Are You Earning What You Are Worth?

Are you earning what you are worth? This is a question we have all asked ourselves -- perhaps many, many times. The answer shifts because our lives, our careers and work are Close up of payslipdynamic. It's important to re-evaluate your answer to this very personal and very important question on a regular and periodic basis.

But how do you find out the answer? How do you know for sure? A couple of weeks ago we wrote about Marcia Brixey and her Money Wise Women education. One of the women that is often a featured speaker at Marcia's programs is Mikelann Valterra. We want to be sure you know about her too. Mikelann is the Founder of the Women's Earning Institute. Her mission is to empower women to earn what they are really worth.

In Mikelann's blog post of June 3rd, called "The New Face of Underearning-Is It You?" she speaks to underearning using this definition, "the pattern of earning less than YOUR potential." We find her question and definition particularly important and relevant right now, (especially her use of the word "pattern" in the definition). As people are losing their jobs, opening businesses, and looking for new jobs, many are re-evaluating what they should charge for their services or command as a salary. This can be a very difficult and often emotional process of self-reflection.

Mikelann's empowering approach in her work shares the values we have at 2130 Partners. We believe in living your highest potential in every facet of your life. We believe in moving towards your highest vision for yourself and your business. We believe in what we call "green line conversations," meaning conversations that facilitate actions towards your vision. And we believe in people getting the tools and resources bank-roll-check-bookthey need to make their highest visions reality.

One of the most important areas in your life to feel empowered about is money. One of the most important leadership skills you can give yourself is to feel confident with all the facets of the subject of money. And, one of the most important facets of money is how much you earn -- are you earning to your potential?

What Does Leadership Mean These Days?

As many have written, the model of leadership known as “command and control” is on the way out. “Command and control” has been the cultural george-washingtonparadigm of leadership for a very long time. It is all about having an authoritative leader, who knows most, (if not all), the answers and loyal troops who follow this leader. Hallmarks of this style include motivation through authority and fear. It also encourages the troops to follow the rules and policies and “fall in line,” versus being creative and innovative. To a large extent this style creates dependency of the troops on the leaders, and rewards status quo. It is not a particularly efficient model of operation. So what does ‘leadership’ mean now? Clearly that is a complicated question. At 2130, we believe to understand that question you need to start with "who are leaders now?" How do you define them? From our perspective, we believe that everyone can and should be a leader -- that leadership is not dependent on having a particular job title or rank in an organization. We’ll let Suzanne Frindt, one of our Co-Founders explain it:

So how do we all become leaders? What are the skills required? These questions are fundamental to the work we do at 2130. There are a lot of leadership theories out there, (and a lot of good information and great writers). However, our focus is on the day-to-day experience of leadership. Theories are great until you get back to the office and find frustrated employees, team relations breaking down, and challenges with vendors and partners. We believe it’s critical that leaders, (meaning everyone interested in leading their business and their life), build practical day-to-day skills and capacities so they can create the results they want.

Our Productive Interactions program is designed to help people do just that and our next session is on Friday, July 17th in Orange County. We’d love to see you there. (Click here for more information.) If you can’t make it, we are going to do more posts in the future to help people understand the value of interacting productively and how you can build those skills.

Money Wise Women

women-hand-with-moneSo much of the fear that is present right now is related to money. Everything from the state of the dollar and the global economy, to our personal credit cards and mortgages seems to be in turmoil. An important key to leading your life is leading your finances -- both business and personal. An important key to leadership is feeling empowered. With everything going on, where are you going to feel empowered about money? In the spirit of financial empowerment, we want to be sure you know about Marcia Brixey. She has put together "Money Wise Women Educational Services" and it has amazing tools and programs to empower women to be "financially fit." By gearing her message to women, Marcia has tapped into the challenges and even downright fear that many women feel around financial issues. She has developed a variety of tools, and a forum through her conferences, for women to come together and build their financial skills in a context of mutual respect, trust and safety. It is this context she creates that particularly catches our attention vs. other financial experts out there. We believe this type of context is critical for people to be able to learn, grow and prosper and be the leaders they want to be. Marcia's book "The Money Therapist" offers information and advicemoneytherapist1 for women of every financial level. Topics range from getting out of debt, creating a budget, and spending wisely, to saving money and safeguarding against identity theft. Marcia's approach is very empowering and her positive attitude is both informative and encouraging.

