Mike Hohnen

Mike has his own unique style. He draws on more than 27 years experience. He has worked most positions in the service industry and feels at home in more major cities than most people.

Mike Hohnen

Coaching det ku’ være så godt….

Det er ikke så tit jeg planlægger en hel aften foran skærmen – men kombination af at det var DR2 ( havde det været TV2 ville jeg ha vidst bedre) og emnet coaching fik mig til at rydde aftenen og sætte mig godt tilrette – ja, oven i købet med en blok og en blyant inden for rækkevidde – det her kan jeg garanteret lære noget af, tænkte jeg.

Men ak – det var godt nok den mest miserable forestilling jeg længe har været vidne til. En gang tandløs sødsuppe journalistik fra start til slut – ikke helt til slut. Jeg synes faktisk, at det sidste indslag med Carsten Mørk havde sine positive sider. Men Carsten Mørk – dygtig som han sikkert er – er jo ikke ligefrem en nyhed (de stakkels kaniner skulle frem fra arkiverne – igen…)

Der var en dejlig promotion for brillebutikken på strøget – og de havde flotte briller alle sammen – men hvad de rent faktisk reelt brugte de coaches til konkret, det fandt vi aldrig ud af. Der var ikke noget: ”Jeg stod her i livet, og efter mit coaching forløb skete der helt konkret det og det ..”Nul og nix – bare 2900 Café Latte idyl og smoothies.

Sikke en fuldstændig forspildt chance for at lave noget virkelig interessant fjernsyn. Tænk, hvor kunne det havde været spændende at få belyst, hvad coaching virkelig er, og hvor mange forskellige opfattelser af coaching, der findes. Eller en debatrunde med nogle af de meget forskellig coaches.
Eller bore lidt i spørgsmålet nogen coaches koster 500 kr per time og andre 5000 per time - hvad er forskellen. Coaching er på mange måder lige så broget som brugtvogns markedet.

Hvor var den skarpe og kritiske gennemgang af coachens forudsætninger – hvad kan de? Hvad har de lært? Eller én der tog fat i, at de der virkelig tjener penge på coaching er dem, der uddanner coaches – som så til gengæld har det noget sværere med få det til at løbe rundt (der er noget pyramidesalg over det).

Men nej – vi fik langsomme billeder af mor og datter – bagfra – på en græsmark. Efter at de have talt en del om at lade være med at smække med døre… og så fik vi en omgang landsbyidyl fra trekantsområdet. Her forstod jeg aldrig hvori coaching bestod, eller også ved jeg bare ikke hvad coaching er – eller måske jeg bare var faldet lidt i søvn på det tidspunkt….

Afsnittet med damen der tog til coach for at blive hjulpet med sin trafikskræk – ja han klarede det da rigtig flot, den gode prof coach – men helt ærligt, hvorfor er der ikke nogen, der har fortalt dem, at den slags problemer ikke er coachingproblemer, og at meget få coaches overhovet er klædt på til at tackle det, der i virkeligheder hører ind under angstlidelser og som virkelig er noget, der kræver stor viden og indsigt at kunne behandle. Det er ikke noget, ’Johnson’ lige kan trille os hen og få fikset mellem to foredrag.

Og den stakles Lasse Zael, der blev præsenteret som Danmarks bedst erhvervscoach, fik ikke mange chancer for at give os bare et lille glimt af, hvad det så er han kan – og som er så godt for erhvervslivet. Sølle fem minutters lommefilosofi på en balkon blev det til…Tænk en interessant samtale/interview, man kunne have haft med den mand i stedet.

Hvis jeg ikke vidste bedre, kunne man tro, at det hele var en stor gang product placement: Promtion for en brillebutik, en Livstilsekspert og en fremtidsforsker – ja vel også en landsby, der gerne skulle have nye tilflyttere nødtørftigt pakket ind under overskriften ‘coaching’.

Utroligt at DR2’s programledelse have sat en hel aften af til et så spændende emne, som er så meget oppe i tiden, lavede sådan en gang hø ud af det.

Ku’ de da bare have hyret en coach til at hjælpe dem fra start….

