culture – The Lauren Klein

Sharing Your Story – Amplify Africa

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My trip to South Africa this year was phenomenal. It is hard to put the experience into words; family and friends have seen my non-stop posts online. But I want to try and at least paint the picture of my time there for our Girlmade family. Buckle in, this might be a long read.

As a partner with Amplify Journey I attended the 3^rd annual Amplify Africa women’s summit in October. I was there to help women play big all the while learning, connecting and growing. I had the amazing privilege of emceeing the event and throughout it I knew I wasn’t going to leave the same. The theme this year was “Share your story”. It was such an amazing space for women to share of themselves, their ideas on how to improve our businesses and organizations – sharpening one another’s skills through engaged dialogue. Best of all moms got to bring their daughters who watched them be lady bosses in action! I later had the chance to work with these girls on a mini impact project that we presented to everyone.

I was grateful to be included in small but significant ways in the South African culture during my emceeing duties: I wore a beautiful blue doekie throughout the summit. For those who aren’t familiar, a doekie is a traditional head wrap that is common not only in South Africa but on the continent as well. A symbolic apparel that is both timeless and is a symbol of power. Something I know African American women can relate to, as it’s part of their cultural heritage here too. It was an honor.

Our team Amplify Africa stayed at the Sibani Lodge during the summit. A beautiful 2000-hectare game farm where the animals roam freely. We certainly enjoyed the tent camping and a powerful mastermind session facilitated by Miss South Africa 1992, Amy Kleinhans – Curd, an incredible entrepreneur whose wine is amazing.

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I met a number of other incredible women in South Africa. Chef Margot Janse who heads the Isabelo project that aims to nourish the stomachs, hearts and minds of children in the country. Beatrice Deipierre, Executive director of Kidzpositive, an income generation project that creates means for mothers and caregivers of children affected by HIV/AIDS to make a living. We consulted, trained and supported Beatrice and the team of female artisans. I was fortunate to meet, mentor and learn from the GM of Ritsako Game lodge, a female founded game reserve, not too far from the capital city, Tshwane. She’s working on a foundation that will help girls stay in school, read and learn to protect themselves from rape.

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In all these incredible spaces of growth, some fun was definitely had in between. Food is a big part of any culture, so taking part in a food jam (cooking session) allowed me to learn more about South African food and foraging. We had ourselves an Ostrich Braai, what we here call a barbeque.

I know that this is only a small token of what was really an incredible time for me and our team. It’s a privilege I hold dear. With so many lessons it is hard to encapsulate them all into one. Perhaps what I can say is where we can often be tone deaf or come in with our own misconceptions into a space, I have learned over the years that allowing those who own the space to lead you not only helps you communicate your ideas and what you can contribute more effectively, but allows growth in oneself too.

As our Amplify Journey’s tagline goes: We are stronger together. Sharing our knowledge across our cultures and continents will only serve to make this world a much better place. The future is bright for all of us, regardless of which continent we are on.

Cultivating Athletic Communities: CrossFit Regulus use case

This is a quick scratch pad post to share a few community concepts to help you build healthy athletic communities.

Mission and charter that extend beyond driving sales or renewing members.
Guiding principles
Experienced, certified and competent coaches on the community leadership team
Games, leveling, rewards and leader boards
Fast feedback
Diverse membership
Technology Enabled (Data and Apps)

For example, CrossFit Regulus, a gym in Northern Nevada has a charter to be the ‘Happiest CrossFit Gym in the World”. The gym owner, a former UNR wide receiver is determined to leave his legacy by executing on this concept. He believes his gift is to light the path for all types of people on their healthy journey. He invests time to meet each member personally, he remembers their names, he inquires and probes as a part of their on-boarding process at Regulus in order to help fine tune his coaching methods for the CrossFit daily ‘WOD’ – or workout of the day.

Opening exercise at his gym starts during warm up when he and all his coaches form a circle and each introduce themselves and answer a question, such as, ‘what you ate for dinner’. Simple, right? Doesn’t require props or complicated supplies, yet is a subtle way that allows everyone to focus on each other, practice active listening and think about their own health decisions or perhaps other fuel decisions they could make to accompany their fitness regime. Not quite the corporate team meeting experience, right? Behind this ‘question’ is a change management technique that calls you to action to be accountable for what you ate and/or what you could consider consuming that very day. Additionally, it allows people to connect with one another on a first name basis and slowly start to form an affiliation and relatedness with other humans, the coaches and the gym.

