SixSEED Partners

Cliff Kayser

OUR GIFTS OF IMPERFECTION

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Brené Brown, a contemporary teacher who extols the gifts of imperfection, writes: 

“It is in the process of embracing our imperfections that we find our truest gifts: courage, compassion, and connection.”

Chapter 12
Let Go And Hold On

Blindness for the color,
Comes when there’s too many running together.
Deafness for the notes,
Comes when too many overtake each other.
Tastelessness for the flavor,
Comes when there’s too many at one time to savor.
Distress for the being,
Comes when there’s too much doing.
Letting-go of great excess,
Is holding-on to great experience.
(SOURCE: Cliff’s Notes on the Tao Te Ching ©2022)

In Chapter 19 of “And: Making a difference by leveraging polarity, paradox, and dilemma,” Tim Arnold describes one of the five polarities in homelessness: 

Embracing our Brokenness AND Embracing our Excellence

These two poles of the polarity may grab attention – technically, both poles of a polarity must both be positive or neutral. Brokenness? A neutral or positive? Tim Arnold would say, “Absolutely, yes.” It’s similar to how Brene’ Brown has almost singlehandedly reframed “vulnerability” as useful. Letting go of what others think and own our story, we have more ready access to our worthiness. We are enough — as we are. Embracing the parts of our lives that don’t fit with who we think we’re supposed to be helps us accept our worthiness of love and belonging. We can take a view from the balcony of our story and the running and striving for worthiness – the constant pleasing, performance-proving parts of our identities. They may have served me and serve me now, but at what costs? 

As I have explored my physical healing and growth as a leader after a traumatic year after a pretty traumatic accident – I’m working to embrace the value of what and how to hold on, and the value of what and how to let go. It’s been sobering, humbling, and rich in learning.

We’d love to hear from you:  info@sixseedpartners.com.

SixSEED Holiday Giving – Sloan Kettering Institute

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This holiday season, we celebrate “SixSEED Holiday Giving”, where each team member donates to an organization that is meaningful.

Cliff Kayser, MS, PCC: CSO

CLIFF KAYSER CONTRIBUTES TO SLOAN KETTERING INSTITUTE (SKI) For Cliff Kayser, he will contribute to Sloan Kettering Institute (SKI). Cliff explains why this is organization is important to him: “We all know someone challenged by a cancer diagnosis. One of my heroes, my sister Lori, has been living with a currently incurable cancer. The longer she follows the current protocols and takes good care of herself, her chances improve. Her hard work combined with scientific discoveries from experimental research is why I’m donating to the research arm of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, “SKI” – the Sloan Kettering Institute. SKI was formed 70-years ago to fuel progress in cancer treatment by supporting scientific advances in the understanding of biology and medicine (such as: cancer-related genes, unraveled signaling pathways that control cell growth and division, and identified the cell types involved in mounting and repressing immune responses). SKI research has also been a driver of clinical advances in cancer treatment, from chemotherapy to targeted therapy to immunotherapy. I’ve had the pleasure of working with the amazing Leadership Training and Organization Development team at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and several team members became fully certified in PACT (Polarity Approach for Continuity and Transformation). It’s great knowing my colleagues are doing such great work to develop leaders there to accomplish their vision to harness the latest research techniques to conquer cancer. 

ABOUT SLOAN KETTERING INSTITUTE (SKI):

In 1945, philanthropist Alfred P. Sloan, Jr., and engineer Charles F. Kettering founded the Sloan Kettering Institute (SKI) on New York City’s Upper East Side, with the vision of harnessing the latest research techniques in order to conquer cancer. This goal endures today. As the experimental research arm of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, SKI is focused on the pursuit of fundamental scientific discoveries. The institute’s philosophy is that the best way to fuel progress in cancer treatment is to support scientists as they explore the unknown.

SKI is distinguished by its:

  • world-renowned faculty
  • cutting-edge technological resources
  • relatively small size and open academic community
  • extensive collaboration between scientists and clinicians

SKI exists as a distinct entity within the larger community of scholars, clinicians, and researchers that make up MSK. SKI hosts more than 100 laboratory investigators, 400 postdoctoral research fellows (including clinical fellows), and 300 PhD and MD/PhD graduate students. The institute enjoys a close relationship with neighbors Weill Cornell Medicine and The Rockefeller University.

