaching. But there's also personal
development coaching, which is about how do

169
00:11:52.720 --> 00:11:56.279
we make decisions and my job is
to enable people to raise the bar on

170
00:11:56.320 --> 00:12:00.320
their own function. You know,
one of my favorite things about you,

171
00:12:00.559 --> 00:12:03.320
and you're sort of hitting on it, is I really love and I do

172
00:12:03.399 --> 00:12:07.519
think I bring a certain superpower to
this. Right. I have my eyes

173
00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:09.799
work through my purpose lens, and
so I can see what's unique and special

174
00:12:09.799 --> 00:12:13.480
about people that's just so obviously natural
for them. So what are these women?

175
00:12:13.480 --> 00:12:16.720
They're just so used to it,
they can't articulate or separate it.

176
00:12:16.960 --> 00:12:20.919
One of my favorite things, though, is to be able to shine that

177
00:12:20.080 --> 00:12:24.399
mirror back to them and show them
who they are. It is the most

178
00:12:24.440 --> 00:12:26.960
amazing thing. I'm sure you've experienced
that your whole entire life, isn't it

179
00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:31.320
a gat I'm a leadership coach.
I have a leadership coach. If people

180
00:12:31.320 --> 00:12:33.600
are going to excel, they must
have a coach. If you look at

181
00:12:33.600 --> 00:12:37.080
the people who are the top in
their field, they have a coach.

182
00:12:37.360 --> 00:12:41.519
You look at the people that are
struggling, they're the people that are going

183
00:12:41.559 --> 00:12:45.759
to figure it out for themselves.
And so we have blind spots and we

184
00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:50.480
need somebody external who can help give
us feedback. Oh did you realize this

185
00:12:50.679 --> 00:12:54.159
or did you realize when you said
that, or what's the impact of that

186
00:12:54.200 --> 00:13:00.159
decision or is there another way to
think about this? And so have a

187
00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:03.919
leadership coach is important, a marketing
coach, other business process coach. We

188
00:13:05.039 --> 00:13:07.639
cannot do for ourselves what we do
for other people as coaches, and I

189
00:13:09.279 --> 00:13:15.279
call myself a transformational leadership strategist.
It's more than coaching, more than consulting.

190
00:13:15.360 --> 00:13:20.000
It's it's developing the strategy and integrating
into performance. That's what a conductor

191
00:13:20.039 --> 00:13:24.759
does. You got this piece of
paper that makes no sounds, and then

192
00:13:24.840 --> 00:13:28.679
we enable music to come about from
that piece of paper. With a very

193
00:13:28.799 --> 00:13:35.039
competent team, and really you want
to have people around you that are more

194
00:13:35.080 --> 00:13:37.639
competent than you. If you're the
best person on your team, you better

195
00:13:37.720 --> 00:13:41.639
run. I agree, and back
to your point about coaches. I have

196
00:13:41.679 --> 00:13:45.600
two coaches, and I am convinced
that I certainly wouldn't be living my purpose

197
00:13:45.879 --> 00:13:48.919
fully if I didn't have one of
the coaches that I'm working with and the

198
00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:52.840
other one I work more on emotional
spiritual matters with. But I couldn't be

199
00:13:52.879 --> 00:13:56.080
more with you. If you're up
to something in life, you need a

200
00:13:56.080 --> 00:13:58.200
coach, need somebody to help to
stand outside of yourself and I'll kind of

201
00:13:58.200 --> 00:14:01.639
pull you a little bit and challenge
you. Absolutely, and that's where we

202
00:14:01.720 --> 00:14:09.360
grow is in the discomfort and stretching
our abilities and self awareness and so that

203
00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:13.960
the number one trait of a leader
is an influencer. But to be an

204
00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:18.840
influencer, we must be vulnerable and
be open to that. I completely agree,

205
00:14:18.840 --> 00:14:20.200
and that as a part of the
way to send us on our first

206
00:14:20.240 --> 00:14:24.840
break there he's with may be a
little bit reactional and reflectional about that,

207
00:14:24.919 --> 00:14:28.919
So let's do that. I'm Elise
Cortez, your host. We were there

208
00:14:28.919 --> 00:14:31.879
with Hugh Balu. He's a transformational
leadership strategist and the president of Center Vision

209
00:14:33.120 --> 00:14:37.320
International, Inc. He judged today
from Lynchburg, Virginia. We've been talking

210
00:14:37.320 --> 00:14:39.360
a bit about him, where he
came from, how he grew to the

211
00:14:39.360 --> 00:14:41.360
person he missed Today. After the
break, we're going to hear about his

212
00:14:41.639 --> 00:14:45.799
unique approach to leadership development. Stay
with us, we'll be right back.

213
00:14:46.320 --> 00:14:52.679
Doctor Elise Cortez is a management consultant
specializing in meaning and purpose and inspirational speaker

214
00:14:52.720 --> 00:14:58.480
and author. She helps companies visioneer
for greater purpose among stakeholders and develop purpose

215
00:14:58.559 --> 00:15:05.600
inspired leadership and meaning infused cultures that
elevate fulfillment, performance, and commitment within

216
00:15:05.639 --> 00:15:09.519
the workforce. To learn more or
to invite a lease to speak to your

217
00:15:09.679 --> 00:15:13.320
organization, please visit her at Leise
Cortez dot com. Let's talk about how

218
00:15:13.360 --> 00:15:24.480
to get your employees working on purpose. This is working on Purpose with doctor

219
00:15:24.519 --> 00:15:28.120
Elise Cortez. To reach our program
today or open a conversation with Elise,

220
00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:35.840
send an email to Elise Alis at
Elise Cortez dot com. Now back to

221
00:15:35.960 --> 00:15:39.919
working on purpose. Thanks for stating
with us, and welcome back to working

222
00:15:39.960 --> 00:15:43.000
on purpose if you're just joining us. My guest is Hugh blu He's a

223
00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:48.799
transformational leadership strategist and the president of
Center Vision International. Is the author of

224
00:15:48.799 --> 00:15:52.639
eight books on transformational leadership and is
a recognized expert in working with leaders in

225
00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:56.279
churches, religious organizations, and business
and nonprofit communities. Is the editor of

226
00:15:56.320 --> 00:16:00.840
the nonprofit Performance three sixteen magazine and
the host of the nonprofit Exchange podcast.

