Community Identity, By Preston Yarborough

Often we talk about understanding our personal identity or personal brand by thinking "What defines me? What makes me stand out? What are my values?" As leaders in our community, we can also shift gears to think about our community identity with "What defines our community? What makes us stand out? What are our community values?"

Here's a personal story about a dear place to me, High Point, North Carolina. As community leaders, you can apply this to your own 'neck of the woods.'

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Check One

☐ High Point: A place to live.

☑ High Point: The place to live.

Transforming High Point: From A to The.

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How would you feel if 668 North Main St., home of The Dog House, was closed for a month and when it reopened it had turned into a Subway? I'm a healthy eater, Subway is a fine establishment, but something about that corner of Main and Westwood wouldn't feel quite right. That's the difference between A and The. Subway is A fine place to eat in High Point. But a long-lost High Pointer (e.g., college students back home for a visit), want to go to The place to eat when they land back in town. The Dog House is one of The places to eat in High Point.

Subway is a uniform commodity--almost appliance-like in it's approach to dining. A well-run Subway is efficient, cost-effective, and even healthy. These are all good qualities but apart from cholesterol levels, what separates Subway from the Dog House? The Dog House is a High Point institution. It has a character and flavor all its own--and not only in the chili. A thousand Subways can't replace one Dog House. I ate three meals a week there during High School--all with my best friend Gary. We sat at the Duke booth whenever possible, even if it meant waiting an extra 10 minutes. (If we were late to class, at least it was for a noble cause!) I don't have to explain what the Duke booth is--you know because it's part of our shared history of what it means to be a High Pointer.

Cities run the risk of being viewed as commodities, or appliances. Ubiquitous strip malls, restaurant chains, and cookie cutter housing developments evidence this shift. Such changes come at a cost, one that creeps in gradually and subtly. If we pause to take stock, we may wince inside. Furniture is imported into High Point rather than manufactured here, and generations of skilled craftsmen have been left with idle hands. This once proud discipline now resides as a mere a footnote from a bygone era. What would happen if Emerywood were razed because a developer's dollars spoke louder than an ambivalent community did? And if the Dog House changed to Subway, would college kids ever come home?

More and more, High Point doesn't look and feel much different from anywhere else. As uniqueness fades, so does its character and our shared identity. I want to belong to a community that understands the Duke booth is better than the Carolina booth--period. (And I don't care if the Dog House keeps Chapel Hill calendars on the wall--the Duke booth is better!) I want to belong to a community that supports quirky, vibrant businesses. A community that creates opportunity to share its talent, its gifts, and its creative genius. A community that appreciates what it has been, where it is now, and aspires to become something meaningful and relevant for its future citizens. I hope my son has a Dog House story to share with his kids. But our future rests with us.

High Point is searching for citizen-leaders who appreciate their community, where High Point isn't merely A place, but is The place. How do we transform High Point from A to The? First we converse. We sit together, we listen, we worry, and we dream. And this won't be easy.

Margaret Wheatley is the President of the Berkana Institute, a charitable global foundation that supports life-affirming leaders and grassroots changemakers around the world. The challenges High Point faces are not unique to the Piedmont, to North Carolina, or even the United States; they are a byproduct of our times. Wheatley observed, "Good people are finding it increasingly difficult to do what they know is best. Whether we're in a small village or a major global corporation, in any country or in any type of work, we are being asked to work faster, more competitively, more selfishly--and to focus only on the short-term. These values cannot lead to anything healthy and sustainable, and they are ultimately destructive. Even though life is our best teacher, we're not learning her lessons. I believe we must learn quickly now how to work and live together in ways that bring us back to life."

A community will not sustain her citizens through this chaos, but The community can.

At the present time we are fragmented.

At the present time we have a crisis of identity.

At the present time we are either scared to death or are oblivious--and both inhibit effective action.

But we will move forward.

In the future, diverse factions will converse and find common ground.

In the future, common ground will guide our transformation.

In the future, citizen-leaders will take action.

However we must discover, nurture, and develop our resources.

Author:

Preston Yarborough, Ph.D.

Assistant Director of Leadership

Experience is the Best Teacher…Wanna Bet?, By Preston Yarborough

“We learn from experience that men never learn anything from experience.” --George Bernard Shaw

Just like many leadership educators, I believe in experiential learning. That having been said, G. B. Shaw had a point. Visit my office and I’ll prove it.

Darren is a colleague of mine. He’s sharp, witty, focused, prepared, and maintains an air of comfortable composure. I admire his work ethic and would love to emulate him. His office is the picture of organized efficiency: clean desk, file folders labeled and systematically arranged, and he effortlessly processes his work. When I’m at my best, I feel like I’m in the “Darren Zone.” Unfortunately I don’t find my way to the DZ all that often.