Over the course of its 70-year history, SKI has produced many advances in our understanding of biology and medicine. SKI scientists have discovered cancer-related genes, unraveled signaling pathways that control cell growth and division, and identified the cell types involved in mounting and repressing immune responses. SKI research has also been a driver of clinical advances in cancer treatment, from chemotherapy to targeted therapy to immunotherapy.

SKI scientists are leaders in their fields. Many are members of the National Academies of Science and Medicine. Many are Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators. They are the recipients of numerous awards and honors.

Case Study: New Leader Transition

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Cliff Kayser, MS, PCC:  CSO

Background

SixSEED was invited to partner with a hospital seeking to support a new Director of Perioperative Services struggling to acclimate to the organization. The hospital sought an Executive Coach to support the leader’s difficult transition to the new role which was also occurring in the midst of the high-stress COVID-19 pandemic environment and severe nursing staff shortages. There was a need to accelerate the leader acclimating given the high revenue impact of her clinical areas.

The Strategy:

The Executive Coach partnered with the leader using a polarity framework:  a structured approach which matched well with the client’s military background.  In partnership with the client’s executive sponsor, they decided to focus on 7 key tensions.  Crucial to the client’s success would be to leverage the benefits of each of these “polarities” while at the same time being aware of her strong preferences for pole values that are shown in bold, below:


Confidence And Humility

Assertive And Cooperative

Candor And Diplomacy

Advocate And Inquire

Provide Direction And Invite Participation

Give Freedom/Trust And Hold Responsible/Verify

Mandatory Protocol And Discretionary Protocol

The strong preferences and combined impact for those pole preferences were creating barriers to her leadership effectiveness. As she became more aware of the dynamics between and among these competency pairs, she began exploring new approaches and creative ways to create “leverage” – to maximize the benefits of each, while minimizing the downsides of overdoing her strengths.

The Solution: 

In partnering with the coach, the client was able to prioritize a key tension for she and her team which was Give Freedom/Trust And Hold Responsible/Verify. She believed her team was framing the tension as an “Or” – and strongly over-relying on Giving Freedom/Trust to one another and falling short on holding one another responsible for follow-through on mandatory safety protocols.

The leader and coach co-designed and delivered a team development session for her 11-member leadership team. In the session, the team mapped and assessed their performance focused on Patient Safety And Staff Safety as it related to how individuals and the team navigated giving one another freedom while holding each other responsible for following safety protocols.

The Impact:

Near the end of the 6-month engagement the client completed a follow-up self-assessment for the original seven polarity tensions. The results are summarized below.  Most importantly, her leaders were able to depersonalize behaviors and recognize tensions as preferences and not as “good” or “bad.”  The client, by increasing visibility, developing relationships, and becoming a better “leader of leaders,” she was able to influence and “scale” systemic change.

Living Our Practices: SixSEED Partners Retreat

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Our commitment

SixSEED Partners applies the tools and processes we use with our partner clients, to ourselves. One way we did that recently was to take some “time-out” from virtual and the day-to-day to do some reflection and self-care in the process of our work. Cliff’s retreat and learning center, “Kayser Ridge” located in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia was the perfect place to “walk our talk.” Here are a few highlights from our SixSEED retreat, which focused on leveraging a few key polarities:


Take Care of Each of Us
AND
Take Care of SixSEED

Appreciate By Looking Back
AND
Grow By Looking Forward

Our Actions

Prior to gathering at Kayser Ridge, we divided the work of the retreat according to each of our “sweet spots:” signature strengths (matching work with the right resource to tap into natural energy). We met between October 2nd and October 4th and each partner facilitated a section of the retreat, with previously agreed upon outcomes.  Tapping into our CEO’s “big picture,” strategic thinking and passion for the application of non-verbal methods of learning and change, we stood in each of our Six SEEDS to celebrate our accomplishments and sense into future directions.  Shifting from a macro lens to a more micro lens,  we next designed and filmed sixty second video summaries for each of the Six SEEDS. 

We spent quality time exploring the challenges and opportunities from the perspective of our client partners, and how this period offers unique opportunities for us individually and collectively.  We agreed to an infrastructure that would allow us to leverage margin with our mission to provide “integrated solutions to heal healthcare”. 

Amidst working hard, we played.  We shared in the preparation and clean-up of our meals, and enjoyed each “breaking bread” experience – complete with stories, laughter, and a few tears. We appreciated and experienced the beauty of our surroundings – more laughter stories over a campfire, under stars, and in the glow of harvest moonlight. Up from behind the mountains facing east, Joy captured images of the sun rising amid and the mountain mist. And in those same moments, turned the tripod to capture the moon setting down behind the western mountains. We watched leaves fall and streams trickle on a valley hike. Lastly, tapping into Petra’s lovable “jester energy,” we posed for photos in our own version of Charlie’s Angels.

Our Results

We have scheduled discussions with two partners we’re most excited about working with in the future; we re-allocated our compensation structure to support our strategic goals; and we secured resources to finish our SEED videos for publication.  We have a renewed sense of purpose in our work around culture, wellbeing and leadership ecosystem capacity as it pertains to providing skills that support depolarization within healthcare and our country.  In addition to these business results, we affirmed why we chose to partner in the first place:  that we are much better together than alone and we truly enjoy each other’s company and find it life-giving.

Our Invitation to you

As Petra articulated in a prior blogpost on the first Vital Question:  “Where are you putting your focus?,” it is easy to get caught in the maelstrom of activity and crisis.  This problem- focus results in wasted energy without accomplishing your desired outcomes.  By holding ourselves accountable to our desired outcomes and allocating time to step back, assess, and plan, we maximized our own wellbeing, while also being productive in our desired results.

We’d love to hear from you about how you’re leveraging taking care of yourselves while you take care of your organizations and appreciate by looking back and grow by looking forward.  Contact us at: www.sixseedpartners.com or by tagging us on LinkedIn or Facebook.

An Essential Leadership Competency: Leveraging the Polarity of Power And Love

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As we at SixSEED Partners live our declaration of being part of creating a just and equitable culture where health is a right for all, we notice our own internal “no more” struggles that put us squarely in the tension between peaceful protest/establishing clear boundaries AND Showing Understanding/Compassion/Forgiveness.  We’ve been listening to our clients as they encounter their own “no more” struggles and navigate difficult and emotional conversations about racism, antiracism and white privilege. It is our belief that especially now — an essential leadership competency is the ability to leverage the polarity of Power And Love.

“Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.” ― Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Power and Love Defined:

We view the tension of Power and Love as part of our SEEDS of “Leadership,” “Culture,” and “Well-Being”. We’re not alone. Several popular leadership and social change books have been written based on that quote. (See: Adam Kahane: “Power and Love: A Theory and Practice of Social Change,” 2009; and,  Barry Oshry “Power and Love: A systems perspective: http://newstories.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Power-and-Love.pdf) 

We articulate below what we define as Power and Love:

Power – Spaces and Processes for Differencing

A Leader generates trust by making it safe for individuals to stand in their strength and voice their unique differences – and serves to create a strong Culture / Well-Being.

Love – Spaces and Processes for Integrating

A Leader generates trust by promoting shared values for equity and fairness to connect and unify to accomplish common goals and shared objectives – and serves to create a strong Culture / Well-Being.

Racial and Health Inequity: Power AND Love Tension in Operation

Recently, SixSEED provided support to a senior leader who described himself as, the “new kid on the block.” A person of color who had joined a predominantly white tenured senior leadership team. He was struggling. In his new role, it seemed that compared to his colleagues, it was seldom if ever being asked about his perspectives. When he volunteered his perspectives, it seemed they were pretty quickly dismissed. Add what he described as a “hierarchy-of-influence” — his support function was less “professional” than those of his mostly white colleagues who were “at top of the pyramid.” Add to this — his staff were also mostly people of color and frustrated by the perspectives he was attempting to share – and he was caught in the middle. Political tensions rooted in racial and health inequity dynamics were adding fuel to the fire and all this “adding-up” was taking a toll. One question was, “where do you even start?”

Mapping the Tension

We know from Oshry’s work that Top, Middle, and Bottom stories in organizations involve not just the hierarchical relationship – there are also conditions. At different times, we can be a Top, Middle or Bottom — at different times and for different work processes. One place to start is by heightening awareness of the polarity of Power And Love as we move through these conditions as leaders. The attached Polarity Map for Power And Love includes Action Steps that offer possibilities to intervene in the processes of “holding space” to honor differences and Commonalities. These processes are less about “who’s right” or “who’s wrong” and more about the spaces themselves – the seeing  differences and commonalities. 

The Polarity Map on the following page summarizes elements from Oshry’s work. If you’d like your own editable polarity map to give yourself the systemic view of the tensions you are navigating, complete this contact form and indicate “requesting Power And Love polarity map.”

We’d like to hear how you’re navigating this tension. Additionally, if you have questions about how you, your team, or your organization might apply this method now, send us a message and we’ll contact you within 1 business day to help guide. and support you.