227
00:16:02.080 --> 00:16:04.720
I'm your host, Police Cortez.
So before the break here we were talking

228
00:16:04.759 --> 00:16:07.759
about really how it was that you
came up in the world and your love

229
00:16:07.799 --> 00:16:11.440
of music and how you've really now
fed and thread that through what you're doing

230
00:16:11.440 --> 00:16:15.399
today in leadership development. So now
what I want to do is I want

231
00:16:15.399 --> 00:16:18.679
to take the curtain back a little
if we can, and learn more about

232
00:16:18.679 --> 00:16:22.120
your approach to leadership development. Everybody
does it a little bit differently, and

233
00:16:22.159 --> 00:16:25.679
you've got your own sauce too,
of course, so you distinguish that you're

234
00:16:25.679 --> 00:16:29.759
developing transformative leaders which I think it's
fascinating. So first, what is a

235
00:16:29.799 --> 00:16:33.399
transformative leader and how is here?
Is she different from other types of leaders

236
00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:37.799
say inspirational or other kinds. There
are a number of tags for this type

237
00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:41.600
of leadership, that type of leadership, and being a conductor, I fell

238
00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:47.519
right into the pattern of transformational leadership. It's a style of leadership. It's

239
00:16:47.559 --> 00:16:51.840
about a vision. And when we're
kind of doctors on a podium and we

240
00:16:51.919 --> 00:16:55.000
got a piece of music, there's
a clear vision and this is where we're

241
00:16:55.039 --> 00:16:57.480
going, this is what we're going
to do. So we were very purposeful

242
00:16:57.519 --> 00:17:03.960
about the objective. Transformational leadership is
about the vision where are we going?

243
00:17:03.519 --> 00:17:07.160
The opposite of that scale is the
autocratic leader of the charismatic leader. It's

244
00:17:07.200 --> 00:17:10.480
about me. You know, I
got all the ideas. I'm going to

245
00:17:10.519 --> 00:17:14.400
boss you around. That's the boss. So over here, transformational leader is

246
00:17:14.440 --> 00:17:19.039
the empowerment person. We build leaders
on team, so it's a very different,

247
00:17:19.200 --> 00:17:23.640
different approach. Transformational leader does not
do anything. We define what we

248
00:17:23.720 --> 00:17:27.839
take off our plate because there's competent
people in our team. Now, I

249
00:17:27.880 --> 00:17:33.480
don't hire the very best Obo player
for my orchestra and tell them how to

250
00:17:33.480 --> 00:17:37.279
play the Obo. And you'd be
surprised how many power leaders, whether they're

251
00:17:37.319 --> 00:17:41.440
in a multinational corporation or a startup
nonprofit in a local community, they get

252
00:17:41.480 --> 00:17:45.720
somebody to competent say something. They
hire somebody or bring some volunteer into do

253
00:17:45.839 --> 00:17:49.599
marketing communications. Then they tell them
how they want it done, which is

254
00:17:49.759 --> 00:17:55.119
ludicrous. You've got an expert Obo
player, so you say play. And

255
00:17:55.119 --> 00:17:59.599
when we shape the process and we
do the blend, so we've got when

256
00:17:59.599 --> 00:18:02.039
you got to melody, it comes
out when you don't have the melody.

257
00:18:02.359 --> 00:18:08.000
So the leader shapes the process,
the product and actually inspires the community to

258
00:18:08.039 --> 00:18:11.319
perform at a higher level. Now, I can't make people, as I

259
00:18:11.319 --> 00:18:15.480
said before, I can't make people
do anything. What I can do because

260
00:18:15.480 --> 00:18:21.200
of my competence, of my knowledge
and my instructions can inspire them to raise

261
00:18:21.240 --> 00:18:25.119
the bar on their own performance,
and so there's there's the synergy that goes

262
00:18:25.160 --> 00:18:29.559
back and forth as we raise the
bar on our performance. So it's it's

263
00:18:29.599 --> 00:18:33.920
it's being very clear about influencing people. You get things off your plate.

264
00:18:33.400 --> 00:18:37.279
You must model what you want to
see. If you show up to work

265
00:18:37.359 --> 00:18:40.319
late, you don't do your job, you say bad things about it the

266
00:18:40.400 --> 00:18:45.119
people. You're shaping the community by
your very being. So authenticity is critical

267
00:18:45.559 --> 00:18:52.680
for the for the transformational leader.
So transformational leadership as a style of leadership

268
00:18:52.720 --> 00:18:56.960
was written about in the eighties by
two writers, Burns and Bass, and

269
00:18:57.000 --> 00:19:02.839
they wrote about it as military was
a model. You don't micromanage people in

270
00:19:02.880 --> 00:19:07.720
combat. We don't micromanage performers on
stage during a performance. We must prepare

271
00:19:08.039 --> 00:19:12.359
and we must guide the process and
then it blossoms. So there's there's several

272
00:19:12.440 --> 00:19:18.279
aspects of transformational leadership. And I
never found curriculumber of books that I really

273
00:19:18.319 --> 00:19:22.519
thought mailed everything, so I wrote
my own, so starting with this book

274
00:19:22.640 --> 00:19:26.759
and then numbers of online courses and
other books. So I've talked about the

275
00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:30.960
process, but I've also tell stories
and then the magazine that I've published.

276
00:19:30.960 --> 00:19:37.440
There's stories about leaders who've actually accomplished
things, and leadership is generic. It

277
00:19:37.480 --> 00:19:41.279
doesn't have a face of nonprofit or
religion, or education or business. It

278
00:19:41.440 --> 00:19:47.599
is generic. It is us influencing
people to achieve a common result. So

279
00:19:47.680 --> 00:19:53.519
it's a very powerful tool, and
it's ultimately scalable, where autocratic leadership is

280
00:19:53.559 --> 00:19:57.920
limiting wherever you can be and wherever
you influence. So it's a very practical

281
00:19:59.079 --> 00:20:03.640
leadership model. Well, nicely,
don't thank you, and then a lot

282
00:20:03.680 --> 00:20:06.039
to take it up still a little
bit further, and you've already allude to

283
00:20:06.079 --> 00:20:07.920
these before in the first datement,
but you mentioned something about the four principles

284
00:20:08.039 --> 00:20:11.519
leadership that you've devised and teach.
I would love to hear about those.

285
00:20:11.960 --> 00:20:15.440
If you can imagine these four things, you can lead anywhere. You can

286
00:20:15.480 --> 00:20:18.279
be a better committee chair, you
can be a better den mother the cup

287
00:20:18.359 --> 00:20:22.880
scouts. So number one, it's
the foundations. When the conductor steps on

288
00:20:22.920 --> 00:20:27.079
the podium, they know the score, So knowing where you want to go,

289
00:20:27.240 --> 00:20:33.319
it's clarity of perfect clarity of vision
and ability to articulate that. You

290
00:20:33.319 --> 00:20:37.160
can have it in your head,
but if you can't share it in a

291
00:20:37.160 --> 00:20:41.880
way people can understand and be excited
about it, then you're really not going

292
00:20:41.920 --> 00:20:45.759
anywhere. So the foundation, knowing
the score is a have your plan,

293
00:20:47.319 --> 00:20:51.519
but you also have the ability to
lead, so that I call the foundation.

294
00:20:52.279 --> 00:20:56.160
We are capable of leading. I
talked to lots of people starting up

295
00:20:56.200 --> 00:20:57.759
businesses or non profits and they say, well, I got a team,

296
00:20:57.799 --> 00:21:00.079
and I said, what are they
going to do? Well, I don't

297
00:21:00.119 --> 00:21:03.720
know yet. Well that's backward.
So we want to take our vision and

298
00:21:03.759 --> 00:21:07.799
put it down into a plan.
Then we can move forward. In the

299
00:21:07.839 --> 00:21:12.640
second one, as relationships, that's
your people, so that my principle and

300
00:21:12.799 --> 00:21:18.160
music is higher the best. I
don't want shabby musicians in my ark show,

301
00:21:18.279 --> 00:21:22.319
want excellent musicians. And there's so
many leaders that want to hire people

302
00:21:22.440 --> 00:21:26.359
less capable than themselves, so it
doesn't challenge them. Well, excuse me.

303
00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:30.359
You need people better than you so
you can empower them to create this

304
00:21:30.680 --> 00:21:36.920
energy. And so we want to
hire the best. So we haven't worthy,

305
00:21:37.039 --> 00:21:41.160
worthy, project, worthy goal,
clear vision. Now we find people

306
00:21:41.240 --> 00:21:45.880
that fit our culture. They understand
our values, they understand our principles,

307
00:21:45.880 --> 00:21:51.119
and we share that in common.
So then here's our work, here's how

308
00:21:51.160 --> 00:21:55.279
we work together. And then okay, you've got good people doing worthy work.

309
00:21:55.359 --> 00:22:00.079
Here's the third principle. Rehearse for
success. The best musical ensembles,

310
00:22:00.119 --> 00:22:04.279
the best drama groups rehearsed for every
performance. You've got to stay on the

311
00:22:04.279 --> 00:22:07.880
cutting edge. You've got to refine, you've got to be at your best.

312
00:22:07.319 --> 00:22:12.720
We want to have it alogists do
it well. This is about systems.

313
00:22:12.839 --> 00:22:17.759
So at least I bet you've attended
a boring, unproductive meeting in your

314
00:22:17.799 --> 00:22:19.720
life, probably more than once,
just occasionally. Yeah, and I hope

315
00:22:19.720 --> 00:22:26.000
you know well you've probably lead one
like I have. So so that's the

316
00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:29.839
number one team killer. We have
a bad meeting, yet we expect to

317
00:22:29.839 --> 00:22:32.680
have good results. Well, I
gotta tell you, if I have a

318
00:22:32.680 --> 00:22:37.039
bad rehearsal, I'm probably going to
have a bad concert. So we're teaching

319
00:22:37.079 --> 00:22:41.839
people how to perform in our everyday
activity. So there's lots of systems.

320
00:22:41.880 --> 00:22:47.440
The annual review, highly dysfunctional hiring
process. We don't do it right.

321
00:22:47.759 --> 00:22:52.079
Meetings, We waste people's time,
and we put us this damper on their

322
00:22:52.119 --> 00:22:55.960
spirit. So that's the number one
team killer. And the fourth principle is

323
00:22:56.000 --> 00:23:00.119
what makes all those others work.
There's risks in music, so the musical

324
00:23:00.119 --> 00:23:07.319
principle is value the rests. So
it's about balance. So we've got multiple

325
00:23:07.319 --> 00:23:11.359
priorities. We've got all of our
personal traits, personal, spiritual, physical,

326
00:23:11.799 --> 00:23:15.240
we need to balance all of that, and we need to balance work

327
00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:19.119
and personal life. And you've had
clients that brag about well, I work

328
00:23:19.200 --> 00:23:23.039
fifteen hour days, seven days a
week as an at a vacation for years.

329
00:23:23.079 --> 00:23:26.039
They're like, they're bragging about it. Well, you can't be your

330
00:23:26.079 --> 00:23:30.559
best if you're burning out your body
and spirit. So having time to rest,

331
00:23:30.880 --> 00:23:34.240
having time to reflect, having time
to think, having time to plan,

332
00:23:34.680 --> 00:23:40.519
having time to evaluate. We need
to balance our schedule with various aspects.

333
00:23:40.839 --> 00:23:44.519
And actually you can get more done
if you work less. So all

334
00:23:44.559 --> 00:23:47.759
of those of the principles if you
can embrace those, and my books are

335
00:23:47.799 --> 00:23:52.119
written around those, and my self
study courses are written around those four principles

336
00:23:52.279 --> 00:23:56.279
because they're pretty universal, very nice. I appreciate how crisp that is and

337
00:23:56.480 --> 00:23:57.960
very easy to follow, So thanks
for that. I always like to make

338
00:23:59.000 --> 00:24:02.960
sure that our listeners will can weave
something that's actuable for them to communately put

339
00:24:02.960 --> 00:24:04.839
to use, and that is so
thank you. And then building on that

340
00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:07.680
one thing that you and I have
spoken about, but really not in detail

341
00:24:07.839 --> 00:24:11.119
or depth. And that is your
wayfinder approach. You're working with your clients

342
00:24:11.240 --> 00:24:15.680
tell us about that. That is
exclusive to the Centervision Leadership Foundation community.

343
00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:19.359
So I look at things that don't
work, I look at where people have

344
00:24:19.440 --> 00:24:22.680
trouble, and I go backwards.
How do we get there? So the

345
00:24:23.160 --> 00:24:27.359
standard consultant model is Okay, I'm
gonna strategist. I'm going to ask you

346
00:24:27.359 --> 00:24:30.279
a few questions, I'll write your
strategic plan. I'll leave you a piece

347
00:24:30.319 --> 00:24:34.680
of paper and goodbye. Well,
ninety percent of the failure is in implementation.

348
00:24:34.920 --> 00:24:37.960
So yes, we have a plan, but it's co created with our

349
00:24:38.000 --> 00:24:42.880
board. So we have built the
culture from the very beginning. The planners

350
00:24:42.880 --> 00:24:47.799
and the doers are the same.
Now, guiding the process is what I

351
00:24:47.839 --> 00:24:51.720
call a wayfinder. We have the
expertise, and the consultant, by the

352
00:24:51.759 --> 00:24:53.240
way, tells you what to do. And now that's ludicrous. Is like

353
00:24:53.319 --> 00:24:56.640
telling an obo player how to play
the elbow. I don't know how to

354
00:24:56.640 --> 00:25:00.240
play the elbow. So who knows
more about their idea about their enterprise than

355
00:25:00.319 --> 00:25:03.359
the leader in the organization, So
we shouldn't tell them what to do.

356
00:25:03.880 --> 00:25:07.799
We should help them take the information
and put it in a system so they

357
00:25:07.799 --> 00:25:14.559
can actually achieve their mission, fully
achieve their mission. So a wayfinder enables

358
00:25:14.559 --> 00:25:18.200
people to grow their skills to be
able to do it themselves. It's a

359
00:25:18.240 --> 00:25:22.279
different model, it's a different mindset, and it's a different approach to creating

360
00:25:22.319 --> 00:25:26.480
sustainable, healthy communities. You know
what I luck about that is it aligns

361
00:25:26.480 --> 00:25:30.720
with what my approach to which is
really all about helping people discover and step

362
00:25:30.759 --> 00:25:36.079
into and realize their own greatness because
that's right, that's their ability to be

363
00:25:36.079 --> 00:25:38.319
able to realize their own potential,
make the diversion that's worthy of their one

364
00:25:38.359 --> 00:25:42.440
precious life. So it very much
aligns with that principle of mine. That's

365
00:25:44.160 --> 00:25:48.799
not surprising but fascinating. And you
spoke about my podcast, the nonprofit Exchange,

366
00:25:48.799 --> 00:25:51.920
which you've been a guest on.
But I do have a podcast call

367
00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:56.160
thirty one Days to Becoming a Better
Leader, and people can find it at

368
00:25:56.160 --> 00:26:00.480
better Leader dot me and it's free
and it's just their asks. In that

369
00:26:00.519 --> 00:26:03.440
thirty one days, you'll find out
I didn't know that was a part of

370
00:26:03.519 --> 00:26:06.920
leadership. So it's kind of an
education on what leadership really is. And

371
00:26:06.960 --> 00:26:11.480
it's a very misunderstood word. I
agree so many definitions to it seems.

