Strategic Leaders In Training

Giving Back

2007-10-13T13:03:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-07T14:05:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-05T22:38:00.000-04:00

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP FALL O7

2007-10-01T21:17:00.000-04:00

New semester - new class, two new classmates.

2007-09-05T16:21:00.000-04:00

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

2007-08-24T09:55:00.000-04:00

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

2007-08-14T20:19:00.000-04:00

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

Attrition and team synergy

2007-08-07T20:59:00.000-04:00

I currently work in the call center industry where team synergy is something that is sought after continuously. Part of the reason is attrition. I’ve seen turnover rates as high as 45-50% in a year. To me that is outrageously high! Team cohesion suffers, work quality is inconsistent. It seems like attrition is necessary at times, but at the cost of team synergy. So my question to everybody is what are your thoughts on attrition and team synergy? Is it completely negative? I’ve also heard of good attrition. Do you feel there is such a thing? Can attrition affect a team in a positive manner? Let me know what you all think.

Chris

I think we're getting into a rut

2007-08-01T09:20:00.000-04:00

Hello all,

It seems that we are getting into a Q&A rut with our blog. Each week, someone asks a question, and others answer.

If memory serves me, we were going to try and have this linked to other sources for input and discussion with others outside our circle. I'm not sure how that is accomplished, but maybe we should discuss it, and see what can be done.

While I think that this blog can be a tool for enhancement to our continuing education, it can only be done by widening our scope. I would like to see more of an ongoing discussion format, rather than the current Q&A format. Also, the blog name may be a bit too vanilla. Is there something we can do about that? Should it be named as to attract others?

We definitely need to "Kick it up a notch" if we hope to expand our horizons.

John

Inspriring the leader

2007-07-26T18:14:00.000-04:00

Last week, the questions was asked as to how we inspire employees and sustain passion in times of enconomic struggle, downsizing, etc.

This week, I will ask, how do YOU remain inspired with the daily hurdles faced by leaders.....difficult employees, vacancies, budget constraints, unengaged work teams, etc.

What inspires you and drives you to pursue additional leadership opportunities?

Where Is The Passion

2007-07-19T15:42:00.000-04:00

According to Howard Schultz, the founder of Starbucks "Passion" for what you do is an essential attribute for a good leader. I have always been very passionate about my work. I love my job, (most of the time) and always give 100%.

A question to ponder is........How do we as leaders keep the passion alive in tough economic times during downsizing and restructuring and still keep the management team motivated?

I really struggle with this issue, and as we've talked about previously, none of us get any satisfaction when forced to terminate. What words of wisdom can you share?

Mariann

Moments of Vulnerability

2007-07-13T09:29:00.000-04:00

One of the most difficult challenges as a leader is to admit the need for advice, support or help. But I have found that it is in the moment of vulnerability when I have had to seek assistance that I have found I have the most personal growth. At the time, it can be overwhelming to think of anything but the crisis, the situation, the "failure looming". As a team leader; dealing with the challenge of bringing "it" together can be a daunting task.

In thinking of your past "challenges" what did you learn from the experience, or how did you face this challenge?

In thinking of my challenges, I reflect on my first 6 months at a new building. It was my first real "test" of being a leader of people who had no pre-knowledge of who I was, and what I was all about. I found myself being a quieter more cautious leader, who took decisions and pondered on making them.
In retrospect, this approach left my team wondering, and apprehensive. I failed as a leader to recognize that they were accustomed to a leader who was highly involved in all decision making; and subsequently my approach did not work for several of the team members and they floundered. It took speaking to their previous leadership to get feedback on why were struggling. It was a difficult discussion to admit that we were not succeeding as a team. It was a very difficult conversation for both of us; she had high expectations about what we could do; and what I was capable of as a leader.

