Latest / Calm Under Fire / Dr. Donte Vaughn
Transcript
- Col. John Boggs: Welcome to Calm Under Fire. I'm Colonel John Boggs. I'm the president of Fortitude Consulting. Fortitude is a leadership development and executive coaching firm. And today we have with us Dr. Dante Vaughn. Dr. Vaughn works with CEOs and private equity-backed leadership teams at critical inflection points when growth, change, or complexity begins to strain execution. Through his work with Light, point advisors, he helps organizations realign leadership, strengthen operating cadence, and restore performance when strategy alone isn't enough. So today we're talking about leadership under pressure. When alignment is fragile, decisions slow down and execution starts to break. Dr. Vaughn, welcome and thank you very much for being here. Dr. Donte Vaughn: I appreciate it Colonel Box, thanks. Col. John Boggs: All right, well, Dr. Vaughn, do you mind if we get started? Dr. Donte Vaughn: I'm excited to do so. Col. John Boggs: Alrighty, okay. Dr. Varn, you're often brought into organizations under strain. So what are the first signs that leadership effectiveness is becoming a constraint? Dr. Donte Vaughn: To your point, oftentimes when I'm welcoming to an organization, they are typically in some state of unrest. There's been a negative impact in productivity. There may be a decline in customer satisfaction or employee satisfaction or a desire to improve. productivity or efficiencies or some nuance that has sound the alarms figuratively and warranted our entrance into an organization. So oftentimes, unfortunately, there are a lot of lagging indicators that suggests, okay, not only do we have an opportunity in terms of improving or optimizing systems and processes in organization, you can do that, but we have to address those responsible for leveraging those systems and processes, leaders, right? How they engage, how they interact, how they make decisions of business every day. That is a significant focus that most organizations react to gaps in, but recognize they must address it if they're going to realize improvement in their business or growth or maturity. So, That's when we generally understand or at least brought in to validate root cause of challenges organizations are facing. Col. John Boggs: Have you ever walked into an organization and have a realization that it's not the strategy, it's not the strategy, it's the execution? Dr. Donte Vaughn: Absolutely. while strategic alignment and clarity is often needed, fundamentally, the strategy isn't the issue. Like you said, the execution side and where I see the greatest breakdown in execution is anticipating the nuances, the details that matter around who, what, why, when, where. And that discipline and due diligence, especially under fire, how do we maintain discipline around what's required to effectively execute? And oftentimes being reactionary Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: becomes justification for failure to apply some process or system around execution. And I think a lot of organizations either lack define systems and processes around execution, and Col. John Boggs: mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: or they justify moving. How do I, I often say this, it's moving. in haste. does not support desired outcomes versus validating, I can move with speed, but I must take important steps to ensure that my desired outcomes are going or increase my probability of realizing my desired outcomes. So I think that's where I see greatest execution failure. Col. John Boggs: Okay, what happens to the team? What happens to the leadership team? The execution failure, the pressure begins to build up. I gotta do more, I gotta do more. And there's a lot of movement, but a lot is really not happening, although it looks like it. Dr. Donte Vaughn: Yeah, sure. Well, everything starts from the leadership and how Capable leaders are in slowing down just enough, taking a deep breath just enough to understand, what is it that we're looking to address in the short term? What is it that we're looking to address in the long term and what is required for the team to do so? So pausing and understanding with a sense of clarity and then being able to communicate those desire outcomes. is essential in how individuals respond. And if I respond without a sense of really what's going on and what I'm trying to get accomplished and I'm just reacting to the circumstances of the situation, that energy and that lack of clarity matriculates in an organization. And even when people believe, okay, I just got to do stuff because doing stuff is better than doing nothing, nothing. oftentimes leads to lot of failures. It's not for an individual's lack or desire in addressing the needs or the issues that they're faced with. It's a lack of clarity around what is it that I should be doing, why is it important, and what are my desired outcomes? And most don't do that in the midst of urgency or crises. And a lot of times it's because they're ill-equipped to respond in crisis situations from an operational perspective. Col. John Boggs: So while you said a lot right there, I love it you said pause. Because in my experience, I've never seen, it's very hard for teams to want to pause. And when they start going and they're moving real fast, then the alignment seems to fail. That Dr. Donte Vaughn: Yes. Col. John Boggs: alignment gets very fragile. So what happens to a leadership team when that alignment goes off? It goes off the track. Dr. Donte Vaughn: Well, you know, I always say, so to stay aligned, right? There's a few things that I need to stay aligned in any scenario. Well, to stay on a track, right? I need a rail. I need some guardrails. I got to know, I need an indicator when I'm off track, when my movement, my actions, my behavior