Wednesday, March 23, 2011

VISION: The Stuff of Leadership, By William Tullar

Leadership is about communicating an articulated, attractive map of what the future can look like if we all act together. Such a vision is contagious. Such a vision is energizing and positive. Leaders need to encourage voluntary, enthusiastic compliance on the part of their subordinates in order to realize the vision. In order to build this enthusiasm, it is important to center the vision with the following:

· A sense of urgency - - we must get started on the vision without delay

· A coalition and how subordinates and followers can play a part in the vision

· Communicate the vision in simple terms, and communicate it regularly

· Empower subordinates and followers to remove obstacles that stand in the way of the vision becoming reality

· Build on the self-efficacy that comes from small wins - - encourage and challenge the followers based on first results

There are always barriers to achieving the vision. Successful leaders build coalitions and teams that innovate, adapt, and get around those barriers and overcome the obstacles. It is not possible to micromanage followers in those coalitions and teams - - they have to catch the vision and work toward it on their own. Nothing succeeds like a positive, strong vision of the future. All great leaders have one.

Author:

William Tullar, Ph.D.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Service: The Quantification of a Life Well Lived, By John Bratton

Five years seems like an eternity in the life of a 24 year old graduate student. Five years spans an amount of time that I am just now beginning to comprehend. Five years could get me from high school to college, from college to the “real world.” The quantification of time is a funny thing though. Five years is almost a lifetime to me, but may merely be a glimpse in time for another. Some might remember five years ago as if it was yesterday. In fact, today could physically look like five years ago (believe it or not). August 29, 2005 is a day that for many in the Gulf States might quite literally feel like yesterday. Why? This is the day that Hurricane Katrina greeted the residents of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama with a hellacious fury. Perhaps the depiction of destruction and devastation that followed seems like yesterday to you.

I reflect back on these images because I recently had the privilege to serve as a learning partner on a service trip organized through The University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s Office of Leadership and Service-Learning. I, along with another graduate student, accompanied 12 undergraduates for a week of service spent in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward. Much to my dismay, the Lower Ninth Ward vastly still resembles the landscape of over 5 years ago after the flood waters had receded. Empty lots filled with debris, shambled structures, and spray-painted Xs haunting the doorways that now house residents again are all common sites found in the Lower Ninth, not 5 years ago but today. Sure, the cleanup efforts have provided the city of New Orleans with millions of dollars, thousands of volunteer hours, and a sense of hope for a brighter, safer tomorrow but one cannot visit the Lower Ninth without feeling the same loss, the feeling that somehow its residents have been forgotten.

However, the residents I encountered were the first to remind me that these feelings of loss are not to be confused with despair. After all, here it is over 5 years later and the young and old alike still flock to this hallowed ground in an effort to help the Lower Ninth continue its renewal. A sense of service permeates the individuals who still hear the calling to help those directly impacted by the life changing events of over 5 years ago. While the story of the individuals impacted could be expounded upon along with the physical situation that many parts of New Orleans still experience, a larger question arises from this experience. Can service be a solution? Rather, this question is already answered by many individuals across all walks of life. Instead the framework must become how can service be a solution?

There is little doubt that many challenges currently face our nation, let alone the world. Economic hardship continues to affect millions of Americans. The tsunami in Japan is quickly becoming one of the costliest natural disasters in history. Uncertainty is abound. However, those willing to make a difference and help another out are also ever increasing in number. The call to serve one another is resonating across generations in the US. As baby boomers head towards retirement and Millennials figure out their own place in society, it is clear that a national movement of service is taking hold in every generation in between. The goal of any successful leader, community organizer, or change agent should be how to harness this potential. This is no easy task and it is not designed to be. However, human capital is going to remain a strength found across cultures and generations to come, so to not harness it for the betterment of the social good would be to the detriment of all. So I encourage everyone (whether you view yourself as a leader or not) to think about how we, as humans, can put service at the forefront of our lives. Five years is a mere quantification of time, and a short one at that. Service has the unique ability to span eternity, so why don’t we put it to use?


Author:

John Bratton

Service-Learning Graduate Assistant

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Leaders Change™ Principle 4, By Dianne Garrett

Leaders constantly make and communicate decisions (as they change and as they lead change); they balance satisfying the immediacy of short-term needs to the strategy of long-term goals.

How many of your decisions are from your ‘have-it-now system’ as opposed to your ‘plan-and-wait system.’ I ask you this important question – how impulsive (or thoughtful) are you in your decisions?