372
00:26:11.839 --> 00:26:15.680
One of the things that I appreciate
too about you is that you seeming to

373
00:26:15.680 --> 00:26:19.599
focus on nonprofits and churches. Is
that true and if so, why that's

374
00:26:19.640 --> 00:26:26.359
been a turn recently. I've worked
with several multinational companies. I worked with

375
00:26:26.680 --> 00:26:32.079
dozens and dozens of startup businesses,
entrepreneurs and early stage business is trying to

376
00:26:32.079 --> 00:26:37.440
help them put these principles into place. I started Center Vision because when I

377
00:26:37.480 --> 00:26:40.880
served the churches, we had a
counseling center and people could get the help

378
00:26:40.920 --> 00:26:44.279
they needed whether or not they had
the money. So there needed to be

379
00:26:44.319 --> 00:26:48.599
a resource that was either free or
low cost for these organizations, the smaller

380
00:26:48.599 --> 00:26:53.960
ones that don't have the budget for
leadership and organizational development, which is crucial

381
00:26:55.119 --> 00:26:59.160
for our success. Half of the
nonprofits that are formed every year will close.

382
00:26:59.599 --> 00:27:03.640
The out rate for leaders is forty
five percent according to the study by

383
00:27:03.640 --> 00:27:07.400
the Meyer Foundation and and Clergy.
Only one out of ten clergy actually make

384
00:27:07.440 --> 00:27:14.279
it to retirement. It's a high
stress job, so empowering leaders not to

385
00:27:14.319 --> 00:27:18.799
get into the same or routine to
burn out because what we're not doing is

386
00:27:18.839 --> 00:27:22.519
we're not enabling others in the community
to step up and volunteer and do the

387
00:27:22.519 --> 00:27:26.240
work that they want to be doing. So we're actually standing in the way

388
00:27:26.279 --> 00:27:30.119
of people that can do things and
want to do things because we think they're

389
00:27:30.119 --> 00:27:33.519
too busy. Well, they can
decide that. So it's a it's a

390
00:27:33.599 --> 00:27:37.960
sector that we really need. The
government shouldn't be doing a lot of things.

391
00:27:37.960 --> 00:27:41.480
It's trying to do. The nonprofits
in the faith community need to step

392
00:27:41.599 --> 00:27:45.599
up. So it's about it.
It's giving an opportunity and many we're a

393
00:27:45.640 --> 00:27:49.920
Methodist, we're losing a thousand or
twelve hundred members a week in the Methodist

394
00:27:51.000 --> 00:27:55.200
church and that's that's not unusual for
the mainline churches. And to me,

395
00:27:55.319 --> 00:28:00.920
that's a leadership issue. We're not
really engaging people in meaningful, meaningful work

396
00:28:00.279 --> 00:28:04.640
that we're called to be. Do
you see why I ask you to the

397
00:28:04.640 --> 00:28:07.680
show every other word that you use
almost as meaning or purpose, So I

398
00:28:07.799 --> 00:28:12.079
just I'm with you on every term
here he works. So okay, So

399
00:28:12.160 --> 00:28:17.279
you told me why you're serving nonprofits
and churches because there's a need and they

400
00:28:17.279 --> 00:28:21.559
can't necessarily afford the same sort of
fee structure. That'say. Corporate America can.

401
00:28:21.960 --> 00:28:25.400
And I'm curious, though I also
do work with nonprofit in corporate America.

402
00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:30.400
Is there a different leadership necessary and
nonprofits for churches than corporate America.

403
00:28:30.640 --> 00:28:33.160
It's a lot harder in nonprofits and
churchy. You don't have the leverage for

404
00:28:33.279 --> 00:28:38.319
paycheck. In my church in Atlanta, we had CEOs of major corporation and

405
00:28:38.359 --> 00:28:41.960
they were in committees and the choirs
and the ensembles, and they very much

406
00:28:42.960 --> 00:28:48.480
respected what I could do because I
I cauld engage a whole lot of people

407
00:28:48.519 --> 00:28:52.319
without the leverage of a paycheck and
with a high level of accountability and a

408
00:28:52.359 --> 00:28:56.039
high standard of performance. People don't
show up to do a bad job,

409
00:28:56.400 --> 00:29:03.440
and we apologize in community is like
nonprovacis and churches, and we down shift

410
00:29:03.519 --> 00:29:06.839
to make it easy for everybody,
and then we water it down and then

411
00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:11.519
nobody's satisfied. So we set the
bar too low. And there's a different

412
00:29:12.079 --> 00:29:17.400
way we influence people. Yes,
So with people who want to volunteer,

413
00:29:17.480 --> 00:29:22.039
the big V word, we want
to find out what they want and it's

414
00:29:22.119 --> 00:29:25.839
really not much different. People show
up in a corporation for a paycheck.

415
00:29:26.160 --> 00:29:30.960
People show up in a community like
a church on our private because they want

416
00:29:30.960 --> 00:29:33.599
to make a difference. Well,
people perform at a higher standard in either

417
00:29:33.680 --> 00:29:38.000
one if they're personally fulfilled in the
work they're doing. Yes, you get

418
00:29:38.039 --> 00:29:41.519
a raised, but then it's gone. You spend it. But you're going

419
00:29:41.559 --> 00:29:45.119
to perform at a higher level if
you feel like you're doing something meaningful.

420
00:29:45.519 --> 00:29:48.559
Even people that are paying good salaries
hate to go to meetings that they feel

421
00:29:48.559 --> 00:29:52.160
like it's a waste of their time. They're being paid to be there,

422
00:29:52.200 --> 00:29:55.839
but they hate it. They want
to do meaningful work and they want to

423
00:29:55.839 --> 00:29:59.559
perform at a high standard. So
that part is very similar. So I

424
00:29:59.599 --> 00:30:07.039
think probably corporate leaders could learn from
nonprovate leaders And unfortunately the leadership blind spots

425
00:30:07.039 --> 00:30:11.000
and deafits are pretty much the same
across any of those sectors. Yeah,

426
00:30:11.039 --> 00:30:14.799
reminding me just quickly that when I
had their privilege of serving as the chairman

427
00:30:14.839 --> 00:30:17.759
of the board of the YMCA here
in Dallas at the White Rock location,

428
00:30:18.079 --> 00:30:19.319
we had I think thirty two board
members at the time, and I went

429
00:30:19.359 --> 00:30:22.880
and met with each one of them
in person as I launched my leadership,

430
00:30:23.200 --> 00:30:26.160
and the idea was, what do
you want, what are you trying?