is off track. So first, we got to define the track. What is it that we're doing? Because what are Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: we doing, guys? We're reacting to this circumstances situation. What are we actually responding to? And Is this response necessary and important and at what level? And then what are the indicators that of progression in the right direction? And then how do I Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: measure that? See, that's, you know, that's where I think we, we leadership teams lose a lot of momentum and, and, and exert a lot of effort and cost because we haven't taken enough someone. has to take enough of a pause to say, OK. And we're pressured by customers, the board, our stakeholders to just show activity as a means of trying to solve for something. And I think so. Now, what will equip an individual to be inclined to take the pause? That takes. self-regulation, Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: some emotional intelligence, and the recognition that the outcomes will always serve us better. The issue, the conflict in and of itself is not the problem. The challenges we face and even the failures we encounter, I can choose to view those things in a negative light. or an opportunistic light. And I think that shifts a person's mindset even in the midst of adversity. And that applies to in one's personal life and professionally. Sorry, I lost Col. John Boggs: I'm here. Dr. Donte Vaughn: my extra lighting here. So I think organizationally, I'm not sure why my extra lighting just died on me. Organizationally, someone needs to be at the helm and in charge. with the Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: responsibility to say, okay, I know we just missed a major shipment to one of our significant clients. Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: First, what is the immediate issue? The immediate issue is we have to get their goods to them. What action should we take to get the goods where they need to go? So take another Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: breath to say, We will address the breakdown in system and process, Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: but let's first address the immediacy of the issue. And then we will look at root cause around the breakdown from a system and process standpoint and do our best not to personalize it and address an individual as the root cause of the issue. And when we depersonalize it in that way, it allows everyone some psychological safety enough to unpack these this challenge and navigate it with a greater critical thought and fortitude. Because that's the other piece that I think happens in the midst of crises situations is the lens by which we view the failure instead of the opportunity connects to the person first instead of the breakdown Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: in the system or the process, which personalize it. Now, everyone's not only reactionary to the issue, but now is in defense mode or offense mode, and that Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: doesn't serve anyone well. And the immediacy of it, I need everyone open to strategic thought, critical thinking, solution orientation. That mindset has to be fostered by a leader who's equipped to keep a team and get the team to that space. And those Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: teams that I think respond in those situations do best. But I will say this, Colonel, is I've also encountered organizations who do that really well, but then Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: normalize it as if we are the best team ever because we respond really well in crises. Let's not forget, we still need to look at what led, what got us here so we're not here perpetually as an organization. Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I love that you said what. You said what, what, what. And you played down the who, who, who. And when things go wrong, it's very often everybody looks for who did that Dr. Donte Vaughn: Who did it? Col. John Boggs: instead of what, okay, what happened. Dr. Donte Vaughn: Yes. Col. John Boggs: It's who did it. And at that point, it doesn't matter who. Dr. Donte Vaughn: doesn't matter. We can figure that out if that's relevant nuance. like you said, what do we need to do? What's important? What's our desired outcome? It's what, what, what. Col. John Boggs: What, what, what? It's not who, who, who. my gosh. How many companies have you worked with that you had to get them out of that habit? Dr. Donte Vaughn: Almost every last one. Col. John Boggs: Yeah. Dr. Donte Vaughn: in some shape or form, right? It's inclined, it's innate to wanna look at the individual, equally we're, oftentimes leaders are even more self-critical, even if we never project Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: that insecurity, it's there, so then we're inclined to do the same as, well, I know someone was supposed to own that, or I know I delegated that thing to someone. Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: But wait a minute, if I wanna mitigate this, unless I'm saying that I'm gonna keep replacing the somewhat, then I have to look at the process, the system. How effective Col. John Boggs: Yes, look at this. Dr. Donte Vaughn: of a system around communication and follow-up do we have? Was the individual equipped with the tools and resources to realize this desired outcome? Those details are often what's overlooked. That's why execution fails, because we're not thinking about it. through that lens or, don't get me to go down a rabbit hole of the notion of assumption or presumption around execution. Col. John Boggs: Yes. my. Dr. Donte Vaughn: Right? Because, well, I thought, or this person should have known. Right? So again, we go back to the who. No, but what did we define? And how did we deliver those expectations? And what are Col. John Boggs: Mm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: the mechanisms to validate that we're on the right track? All Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: those things become what I try to drive. across an organization's leadership team. And that becomes far more sustainable when you can make those behavioral shifts, but also put those mechanisms in place. Col. John Boggs: What are some of the things that you've seen that work well for a company that's, strong, they're moving out. What are Dr. Donte Vaughn: you Col. John Boggs: the things that you see that they do that others don't? Dr. Donte Vaughn: I will say that first and foremost, an organization who's gone beyond just, I have a purpose, I have a vision, I have a mission, underpinning these things are not only core values that, I'm not talking about window dressing core values, I mean the core values that shape behavioral standards and how you expect your leaders to engage, how they interact. how they make decisions every day. And your infrastructure, your operational infrastructure is modeled around the premise that those leadership standards, those behavioral standards that inform your leadership standards are embedded in all aspects in how you operate. From the time a leader walks through the door, your standard operating or your standard routines include considerations of behaviorally how I want them to show up every day. From the time they greet their first employee, to their first startup huddle, to their first meeting. And it's embedded in their job descriptions. It's embedded in their performance reviews. It's embedded in their assessment of overarching impact in an organization. The organizations who recognize that there's a distinction between management and leadership. management of systems and processes and resources, leadership of people. Those organizations who understand the distinction and define roles and responsibilities around those distinctions are already positioning themselves to be successful in the context of execution. Then beyond that, they have clear procedures. by which they expect things to be executed with some latitude to be agile when circumstances Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: and situations don't align with what they forecasted or predicted in their business. And some organizations require more agility than others. Some require more rigidity in terms of they're more compliance driven organizations or regulatory driven organizations. That doesn't change the fundamental best practices that exist in understanding that is who we are as an organization and therefore as a leader for you to be successful this is how we need you to show up these are the routines we need you to follow these are this is the level of engagement now here's the nuance you get to apply whatever leadership style makes you effective but our standard by which we all choose to show up in this business remains consistent Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: When I see those things and that could reinforce in the consistency around those things, they generally, the organization mitigates a lot of pitfalls and barriers that others who do not have those things defined experience every day. Col. John Boggs: Well, when you work with companies, let me ask you this. have you worked with companies, and I suspect you have, that have outgrown their operating model? I mean, they were doing fine, and suddenly they're not doing so fine. Where do the leaders often misjudge their organization, what they can handle and what they can't? I mean, they're growing, they're growing, things were going great, suddenly things aren't going great anymore. Dr. Donte Vaughn: So I'll say this, the definition of great has a lot to do with, so just taking it to 30,000 foot view first, perception Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: of what going great looks like Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: needs to continue to be evaluated and that vision statement evolved. So let's start at the very top of that, right? Because oftentimes as organizations mature, while your core values and even your purpose fundamentally may not shift. People treat Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: their vision statement and their mission statement as stagnant instead of revisiting it, saying to themselves, Hey, wait a minute. Col. John Boggs: Mmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: We're not the same organization. Our vision has evolved. The impact we're able to have, our footprint has evolved. Therefore our mission has to evolve. Purpose informs vision. Vision informs the mission. Mission informs the strategy. Those things happen in that order. It should happen in that order. And we don't treat our vision and our mission and our strategy with the notion that it is evolving, that it is growing, that it is maturing. We treat those things as marketing exercises that become stagnant posters on our conference room wall instead of saying, wait a minute, let me understand socioeconomically. Let me understand from an operational model standpoint. how has our vision and our mission shifted since our founding? And then Col. John Boggs: . Dr. Donte Vaughn: if we got to put new or fresh language around that, let's do that. And then Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: that should then inform our strategy and how we approach execution. And I think so we have to start there because oftentimes that's where the misalignment begins. And then from Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: there, okay. the whole time do I have, have I embedded the