Integral Theory in Action

We have been dabling with Integral theory for a few years now – and have slowly gained some understanding of the ideas and maybe more importantly also understood how much more there is to learn. But I think it would be fair to say that at this point the way we run our business and our trainings is definitely integrally informed – probably not 100% compliant but definitely informed.

The combination of theory and practice became very clear to me when I attended the 4 day Integral Theory in Action conference in California this summer – the first of its kind where more than a 100 presenters had submitted papers relating to Integral Theory.

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Integrally informed approaches to transformational leadership development
One presentation: “Integrally informed approaches to transformational leadership development” by Alain Gauthier & Marylin Fowler was particularly interesting from my point of view.

The presenters Alain Gauthier and Marylin Fowler have over a period of 9 months researched more than 20 cutting edge management development programmes. They summarize their key findings as follows:

“The selected programs focus on developing integrally-informed approaches that put equal emphasis on the ‘interior’ dimensions of both individual and collective development (intention, worldview, purpose, vision, values and cultural norms) and on its ‘exterior’ or visible dimensions (behaviors, organizational structures and processes), and how shifts or interventions in these domains must be coherent for change to be both deep and sustainable. They also pay attention to developmental levels in these dimensions, and to the dynamic relationship between individual and collective transformation”

Characteristics of the programme
The research also identified a number of common characteristics of the leading edge programme. They were:

“1. Over a period of four months to two years, they alternate short intensive retreats and months of fieldwork, with periodic individual coaching and/or mentoring by people who know the program well.

2. Their cohorts range from 15 to 25 people, to allow both large group dialogue and individual coaching by faculty members.

3. An attentive selection of candidates ensures both good fit and good timing, with the help of ‘alumni’ who become nominators and/or mentors.

4. They emphasize action learning, offer multiple conceptual frameworks, approaches and practices as possible entry points, and combine inner work, peer learning, individual and team coaching, action-learning projects and community building.

5. There is a strong commitment to values and corresponding behavior patterns throughout the programme (Kofman, 2006).

6. Innovative learning processes include various forms of group and individual practices (Part II refers to a number of these practices as well as many others):

Self-reflection practices such as action inquiry, journaling, meditation, silent nature retreats
Analysis of films and other artwork
Artistic expression, body movements, improvisation
Circle rituals and other forms of deep dialogue
Peer shadowing
Learning journeys
Hands-on ‘prototyping’ and experimentation

7. Programme design and activities evolve over time, based on the evaluation of each retreat and of the overall programme by faculty and participants, as well as on participants’ initiatives within the programme.”

Similar to the way we conduct leadership development in GROW
These finding are of course very encouraging for us – because the seven key characteristics to a very large degree reflect the way we conduct the GROW Service Managment Action Learning programme that we run and that is accredited by the University of Chester. If you are interested in reading the full report of their findings you can download their paper here. You can read some more about how we integrate integral theory in GROW here.

Foodservice Summit 2009

CEO Pannel
I’m back from a quick spin to Zurich and the Foodservice Summit - trying to digest and extract those first impressions from what was a tightly packed programme. But three things stand out:

Purpose, People, Planet and Profit
There is a shift coming – for years Foodservice has to a very large extent been about concepts. Design and food combined in such a way that they are easily reproducible – the famous cookie cutter approach – roll out the units, the faster the better. But now there are clear signs that the 4 P’s of marketing: Product, Price, Place and Promotion are being challenged by a new type of awareness and approach to foodservice – the new 4 P’s are now: Purpose, People, Planet and Profit, and in that order. This was a clear theme in several presentations. Living examples at the FSS were Leon and Nandos

Back to Basics
Several speakers mentioned simplicity, authenticity and back to basic as a key aspect of what they do. Food is about trust – more so than ever and foodservice is the last link in a long chain from farm to fork. Foodservice will need to work hard to earn and maintain the trust of the consumer. But that means walking a fine line. I have previously noted that I am worried that it is somehow becoming acceptable to add all sorts of ugly chemicals to food in order to make it spectacular – as it’s done by the Techo Catalan high priests in Spain. But we all scream murder when we hear that the so called industrials have added MSG to the Asian take away soup. So from that point of view it was great to see that focus is on authenticity and back to basics.