431
00:30:26.279 --> 00:30:27.400
What are you trying to get from
being on the board. What do you

432
00:30:27.400 --> 00:30:30.079
You're here for a reason. This
time takes away from your work and your

433
00:30:30.079 --> 00:30:33.359
family. What can we do to
make it meaningful? What are you trying

434
00:30:33.400 --> 00:30:37.200
to make happen? It was amazing. Everybody had a different response. Everybody

435
00:30:37.240 --> 00:30:41.279
wanted something different, and so the
ability to be able to serve up new

436
00:30:41.359 --> 00:30:45.240
meaningful roles for them or a new
relationships that they were interested in cultivating.

437
00:30:45.400 --> 00:30:48.680
It was such a great fun job
to do. I enjoyed it immensely.

438
00:30:48.880 --> 00:30:51.440
It is a fun job. And
if you're not going on when talking,

439
00:30:51.839 --> 00:30:55.079
absolutely no, no, no,
I'm an excellent interviewer. I don't care

440
00:30:55.119 --> 00:30:56.920
what they say. All right,
let's grab our let's grab our second break

441
00:30:56.920 --> 00:31:00.960
if we can. He thanks for
staying with us. We're going on our

442
00:31:00.960 --> 00:31:03.480
second break. Here will be back
here with Hugh Blue. He is a

443
00:31:03.480 --> 00:31:08.240
transformational leadership strategist and the president of
Servision International. He is the author of

444
00:31:08.279 --> 00:31:12.000
eight books on trust, relational leadership, and there's a recognized expert in working

445
00:31:12.000 --> 00:31:17.160
with leaders in churches, religious organizations, and business and nonprofit communities. He

446
00:31:17.279 --> 00:31:21.880
is the editor of the nonprofit Performance
three sixty magazine and host of the Nonprofit

447
00:31:21.920 --> 00:31:25.279
Exchange podcast. I'm your host,
Lease Cortez. Stay with us, We'll

448
00:31:25.279 --> 00:31:30.759
be right back. Doctor Leise Cortez
is a management consultant specializing in meaning and

449
00:31:30.799 --> 00:31:36.640
purpose and inspirational speaker and author.
She helps companies visioneer for greater purpose among

450
00:31:36.720 --> 00:31:44.440
stakeholders and develop purpose inspired leadership and
meaning infused cultures that elevate fulfillment, performance,

451
00:31:44.640 --> 00:31:48.079
and commitment within the workforce. To
learn more or to invite a Lease

452
00:31:48.160 --> 00:31:52.680
to speak to your organization, please
visit her at a lease Cortez dot com.

453
00:31:52.799 --> 00:32:02.319
Let's talk about how to get your
employees working on purpose. This is

454
00:32:02.359 --> 00:32:07.039
Working on Purpose with doctor Elise Cortez. To reach our program today or open

455
00:32:07.079 --> 00:32:14.519
a conversation with Elise, send an
email to Elise ali Se at Elise Cortez

456
00:32:14.680 --> 00:32:20.960
dot com. Now back to working
on Purpose. Thanks for staying with us,

457
00:32:21.000 --> 00:32:22.640
and welcome back to working on Purpose. If you're just tuning in my

458
00:32:22.680 --> 00:32:27.359
guests as Hugh Blue, he's a
transformational leadership strategist and the president of Synergism

459
00:32:27.400 --> 00:32:30.720
International. We were talking before the
break about his particular approach to leadership development,

460
00:32:30.720 --> 00:32:34.119
and now what we want to do
is get into the skinny of it.

461
00:32:34.200 --> 00:32:37.519
Here, and I've asked him to
think about some case studies and examples

462
00:32:37.519 --> 00:32:39.400
of the work that he and his
team do. So for this segment again

463
00:32:39.400 --> 00:32:44.119
now we're getting it into the application
here, So I want to focus on

464
00:32:44.160 --> 00:32:47.160
some of the examples that you've done
to help transform the leadership of your clients.

465
00:32:47.160 --> 00:32:51.680
Soliseners can be inspired and learned by
curiously somewhat through what you're saying.

466
00:32:52.000 --> 00:32:54.359
So can you tell us about maybe
first in non profit you work with where

467
00:32:54.400 --> 00:32:59.240
you've helped them achieve really strong results, maybe the story before and after something

468
00:32:59.279 --> 00:33:02.000
like that. Well, you know, let's see what it comes to mind.

469
00:33:02.920 --> 00:33:07.920
You know, I work all over
the country, a work in person,

470
00:33:07.000 --> 00:33:12.440
I work remotely. I think some
of the most important ones have happened

471
00:33:12.519 --> 00:33:16.200
in my backyard. So that blows
the consultant model all the pieces, because

472
00:33:16.200 --> 00:33:19.640
the consultant has to be fifteen miles
away from home, as you know,

473
00:33:20.160 --> 00:33:27.039
and have a briefcase and and so
one of the most intriguing projects that I

474
00:33:27.119 --> 00:33:30.880
led was that I used to live
in Blacksburg. The town of Blacksburg named

475
00:33:30.880 --> 00:33:35.440
after a guy named Black and he
had to to two sons who each got

476
00:33:35.480 --> 00:33:39.440
eight blocks. And so there's this
sixteen blocks downtown. That's the sixteen squares

477
00:33:39.480 --> 00:33:45.319
of history. And then just outside
of it was Alexander Black's house and it

478
00:33:45.359 --> 00:33:49.200
was going to pot So the town
bought it and they wanted people to donate

479
00:33:49.319 --> 00:33:51.799
fix it up. Well, give
me a break, who's going to donate

480
00:33:51.880 --> 00:33:54.359
to the government. And then they
formed a nonprofit and people said that's a

481
00:33:54.359 --> 00:34:00.680
trick. It's still a government.
So they engaged me to to create a

482
00:34:00.680 --> 00:34:05.000
strategic plan for it. Well,
strategic plan is a piece of paper.

483
00:34:05.319 --> 00:34:09.119
So we got the key players Virginia
tech people, the business people, city

484
00:34:09.119 --> 00:34:14.480
council members, a couple of them, arts community, and so we came

485
00:34:14.519 --> 00:34:19.760
together and over four sessions over two
months, people took off a work four

486
00:34:19.800 --> 00:34:23.039
hours at a time and we did
some heavy lifting and I used visually displayed

487
00:34:23.079 --> 00:34:29.679
thinking on storyboards. So we created
the strategy over time. But what happened

488
00:34:29.679 --> 00:34:34.199
in the process was it was a
new architecture of engagement. The arts community

489
00:34:34.320 --> 00:34:37.679
was not at all aligned. They
weren't doing things together. There's an arts

490
00:34:37.679 --> 00:34:42.400
collaborative that's still going on five years
later. The bankers wouldn't fund this project

491
00:34:42.440 --> 00:34:45.480
because they didn't think it was viable. Well, when we finished the fourth

492
00:34:45.480 --> 00:34:47.760
meeting, the three bankers around the
table said we're going to rank the loan