Like a mythical beast, clutter blocks my path to the DZ. I feed the beast daily when I’m too hurried to file documents or when I refuse to throw stuff away. I gauge where files are by how recently I last used them. If it’s been awhile, it’s probably at the bottom of a stack. More recent items are likely on top. It takes a minute or three of shuffling to locate most anything. This amuses the beast.

I’m embarrassed and ashamed. Do I know why my office looks this way? Yes. Do I know from experience this system holds me back? Absolutely. But experience can be a lousy teacher.

If experience isn’t going to teach me, how might I slay this beast? Warren Bennis offered insight in his book, On Becoming a Leader:

Your accumulated experience is the basis for the rest of your life, and that base is solid and sound to the degree that you have reflected on it, understood it, and arrived at workable solutions.

Bennis’ quote bears repeating, “Accumulated experience …. is solid and sound to the degree that you have reflected on it, understood it, and arrived at a workable solution.” Reflection and Understanding are keys to upacking insight from experience.

Reflection is different from merely remembering, recording, or reporting experience. When we reflect, we take time to consider experience from multiple perspectives. Through this process, we can enhance our understanding of self and others.

We may reflect inwardly (on ourselves) on by examining our observations, thoughts, feelings, and actions. We reflect outwardly (on others) through examining our perceptions of others' actions and our interpretation of others’ thoughts and feelings.

Fine practitioners of the reflective arts are intentional and systematic. They choose a specific, personal development goal as a focal point for reflection. They will describe the experience, examine it, articulate their learning, and apply insights to improve their performance.* Consider this example:
GOAL: I want to keep a more organized office.
DESCRIBE ACTIONS: I can reflect on my day and consider the times I filed things away (constructive goal behavior) versus the times I did not (destructive goal behavior).
EXAMINE: What factors (thoughts, feelings, & conditions) helped me follow through on my goal? What factors hindered me? What decisions could I have made differently to perform better? How might I prepare myself so that I improve next time?
ARTICULATE LEARNING: I now convey what I learned from this personal inquiry. This reflective process helps me understand factors that influence my behavior, how to make proactive decisions, and to prepare myself for success. I will now set a plan according to these insights. Insights mean little if they aren’t converted into action.

Reflection is most powerful when it is objective. The point isn’t to justify one’s self—but rather to seek deeper understanding. Once we develop understanding, then we have increased our ability to develop workable solutions.

Those who learn the art of reflection turbocharge their capacity for self-growth. Reflection is at the heart of personal development, but it is not as easy as it sounds. It takes practice. Participating in group reflections (verbal), reflective journaling (written), and leadership coaching (verbal) are all excellent ways to practice reflection. Each of these processes helps you learn how to reflect on relevant issues, broaden your observational awareness, and enhance your ability to discern insights from experience. Don’t be discouraged if early efforts seem hollow, unsatisfactory, or even frustrating. It’s part of the process. Once it clicks for you, you’ll never turn back. And you will differentiate yourself from those who mistakenly believe that experience will teach them all they need to know.

* Describe, Examine, and Articulate Learning are described in the DEAL model of critical reflection by Patti Clayton, PhD
Author:
Preston Yarborough, Ph.D.
Assistant Director of Leadership
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG)

Values and Leadership, By Preston Yarborough

Values shape how we see our world and how we define the worth of our experiences. When I think back on special moments, I recall a day during my final semester of college when I’d invited my father to join my class. I wanted him to come because my thesis was selected for presentation to the graduating seniors in the English department.

I don’t remember what the paper was about; but I can remember exactly where Dad sat in the audience. I clearly recall how proud he was and how good it felt to have pleased him. It felt special to be recognized among my peers for a project I’d worked hard to complete. I wasn’t the smartest in my class—not even by some margin! Even so, my professor thought my paper was one of the top three.

Why does this experience stand so boldly in my memory? For one, family is a key value of mine. I was representing not only myself, but also my family. Any accolades I received were shared with my Dad; and through him, the rest of my family. That was special. Education and gaining the respect from my peers was important too. Through much of my undergraduate career I wasn’t sure if I belonged. I wondered if I was smart enough. I was surrounded by people who seemed much more prepared and more “at home” with college. When presenting my paper I’d proven to myself that I was competent, but I’m also competitive. It felt good to distinguish myself among an esteemed group of scholars.

The bold words in the paragraph above represent core values that are important to me. These values helped motivate me, guide me, and provided me the courage and persistence to accomplish my personal goal.

Think back over the past year or two and jot a brief list of your personal highlights. Consider things you’ve accomplished or helped others accomplish, things you’ve seen that made an impression on you, or people that impacted your life. Review your list and consider why you chose those particular people or episodes. What made them special? Give it a close look and you’ll find significant clues about your values.

Your values will help shape your leadership. Successful leaders are willing to sacrifice, to push through obstacles, and persist when others say they should quit. If you can’t find a cause that has value (there’s that word again), then you’ll be more inclined to give up.

Author:
Preston Yarborough, Ph.D.
Assistant Director of Leadership
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG)