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Positively impacting many through development

November 5, 2019 by Heidi Frye

 

Emily Kieliszewski, Heidi Frye, Summer Minnick

  • Approximately 45% of state and local government jobs in Michigan are held by women.
  • Approximately 40% of assistant City Manager positions in Michigan are held by women.
  • Yet only 16% of City Manager positions in Michigan are held by women (Nationwide this number is 13%).

This is how The 16/50 Project was born. After recognizing this disparity, the Michigan Municipal League, went into action. The goal was set: move the number from 16% to 50%!

But how?

How indeed. Summer Minnick, Deputy Director & CMO of the Michigan Municipal League, took on the monumental challenge of designing and creating a program to do just that. She quickly assessed that addressing skill-set-gap training and introducing participants to successful role-models were core components to the program. Summer instinctively knew for the program to be successful, a key coaching/self-development component was required to shift thinking, perspectives, and performance! The end result was a very intentional development program designed to close this gap. Now, time to put it into action! Emily Kieliszewski, Member Engagement Specialist at the MML, seized the opportunity to spearhead the program – functioning as ambassador, hand-selecting and inviting dignitaries as panelists and speakers, and overseeing execution. She took ownership of the program and made it a (successful) reality. Kudos to both of you! (Pictured above: Emily Kieliszewski – left, Summer Minnick – right)

Forbes Councils Member and writer, Kristin Constable shared her perspective on upcoming learning and development trends in her April 2018 article, which included: develop the required technical skills for today; develop leadership capacity at all levels of the organization; and facilitate whole-person development. Check, check, and check. The 16/50 program was on track!

I am honored to have partnered with these two go-getter-change-agents in presenting/speaking to the 2018 & 2019 Classes! The Class of 2018 was so successful a follow-up was required. As we wrap up this year’s 5-part series, we (again) see shifts. Shifts confirmed by the back-in-the-real-world stories the participants share.  Shifts confirmed by their responses and aha’s. Shifts confirmed by the promotions they’ve attained. They are chipping away at the number!

This program demonstrates how a full, robust, whole-person approach to development promotes growth at a root level. This is especially exciting because focusing on development at the root, or core, allows growth to exponentially and positively impact many.  Isn’t that what we should expect out of development work?

 

Filed Under: Communication, Development, Leadership Tagged With: 16/50 Project, City managers, coaching, core, development, development program, Emily Kieliszewski, Michigan Municipal League, MML, root, state local government, Summer Minnick

Transformation

October 21, 2018 by Heidi Frye

I was viewing a Performance Art installation at the museum. The artist/poet was sitting amidst hundreds of loose torn-from-dictionary-black-and-white pages strewn across the floor and posted to the walls. He was nestled in a large padded Victorian-inspired chair, sitting a bit askew with legs draped across the chair’s arm. As each person approached, he gave them a side-glance and a nod, waiting for the single uttered word which would initiate his brief inward stillness, inspiring a spontaneous poem to be written on one of the pages strewn about. Initially I was exasperated at the length of the line (thank-you to my daughter for coaxing me to stay!) – those who had made it through were audibly amazed at the perfection of the messages they received, motivating us to wait.  My exasperation turned into curiosity and then angst as I realized “Oh! I’m next…what is my word??!”

 

Transformation. I love transformation. Transformation is why I secretly enjoy washing a dirty floor. Why I bought two fixer-uppers in my twenties. And why I love being a coach. Nothing better than observing the growth, the movement, the aha’s, the change, the before & after, the betterment that has taken place! So subtle – barely recognizable mid-process really. And then, suddenly, “Wow, what happened?” – polished, clean, transformed! Transformation is exhilarating (to me anyway!).

 

He was right. The poet, that is. He handed me my poem, simply put, “the transformation happens regardless of what you call it”. The kind of transformation clients hire me for is directional (upward!), and in alignment with their goals. AND, it is intentional.  What about when it’s not? Because that happens too…

 

The point is, transformation does happen, regardless. We are never really static. Shifting, ever so subtly in one direction or another – not even realizing it is happening. Sometimes if not intentionally forward moving, transformation can be negative. Before you realize it, before you can stop the momentum, you’re there. In this place where you don’t recognize yourself anymore. Disengaged. Complacent. Withdrawn. Underutilized. Negative. Unhappy. This isn’t me…

 

I find, close to 100% of the time, in retrospect, clients know they knew when the shifted happened. The shift in the wrong direction. Let me say that again. On some sub-conscious level, they knew! They (now) know they knew (back then), instinctively, they were heading in the wrong direction. And didn’t pay attention to the warning signs. The dishonoring of self. Sometimes it seems so much easier to ignore your intuition. In the short run! In addition to the presence-of-mind to be able hear, and listen, to your intuition, courage is required. Courage, a.k.a. your voice, moxie, energy, the strength to course-correct, and head back in a positive direction.