fundamental standards for how I need my leaders to engage and interact? Understanding that as my organization evolves, Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: I may implement additional standards of practice from a leadership standpoint. I may not have had a core value of remaining innovative and define what that means from a leadership practice standpoint, but given our desire from a vision and mission standpoint to adopt new technologies to drive innovation or drive efficiency in organization, I may now need our, my leaders to begin to adopt a more innovative mindset or entrepreneurial mindset or whatever that may be. That then has to be embedded in practice. Now I believe that you have to foster learning around behavior. You can't just expect it to be just because. So if I'm introducing Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: new behavioral standards for how I mind leaders need to show up, have I introduced resources, tools, processes that enable learning, practice, and refinement of what it means to show up in that way? So I think get aligned around vision, mission, strategy, understand what's gonna be required for your leaders to actually execute against those things. and equip them with the necessary tools and resources. If you're doing that, your probability for success remains high. Col. John Boggs: Okay. And what's interesting is that you said that your vision and mission, they can't remain stagnant. Dr. Donte Vaughn: No, And people misconstrued that all the time. It's like, no, you've evolved. Oftentimes founder led organizations, I see the greatest stagnation in that, right? Cause that is what their drive was in the origination of their organization. But founders gone or founder has sat, sits on the board now and is no longer engaged in the business as they once were. you know, new leaders have come and gone. Your visionaries, your CEOs, your COOs who are meant to drive that down, you know, aren't even in alignment with what that means anymore. Like we have to get clear on what that is. And it doesn't mean fundamentally your purpose has changed dramatically and your core values often remain the same. But Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: what do I do with my vision and my mission? If I, my vision, for where I wanted my life to be as a 25-year-old is very different from my vision now in my life. And if I stayed stagnant for what that is, I would have hit a wall or a precipice. I have to continue to consider the vision because then once I envision where I'm headed, now my mission is how do I get there? I start building roadmaps. But if I never envision where I am, or if I envision some place that is no longer relevant, what if it's no longer applicable? What if we've adopted so many different capabilities as an organization that we're minimizing our potential because of Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: that vision? So it's so important for organizations to understand that those things, doesn't mean legacy's lost because we've evolved our vision and our mission is intended to establish how we approach realizing that vision. Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: You, as a decorated veteran, understood that missions evolved, missions changed. Sometime in the moment, that didn't mean that the fundamental purpose and the fundamental direction was lost. Col. John Boggs: All Dr. Donte Vaughn: So. Col. John Boggs: right. All right. So what do leaders avoid? What do leaders avoid? What costs them the most? Because they're avoiding now. no, no, no. I heard Dr. Vaughan. I don't want to hear it. What are they avoiding that's costing them? Dr. Donte Vaughn: Avoidance, right? I always start with self. I go self team organization self. That's greatest point of avoidance is acknowledging our own personal barriers. recognizing what inhibits us on a personal level for showing up in the best version of ourselves in order to lead others. The self-work Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: is important, important in this journey when we make the commitment to lead others. So I think the avoidance is the hard conversations when we have to look at ourselves in the mirror and say, not, I have to... Forgive myself for my failures and I have to acknowledge the ones that exist or the ones that will exist. That's self-work. Avoidance of the feedback from our subordinates letting us know where we're most effective and where we're ineffective. of avoidance in the things that may call up, call out the fact that what I put effort and emphasis on or in and what I've invested in and even potentially ask others to invest in failed. Avoiding that acknowledgement, that's personal work. That's ego work, right? So we have to get, We have to work on that piece. The other avoidance that I see in leaders who are less effective is when we avoid the hard conversations that we need to have with the individuals around us organizationally. for fear of response or for feeling ill-equipped to navigate those difficult conversations. I think that's where the avoidance happens from a team standpoint, Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: from an organizational standpoint, avoiding the complexities that come with certain change or the responsibility to drive and see that change through. So I think all those become catalysts ineffective or less than effective leadership. But I Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: also believe on the flip side of those things, the minute we start to embrace all the things I spoke to, we Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: open up windows of opportunity that are far greater than we can imagine when we lean into it, when we acknowledge that these barriers exist. when we start to when we build enough