Leadership Summit: Welcome to the Launching Pad! 6 Months, 30th Post, By Preston Yarborough

The Leadership Launching Pad  was conceived to be a resource for those dedicated to developing our next generation of leaders. We invited  leadership experts, educators, coaches, and leaders of many ages to share insights. After  six months and 30 posts, it’s worthwhile to reflect on what the LLP blog has become and envision where it might go from here. For those of you new to the LLP, please use the search tags (right column) to locate potential posts of interest. We hope for the content to reflect the activities and interests of our community. If you have a topic you would be willing to contribute, please contact us (jpyarbor@uncg.edu). We'd love to add your perspective to the mix!

The focus of the Leadership Launching Pad has much in common with the Leadership Summit, a recent event sponsored by The Search Institute and the Center for Creative Leadership. Some of our country’s foremost practitioners of youth leadership development convened in Greensboro, NC, to discuss the current state of youth leadership development. Summit participants envisioned how the profession of youth leadership development might grow in the coming years.

I believe the Leadership Summit represented a real and present “leadership launching pad.” Those of us at the virtual Launching Pad want to extend an invitation to our Leadership Summit friends. Please enjoy the information contained herein, and we would love for you to join our network and expand the breadth and depth of our common goal of providing an effective launching pad for leader development. We have expanded into Twitter (@LeadrLaunchPad--see "Follow Me" button on right)  To ease your introduction, please scan the brief 6-month review below. Consider it a cursory introduction to our growing community.

The Launching Pad’s managing editor, Katelyn Chapman, has diligently worked to source diverse and fresh leadership perspectives. We strive to provide to post weekly and Katelyn runs a tight ship. Between her management and our contributors’ generosity, the Launching Pad has generated a wealth of knowledge during its brief tenure. We encouraged contributors to provide well-informed pieces, but avoid sounding too academic. At their best, the posts are insightful, clever, authentic expressions of leader development.

Some of these leadership expressions were personal growth experiences: Kendra Hammond (Leadership Anxiety), Eric Durham (Leaders and Nuts), and Lara Amshay (Taking Risks) offered undergraduate student perspectives. A different point of view came from Mike Beitler, after his bid for U. S. senate last year. Volunteers played a crucial role in the campaign process. He commented on their enthusiasm, commitment, and how they influenced his understanding of leadership in Leadership Lessons from the Campaign Trail.

We’ve received a variety of thought pieces. Chris Ward, a doctoral student with extensive coaching experience with undergraduates wrote about Relational Leadership. Dr. Marin Burton shared her wisdom on Experiential Education, addressing both the philosophy and method of the process. Jessica McCall shared 10 Commandments of Small Group Leadership; Jessica is a faculty member in UNCG's Department of Communication Studies, is an excellent facilitator, and has a wealth of knowledge matched only by her passion for the subject. Professors from the Bryan School of Business weighed in as well. Dianne Garrett wrote a series on Change Principles 1, 2, 3, and 4 based on neuroscience leadership; Joe Erba addressed leading change in an entrepreneurial organization; and William Tullar provided his thoughts about “The Stuff of Leadership.” Mark Villacorta, PhD shared his thoughts on multicultural aspects of leadership and society--heady stuff.

Preston Yarborough (yours truly) has written on Experience is the Best Teacher...Wanna Bet?, Values and Leadership, and Community Identity: Moving from "A" to "The."

Katelyn Chapman has expounded on What is Leadership?, Choose Your Challenge, Getting Your Team on the Same Page, Managing Relationships, Creating and Achieving Your Personal Vision (the highest visited post to date), and Changing Your Environment.

We have a variety of articles on other subjects as well, so please explore using keywords, topics of interest, or simply scrolling through our posts. If you would like to contribute a post, you may see our post guidelines on the FAQ page. We want to network with other organizations' websites, resources, and integrate high quality leadership content from across the country. The potential breadth and depth of this resource is limited only by our investment of time, imagination, and technological know-how. Join us and help the Launching Pad reach new heights.

Please Join Us!

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.

Manifest Your Own Destiny, By Josh Murphy

Once you have allowed yourself to be controlled and essentially become a manifestation of your position, your career, or college, or some entity that has nothing to do with your own ideas, your creativity, or your sense of being, then you have sold yourself short. There is truly something amazing about each and every person that is the foundation of our existence. The hopes and dreams; visions of a brighter future; the aspirations for greatness and success--all of these experiences are truly the point of life. The experiences that we create, that we build, that we endure, that we live--are what prepares us for a full life with purpose. What you make of opportunities in life, not necessarily what they make of you, determines your path in life. Being defined by a reality that you cannot control, or shape, or move, causes one to become stagnant in their own quest for a full existence and understanding of ones purpose and ability to create real and lasting change.

