• Services
    • Transformation Consultants
    • Safety Consultants
    • Leadership and Organizational Performance
    • Major Capital Projects
    • High Integrity Turnarounds™
    • The School of Coaching
  • Impact
    • What Clients Say
    • Client Results
  • Insights
    • Articles, Blogs & Poetry
    • Press Releases
    • Events
    • Transformation Talks Podcast
  • People
    • Global Leadership Team and Partners
    • Partners
    • Managing Consultants
    • Board of Directors
    • Founders
  • About Us
    • Our History
    • Our Vision
    • Our Perspective
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Let's Talk

What Helmuth von Moltke the Elder taught me about being a parent and a leader during the Coronavirus

Published by Camille Ford at March 27, 2020
JMJ Associates Logo
What Helmuth von Moltke the Elder taught me about being a parent and a leader during the Coronavirus
Latest News
  • Blog
  • Coronavirus

What Helmuth von Moltke the Elder taught me about being a parent and a leader during the Coronavirus

Latest Blogs

Mar 27, 2020


I am not a home schooler. I was never interested in it. Mostly because I thought I would do a far worse job than a trained professional. Well that all changed from this week. The Coronavirus has welcomed me to some new situations I wasn’t expecting. Not only am I called on to be a homeschooler to my 14 and 9 year old sons for an unknown amount of time, I am also having to work remotely providing some continuity of support to my clients and address the changing business dynamics inside of the company I work for.

It has been five days in my new role and when I looked back at what worked and didn’t work to keep home and work moving forward, I offer the following: “No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy.” – von Moltke. Sounds brutal when I am referencing my kids. However, when I did some research behind the quote, it’s brilliant for the times we are in now. Helmuth von Moltke was chief of staff of the Prussian Army in the 1880’s prior to WWI and a battle strategist by training. During WWI, battle technology and weaponry were changing so fast the plans became obsolete as soon as they were prepared. To address the new dynamics of war, he created an adaptive military strategy shifting from traditional detailed orders to leading by intention, which allowed for deviations and adaptation in the field as situations changed. Adaptive planning explores a series of options rather than be fixed to one approach.

So, what does this have to do with home schooling my children? When the governor closed all schools, I pulled out a planner and wrote down in every time slot what the kids were going to do to continue to be educated, while I could do my work. Here’s an example:

8:00 – 8:30 am Make your bed, put your clothes away, get dressed, eat breakfast and brush your teeth
8:30 – 9:00 am Read
9:00- 10:00am Online math
10:00-10:30am Snack
10:30-11:30am play outside or inside (no electronics)
11:30-12:30am Eat
Etc., etc.

I did not get to 10 am without interruption, resistance, and negotiation. I held to my schedule that was laid out to them and by the end of the day I was exhausted, and my kids were irritated. I had contact with the enemy and only had one plan in my pocket.

On day two, I took the approach to lead by intention and be willing to deal with the ebbs and flows of the day and still be satisfied with the result. As a family, we discussed what was to be accomplished by the end of the day and outlined the series of activities it would take to accomplish math, reading, cleaning, eating and having fun. I let them pick the order of the activities and we negotiated how much time per activity. During the day, if one of the kids offered an alternative and still was in the spirit of the intention, I let it happen. Otherwise, we stuck to the plan we discussed. Not necessarily the original but got the same result.

I also adjusted my day accordingly. Rather than book back-to-back phone meetings with no scheduled support time with my kids, I scheduled breaks and touch points throughout the day to support my kids in making transitions and progress. The approach so far is working. It is not teacher grade by any means, but it is hybrid homeschooler working mother grade. I will take it.

I have shared taking an adaptive approach with my clients who are executives and team leaders that are also needing to approach work differently while working remotely. Here are some of the operating principles they are putting in place to bring their teams together.

  1. Giving time for team members to check in for how they are. This practice allows team members to get connected and ready for the meeting vs. jumping right into the agenda and actions. The practice gives people time to acknowledge there may be distractions and to disclose those in the spirit of getting present to the meeting.
  2. Schedule time before a meeting starts to have informal chit chat that would normally occur before a face to face meeting.
  3. Have a leadership moment that is an open-ended question that provokes thinking. One I used in a phone meeting with about 30 people began with the question: When was a time you were called on to be resilient, what was it like and why is it important? The sharing by some team members of how they overcame adversity and thrived gave other team members an approach to use during these times.
  4. Practice listening. Deep listening is the access to empathy. Notice if you are thinking about what to say or the next thing to say vs. listening to what others are saying.