courage to to decide that I want to do something different about them. And and when I and we have enough humility to acknowledge where we're strong in doing so and where we need support. Col. John Boggs: Okay, when an organization, they've hit their breaking point. I mean, this was great. You talked about avoidance. What do leaders need to get right first? Hey, we're at a point, you we're gonna make it or we're not. I gotta get this right. What's the thing they need to get right? Dr. Donte Vaughn: Well, first, I guess they would need to ask themselves what right means. And are we all on the same page for what right means, what success looks like? An organization's measure of what's right or wrong in terms of its success or failure needs to be clearly defined. Intentionality becomes an important nuance to that. As long as we're moving with alignment, awareness, intentionality around what our actions are meant to drive and the capacity to be agile enough to pivot when our actions aren't driving the desired outcome. That's what it's more about than any one or circumstantial nuance or our misperception of what success really is or isn't. Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: But we gotta be clear, like are we all measuring success the same way? Because Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: I see a lot of turmoil in organizations when we're not even clear about what good looks like. Col. John Boggs: Mmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: And do we go, even when we think about innovations and adoption, are we looking through the lens of where are our constraints and what can this thing do to help us overcome those constraints? Everything represents an opportunity. This just depends on our outweigh. I don't know if that answers your question, but when Col. John Boggs: Yeah. Dr. Donte Vaughn: I think about, know, we got to get it right. What is right? Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: And then, and then it's the examination and you can't do this in a vacuum. Right. Oftentimes Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Dr. Donte Vaughn: as leaders, we believe we need to have all the answers. When in fact, the individuals who have the answers are closest to the thing we're trying to get right. And it's, and it's sometimes it's, it's, it's your frontline folks or it's your, it's your consumer perspectives. You know, it's, it's, it's downstream. It's not upstream. And maybe the root cause of our challenges is the fact that we never solicited that input from the beginning. Col. John Boggs: Wow. Very, very good. Excellent. Dr. Vaughn, for leaders who are navigating growth, change, breaking down in execution, looking to restore their own alignment of performance, what's the best way for them to reach you? As a matter of fact, let's stop here. And if you can tell us a little bit about your organization and how people can reach you for work with you. Dr. Donte Vaughn: Sure. So I'm a founding member of Lightpoint Advisors. I serve as our CEO and principal strategist in all things related to leadership and organizational effectiveness. How do we help improve and mobilize your leaders in driving fulfillment around your mission, your strategy, how individuals execute? and how that informs employee experience, your customer experience, your leader experience. So most of our clients are engaged in some aspect of a desirable transformation in performance, growth, could be pre-acquisition, post-acquisition, no matter where they are in their life cycle, recognizing that we need to bring someone in who can help align us, help us build strategy. help us mobilize around execution and sustainability. And those different projects and support models will vary depending on their needs. Best way to reach us, you can visit us on our website, lightpointadvisors.com. You can check us out on most social media platforms. You can reach out to me directly, not only via the website, but also LinkedIn would be the primary platform. And then I have a personal website for more of my thought leadership and other work that I do outside the practice. That's just drdontayvon.com. So any of those platforms would suffice. And I also have a recently launched a show on now media TV called Everyday Leaders Unfiltered. And we have similar dialogue as you're fostering, Boggs, just around, you know, those conversations that are head behind closed doors or privately, but need to be heard on a broader scale. Those challenges that that that leaders from all walks of life, all industries, how they navigate, how they how they overcome, or the best practices that have led to their successes. So that's another way to to kind of check out and hear more from a from a thought leadership standpoint. Col. John Boggs: And that was Everyday Leaders. Dr. Donte Vaughn: Everyday leaders unfiltered. Col. John Boggs: unfiltered. Dr. Donte Vaughn: You bet. Col. John Boggs: Okay folks, if you're listening, hey, it's LifePoint advisors, Lightpoint, L-I-G-H-T, Dr. Donte Vaughn: Lightpoint, yup, L-I-G-H-T, Lightpoint Advises. Col. John Boggs: lightpointadvisors.com. And do you get to Dr. Dante Vaughan directly, drdantavaughan.com. Dr. Donte Vaughn: You bet. Col. John Boggs: Okay, well, that's it for this session. Dr. Vaughan, thank you very much for being here today, brother. can't. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. This was really wonderful, really wonderful. Dr. Donte Vaughn: Awesome, thank you. Col. John Boggs: Thank you very much. And to everybody out there that's listening, that's it for today. And I'll see you on the next go. Remember, leadership is too important to get wrong. So get help. There's help right here. You just heard Dr. Vaughn. Reach out to him, get some help. All right, that's it on this end, out here.