493
00:34:47.880 --> 00:34:52.360
for one point eight million dollars.
And so what happened was a transformation of

494
00:34:52.559 --> 00:34:58.639
well an idea, this is a
place to record history in this historic area

495
00:34:58.639 --> 00:35:00.880
of Blacksburg. You paint your house, you have to get approval. It's

496
00:35:00.920 --> 00:35:05.760
one of those protected areas. But
it went to being a place where history

497
00:35:05.880 --> 00:35:09.639
is made and the community gathers,
and it was a very elegant transformation and

498
00:35:09.719 --> 00:35:15.039
renovation of that wouldn't really transform as
a renovation of that house. And so

499
00:35:15.639 --> 00:35:20.599
the bottom line here was it was
the community coming together to create their own

500
00:35:20.639 --> 00:35:23.280
plan, and I didn't do it. I was a catalyst for bringing their

501
00:35:23.320 --> 00:35:28.480
thinking out and then putting it in
a structure. What I find, especially

502
00:35:28.519 --> 00:35:31.840
in troubled times like we have today, is we've we've lost the ability to

503
00:35:31.840 --> 00:35:37.920
have a civil discourse, meaningful conversations
about things that matter and disagree and think

504
00:35:37.960 --> 00:35:44.320
that the disagreement is really creative thinking, it's not a weapon. And so

505
00:35:44.400 --> 00:35:47.840
what happened is all the people with
diverse opinions, really we're being able to

506
00:35:47.880 --> 00:35:52.079
be aligned with a common vision.
So that's the synergy of the common vision

507
00:35:52.119 --> 00:35:55.519
that I talked about, so that
I put so much effort in that job.

508
00:35:55.599 --> 00:35:59.880
I think I made a dollar an
hour, but it wasn't about doing

509
00:36:00.039 --> 00:36:02.320
pot the money. It was about
me being able to do a good job

510
00:36:02.320 --> 00:36:07.239
in the place where I lived at
the time that was high risk. So

511
00:36:07.320 --> 00:36:10.840
what I just really heard here what
the difference it makes when you when you

512
00:36:10.920 --> 00:36:15.559
know that you so we all know
when when what we do is meaningful,

513
00:36:15.599 --> 00:36:17.920
it registers on an emotional level.
And they heard that for you, and

514
00:36:19.760 --> 00:36:22.000
I guess we could all just hang
on to the one point eight million dollar

515
00:36:22.559 --> 00:36:27.800
loan that would indicate the success.
But it sounds to me like you pulled

516
00:36:27.880 --> 00:36:30.280
the whole town forward, well,
the movers and shakers in the town,

517
00:36:30.320 --> 00:36:35.199
which indirectly, you know, the
town of thirty thousand with a university of

518
00:36:35.280 --> 00:36:39.639
thirty thousand and thirty five thousand,
so you know, the core players know

519
00:36:39.760 --> 00:36:44.000
it happened. Not everybody knows how
it happened, but that's okay. It's

520
00:36:44.000 --> 00:36:47.360
a place, it's a place to
gather and to think and to be and

521
00:36:47.440 --> 00:36:52.400
to be in community together. So
it transformed the whole idea from being a

522
00:36:52.440 --> 00:36:57.239
historical museum to being it's still a
museum. There's still preservation of history.

523
00:36:57.440 --> 00:36:59.880
But we you know, we gather
and we communicate, and we sell,

524
00:37:00.079 --> 00:37:01.920
break and we create new history.
And see what I know listening to that

525
00:37:01.960 --> 00:37:05.039
and haven't been part of these as
well, what we know is that every

526
00:37:05.039 --> 00:37:08.599
single person that was part of that
effort was also embolded and fueled by that

527
00:37:08.760 --> 00:37:13.360
transformation themselves, and they felt that
we're carried along with it as well,

528
00:37:13.360 --> 00:37:15.800
which is just beautiful. Yeah,
and it was just a start, and

529
00:37:16.920 --> 00:37:22.519
you know, you people then take
it on and it migrates over time and

530
00:37:22.920 --> 00:37:27.639
to a mature document. So what
I'll point out here is the strategies that

531
00:37:27.679 --> 00:37:31.400
I create. We also establish a
review six month review. So a long

532
00:37:31.519 --> 00:37:36.000
term plan is still a long term
plan. You revise it and you update

533
00:37:36.039 --> 00:37:39.239
it, and you recommit to the
new plan. So the long term objectives

534
00:37:39.360 --> 00:37:44.440
are probably the same, your vision
emission are probably the same, but the

535
00:37:44.440 --> 00:37:47.840
mechanics of getting it done, we'll
learn how to improve those and we'll learn

536
00:37:47.880 --> 00:37:52.519
if we're going down the wrong pathway. So it's so staying flexible to the

537
00:37:52.559 --> 00:37:57.760
application and the implementation of the plan
is key. Okay, So that was

538
00:37:57.960 --> 00:38:00.480
a story in it or a case
study about nonprofit How about one about a

539
00:38:00.559 --> 00:38:04.599
church that you've worked with. Well, there's a methods church in North Canton,

540
00:38:04.639 --> 00:38:07.400
Ohio. They called me one day, so we got to hire four

541
00:38:07.440 --> 00:38:09.360
staff members. Can you help us
hire? And so I said, mmm,

542
00:38:10.719 --> 00:38:15.000
what is your strategy? Well,
we don't really have one written.

543
00:38:15.239 --> 00:38:16.639
I said, well, what are
they going to do? How are we

544
00:38:16.679 --> 00:38:21.639
going to work together? And so
instead of me working for a couple of

545
00:38:21.639 --> 00:38:25.639
months, we've devised a year long
develop a year long process. And this

546
00:38:25.719 --> 00:38:29.800
is where Cinivision kicks in. You
know, they had X number of dollars,

547
00:38:29.840 --> 00:38:32.960
but they needed much more work.
So basically the end kind grant and

548
00:38:34.320 --> 00:38:38.119
able to end have the whole year's
worth process, multiple trips, multiple engagements,

549
00:38:38.119 --> 00:38:45.039
and then in between conversations. So
we gathered in their big their big

550
00:38:45.360 --> 00:38:50.480
gym in one hundred people in congregation
showed up for a Saturday planning session.

551
00:38:50.559 --> 00:38:52.719
So we did some future visioning.
What would you like to see? So

552
00:38:53.039 --> 00:38:57.960
it starts with possibility thinking. Now
churches want to opt out and say our

553
00:38:57.960 --> 00:39:01.079
mission is the Great commission to to
make make disciples. Well, now that's

554
00:39:01.119 --> 00:39:05.920
the great commission. It's not a
choice. Your mission is what you do

555
00:39:06.239 --> 00:39:09.519
when you make disciples, and in
each organization it's different, like each person

556
00:39:09.639 --> 00:39:13.559
is different. So what are we
going to do as an organization that's different

557
00:39:13.719 --> 00:39:15.360
from the other one down the street? And by the way, is there's

558
00:39:15.400 --> 00:39:20.000
some way we can work together.
It's something we rarely think about. And

559
00:39:20.119 --> 00:39:24.360
so we defies the process. And
then I said, why don't we upgrade

560
00:39:24.400 --> 00:39:28.400
everybody's leadership skills because you've got a
lot of teams, committees, you got

561
00:39:28.400 --> 00:39:31.599
a lot of people doing things.
So I did another Saturday month later on

562
00:39:31.800 --> 00:39:37.199
all hands on jack leadership process of
training. So I did a full day

563
00:39:37.239 --> 00:39:39.920
training. It was a snowed end
day. Seventy seven people showed up and

564
00:39:39.960 --> 00:39:43.440
they loved it, songs didn't want
to go home. So we talked about

565
00:39:43.480 --> 00:39:45.920
meeting strategies as part of that,
and so the next Sunday we announced.

