balance

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Jane A. G. Kise's 12th Leadership Lens, Balancing Limits with Opportunities, takes on so much meaning when I think back to my marching days.  One thing in particular, though, sticks in my head and won't leave.

As mentioned in earlier posts, we had a great sense of loyalty to one another, and to the vision of being champions.  Particularly in the Saints Color Guard, the more adept we became at handling our equipment, the more we experimented on our own.

During breaks in rehearsal, or even before or after, it was common for members of different sections to "play around" with their flags, rifles, or sabres to come up with "work" - the movement and handling of equipment to match the music and a particular part of marching drill.  Discovering different movements or equipment positions was fun and exciting for us.  Execution of those movements required quite a bit of practice to perfect the work to a level high enough to include in competition.

At first, the limits on what would eventually make it into the competitive drill were set by our instructors.  Having a better sense of what it would take to achieve championship status was the wisdom they brought to the process.  By our final winter season, though, we, the marching members, had achieved a strong enough sense of balance between the opportunities for creative movements, and the limits imposed by the judging system, for us to choreograph much of the equipment work.

Did we succeed?  You bet!

A moment in the drill when simplicity spoke more strongly than equipment work.

Saints Color Guard, in our earlier days.
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The year was 1967 when the Saints Drum and Bugle Corps of Fords, New Jersey, held its first registration nights and rehearsals.  My sister Karen and I were among those 100+ kids who signed up as members right away.  One thing we all had in common?  None of us had ever marched before, and most of us had never even seen a corps in competition.  Yeah, I know - that's two things. 
As members, we really had no sense of the big picture when we started.  
Parades?  Yeah, we got that.  Field and floor competition?  No clue.  
While my memories of that first year are mostly pleasant, I can't imagine the challenges the instructors and Board of Directors faced.  How do you share the vision needed to get such an organization up and running?  How do you remain optimistic while doing so?  
I'm pretty confident that much of what happened back then was management by the seat of their pants.  Here we are, all these years later, and I discover that those wise parents and other adults were "balancing reality with vision," or the 4th Lens described by Jane A.G. Kise in Intentional Leadership.  
As the weeks and months progressed, we learned to be accountable to one another.  We understood the importance of every rehearsal, and how we couldn't march forward if there were holes in the ranks.  We purchased windbreakers with the corps' name and logo on the back, and proudly wore them to school (and every place else, truth be told!).  
We marched together in our first parade in April, some nine months after the first rehearsal.  We soon had the chance to see other color guards and corps in competition, filling out the vision of where we were heading.  
We stuck it out, and grew.  We learned how to march in drill patterns while playing drums and bugles, or twirling flags, rifles, and sabres.  It wasn't pretty in the beginning, but we held each other accountable to get better with every rehearsal and competition.
The loyalty, accountability, visioning, and optimism paid off.  Three Aprils after that first parade, our Saints Color Guard won its competitive season chapter championship.  Our guards and corps continued to rack up championships and awards after that - all made possible with that balance of vision and reality.
The first championship flag earned by the Saints Color Guard:
National Judges Junior Color Guard and Corps Association, Chapter 3 Champions, 1971
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You just don't know what life experiences will come back to serve you in another context.  In my case, time spent decades ago while marching in, or providing other support for, activities related to drum and bugle corps still serve me well, time and time again.

For the uninitiated, the best way I can describe what drum corps meant when I marched is for you to think of a college band half-time show, done military-style.  We marched and performed year-round, independent of a school affiliation.  Our members were as young as 9 and as old as 21, after which you "age-out," or are no longer eligible to march in a junior drum corps.

So, what were some of the leadership skills I picked up during that time?

In her book Intentional Leadership, author Jane A. G. Kise describes 12 different lenses, or ways to categorize leadership priorities.  The 1st Lens, Outer and Inner Focus, sounds really complex in drum corps terms until it's broken down:

  • Networking and Relationships (Outer Focus) - this describes our connectivity with others.  In the case of the drum corps I joined (as well as in most others), we were together constantly.  Rehearsals, parades, competitions, tours were all opportunities to develop the skills of working and playing together in the literal sense.
  • Individuality and Personal Development (Inner Focus) - Besides the section, guard, or full corps rehearsals, we each spent individual time practicing skills needed for our chosen piece of equipment (flags, rifles, sabres, drums, bugles).  Just ask my dad about how many overhead light fixtures my sister Karen and I smashed while practicing with our guard equipment in our bedroom ...

Discord in the ranks, or lack of practice by some individuals, is easily spotted and measured in performance.   By nature of the activity, members have no choice but to develop these skills - and to keep them in balance - to remain competitive.  

For the rest of the month of March, my posts will explore the spectrum of Kise's leadership lenses. I promise, it will take you Just a Minute to read each one.  In the meantime, Happy March Fourth!

 Me, just before a competition while on tour during my age-out season

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With the Sochi Winter Olympics coming to a close, I’m noticing that a particular piece of information shared about many of the athletes is stuck in my head:  “S/he is now coached by …”.  

Why would an elite athlete change things up in the face of prior success?  For the same reason we change – to achieve a different and / or better result.  

In my case, I needed to make some adjustments to how and where I spend my time.  I needed to re-capture making myself a priority, to find a better balance for better outcomes.  

To that end, I made the crazy decision to travel to Minnesota in December (who does that?) to spend time with Jane Kise and Ann Holm as they shared their wisdom with those of us participating in the inaugural Intentional Leadership Coaching Certification session.  That small (and significant) change in how I spent my time led to two others, one of which was an entirely unexpected outcome.  

First, I finally made it a priority to complete my certification to administer and interpret the EQ-i® (Emotional Intelligence) instrument.  It’s been on my personal development list for some time, and my use of the Intentional Leadership Audit™ helped me to achieve that goal.  

The other?  Spending time in the sub-zero, snow-packed Minneapolis-St Paul area forced me to buy new snow boots upon arrival in Minnesota.  With the bizarre winter we’ve had here in New Jersey, I’ve been more than prepared.  

Go figure!

Outside our conference room at the Minikahda Club.
Post-conference gathering before heading homeward.

I was able to capture this image in my back yard while traipsing about in my Minnesota snow boots.

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EQ-i / EQ-i 2.0 are registered trademarks of Multi-Health Systems, Inc., Toronto, Ontario CN.
Intentional Leadership Audit is a trademark of Differentiated Coaching Associates, LLC.,
Minneapolis, Minnesota US.