Thank you to CEO Christina Farias at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Foundation for the Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES) for inviting Michael Seelman to speak with her leadership team about "Self-Leadership & Happiness." They had a great time getting to know each other's "fun fact," talking about Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s 6 Daily Questions, the latest research about how we can increase our happiness, and ways to enhance our leadership and communications practice. Let us know if you would like Michael to speak with your team as well! Resources regarding these topics are available here.
Interview on "Ignite Leadership" podcast
Michael Seelman, Principal Consultant & Coach, Churchill Consultants, was honored to be the most recent guest on the "Ignite Leadership" podcast series. Hear his conversation with host Rob Followell about leadership "nuggets" and life lessons by clicking the audio file bar below.
Presentation on Self Leadership & Happiness
Michael Seelman, Principal Consultant & Coach, Churchill Consultants, spoke today with Prince Georges County, Maryland students about self leadership and happiness. His interactive presentation was the keynote for the HOBY Community Leadership Workshop (CLeW). This is his 30th year volunteering with HOBY Maryland -- since he had a life-changing experience there as a high school sophomore. He currently serves as Vice President of the Board of Trustees.
"What is Coaching?" Video & YouTube Channel
Today Churchill Consultants launched a new video and YouTube Channel. The "What is Coaching?" video is a great introduction to professional coaching. It distinguishes coaching from therapy, consulting, and mentoring. Coaches believe that people are naturally creative, resourceful and whole so there is a "lot of asking" and "not much telling" in a coaching collaboration. Coaches bring out the best in clients and discuss support structures needed to sustain top performance. The video also introduces Churchill Consultants' coaching, consulting, and inspiring public speaking services. The video and YouTube channel can be found here.
Harvard University Presentation
Today Michael Seelman of Churchill Consultants had the opportunity to present some of his coaching resources at Harvard University. The occasion was the 20th reunion of his Harvard Kennedy School of Government class. In the audience were his distinguished former classmates, including the Mayor of Calgary, Naheed Nenshi (pictured bottom right), the Mayor of Burlington, Vermont, Miro Weinberger, and other executives from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. He shared information about behaviors that keep us from rising to the next level of leadership, Marshall Goldsmith's 6 Daily Questions, and research on happiness. See the resources here.
International Coaching Week
"Professional coaching has the power to transform individuals and organizations. The best way to discover this is to experience coaching firsthand.
Since 1999, this belief has fueled International Coaching Week (ICW), a week-long celebration that educates the public about the value of working with a professional coach and acknowledges the results and progress made through the coaching process...
International Coaching Week 2018 will take place May 7–13, 2018."
-- International Coach Federation
Marine Corps Leadership Lessons
What lessons does one of the world's most effective and adaptable fighting forces have to teach us?
When Michael Seelman visited the Marine Corps (MC) museum today, he was moved by their powerful culture of leadership and teamwork. Though many leaders are never on an actual battlefield with their people, there is much we can learn from those that train for and serve there. The MC motto “Semper Fi” or “Always Faithful” is well known but what does it mean for a leader and the team? Let’s take a closer look at the lessons they have to share…
MC Enduring Principles:
1) Marines are ready, relevant, and forward deployed.
2) Marines are innovative, adaptable, and versatile; Marines win.
3) Marines do what is right for the Nation.
4) Marines keep their honor clean.
5) Marines take care of their own.
MC Institutional Ethos:
1) Physical and moral courage
2) Ethical warriors – steeped in core values
3) Small unit leaders biased for action, trusted, accountable
As leaders, do we ensure that our people are prepared and know how they fit into a larger purpose? Do we promote innovation and flexibility so they are successful in dynamic situations? Do we act with integrity and aligned with core values? Do we see them as whole persons that we connect and care for on a human level? Are we models of courage and ethics? Do we empower our people, reward them for action, and hold them accountable for results?
What are the 14 leadership traits that the Marine’s aspire to exhibit? They are: Justice, Judgment, Dependability, Initiative, Decisiveness,Tact, Integrity, Enthusiasm, Bearing, Unselfishness, Courage, Knowledge, Loyalty, and Endurance.
Do our people see us demonstrate these traits? There is much we can learn from the Marines and aspire to demonstrate in our leadership.
Tour of Churchill Archives
Special thanks to Allen Packwood, Director, Churchill Archives Centre, for providing Michael Seelman, representing Churchill Consultants, a "behind the scenes" tour of the historical treasures around Sir Winston Churchill's life and leadership. The archives are the UK prime minister equivalent to the U.S. presidential library. Particularly memorable was seeing the original handwritten correspondence from President Franklin D. Roosevelt to "Dear Winston" during World War II -- what an important friendship these two leaders formed at a crucial inflection point in our world's history. Michael and Allen also discussed James MacGregor Burns' (JMB) study of FDR captured in the "Lion and the Fox" and "Roosevelt: The Soldier of Freedom" which earned JMB the Pulitzer Prize. The archives are next to the The Møller Centre at Churchill College, Cambridge University, that hosted our Burns leadership conference.
Winston Churchill's Speeches
Below is a photo from Michael Seelman's tour of the Churchill Archives. He was on a tour of the UK representing Churchill Consultants. These are Sir Winston Churchill's personal speech notes. Notice how Churchill writes his speeches as if they were poetry, his handwritten additions update them before delivery to ensure the greatest impact, and his careful preparation that enabled him to rally his countrymen in their "finest hour."
International Leadership Panel
Michael Seelman, Principal Consultant & Coach, Churchill Consultants, spoke today about the "future of collaboration" on a panel at the opening of the James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership in the United Kingdom. The Academy is housed at The Møller Centre, Churchill College, University of Cambridge. Joining him on the panel was Ruth Berry (Partner, Møller Centre), John Alderdice (Member of Parliament, United Kingdom), Katherine Tyler Scott (Chair, International Leadership Association), Patrick Hoffmann (Chair, Cambridge Development Institute), Claus Grube (former Danish Ambassador to the UK and EU), and Athene Donald (head of Churchill College). Special thanks to Gillian Secrett (CEO, Møller Centre) and Georgia Sorenson (Founder, James MacGregor Burns Academy) for the invitation to speak.
