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This month we give a shout-out to the Rotary Club of Kirkwood, Missouri, which is holding its annual 5K/10K run on Saturday, September 10. As a longtime member and former president of the club, Paul Paese (of PMC) remains an active and dedicated member of Kirkwood Rotary. The Kirkwood club fully embraces the Rotary International motto of “service above self,” and is committed to helping others both locally and internationally. The Kirkwood Rotary Ramble is a race through the streets of Kirkwood to raise money for local charities. The race takes place every year on the Saturday one week prior to the Kirkwood Greentree Festival. The club offers certified 5k and 10k courses, plus a School Challenge program for students. The theme of the race is changed every year to match that of the annual Kirkwood Greentree Festival, and participants are encouraged to dress up to match the festival theme. So, if you’re a runner or walker interested in supporting local charities while having a fun, healthy time, please consider participating in this year’s race! Click here to register for the race.

We’ve noticed a consistent gap in workplace conversations. To convey understanding, most people use easy phrases like “I understand,” “I appreciate that,” or “I get it,” and often say these phrases repeatedly in an effort to show that they understand. Few go so far as to offer a brief re-cap by saying something like, “Forgive me, but let me check if I’m tracking…”, and then asking if their re-cap is on target.  Why bother with the extra effort? Well, maybe you think you understand, but in reality you don’t fully grasp what the other is saying. Or maybe the other person can’t find the right words and could use your help finding them. By 1) re-capping what you think the other person is saying, 2) asking him or her if you’ve got it right, 3) repeating these first two steps if necessary, and 4) ultimately getting an affirmative response, you’re showing that you understand. This practice is particularly important when others have been talking for a while, and especially if they’ve been repeating themselves. While it may seem unnecessary to check your understanding when others have been repeating themselves, this is exactly when checking may be the most helpful. Why? Because repetition is often a signal that the other person doesn’t feel heard, or believes you’re missing their point. Paraphrasing and getting confirmation usually ends the repetition because now you’ve shown that you understand, and the other person sees that further repetition isn’t needed. So our recommendation is simple: If the conversation is important and your goal is to understand others and have them feel understood, show that you understand first. Don’t just say “I understand.”

Back at NSA, virtually, this month to teach Conflict Resolution again. Excited to work with these distinguished executives, via WashU at Brookings, for a second time this year! Grateful to Olin Business School and The Brookings Institution for this continued opportunity.

Leaders need strength to be successful. While this obvious truth is widely recognized, opinions differ on what constitutes “strength.” In the eyes of many, strength means standing firm, winning your position, exuding confidence, and minimizing vulnerability. At PMC, our clients are often surprised to hear that we see vulnerability as a key source of leadership strength. Which is stronger, a leader who advocates a position and stands firm until others bend? Or a leader who advocates a position while remaining open to different views, even inviting challenge from others? Leaders who take the path of openness will naturally feel vulnerable. Paradoxically, this vulnerability is not a sign of weakness, but rather a clear indication of leadership strength.

PMC is proud to contribute to executive education at Olin Business School at Washington University. In addition to teaching in custom programs offered by Olin to single organizations, Paul Paese also teaches open enrollment seminars that executives from any organization can take. This year Paul is co-teaching a new program, Disrupted Workplace and Change Agility, with Rik Nemanick of Nemanick Leadership Consulting. This seminar will be held virtually this month, and is spread out over four 3-hour sessions. The two main objectives of the course are: (a) how to ready yourself and your team members for disruption, and (b) how to deploy that readiness when disruption inevitably occurs. A major theme is that we’ve entered an era where workplace disruption is more or less the status quo and, to succeed in this new reality, leaders and teams need to sharpen their communication and collaboration skills. For a description of the open enrollment sessions offered at Olin this year, see the program finder.

Candor in the workplace, even “extreme” or “radical” candor, has become a hot topic in recent years. And for good reason. The creativity, buy-in, and efficiencies possible through candid conversation are remarkable and well-documented. There’s no question that candid dialogue, when seen as the norm and practiced routinely, is a key source of competitive advantage — companies like Netflix and Bridgewater Associates are good illustrations. Yet practicing candor company-wide is not nearly as easy as popular writings imply, especially if a company’s existing culture is less than candid. At the top of the recommended reading list for candor-challenged workplaces is The Fearless Organization by Amy Edmondson. Published in 2018, this landmark book addresses the often subtle yet widespread effects of fear in the workplace, and how fear impedes candor and creativity. The basic argument is that, for a culture of candor to take hold and endure over time, an organization must first propagate psychological safety throughout its ranks. We couldn’t agree more. This book is strongly recommended for leaders at all levels.