 

You are in control. If you want to be. Transformation is going to happen regardless of what you call it…get mindful and intentional about yours, and set your trajectory in a positive direction.

Filed Under: Development, Leadership, Life, Personality Tagged With: aha, alignment, before & after, betterment, change, goals, growth, intentional, movement, sub-conscious, transformation

Engagement.

June 30, 2018 by Heidi Frye

Have you ever driven a zero-point-turn mower? I was recently and reluctantly granted permission to use my dad’s coveted mower while helping my parents manage their five acre yard due to Dad’s health issues. As a kid, I loved driving…anything – tractors, minibikes, motorcycles, snowmobiles, cars, and horses (technically you ride a horse not drive it, but you get my point). And now I was going to add zero-point-turn mower to my list. I anticipated I would put my earbuds in, enjoy the sunshine, and have a relaxing uneventful ride. Well, that was my intention anyway.

I didn’t realize it was initially going to be such a challenge! Full engagement!! This machine required my full attention, so no earbuds. You see, the clutch, the power/gas, the steering wheel, and the gear shift/neutral are ALL maneuvered from the handles…separate right and left handles – requiring supreme coordination. God forbid you itch your nose while driving, and end up veering off in the wrong direction…oops, was that a strawberry plant?

In the first half-hour of my grass-cutting adventure, I could not stop thinking about all of the leadership metaphors! Primarily centered around engagement. I was so “in it to win it”. My senses were heightened. I was excited. I was challenged. I wanted to do a great job for my parents and prove myself worthy of the task, and that meant taming this beast. How silly that I could be having so much fun cutting the lawn?!  But I was!

I realized all three of the factors from Daniel Pink’s book DRIVE were fulfilled – Mastery, Autonomy, and Purpose. Mastery: My desire to learn, master, and quickly conquer this machine was off the charts. Autonomy: My dad had given me a quick lesson while still parked in the barn, covering the basic mechanics and some trouble shooting, and then I was off to figure it out on my own.  Purpose: All of us, my sisters, and spouses included, were helping out during this rough patch with Dad’s health. Taking care of the yard was important to him, so it was important to us.

Engagement is a huge topic in business as the estimated and conservative costs of disengagement are 10-20% of revenue according to the forbesbooks.com article, “The Real Cost Of Employee Disengagement”. And, based on the Harvard Business Review “Disengaged Employees? Do Something About It” article, only 30% of employees are engaged, which means 70% are disengaged! The impact on business is substantial. What to do?

Some of my aha’s:

  1. The challenge of learning something new is/was fun! When’s the last time you were engaged?
  2. Basic training followed by the freedom to figure it out and work out the kinks…mistakes included, was critical.
  3. “Goldilocks” feedback is a critical step in the engagement process – not too much, not too little…training/guiding/tweaking while encouraging.
  4. Mastery takes time. Period. Get out of your head and cut yourself some slack. I know I didn’t do a perfect job, but for a first timer, I did do a great job. [NOTE: I see this with many clients who step into new roles…they berate themselves for not being immediately accomplished and go into “giving up”/disengagement mode very quickly. Incredibly self defeating. Do yourself a favor and discuss and set realistic expectations]
  5. Some people enjoy the challenge of learning something new, some people enjoy the perfection of a job well done, some people want the praise from a respected leader, etc. etc. Learn what your constituents need and want. Find ways to engage them.
  6. My first few rounds were slow. Be patient with yourself. I couldn’t have gotten up-to-speed as quickly if I hadn’t taken time to learn on the front end.

All said and done, it was great to be so engaged in something! My ultimate test was the last section right behind the deck (short up and down turns) …with my father watching. My absolute best and tightest turns of the day. I got the nod.

Filed Under: Development, Leadership, Life, Motivation, Uncategorized Tagged With: autonomy, Bad Boy mower, Daniel Pink, disengagement, Drive, engagement, leadership, mastery, purpose, S&H Farm Supply, TSC, zero-point-turn mower

Are you a growth-oriented leader?