We don’t go out to eat – we are out and need to eat.
This is another subtle shift that has happened over the past few years. A large part of Foodservice is now about supplying people on the move with what they need much more than catering to that special occasion when they go out.

Termini Roma

The new railway stations are now the new high street locations. It started with Termini in Rome a few years back but now Berlin and St. Pancras also have new rail travel hubs that showcase all the latest innovations in Foodservice.

Once I get my notes sorted out I shall be back with more details

How much extra for nice?

Is the question Seth Godin asks on his blog - it reminds me of a quote i once read from the HR people at South West Airlines: ” It is not technical skills we are looking for it is nice people. We can train people to do anything technical, but we can’t make them nice” .
When I conduct training’s for front line staff I ask them what in your opinion is a wow experience and when did you last have one. Invariable the same happens no matter what group I do this with: a) out of 25 - 30 people only 3-5 have had a wow service experience.
b) when I then ask them to describe in detail what is was, 9 times out of 10 the best experience always have to do with some one who was exceptionally nice - never ever do people mention the chandeliers in the reception area, the 6-foot flat screens in their room or any of the other features that are listed in a hotel brochure - always we come back to nice - my conclusion on this is: wow - what an opportunity, obviously very few people do it and it costs virtually nothing to implement - A huge opportunity indeed as Seth Godin says. I could not agree more.

Read the post here

Autumn plans  

We have begun a new season, and we have already had very educational experiences and met some quite interesting people. By the looks of it we also have some very interesting months ahead of us.

Leadership in the computer industry – a different perspective
It was fun reuniting with the management team from Zepto Computers – they did a GROW Leadership programme during 2007/08, and I had been looking very much forward to seeing them all again for a recap and brush up. Working with a group of leaders in the computer industry is a challenging job because of the special nature of their personalities – different from the type in hospitality. But they have definitely begun to develop a deeper understanding of how their interactions have an influence on each other.

Focus on the customer – creating lasting value
We have now kicked-off the 3rd module of our Service Management Diploma cohort. They spent the spring semester working on how to create value in a service organisation – this autumn we keep our focus on the customer. How do we go beyond satisfaction and create real lasting loyalty. That is the big question and we will be looking for some answers here.

If you missed our Feb 08 posting on how they got a grip on strategy take a look at this.

Growing talent the action learning way
We are in the process of designing a talent development programme – all action learning based and all very secret. The customer is one of Denmark’s leading companies, and it’s growing rapidly – partly due to their ability to constantly explore new ideas and ways of learning and we are proud to be contribute to their process.

Conference in Munich
In Munich on 1st of October 2008 I am giving at presentation at the Euro Attractions Show (EAS). The topic will be: “An enlightening and stimulating exploration of how to create and maintain outstanding service in your organisation”. If you are attending the conference or the show drop me a note.

Be prepared to integrate Integral Theory in your future plans
This autumn I have decided to study some more Integral Theory and how we can apply that practically to management and leadership. Exciting workshops will be held in october in Boulder CO in the US. You can learn more about the event here.
Integral Theory is definitely not mainstream thinking – yet – but we are going to see much more of this in the coming years. Here is a taste of what integral leadership is about. My favoured integral leader is Fred Kofman take a look for your self:

The latest trends – we’re off to Shanghai
Come November and we are off again on one of our more exotic Urban Safaris – this year we are taking 12 hotel GM’s to Shanghai to explore the latest hospitality developments. We are staying at the spanking new Renaissance and have 4 full days to explore the city.

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No new trends force us to improve the existing trends
Once we get Back to Europe I head of for Manchester and will be presenting “No New Trends” at the FOOD DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION on November 11th 2008. I will present my view of what I see as a flourishing creativity – the many new solutions to the well known mega trends such as individuality, health, ecology, industrialisation and automation. We see creative ideas expressed in meal shops, fast casual, co-creation, DIY-Food, minimalist buffets etc.

Wrapping up the season – from south to north and back again
End of November I have an Action Learning facilitation job in Athens, and the last stop for 2008 before I go hibernate in Marseille will be a workshop on Service Profit Chain in Helsinki.

So that’s the game plan – as I mentioned if this offers possibilities for a link up with some of you then please let me know.

Mike