Marcia's blog, and newsletters, also have lots of information and inspiration. If possible, we also recommend attending one of the Money Wise Women Conferences. These conferences are held for both personal and professional finances. There is always a great list of smart, savvy women presenters to provide plenty of inspiration and camaraderie around what can be a very challenging topic. This year the conferences are scheduled in both Washington State and California. (Click here to see the schedule.)

Stretching CurrencyIf you, a family member, a friend or colleague could use some financial confidence boosting and some solid information, check out Marcia's work.

In order to lead your life, you gotta shake loose...

One of the keys to being the leader of your life is shaking loose of some larger cultural ideas that limit creativity, freedom and the ability to generate the future you want. thrive-book-cover-21Mike Cook at Vitalwork, delves deeply into some of these larger cultural constraints in his book, 'Thrive: Standing On Your Own Two Feet in a Borderless World." In particular, he points out a key issue that when left unexamined, limits our ability to lead our lives.

The issue is an attitude of "entitlement" that developed in employer-employee relationships during the industrialThe king era and is now rapidly being displaced. In Mike's description, entitlement means “I deserve this job, and to be taken care of by my employer.” On a broader level it connects to expectations about "what I should receive" as a result of position, hard work, loyalty, birth rite, etc. To us, this shift is at the heart of the fear that dominates our lives and airwaves in the USA. Whether from loss of a job, sharply reduced financial reserves, loss of perceived political power, or safety from foreign threats, the sense of “I have a right to this” is being significantly threatened.  

This is a difficult and complex cultural shift.  As an antidote, try using Mike's "Engagement Model" - specifically, "be engaged,” with what you want to get done in your lifetime. To engage is to choose to involve yourself in, or commit yourself to something, as opposed to remaining aloof or indifferent. Here are some of the steps:

Practice being present to the way things are and the way they are not, while leaving your opinions and judgments about it aside. (This relates to one of 2130's key Operating Principles -  'Nothing is wrong or broken here.")

Give up trying to fit yourself into what the world seems to want or value at any trendy moment. Start pulling out the authentic you that you have always dreamt of being and start designing yourself from that goal or "Yonder Star." people-around-computer

You may find it useful to connect with a really good friend. We would define that as one who listens powerfully and tells you the truth versus what you want to hear. You could also go to a coach or a group consisting of folks on a similar path.  It is often much more transformative to hear your thoughts out loud and as they are said back to you from another, truly supportive person's perspective.

To play in "Reality 2.0: The New Rules," let go, reinvent yourself, and get on with your life!  Trust David Whyte's  observation that "the soul would rather fail at its own life than succeed at someone else's."

Lead Your Life: Escape from Cubicle Nation

Pam Slim is the author of the blog and newly published book, "Escape from Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur." The title alone is so provocative. If you have ever worked in a big corporation, either you, or co-workers you knew, probably experienced wanting to escape at some point or other.peering-above-cube In the spirit of the Lead Your Business, Lead Your Life blog we are writing about this book because it is very empowering. And it's an important read and guidebook, not just for those who dream of escaping and branching out on their own in business. It's also an important read for business owners, both new and advanced. Here's why:

If you recently started a business, or your business is in a young, growing, perhaps even awkward stage, this book has great, tactical information for you. You'll want to review it to see if there are any areas of planning you may have missed or now find you need help with. You will likely find insights.

If you own a business that has been around for awhile and you have employees you also have a culture. Even if your business is not particularly large there are definitely cultural "norms." Just the first chapter of this book is a powerful reminder about elements and dynamics that don't work in organizational cultures. This chapter features a reprint of a powerful "Open cube-guy4Letter" to corporate leaders that vents the frustration that can be felt by employees about so many facets of business life. If you read the book using the lens of insight into, and a reminder of, what it can be like to be an employee - the challenges, and the daydreams -  it could be a very valuable read. Of course, not all employees are frustrated and many are happy to be working for others. But, if you are a business owner or top executive, this book can be a powerful reminder of the challenges of working for someone else, and the fierce desire employees can have for more creativity, autonomy and input. It may spark you to side-step or prevent traps that are just waiting to make your dream business into a living Dilbert cartoon.