Co-owner, Jamie Thomas, who is currently a criminal justice student and UNR cheerleader, is constantly weaving across the gym to provide adjustments, coaching and technique feedback. There is no ‘sandwich technique’ – it’ simple. You get input on your approach, your form and/or inspiration to dig deeper to find a new level that you could realize.

Technology and applications allow members to easily connect with one another online, get alerts, connect with your fellow members and track your progress against others on the leaderboard. The application has a concept for fast feedback through a ‘fist pump’ in sugarwod or more active engagement through a comment. These tools allow you to capture the data associated with your ‘FGB- Fight Gone Bad’ or ‘AMRAP’ as many reps. They provide you with different levels in which you can scale your WOD and also incentives to reach the RX – or prescribed work out. Those of us who thrive on data enjoy this number chasing game which fuels some people to strive for a personal record (PR) or simply a journal which shares trends over time.

What an impressive result that within 14 short years, the CrossFit exercise program which combines Olympic weightlifting, gymnastics and aerobic exercises into a workout routine grounded in community principles has driven societal culture change. Hats off to Greg Glassman former gymnast who trademarked and founded these phenomena according to the Los Angeles Times.

Change Management, a required work stream in Social Business

Break through results can only be realized in Communities if your social business strategy approach includes this work stream. Often the time and resources needed to do this right are overlooked or perhaps simply nebulous because we have to deliver on today’s results. It is so hard to insert the argument if your company views the effort as another tool rollout. So, just a few thoughts this morning around key activities in the change management work stream:

1. Do engage with HR to create the conditions or the environment for your program or organization to achieve results. Call it culture change or innovation – but do engage with HR.

2. Share key industry research, white papers or blogs with leadership over time so that they can learn from their peers outside of your organization.

3. Do what your mother told you when you were young – LEAD BY EXAMPLE. Requires a lot of effort, but do work across the organization and departments to encourage cross pollination.

4. Document, post, comment and work out loud in an open forum so that anyone in the organization can find your work at their moment of need. Yes, work out loud.

5. Invite, extend, flex and don’t let the trolls get you down.

As leaders of change programs, we must be continuous learners ourselves. What this means is that we should always ask for feedback, modify, pivot and adjust and adapt along the way. We extend invitations for new conversations and possibilities along the way, while making sure we don’t let any turkeys get us down. Most importantly, work across the organization with your approach so that this new social business program encompasses people, process and technology. If you hire vendors, encourage them to partner alongside the strategy, design, build and engagement work stream so that you can create the conditions that will allow you to realize the business objectives outlined as a part of your effort. And yes do consider thinking about Digital Disruption and Leapfrogging as concepts in your approaches.

HAT Trick for Social Business Strategy

I grew up in Michigan where hockey dominated every day conversation. It snowed most of the year and as soon as the ice froze, skates were pulled out. Which is why I have drawn the parallel for scoring in social business strategy with hockey?
Certainly being persistent, repeating you and being resilient are characteristics we understand. But what I believe we must embody in our actions and words are:

Honest conversation. From strategy model development conversations to actual community conversation. We look in the mirror through social every day and we must be honest with ourselves, with our words, with our actions and our approaches.

Authenticity. We approach our strategy development and social business validation process with authenticity with our peers, our clients and our ecosystem with that top of mind. A shout out to many great thinkers in this area, including: Joe Pine, Brene Brown, Marcia Reynolds and Sally Helgesen.

Trust. If we do the H and A well in our work, the trust comes later. But it is paramount to successful dialogue, strategy development and conversation to establish trust. By the way, it isn’t monetized yet although people are trying to do so. Trust to me is something that is hard to achieve but easily lost.
Just thought I would take a few moments out of a busy day to share some secret sauce.

Courageous European Community Director

Randi Hognestad directs community and network events in Europe. Based in Norway, this tireless community weaver has deep connections throughout Europe. She has cultural sensitivity and style. She is quick to engender trust, yet is fierce is pursuing business goals. It isn’t every day that you see a community manager resume with her background. She has a law degree and has worked as a journalist with Norway’s leading financial newspaper and with communication in private equity.
Today in celebration of learning on Community Manager Day, I decided to ask her about ‘weaving techniques’ we community managers should consider when developing cultivation and engagement plans.