566
00:39:45.920 --> 00:39:49.519
The next day is Sunday, we
announced what we've done. And then after

567
00:39:49.719 --> 00:39:52.679
church they had a meal and he
had committee meetings. So I walked around.

568
00:39:52.960 --> 00:39:57.599
Everybody was using what I taught them, and so no more boring meetings.

569
00:39:57.639 --> 00:40:01.360
It's purpose driven meetings. It's focused
outcomes, it's changing the agenda to

570
00:40:01.599 --> 00:40:07.079
deliverables. We're going to accomplish the
following things. So there was this energy

571
00:40:07.119 --> 00:40:10.159
and then they started sharing with one
another and they just discovered that, oh,

572
00:40:10.239 --> 00:40:13.119
if you do this, I don't
have to do it. But if

573
00:40:13.159 --> 00:40:15.960
I finished this, this other group
needs it. So we erase the silos

574
00:40:16.079 --> 00:40:20.679
in the sharing of the goals,
which we don't ordinarily do. We meet

575
00:40:20.719 --> 00:40:23.000
in secret, we work in secret, and then we report the results when

576
00:40:23.079 --> 00:40:29.039
really this new architecture of engagement is
how do we work together because we could

577
00:40:29.039 --> 00:40:32.079
maybe do less work and get more
done and have a better time at it.

578
00:40:32.440 --> 00:40:37.800
So that was very successful. And
then then we did a job search.

579
00:40:37.840 --> 00:40:40.840
We had four search committees and long
story short, we put all four

580
00:40:40.880 --> 00:40:45.519
people in the jobs on June first. We started December June first, then

581
00:40:45.599 --> 00:40:52.679
went to work and then the most
eliminated part of this is the assimilation process.

582
00:40:52.719 --> 00:40:59.360
So we did an assimilation process and
talked about how do we manage evaluations

583
00:40:59.519 --> 00:41:04.079
without how to do the annual evaluation, how do we do ongoing empowerment and

584
00:41:04.320 --> 00:41:08.320
improvement over the process. By the
way, in the process of doing the

585
00:41:08.320 --> 00:41:13.679
planning and look into the future,
they rewrote the four position descriptions. It

586
00:41:13.800 --> 00:41:15.320
wasn't at all what they thought it
was going to be, and they came

587
00:41:15.400 --> 00:41:20.000
up with a much more powerful paradigm
of leadership for this church, and it

588
00:41:20.079 --> 00:41:22.800
was very successful. I can tell
I'm just hanging on every word. How

589
00:41:22.840 --> 00:41:28.320
exciting, how very exciting. Talk
about making a difference and leaving a legacy,

590
00:41:28.480 --> 00:41:30.800
you know, it's beautiful. Speaking
of the legacy, we have to

591
00:41:30.800 --> 00:41:32.199
talk about our common friend, Bob
Hopkins, which is how we got to

592
00:41:32.199 --> 00:41:35.440
know each other. And I want
to talk a little bit about how you

593
00:41:35.519 --> 00:41:37.639
got connected to Yes, that's our
Bob Hopkins right there. I'm so proud

594
00:41:37.679 --> 00:41:39.800
of him. I could bust.
He's been on the show a couple of

595
00:41:39.880 --> 00:41:43.880
times and I just am such a
fan. He has a program called the

596
00:41:43.880 --> 00:41:49.440
PAVE Program, which it stands for
Philanthropy and Volunteerism and Education. And I

597
00:41:49.480 --> 00:41:52.239
want to understand why you're connected with
that. Why is is that a meaningful

598
00:41:52.239 --> 00:41:55.880
project for you support? Well,
the PAVE leaders were the leaders in that

599
00:41:57.320 --> 00:42:01.719
youth Philanthropy conference you spoke about that
in June twenty twenty, and they led

600
00:42:01.719 --> 00:42:05.800
it. They were the leaders.
I was I was the facilitator of the

601
00:42:05.840 --> 00:42:08.159
process. I set up all the
mechanisms, you know, that's the that's

602
00:42:08.199 --> 00:42:14.639
the preparation part. So my rule
of thumb for meetings and live events is

603
00:42:14.679 --> 00:42:17.960
the same as is preparing for a
rehearsal. It's two to one. If

604
00:42:17.960 --> 00:42:22.800
it's an hour rehearsal, you have
two hours preparation two hour four hours.

605
00:42:22.079 --> 00:42:24.400
And so that was a four hour
session. It took a whole lot of

606
00:42:24.400 --> 00:42:29.679
preparation just to make sure that everything
flowed. And you know, for the

607
00:42:29.719 --> 00:42:32.199
person watching it, if you watch
a performance and it seems easy, then

608
00:42:32.320 --> 00:42:37.119
the artists has done a good job
of preparing. And so preparing and teaching

609
00:42:37.119 --> 00:42:43.239
our youth to step up, it's
priority. In all of my churches of

610
00:42:43.320 --> 00:42:45.840
forty years. My peer group,
the group that I led was the third

611
00:42:45.960 --> 00:42:51.639
through fifth grade choirs, and you
know what we learned from them, and

612
00:42:51.679 --> 00:42:53.800
I learned from from them, and
this and every one of these Well,

613
00:42:54.079 --> 00:42:59.280
the thirteen to twenty two year olds
went first and they were astounding. And

614
00:42:59.320 --> 00:43:04.199
then the set to a twelve year
olds came and there they were a step

615
00:43:04.280 --> 00:43:08.400
up from that. They were higher
performing, so empowering. And people want

616
00:43:08.400 --> 00:43:10.679
to say, oh, the youth
or tomorrow's leaders, No, they're two

617
00:43:10.880 --> 00:43:14.840
days leaders, and we need to
give them a voice, and we need

618
00:43:14.880 --> 00:43:17.599
to give them some of the benefit
of our expertise. And so all of

619
00:43:17.599 --> 00:43:22.039
those all of those youth were listening
to Bob and I with gray hair saying

620
00:43:22.079 --> 00:43:25.639
okay, here's some things that didn't
work. But they were also active,

621
00:43:27.239 --> 00:43:31.760
learning, sharing and volunteering in their
own right. And so there's a lot

622
00:43:31.800 --> 00:43:37.119
of hope if we give people people
a benefit of our wisdom and the benefit

623
00:43:37.159 --> 00:43:38.920
of a track, that they can
raise the bar on their own performance.