Curious? Download the first chapter of the book for free here, or better yet, grab a copy. Pam's writing is extremely readable and she has a lot to offer on her blog and in this book.

Vistage Announces Selection of Dwight Frindt as Best Practice Chair

(April 29, 2009) Veteran Chair Dwight Frindt has been named Best Practice Chair for South Orange County. Dwight will succeed Bill Oyler, who had been BPC of that region for almost eight years. Bill will continue as BPC for North Orange County, Sacramento/Reno and the San Francisco Bay area. "Bill is so loved and respected by the OC Chairs that the only way they would accept his departure was with an equally stellar veteran Chair, and that is Dwight.," Mary Allan, Senior Vice President for the Western Division, said.

A Chair since 1994, Dwight has facilitated two CEO groups and one Key group. He has been the recipient of the Vistage annual Chair Excellence Award 11 times and is consistently ranked as one of the Top 20 Chairs. In 2007 he received the Master Chair award. In addition to Chairing his CEO and Key groups, Dwight is active in leadership development through his company, 2130 Partners.  For 25 years he has been involved in the Hunger Project and has traveled extensively in support of this mission.

"Dwight is an outstanding leader and has been a highly respected Chair in the community," Mary Allan said. "I'm thrilled that Dwight has agreed to accept the role of BPC and make a difference in the lives of our Orange County Chairs - he is a great addition to the ranks of our Best Practice Chairs."

The Debilitating Role of The Bogeyman

We were recently introduced to a great blog called "synthesis" written by Shafeen Charania. (Thanks so much Barbie for the comment on our blog that led us to read synthesis!) In his most recent post, "basest instincts," Shafeen writes about fear at the level of panic. He shines a light on the incredible downside that results from fear driven leadership, whether in society or an organization.  He also reminds us how often the resultant sense of panic can be destructive. 

If we look back at history it seems that over time, society goes from "terror to terror." Whether the "Red Scare" of communism in the 50s, or more recently Al Qaeda, immigration, and the Bear market -- and even this week, Swine Flu. This got us thinking about the mythology of the "bogeyman."  The idea of the bogeyman crosses cultural boundaries and seems to have been around since the Middle Ages.  According to Wikipedia, "The bogeyman has no specific appearance, and conceptions of the monster can vary drastically even from household to household within the same community; in many cases he simply has no set appearance in the mind of a child, but is just an amorphous embodiment of terror." This idea of an "amorphous embodiment of terror" is important. It speaks to the power of the imagination, and what happens when fear takes hold because of an idea or possibility and the mind runs with it. We're not saying there's never anything to be afraid of and we're not recommending reckless disregard for safety or consequences. What we are pointing to is that often the level of fear exceeds facts and reality, and there are significant consequences when fear is "driving the bus." There is no doubt that fear can be a motivator. However, the often ignored question is, 'What outcome did we get as a result of fear driving the process? Did we get what we wanted? What were the costs or consequences?'

In light of our proposed "New Rules" it's easy to see that the costs may even be far greater than Shafeen portrays.  When fear, or the latest version of "the bogeyman" is in charge, the survival part of our brain takes over, (literally, our neurobiological defense mechanisms kick in), and we are limited to fight, flight, freeze, or appease reactions.  That's it. Only four options. Nowhere in that list is the ability to be present, creative, observant, thoughtful or collaborative, and yet these are the very attributes needed to be effective during these challenging times when all the rules have changed and no one knows the new rules yet. Creating and executing from a shared Yonder Star™? Not available to leaders and teams who are driven by fear and focused on survival. 

So all of this begs the question - Where is the bogeyman in your life and your business?  What bed is he hiding under, or, as portrayed in the Pacific Northwest, what green fog is about to get you? 

To dramatically raise your own and your organization's performance, identify and displace "bogeyman thinking" with Vision-Focused Leadership™. Actively collaborate from an orientation of vision versus an orientation of fear and we predict you will experience significant and positive outcomes. 