1.) Demonstrate generosity
2.) Be authentic all the time
3.) Be respectful of the other community members time and efforts
4.) Be mindful that ‘language is powerful’
5.) You get credit for speaking other languages even if not ‘perfect’
6.) Embody cultural diversity
7.) Don’t be turned off if someone comes across not as polite
8.) Remember that not all executives are natural networkers, and may need some TLC to become engaged
9.) Mind the details in all that you do
10.) Be thankful

What I find the most fascinating about her educational background is how her competencies in communication and diplomacy align with those of high powered executives who quickly scale the levels in conversation. She is courageous, has a strong personality, quick wit, emotional intelligence which has faciliated her ability tend her networks. I hope you have the opportunity to meet her in person, because you will feel this great strength in her intense, yet tender presence.

The flight and importance of communication skills

As a coach and community leader, I set a myriad of ideas and goals for for flight every day. I look at the end of the year as a time for introspection, gratitude and renewal. What I enjoy most about this new calendar year is the opportunity it brings reconnect with my most meaningful and profound work as I peer out on the calendar year in front of me. I carve out time to think deeply about the impact I can have on my networks and in my case that is social leadership, communication and diplomacy. Cornerstones in my change management and coaching practice. Which is why today when I was drinking my morning coffee and reviewing the opinion from Father Jenkins, President of the University of Notre Dame in the Wall Street Journal I was delighted to learn about his new book, “Conviction: The Power of Peril of Our Passionate Beliefs” that Random House will publish later, it reinvigorated my senses.

Why? Because so many of my clients and their communities have great ‘conviction’, yet often times they are lacking the talent and tools to harness the power of conviction. It reminded me of the importance to advocate for persuasion as a key behavior we seek in our talent acquisition programs, in our core competencies and performance management programs and our workforce education and performance support offerings. I’ve found that debate and communication courses are critical skills we need to turbo charge our society, yet without these foundational programs, how can prepare labor for the workplace? As organizations, how can we pivot our strategies without it? It is the lifeblood that runs throughout our societies. I will continue my work and hope that together with many of my esteemed colleagues we can impact and drive societal change.

Motoring Community Member Experience

Expectations were in fact exceeded during a recent experience as a member of the MINI community.

Powdered Donuts — Time for a powdered donut!

The synchronous and asynchronous community experience were integrated. I could hardly believe it. I found a marketing organization, sales force and customer service ecosystem truly aligned. Now for someone like me, who is seeped in community. this is noteworthy. Why you ask? Because more than anything, MINI approaches the buyer’s journey through building high trust personalized relationships. What, trust you say? Yes, they approach the car buying discussion with full disclosure. They assess quickly asses your needs and personalizet he experience through actions and words. In fact, Barry Bell, my MINI motoring representative in Reno has 26 years’ experience and shared with me that he believes the car buying experience should be anything BUT complicated.

It becomes obvious that the workforce education, sales process, leadership training and post sales support are aligned. Yes, I love the Mini Owners Lounge. Not to mention their talent acquisition process. Yes, they hire down to earth people who sell a motoring experience.

From the threads the motoring representatives ‘sport’ to the dealer decor and throughout the web, it’s consistent, fabulous and fun. They create an experience whereby you can hang out online with likeminded individuals in the owners lounge so brag, swap pics or share stories. If you prefer the in person experience, ask your dealer or search online to find a local MINI motoring club. In fact, I’m smacking my lips as I enjoy my MINI chewing gum while I think about warm weather and cranking up the numbers on my top-o-meter. It’s a gauge that is all about fun. It keeps track of how many hours you have been ‘driving topless’. Taking my kids to school should be fun, right? So this is why MINI was the right choice for me. Hand gestures, the nice one’s are all about the MINI cult or click. You keep one thumb hooked under the steering wheel with the other four up to acknolwedge their MINI style and get the same acknolwedgement back. It is truly about ‘many’ smiles, warm hearts and camaraderie.

Snow Angles — Snow angles got alot more fun to make!

As a busy working woman, I appreciated how they infused the process with fun. They provided me with ‘many’ options which allowed me to customize my ride. In fact, if you build your car, they simulate the warehouse and virtually allow you to see your car while in production. You are able to lurk on the manufacturing process, which in and of it psychologically get you more attached to the car pre-delivery. In fact, you can track it with GPS on the container if needed and soon I imagine FOURSQUARE will allow you to stamp where your ‘vehicle’ is in route and allow others to join your in the brand experience. From the customer service agent that checks in pre-sale, to the delivery process, it’s integrated, it’s seamless and it’s FUN.

Simply said, if you want to be ‘transported somewhere’ – check out the MINI motoring experience for both the physical and emotional transportation.’’