These times call on leaders to be vulnerable and share their humanity. Taking a traditional approach to getting work done may not be the most productive way. Try new approaches and be OK with the varying paths to get to the outcome. What approaches have you been taking to bring teams together in this current reality?

JMJ works with clients around the world, transforming cultures to unlock human performance. Contact us today to learn how we can collaborate together to help you transform your leadership approaches to inclusion and diversity, creating an environment for people to adapt, grow and flourish.


View All Client Results

Capital Projects Client Results
DSME Completes TCO FGP WPMP Fabrication Safely and ahead of Schedule for the Tengizchevroil Expansion Project
DSME Completes
Client Results Manufacturing
Global Manufacturing Corporation Reduces Quality Defects and Improves Bottom-Line Performance
One of the worl
DSHI Fabrication Yards in Korea Builds Strong Safety Culture on TCO FGP Major Capital Project
Client Results Safety
DSHI Fabrication Yards in Korea Builds Strong Safety Culture on TCO FGP Major Capital Project
At Korean fabri
Japanese Engineering & Construction Corporat Achieves Breakthrough Improvement in Safety Performance
Client Results Safety
Japanese Engineering & Construction Corporation Achieves Breakthrough Improvement in Safety Performance
The JGC Corpora
Russian Petroleum Operations Company Achieves a Shift in its Health and Safety Culture
Client Results Safety
Russian Petroleum Operations Company Achieves a Shift in its Health and Safety Culture in 9 Months
SPD had been wo



Author

Camille Ford

Latest Blogs

JMJ Leadership Skills
Blog Leadership Development
How Do You as a Leader Generate and Elevate Real Conversations Faster, in a Safe Space and More Creatively within an Organization?
Leaders need hi
Construction Safety Week
Blog
What has the Foundational Power to Change the Construction Industry?
It costs nothin
JMJ's Michael Huvane interviews Teichert's Dana Davis
Blog Safety
Teichert’s Safety Journey Enables Operational Excellence a Conversation with Dana Davis, President of Teichert Materials
Michael Huvane,
The Coronavirus has welcomed me to some new situations I wasn’t expecting. Not only am I called on to be a homeschooler to my 14 and 9 year old sons for an unknown amount of time, I am also having to work remotely providing some continuity of support to my clients and address the changing business dynamics inside of the company I work for.

  • Author
Camille Ford
Camille Ford Author
Camille Ford, Managing Consultant at JMJ, brings over 18 years of proven expertise in business and safety leadership transformation, partnering with organizations to deliver Incident and Injury-Free™ (IIF™) and High Performing Team™ (HPT™) results. She lives JMJ’s purpose to help organizations and their people in Making the Impossible Possible, Making Possible Real™. Camille has consulted on major capital and mega-projects in industries such as energy (upstream, downstream, utilities), construction, beverage, financial services, mining, wood products, paper, and consumer products. She works with cross-functional teams from all levels of the organization to develop their safety leadership that in turn generates an engaged culture, inspired leadership, and enrolls employees around a shared vision to eliminate worker injury. Implementation is one measure of success and Camille has a demonstrated record of enhancing internal capability and increased ownership of organizational goals and objectives, while building in practices and processes to enhance business improvements and corporate profitability.
follow me
JMJ
  • Corporate Headquarters
    Arboretum Plaza One
    9442 N. Capital of Texas Highway, Suite 450,
    Austin, Texas 78759
  • +1 (512) 795-0795
  • Email Us

Services

  • Transformation Consultants
  • Safety Consultants
  • Leadership and Organizational Performance
  • Major Capital Projects
  • High Integrity Turnarounds™
  • The School of Coaching

Locations

  • Americas Office – Austin
  • APAC Office – Singapore
  • EMEA Office – London
  • Middle East Office – Doha
  • Kazakhstan Office – Atyrau
  • South Korea Office – Seoul
  • Australia Office – Perth

Connect

  • linkedin
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • Youtube
Privacy | Terms of Use | Trademarks | Accessibility | Cookie Policy | Feedback | Site Map |

© 2020 JMJ Associates LLP. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of JMJ Associates content or logo, including by framing or similar means, is prohibited without the prior written consent of JMJ Associates.

    Start Unlocking Human Performance


    Arrange a call with one of our consultants today. Please complete your details below:

    • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
    This site uses cookies to provide you with a more personalised service. By using this site you agree to our use of cookies. Please read our cookie policy for more information on the cookies we use and how to delete or block them.Accept Read More
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled

    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

    Non-necessary

    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

    SAVE & ACCEPT