After this discussion I had a very open/honest meeting with the team and admitted my failure as a leader to recognize their individual needs to be successful and lead. It was probably the most difficult conversation I have ever had as a leader. I would love to say that as a team we found great success; but in reality the "team" did come together, but we still struggled with communication of needs and trust at times. It was not my "best success" story. The lesson I learned from this experience has stuck with me r/t team development and the need as a leader to really know what the individuals need from you to help find their success which can lead to team success and confidence. Jana

Storytelling

2007-07-02T09:51:00.000-04:00

Welcome classmates to a new semester. In our pursuit of leadership excellence, we will also need to master our communication skills. The buzz around the business blotter is all about corporate storytelling. Yesterday's Free Press carried an article on storytelling in a job interview. And here's information from howtotellastory.com

Leadership Storytelling
To Fire Up Employees and Please Your "Customers"-- Tell Your Stories!
One of the top leadership challenges in this world of information overload is to cut through the clutter. More than 3,000 messages bombard each of us every day, and these constant distractions blur employees' vision and distort their focus. Managers need to constantly remind employees of the company's core values to keep them centered on the corporate mission. The message needs to be so clear that everyone in your organization understands your values and behaves accordingly.
Storytelling is a powerful tool for meeting this challenge. By continually telling stories that illustrate the organization's values, everyone will be clear about where the organization is going and how each can contribute to, and benefit by, achieving the goals. The power of stories is that they captivate both the minds and the hearts of the people listening. Just as we all fondly remember family stories that we heard years ago, employees remember stories that their leaders tell them, and those stories become guides for carrying out their responsibilities.

I'm thinking we could start building our portfolios of stories through this blog. Here's my first story for you...

I had the priviledge of serving on an extremely well-managed team for a short term project. The objective was to close a facility and an assistant vice president was given responsibility for leading this effort. She was allowed the freedom to hand select the team members (or assign individuals to tasks since this was not going to be a popular decision) and she chose people who were strategic thinkers. The team met weekly for about three months gathering data, developing messages, and planning the execution. The result was that every possible constiuency was considered and and every possible concern addressed. The facility was closed, customers were given other options for service and there were no complaints. In fact, a couple of emails were sent thanking us for telling them about the facility closing. People don't like surprises, and teamwork enabled the organization to anticipate every objection. Key to the success of this team were:

A clearly defined purpose
A leader was already decided
Team members were hand picked

I've been a part of way too many dysfunctional teams that failed for any one of these things not being in place. Please let me know how you like my story, and share your own team story! That's my story -- Jan

2007-06-11T14:55:00.000-04:00

Why is there a dearth of real leaders in politics these days? Is it a product of the media and the sound-bite mentality, or that the ones seeking office are wrapped up in some sort of ego-fest? True leadership in politics, is that possibly an oxymoron? What do you think?

Gary

Technology and Leadership - Help or Hindrance

2007-06-06T19:58:00.000-04:00

Supah Stahz,

I was sitting in a training class today (ironically about leadership) and we were discussing listening techniques... there happen to be 3 that we covered:
Competitive: listening, but only to get yourself heard or not taking it all in and quickly making judgements
Passive: not really listening; easily distracted by anything including email, phone calls, shiny objects, etc
Active: Actively listening to the conversation and asking questions, making eye contact, not distracted, etc.

Active is the ideal listening technique and I realized at times I have been all three.

The passive listening technique seems to be the most detrimental to your employee(s) and it commonly occurs from the technology around you; phone, email, blackberry, instant messaging... While we all can't imagine a world without email and the Internet; have we lost the ability to pick up the phone or talk to someone face to face instead of relying on these e-communication means... so much in fact that we cant dedicate and focus our attention on the person in front of us?

We've recently installed software that I have referred to as "The coolest thing since sliced bread". It allows me to communicate more effectively with my team and people within organization. It's a chat tool that also will tell you when someone is at their desk, away from their desk, in a meeting, on a call, etc. It's showing their 'Presence'. Sounds cool right? I spent the afternoon in 5 chat sessions and only one of them was relevant to work. The other were distractions, noise, and it took me away from focusing on the conversation I needed to have with one of my team members.

I'm curious if you all have similar distractions at work and how you work to be an Active listener and not let technology get in the way?

Someone in class said they stand up when they are on the phone with their back to their computer.... extreme? or a sign of the times?!

Let me know what you all think,

Joe Pelle

Choosing our leaders

2007-05-30T00:01:00.000-04:00

Will the study of leadership make us better qualified to choose our leaders? Will we apply the principles of leadership we've learned when we vote? Or when we're serving on a volunteer committee? Will our study of leadership make us better leaders? Better citizens? What have you learned so far that you will use in making these decisions? Jan

How Important Is It To Understand Your Corporate Culture?