Born Leadership Legacy

Nothing more fulfilling than reading about how universities, organizations and community leaders are seeking out key qualities that resonate with those of us who learned as toddlers, that we MUST share. It’s no longer just about the test scores, but rather a candidate or talent’s ability to demonstrate:

Passion Creativity Accountability Flexibility Focus Resilience Gratitude

In fact, as the first born of two university professors, these were mandatory skills that I had to demonstrate consistently throughout my youth. Our family structure valued rigor in an approach to education, peppered with the freedom to fail. All the while, emphasis on re-invention and repetition.

Now several decades later, I’ve found that this foundation was the basis for my career success in that I learned to value active listening, collaborating, risk taking, and persistence. In fact, I’ve found that through sharing, I personally have more to gain than loose. Which is what brings me to the following question? Why are we still talking about embracing business models which encourage enterprise mentoring, collaboration and connections to talent and learning development programs?

Leadership, it boils down to this simple word. Whether you talk about leadership on the scale of a billion dollar company, or via deep and lasting impacts a home maker / leader has on their brood or a tribal leader. We in leadership every single day are putting into motion these ‘systems’ through our actions and words. Which is why we often see much ado about: Amazon, Zappos, Mary McNevin healthcare as the industry sweethearts who are daring to lead, making laudable investments in people, or is charging forward with drastic strategy pivots?

At a cursory level, you can read about handfuls of leaders who have a burning imperative for being performance enablers. These individuals have clarity of vision and ensure their teams collaborate and have what they need to deliver results.

So don’t be the ‘tractor in the swamp’. Be bold and take on the wide-ranging malaise surrounding organizational design structures and performance management systems through your born leadership legacy.

Social Leaders must invite change, ambiguity and resiliency

HBR published on their blog an outstanding article titled, “This is Your Brain on Organizational Change” that inspired me as a coach as it relates to the ‘human resistance to change’ that is being discussed in New York this week called the NeuroLeadership Summit.

I appreciate that Walter’s blog post and mention of the SCARF model and I have experienced in countless organizations the need for a common understanding of what could enable them to realize new potential as ‘leaders/managers’.

Countless organizations continue to use high potential frameworks recognize and reward individuals that don’t embody these constructs. I believe the leaders in People/HR and Learning along with partners in Talent Management have an opportunity to be courageous with new models, test them out and hold ourselves accountable to embody new possibilities for the 21^stcentury workplace dynamics. What is the worse that could happen? An effort fails? Well, if we continue to work in a paradigm that is proven to not work, we have arrived already to that destination. So what do we have to lose?

Cosmopolitan_LasVegas_Foodie_Art — Foodie Art

I see it as a chance to invite change like this glorious image of a sunglasses soaked in milk chocolate. With all the richness ambiguity offers plus a dash of resiliency, now there is a tasty dish we courageous leaders should order up now.

I love the idea to start by breaking things down into something people can digest, like the 4 domains the NeuroLeadership Institute highlighted around:

Decision making and problem solving
Emotion regulation
Collaboration
Facilitating change

As a change agent, facilitator and coach, I thought many of you would appreciate need to focus in these areas as we plunge into these unchartered waters and learn together, so please, do share your learning’s and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

The Matterhorn of Significance

It’s a great summit we aspire to ascend in a lifetime. Finding peace, understanding our purpose or our significance in this short timeframe in which we inhabit this planet. Countless individuals struggle around their definition of success. Fighting to gain spotlight, to feel worthy, to realize legitimacy, or perhaps simply to not be forgotten. These are questions I had to ask Terri Casady. She is someone with presence, someone who clearly embodies resilience and resolve. She embodies characteristics that are laudable in our leadership society. I was mesmerized by her mind and journey, so when I asked this fearless woman in leadership about her ‘mojo’ she was quick to share her recipe.

Terri has struggled with the construct personally. In a way none of us ever want to struggle. Her son died when he was only 20 years old. She fought her way out of grief and has since dedicated her life journey to invest in others, ensuring they feel significant and recognizing that it’s about being in the back light that really matters.

1.) Find ways to allow people to be their best

2.) Guide, open doors and introduce people to your personal networks

3.) Transfer your knowledge through teaching, modeling and enabling

4.) Advocate on behalf of someone doing the right thing, tell their story, lift them up

5.) Go with your intuition

6.) Grant trust

7.) Take risks

8.) Be courageous

9.) Live without fear

10.) Lead and live with integrity

Did you feel those goose bumps? Well I did, right up my arm. I was honored that she shared her tree of life story and personal credo. These guiding principles are appropriate as we enter autumn. Whether we change leaves, colors or behavior, we need to remember the importance of doing what is right when no one is looking, because that after all is realizing significance.

Category: culture