 

Leadership: The Danger of 'Tool Seduction'

We suggest you pick up a copy of High Altitude Leadership: What The World's Most Forbidding Peaks Teach Us About Success by Chris Warner and Don Schmincke.  It's got a 5 star rating on Amazon.com and for good reason.  We are especially drawn to the subject this week as one of our Vistage KEY Executive Group members is actually on Mt. Everest.  Warner and Schmincke have extensive climbing experience combined with being esteemed trainers in the leadership field.  They have studied successful and failed behaviors in the Death Zone (above 26,000 ft.) and find many parallels to the challenges faced by entrepreneurs, professionals, CEO's and managers.

The lesson we are focused on today is from the Chapter called "Danger # 3: Tool Seduction."  They describe a variety of tools from structures, procedures and reliance on resumes to constant change programs and make the point that the answer does not lie in the tools. "The problem isn't with the tools but in how you relate to them "(think Reality vs. Reality 2.0).  They observe that Tool Seduction happens because "tools offer hope, and they make people feel that they have the right answer."  Their Survival Tip: "Remember two things: Behavior, not tools, drives results, and adapt or die. "

In the Leadership Choice Point™ model that we teach in our Productive Interactions™ courses, we demonstrate how each moment is the opportunity to choose between correlating your actions with your Yonder Star (vision/goals), your hoped for predictability, and your fears.  To us, Tool Seduction occurs heavily in the hoped for predictability zone and is compounded by fear.  Correlate your behavior with your Yonder Star and you will often find that you are relating to the tools differently or perhaps even leaving some behind.

Leadership Fundamentals: Courage

We have been challenging your thinking and your relationship with reality in our recent posts, especially with Reality 2.0: The New Rules.  So, in the face of the challenge, how do you begin to address The New Rules and function effectively? To us, the most important capacity that will be required of you is courage. We are not, however, talking about a stereotypical picture of courage that might be portrayed in any number of old cowboy or war movies.  We are asking you to consider a very different perspective that looks much more like presence, vulnerability, patience, and active listening.

The phenomenal management consultant, poet, and naturalist, David Whyte, describes this capacity as developing a friendship or fierce relationship with the unknown. He speaks eloquently, and at some length, on the subject in his 2 CD set: Midlife and the Great Unknown: Finding Courage and Clarity Through Poetry, which we urge you to purchase at: http://davidwhyte.stores.yahoo.net/audio.html.

We don't know any better material to support you in developing the kind of courage required to continue to investigate Reality 2.0 or to deal with the ultimate paradox - that there isn't one - reality that is... Of course, there never really was just one reality, even though many of us say “but in the real world” fairly frequently.

One of the Operating Principles that we use in all of our engagements, group work, and in our lives for that matter, says it as: "Explore truths - mine, theirs, and ours." Foundational to this Operating Principle is that "truth" is relative and often widely different for different people. Courageously bringing Exploration Listening to your relationships will give you new openings for action in leading your business and your life.

25 New Dimensions to Challenge Your Thinking

In his article “Moon Shots for Management,” (www.hbr.org, reprint R0902H) Gary Hamel writes eloquently about new dimensions that will be required for leadership as we go forward in what we are calling Reality 2.0. He introduces us to 25 challenges for Building a New Agenda for Management Innovation. These challenges are based on the outcomes of a conference of scholars and business leaders held in May 2008 to lay out a roadmap for reinventing management.

We see these challenges as totally consistent with the theme and conversations to date in this blog and the New Rules discussed last week. Our view, however, is that a critical additional dimension to this project is the shift in mindset that will be required in each of us for these new ideas to be effectively developed and implemented. In fact it is a prerequisite for success.

Ignoring this dimension will most likely result in these opportunities being ignored, resisted, or minimally effective at best. We will be addressing pathways to creating this shift over the coming weeks.

We recommend that you go to http://managementlab.org/future and participate in the survey about these 25 ideas. You will be able to add your voice to the development of the work, rate the progress of your own organization, and identify the most significant barriers you face.

Take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to challenge your thinking and grow your leadership.