624
00:43:38.960 --> 00:43:44.840
So I am passionate along with Bob
and never had thought about it before in

625
00:43:44.920 --> 00:43:51.000
philanthropy. And so he's opened my
eyes to challenging these young leaders to think

626
00:43:51.039 --> 00:43:53.599
in a new and fresh way.
And he does it in his classes and

627
00:43:53.679 --> 00:43:58.920
teaching in the junior colleges and colleges
around Dallas. I know he does.

628
00:43:58.960 --> 00:44:00.880
I when I had them on the
show first, I was really a fell

629
00:44:00.920 --> 00:44:04.800
in love with what he's doing and
what he stands to be in the world.

630
00:44:04.840 --> 00:44:07.280
And he really believes, and I
absolutely agree with him that if we

631
00:44:07.320 --> 00:44:14.159
allow children to become philanthropists and volunteers
in their community, one we strengthen them

632
00:44:14.199 --> 00:44:17.840
their sense of self in person because
they step into a state of self transcendence.

633
00:44:17.840 --> 00:44:22.119
So they're more less likely to get
into trouble and get involved with drugs,

634
00:44:22.199 --> 00:44:24.760
choose criminal activities, et cetera,
and more likely to really develop a

635
00:44:24.800 --> 00:44:29.360
sense of confidence and self esteem and
becomes successful in life. I think that's

636
00:44:29.360 --> 00:44:32.400
worth getting up for. It's worth
getting up for. And I have the

637
00:44:32.440 --> 00:44:37.800
book in my hand is called Philanthropy
Misunderstood. But he's got a lot of

638
00:44:37.920 --> 00:44:44.079
stories in here about people who are
philanthropists doing very, very meaningful work.

639
00:44:44.519 --> 00:44:46.079
And actually asked me how I met
him. I was looking for the page,

640
00:44:46.079 --> 00:44:50.320
but I can't find it. It's
a coffee table books. You can

641
00:44:50.360 --> 00:44:54.760
go to Philanthropy Misunderstood dot org dot
org and you can get a copy there.

642
00:44:55.239 --> 00:45:00.760
But I interviewed and I've connected with
these people on LinkedIn, Bonnie and

643
00:45:00.760 --> 00:45:07.440
Michael, who actually accidentally founded a
winery, Bigfoot Winery accidentally Farefoot, I

644
00:45:07.559 --> 00:45:12.480
forget Fat, Fairfoot, Barefoot,
and it became the number one brand in

645
00:45:12.519 --> 00:45:16.199
America. And in the process they
help nonprofits get funding. And as I

646
00:45:16.280 --> 00:45:20.280
said, my wife's a graduate of
SMUO. We were going to Dallas,

647
00:45:20.320 --> 00:45:22.119
and he said, they said,
oh, you're gonna meet Bob, And

648
00:45:22.199 --> 00:45:25.320
so I met Bob when we became
fast friends, and he introduces me to

649
00:45:25.599 --> 00:45:30.639
really great people, like a Lease
Cartaz. And so it's this thread of

650
00:45:30.679 --> 00:45:35.159
good people meeting good people. And
you know, it's at this stage of

651
00:45:35.239 --> 00:45:38.079
life. It's my third career and
it's the most meaningful and the one where

652
00:45:38.079 --> 00:45:40.880
I can have the most impact and
the one where I'm having the best time.

653
00:45:42.360 --> 00:45:45.119
That's so great. We're almost out
of time speaking of that. So

654
00:45:45.159 --> 00:45:47.480
I want to ask you two things
really quick. We talked on the phone

655
00:45:47.519 --> 00:45:51.960
sometime ago, and I ask you
what makes your heart seeing? And you

656
00:45:52.039 --> 00:45:53.840
said, when people tell me that
I meet a difference in their lives,

657
00:45:54.039 --> 00:45:58.440
why is that so important to you? We want to we want to say

658
00:45:58.480 --> 00:46:01.199
to ourselves, m I work so
hard and nobody cares. But people have

659
00:46:01.280 --> 00:46:06.239
come to me years later and said
you told me this and it changed my

660
00:46:06.320 --> 00:46:08.719
life. And I just commented on
something and said, well, what about

661
00:46:08.719 --> 00:46:13.119
this? What about that? And
one person said, I renamed my company

662
00:46:13.239 --> 00:46:19.760
because you said what about this?
And I in above Dallas there and didn't

663
00:46:19.800 --> 00:46:22.559
have spoke at CEO space and we
have meal tables, and over the course

664
00:46:22.599 --> 00:46:28.519
of last thirteen years, I've facilitated
conversations around three meals a day, eight

665
00:46:28.599 --> 00:46:30.920
hundred and fifty of those, and
so I've got really good at listening to

666
00:46:30.920 --> 00:46:36.679
people and saying, well what if
and they go wow, that touches my

667
00:46:36.760 --> 00:46:38.920
heart. You know, I worked
for hire people pay me for coaching and

668
00:46:38.920 --> 00:46:43.440
whatnot because I've got this bad habit
of eating and living in a house.

669
00:46:43.920 --> 00:46:49.079
But the biggest payment is to see
them be successful. Beautiful way to finish

670
00:46:49.159 --> 00:46:51.519
here. Thank you so much for
joining us and giving us your heart,

671
00:46:51.559 --> 00:46:54.280
your soul, your expertise with our
listeners and me, thank you listen to

672
00:46:54.320 --> 00:46:59.079
you want to learn more about you
His workers publications start by visiting his website,

673
00:46:59.079 --> 00:47:01.360
which is Center Vision Leadership dot org. Let me spell that for you.

674
00:47:01.760 --> 00:47:07.320
It's s y n e r V
s io n leadership dot org.

675
00:47:07.719 --> 00:47:10.559
Last week he goes to the live
show you always catch to the recorded podcast.

676
00:47:10.639 --> 00:47:14.840
We were on the air with gs
Prick talking about what he and those

677
00:47:14.880 --> 00:47:16.960
he interviewed for his book are doing
with their wealth to make a difference in

678
00:47:16.960 --> 00:47:21.639
the world. Very promising and very
inspiring. Next week we'll be on the

679
00:47:21.639 --> 00:47:25.000
air with Danny Gutneck talking about his
book Meaning at Work and its hidden language.

680
00:47:25.039 --> 00:47:28.960
I stalked him on LinkedIn to bring
him to you, so you be

681
00:47:29.039 --> 00:47:30.679
there. I'll see you there.
Remember that works at least a third of

682
00:47:30.679 --> 00:47:37.320
alive. So let's work on purpose. We hope you've enjoyed this week's program.

683
00:47:37.360 --> 00:47:40.119
Be sure to tune in too Working
on Purpose featuring your host, doctor

684
00:47:40.199 --> 00:47:45.800
Elise Cortez, each week on the
Voice America Empowerment Channel. Together, we'll

685
00:47:45.880 --> 00:47:53.239
create a world where business operates conscientiously. Leadership inspires impassioned performance, and employees

686
00:47:53.280 --> 00:47:58.840
are fulfilled in work that provides the
meaning and purpose they crave. See you

687
00:47:58.920 --> 00:48:00.119
there. Let's work on Purpose.