Today, I did a self-accessed impulsivity test to access how many of my buying decisions were reactive instead of proactive. I went shopping with cash and a credit card. Being extra self-aware today, I was additionally contemplative over each and every purchase. In the day’s shopping, I saw lots of pretty things for my granddaughter; successfully not overspending for her; I bought one item - spending only $10 which was just what I planned on. I also bought three towels for the home that were 75% off - spending another $8.50. As you can see, involved in my buying decisions was the balance of now versus the future.

How would you do in an impulsiveness test? I urge you to conduct your own impulsiveness experiment to watch your own decision-making processes. Email me at drg@qleadintl.com and let me know how you did.

Principle 4: Controlling Impulsiveness

The good news- being deliberate is learned. You can develop a stronger brain braking system to control distractions that move you away from your intention and into immediacy. Leaders must know, in the moment of action, what to say ‘yes’ to and what to say ‘no’ to – your company depends on you.

The key to intentional decision-making is practice and intentionality. I offer you this list of nine strategies; many of these strategies are listed in a fantastic book by Dr. Pier Steel, The Procrastination Equation.

Ten Strategies to Living Less Impulsive

  1. Rest and sleep. Dr. Peirs Steel tells us that the number one procrastination challenge is being tired; in that state we don’t have enough brain power to win over distraction. Stay rested to control your energy reserves.
  2. What are your top five values (or your company’s values)? We make our decisions based on what we deem valuable – be it beauty, kindness, innovation, adventure, etc. Anchor in your values and you’ll have more power to say ‘no’ to the impulsive temptation in the moment.
  3. Create positive goals instead of negative goals. In other words, craft your positive intention of ‘Live well – strong and full of energy’ instead of the negative phrasing ‘lose 10 pounds.’ You want to feel good (not bad) when thinking of the goal (Steel, 2011).
  4. Do a goals plan. In order to achieve, you have to choose and embrace your targets (goals). Clearly identify what you want in life. Then objectively know where you currently stand. Next, list the steps that take you from here to there. You’ll be more likely stay on course focusing on a 15-minute doable action over an overwhelming goal.
  5. Select 1, 2, or 3 ‘things’ to get done in a day, no more. Committing to a small number keeps you focused and on track. Using a planning system, not just a phone reminder system, will advance your execution. Check out the SMARTPlanner time management system at www.smartplanner.org. The beauty of this system is in its ability to see the whole picture of your responsibilities in one-view. Stay focused on the important not simply trapped in the urgent.
  6. Create a personal email routine. All of life is not urgent; our fast technology world has taught us differently. Create your email habit with intention. My base email behavior is I login to email at the beginning of a work-day, at the end of a work-day, and when I have an email to send. When I log in to email out, I of course, check the incoming emails, I read them and handle the urgent, respond to others that take less than two minutes of my time, and star the ones that require future attention. Are all your emails urgent? I think not. Develop a system.
  7. Have support. Ask for help - Hire a personal trainer. Hire a personal or business coach (www.qleadintl.com). Buddy with a friend. Bond with your spouse. Create an advisory board for yourself. We are social animals; use group power to help you live strong.
  8. Speak your intention out-loud. Nothing like putting your integrity (do what you say you will do) on the line to hold you to what is important.
  9. Control your environment. Manage your situations – don’t put yourself in spots of difficulty. I sometimes find it difficult to concentrate at home – I see the laundry that needs attention, the floors that need vacuuming, etc… and then I spin at deciding what to do. The temptation to do something easy or more fun can become stronger instead completing the important. My answer is to go to a coffee shop to work; I then focus and get my task completed. Dr. Kevin Ochsner of Columbia University offers us a great strategy; he says create ‘condition statements’ to help us win over a strategic change. For example, “If I want a chocolate bar, I’ll eat one chocolate kiss (instead of a whole candy bar.) Re-enforce the ‘if then statement’ by putting a picture of a chocolate kiss in a strategic place.
  10. Small rewards pay a big return. Our brain uses a brain-chemical that moves us to action. This chemical feels good to us – it’s our reward system. So, apply this intentionally. When you start a task, decide on a small reward – maybe its lunch with a friend. You’ll find fuel to get the task done when you are motivated by the pleasure of lunch with your friend. This works.

In closing, self-awareness is key to impulsiveness. Know your goals, your current reality and the steps to closing the gap. Know your values. Get support and control your environment. And finally, give yourself rewards along the journey to success.

Author:
Dianne Garrett
Co-founder, QLEAD Intl
http://www.qleadintl.com/

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To see Dianne's Leaders Change™ Principle 3.

To see Dianne's Leaders Change™ Principle 2.

To see Dianne's Leaders Change™ Principle 1.