Leadership: The New Rules

In our last two posts we shared two powerful perspectives on the depth and breadth of the dramatic changes going on in our world. Confronting the unknown range of impact from these changes can be both shocking and freeing. To move you into engagement, we are asserting a set of New Rules as part of what we are calling Reality 2.0TM and inviting you to try them on. We are not claiming that they are the Truth or an extraordinary economic insight on our part.  Rather, they are a proposition meant to provoke fierce investigation of reality and stimulate creative thinking.  They are intended to bring each of us more present to our world and to call forth far more effective actions on our parts.  Reality 2.0TM: The New Rules 1) All Bets Are Off 2) All The Rules Have Changed 3) All Contracts Are Invalid/Restructurable 4) It's Never Coming Back 5) No One Knows The New Rules 6) Fear Is Everywhere 7) If I Try To Hold On To Any Of The Way I Think It Was I Will Die 8) Play Ball!

Our clients have begun exploring these rules with each other in our group sessions and are having insightful and  productive conversations.  Several have introduced them in conversations with their teams as a way to break through the veil of fear and pretense that has many people frozen.  Test-drive them yourself and let us all know what you learn.

The Opportunity Within the Economic Crisis

In last week's post we talked about the enormous shifts that are taking place in the cultural paradigm. We want to build on that by looking at how the economic crisis is a symptom of these larger changes and the opportunity that the crisis actually presents. Lynne Twist is an author and activist we have known and admired for a long time. She has written an amazing book about money called, "The Soul of Money," and we highly recommend it.  (To find out more about the book go to http://www.soulofmoney.info/index.html) She has also created a video that speaks so clearly about the economic crisis, the larger paradigm shift, and the opportunity it presents that we want to share it with you here.

Shift Happens...

Margaret Wheatley, author of Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World, and co-founder of  The Berkana Institute, gave a talk in Seattle last year. To paraphrase her opening remarks, she said, "are you stressed out? Are you overwhelmed? Are you unsure what to do next? Join the club." She spoke about her work around the world with top people at the top of their fields. Her bottomline? Everyone is stressed and uncertain AND she gave this talk before the financial crisis and the havoc that has hit our economy. So what's going on? There's more than just the crises that are making the daily headlines. Take a look at this.

The last thought in this video is, "what does it all mean?"

The answer is there is a shift happening in our cultural paradigm that is even deeper and more profound than a particular political or economic crisis. These crises are most likely symptoms of the deeper layers of change that are currently in motion. 

Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting the work of people who are helping to create a new, positive social paradigm. We will also offer up some ideas for how you can navigate this difficult time with more ease.

Welcome to Lead Your Business, Lead Your Life

Hello! And welcome to the launch of 2130 Partners' "Lead Your Business, Lead Your Life" blog. We have heard from so many clients, colleagues, family members and friends about how challenging life is these days we felt it was time to extend a hand at a different level and pass along what we have learned about leadership and developing leadership skills in your life. One of the first pieces we want to talk about is the notion of "leaders and leadership." We often hear people say something that boils down to "leaders are people with certain titles and leadership comes from those with titles." We don't agree with this. In fact, particularly in these difficult times, we believe everyone has the possibility to be a leader in whatever role they have, in their business and in their life. We believe that developing the qualities of leadership is fundamentally empowering for everyone. So that's what this blog is going to be about.

We look forward to your participation, your feedback and your ideas. And we ask - where would you like to be a leader today?

Dwight and Suzanne Frindt Are Featured Contributors in New Book

(February, 2009) Dwight and Suzanne Frindt are featured contributors in the newly published "Cracking the Personality Code" by Dana and Ellen Borowka of Lighthouse Consulting. Chapter 9, "From Managing to Leading, How to Become a Vision-Focused Leader," is based on the work of 2130 Partners. To learn more about the "Cracking the Personality Code" book... click here.

Dwight Frindt Appears In The Seattle Times

(July 8, 2008) Dwight Frindt appeared in the The Seattle Times featured in their “My First Job” profile. The article shares the story of how he became interested in leadership development in his very first job. To find out more click "read the full article." From there you can access a .pdf of the article [Download]. pdf

Suzanne Frindt Appears on Amazing Women, Beauty, Brains and Style

(March, 2008) Suzanne Frindt appeared on the “Amazing Women…Beauty, Brains and Style” online radio show with Dr. Marlene Siersema. Suzanne discussed a range of topics from the founding of 2130 Partners, to her work with the non-profit The Hunger Project. Click "read the full article" below and you can download the .MP3 file of this interview. To listen to the show click the arrow audio

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