June 30, 2017 by Heidi Frye

Tension, breakthrough, aha's, development

A few years ago, one of my coaching clients told me about a very cool concept taken from the book, The Wonder Weeks – related to her daughter’s development – serving as an excellent leadership/development metaphor.  The basic concept is, when charted, “fussy periods” will be evident just prior to a child’s major milestones (teething, walking, etc.). As an example, two weeks before her daughter had taken her first step, she was uncharacteristically fussy – a pattern repeated before “big growth moments” – proving a direct correlation of her daughter’s agitation to her childhood milestones!

Huh. Well, in coaching leaders, I have witnessed plenty of adult-fussy-periods…agitation just prior to major developmental breakthroughs. It’s called tension! Nature has demonstrated the value of tension over and over and over again. Think: Chrysalis/Butterfly…Childbirth/Newborn Baby…Oyster & Sand/Pearl!!!! These agitation-fussy periods should be welcomed (if not celebrated!) as they indicate breakthroughs and “aha’s” that couldn’t/wouldn’t happen otherwise. Years ago, while part of an organizational development start-up, my business partner, an Organizational Psychologist, would come out of sessions thrilled that a client had “broken down”…because he knew…a breakthrough was on the other side.

Whether following the wisdom of Angela Duckworth, “Grit: The power of passion and perseverance” or Carol Dweck, “The power of believing you can improve”, there is something special that happens on the other side of tension. It need not be scary. Yes, you’ll need to muster up your strength to push through the discomfort of tension. And yes, you’ll need to resist the temptation to hit the release valve. Rather than resisting, push through it, not around it, not over it, not stopping short of it…but t-h-r-o-u-g-h it.

Tension. Resilience. Growth.

Filed Under: Development, Leadership, Life Tagged With: Angela Duckworth, behavior, business, Carol Dweck, coaching, growth, growth-oriented, leader, leaders, leadership, organizational development, resilience, resistance, Tension, Wonder Weeks

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Linda M. Peasley, Ph.D. & Sally A. Camper

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“Pat Riley said ‘Great effort springs naturally from great attitude.’ Heidi Frye’s executive coaching enlightened me to the truth behind these words…I would not be where I am today without Heidi and highly recommend her leadership coaching to anyone focused on… Read more “Melvin Gottschalk, Jr.”

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“I wanted to share this and tell you how much you have helped me in my career in so many ways.  Your knowledge of the industry and mentoring is among the best and I hope that we remain professional contacts!!!!!! … Read more “David Purpura”

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“What a great asset Heidi has been to our team…Heidi in essence became part of our team and was able to assist key leaders in advancing their leadership approach and in turn – able to produce better results for the… Read more “Suzette Jaskie”

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President and CEO of MedAxiom Consulting (Former CEO at West Michigan Heart)
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“I have reached out to Heidi during the many phases of my management career for leadership coaching.  Her advice and wisdom has helped me identify ways to grow professionally as a individual and leader.  She is  honest, professional, and highly… Read more “Lori Stokes”

Lori Stokes
Materials Manager
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Spectrum Health Physician

“I have to admit I was a little skeptical when I first learned that we were to have this type of team meeting [Open 360 Feedback Process], but it definitely exceeded my expectations…You did a fabulous job with us and… Read more “Spectrum Health Physician”

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Spectrum Health
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“I have worked with many executive search firms across the USA and Canada. Upwords Inc. has proven to be among the best, coming through where others have failed to meet our needs…Heidi Frye has demonstrated her ability to understand our… Read more “Larry Gibbons”

Larry Gibbons
VP HR, Kinectrics Inc.
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Juli B.

“Working with Heidi was one of the most rewarding experiences in my career.  I am a better leader, co-worker and person…She has been one of the most influential people in my life.  I would recommend her expertise to anyone inspired to invest in advancing their career… Read more “Juli B.”

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C.F.O.
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“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for the service that you have provided Stiles Machinery for the last 15 years. Your contributions…have been immeasurable…Personally, I feel privileged to have had access to your advice and counsel. We… Read more “Stephan W. Waltman”

Stephan W. Waltman
Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Stiles Machinery, Inc.
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Matt Schad

“…Nucraft has worked with Heidi to create internal peer groups to improve our internal communications and teamwork skills…Heidi facilitates these groups and the feedback has been uniformly positive from the participants…Heidi and UPwords Inc. have become a trusted Nucraft advisor.”

Matt Schad
CEO, Nucraft Furniture
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“I started working with Heidi about 18 months into my tenure as CEO, and …I soon realized it was essential to my growth as a leader. In the early days, she put a variety of concepts and tools in my… Read more “Julie L. Novak”

Julie L. Novak
Chief Executive Officer, Michigan State Medical Society
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