Giving Back

I strongly believe that leaders have an obligation to give back. Regardless of income level or other measurements - all leaders have the capability to give - in some way. The Leader to Leader Institute is all about serving. The group's criteria for their one major award is: "The Leader of the Future Award is given to an ethical leader of integrity and character, who is a model for all of us in defining the future, in serving the common good, and in the end, sustaining the democracy." Last year's recipient was Alan Mulally, now the chief of Ford Motor Co. In his acceptance speech he said he never had a job, but was always called to serve. Besides the typical charity events that all Ford execs attend, have you heard that Mulally has taken a personal interest in any local issue? How about any other big time CEOs?

New classmate introduction

Hi all,

Just checking out our blog site. I look forward to getting to know all of you throughout the semester. My email is krh0411@hotmail.com for future communications.

See everyone tomorrow in class.

Kim

Last Class Summer Semester

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ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP FALL O7

New semester - new class, two new classmates.

Have you ever heard of an acronym called SMART used to describe a framework for thinking about goals? There are several variations of it in use, but the one that I like is what I use when defining goals and outcomes: are they Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely? Has anyone utilized SMART goals before and did the exercise of thinking through whether they meet the SMART criteria been of any benefit?
Gary

Blogging is sooooo much fun

Hey Team, sorry for the late post. I've been struggling with what to post out here. Someone sent me this today from Pat Williams (NBA General Manager and VP). I thought it as worth sharing and honestly, good lessons in life as well as in business.

Author: Pat Williams (NBA General Manager and Vice President)
Title: Winners Vs Losers

When a winner makes a mistake, he says, "I was wrong;"
When a loser makes a mistake, he says, "It wasn't my fault."

A winner works harder than a loser and has more time;
A loser is always "too busy" to do what is necessary.

A winner goes through a problem;
A loser goes around it, and never gets past it.

A winner makes commitments;
A loser makes promises.

A winner says, "I'm good, but not as good as I ought to be:"
A loser says, "I'm not as bad as a lot of other people."

A winner listens;
A loser just waits until it's his turn to talk.

A winner respects those who are superior to him and tries to learn something from them;
A loser resents those who are superior to him and tries to find chinks in their armor.

A winner feels responsible for more than his job;
A loser says, "I only work here."

A winner says, "There ought to be a better way to do it;"
A loser says, "That's the way it's always been done here"

Do you keep this stuff in mind as you go about your day? Making decisions that are best for you or for the business?

On a personal note, I really like the, "I only work here" phrase!

Have a good one,

Joe

VIRTUAL TEAMS / Team Facilitation

I understand Dr. Meadow's has a lecture on the topic of virtual teams and Joe plans on doing his presentation on virtual teams so I won't pursue the topic here. Let it be known I have had an interview for a project management position for a "virtual" company where I would work out of my home and conduct 95% of my business via phone, email and instant message. Therefore, this topic is of specific interest to me. I am looking for any thoughts or knowledge everyone would like to share.

That being said, I will change this weeks topic to that of team facilitation. Team leader and facilitator are often interchanged or defined as a single role. Due to company finances this is sometimes necessary. My belief is in order to run more effective meetings and thereby have more productive teams a facilitator is a necessity, not a luxury. The main argument is that a facilitator is merely an observer. They lead the "process" of making decisions, not the decisions themselves. A facilitator has no stake in the outcome. If they become involved, they should be replaced immediately as they will have lost their objectability. Team leaders, on the other hand, should have a hand in choosing the team and are directly involved, if not in the process then in the outcome.

So, my specific question is what quality, characteristic or role does a facilitator hold that is unique to that position and not shared with the role of team leader or any other role?

~Margaret