2007-05-22T09:15:00.000-04:00

Who, or how, is corporate culture defined and who, or what, creates it? Is the culture written down as philosophy and mission statements or is it more subtle floating along the "don't ask don't tell" lines? Does each leader have a culture unique to their area? If so, how does that benefit the culture as a whole? The bigger question is how can a person go about changing the corporate culture?

I have read my company's vision and mission statements but I'm not sure I see that as the company culture. There is no centralized rally point that everyone is striving to reach. My perception of the culture is one of extreme parinoia and playing everything close to the vest. While that may not be a productive culture, I guess it is a culture. Again, how does one go about changing the culture?

Margaret

Meetings: Effective Communication or Production Roadblock?

2007-05-15T19:59:00.000-04:00

I’m fascinated by the individual tasks assigned to leaders to try and inspire, motivate, and coach people in a company. One of the key components for any leader to accomplish these tasks is through effective communication. Meetings are one way leaders try to communicate with their department. There are team meetings, brainstorming sessions, production meetings, mentoring sessions, and skip level meetings. The idea is a meeting could be called for just about anything in an organization, at any time.

The question I pose this week is how effective are meetings? Do you feel they are effective tools to communicate or production roadblocks? How should an effective meeting look? Are there key people that help make meetings effective? Have meetings become tools to pull us away from work, and tools used to talk at employees not to them?

I feel meetings can be effective, if they have a purpose, have an agenda with a mediator and time-keeper, and if the department as a whole has a chance to participate. True open communication is necessary to be able to hold effective meetings. What are your thoughts?

Chris

Leader or Manager? That is the question.

2007-05-09T07:12:00.000-04:00

So what is different between leaders and managers? Can one be the other, or are they mutually exclusive.
I beleive that the major difference is that the true leader takes the rules of an organization and uses them as suggestions or maybe even a basis for change. The manager, on the other hand, uses the rules to govern, organize, and minimize chaos.
The leaders pulls, the manager pushes, and the organization moves forward.

I like the quote by Thomas Edison: "Hell, there are no rules here. We're trying to accomplish something."

Let me know what you think.

John

Leadership....A Quiet Presence...or Front & Center?

2007-05-01T20:34:00.000-04:00

A leader is best when people barely know he exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worse when they despise him ... but of a good leader who talks little when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say, "We did it ourselves". Lao Tzu (Father of Taoism)

The above is actually something I keep posted on my desktop and in my office as it conveys my most fundamental feelings of how I hope I am viewed as a leader. I have always felt that if I am an effective leader, it will come out strong in the performance and presence of my employees. Conversely, it could be stated that poor leadership is called out the same way.

So....should a leadership be measured by individual accomplishment? Is self promotion at times a necessary evil...or do outcomes and employee behaviors provide the portrait of an effective leader. Dominance and/or self promotion or influencing & supporting others. Thoughts??

Melissa

Ethics In Business

2007-04-24T21:34:00.000-04:00

Ethics in business. Is there such a thing? I struggle with this thought and yet why should I? I've held leadership positions in two large health care systems and also in the private sector. I strive to do a good job in a faltering economy in a faltering State. Is our desire to rise to the top of the corporate ladder stunted by our values? We see and hear things daily. If asked to fix the outcome of an election at work, would you? Values or a little lie. Which should take precedent? I want to leave a legacy, not a scandal. Do ethics become generational? What do you think?

Mariann

Leading The Next Generation

2007-04-20T20:29:00.000-04:00

As I sit here thinking about different leadership theories, I wonder to what effect will the Internet, and technology have on the way we lead. Will a new type of leadership model be generated from the IT era we now live in?
This thought came to me as I was busy answering my son's im's and email tonight. The generation whom are currently in college and younger have grown up with a dependence on a technology unlike any previous generation has ever experienced. We touched on this a little in class when I shared my use of my space as a "character reference" for new hires. So here is the first question I have for us to ponder and write about. Have any thoughts?

Welcome Bloggers

2007-04-16T21:52:00.000-04:00

Welcome to our blog spot. We are a group of master's students who are "pioneering" a new program called "strategic leadership." This program is designed to take us to the next level in career and personal development. We hope you find our comments, enlightening, enjoyable, and insightful. Please give us feedback, comments, questions and your thoughts as we progress on our quest. Don't forget humor, as this can be a "dry" subject at times, we need humor, and situations as well...

The authors of this blog are members of the first student group in this program. We will be sharing article writing, and responses. If you have a specific author that you would like to hear from let us know!