I have always believed wholeheartedly in the power of ones own innate ideas and creative inspirations to shape ones own world or reality. A reality that only exists if we believe in it, if we fight for it, if we work for it, and if we persevere against all the negative comments and negative energy that seeks to tear down and destroy, rather than lift up and sustain. The human cause is unyielding, it is deep, it is monumental. The ability to reach across the sky, to stretch across new borders and opportunities is the catalyst for becoming awakened to ones own passions and love of life. Once you are able to realize that you have a purpose, that you are worthy of a successful and happy life without regard to what others think, or a position or some other stigma that you cannot control, then doors will open and your life path will be enlightened.


The energy that each person puts out in the world is what they get in return. Your treatment of other people, your faith, your determination, and spirit of diversity are paramount to realizing your true potential and living it. Being fearless in the face of adversity, being free in times of strife and struggle, being hopeful even when darkness overshadows the light--always leaning forward, thinking of new creations, designing your own life map, and knowing that you can control your thoughts, your ideas, your life, and ultimately your destiny. And once you can take hold of that image of living freely and without fear to knock down doors, to break through barriers, to brainstorm your dreams into reality--you will gain a new sense of purpose and identity that is always focused on living the best you. Setting priorities, goals, and endeavors to live a life worth dreaming then your destiny is directly connected with your own freedom to live and inspire. Do not be afraid of the peanut gallery, the nay sayers, the pretentious, or those who seek to tear down--instead take that negative energy and shape it into a positive force for good.


You know you are making positive strides when the voices of negativity are growing louder, because they want you to fail, they want you to live a mediocre life, they want you to settle for less. That is when you know that you must endure, that your journey is not in vain, and that your life has purpose and meaning. Live freely, share, love, cry, trek, breathe, run, speak, sing, dance, create, build, reconstruct, whistle, design, fall down, get back up, draw, and most importantly, be you!

Author:
Josh Murphy
Founder, Youth Speak

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Biography:
The youngest of eight children, Josh Murphy began his writing career at a very young age, even before publishing his first book "Writings from a Teenage Mind" in high school. After writing his own column in a local newspaper for over a year, he attended the University of Tampa and attained a bachelor’s degree in government and world affairs in 2008. While in college he was actively involved with numerous campus leadership organizations and volunteer projects in New Orleans and Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. His experiences in college led him to join City Year, a national non-profit aimed at reducing the national dropout rate, where he tutored, mentored, and taught students. Murphy has always been inspired by the power of young people and their ability to enact sustainable social change. Through his writings he hopes to empower and educate people of all ages to tap into their own creative abilities to make a positive difference in the world. He currently resides in the Washington, DC area.

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

CREATE and ACHIEVE Your Personal Vision, By Katelyn Chapman

Huh? What’s a vision board? It’s your vision of what you want to have, be or do in your life plastered on a board. What does this do? It helps you (1) Identify what you really want in life (2) Visually remind you of your GOALS every day, and (3) Clarifies the process for achieving your goals.

How do I use a Vision Board? I’ll take you through my journey…

During my sophomore year at The University of Tampa, I attended a speech by Mr. Delatorro, an inspirational speaker. While speaking on the Anatomy of a Student Leader, Delatorro illustrated a connection between pictures, aspirations, and the power of visual reinforcement. He associated the anatomy of our eyes with the value of visual representation. He asked the audience, “What do you do if you live far from your family or loved one?” We answered, "We keep pictures of them around our house." Images help us feel the presence of those we love, even from great distances.

Ever notice how easy it is to forget about your goals when life gets completely crazy? Life's chaos and complexity can cause us to become distanced from our goals. This separation is one of the most common roadblocks impeding personal growth and development.

When I left Mr. Delatorro, I made a pledge to transform my life through identifying my goals and using visual reminders to reinforce their presence each and every day. How? I blocked off a period of “ME" time which I used to get creative. School work is important and I’m sure I had a test I could have been studying for. But this was something that could offer me long-term benefits. How awesome is that?! Investing a little time now can provide great dividends later. To set the appropriate vibe, I turned on some a cappella music that resonated positive and fun feelings. I then explored my goals and ambitions in a holistic fashion--not just School, but also Friends, Family, Career, and my general Well-Being. Balance is important for me. If I focus all my energy on school and career at the expense of quality relationships with friends and family, I won’t be happy. This exercise helps me maintain a positive and more realistic perspective. If one part of my life goes “bad" (like I got dumped by a boy), I can look at my Goal Sheet and realize many wonderful things going on in other parts of my life. Though I may feel lousy at the moment, the world isn’t going to end.

I've discovered each step of this process has it's own special value. After identifying goals (clarity of focus), I find a picture to reinforce each one (making the goal and reward easier to visualize). Next, I define the steps necessary to achieve it (establishing a plan and my priorities). I made goals for each semester but you can do anything that fits your fancy.

After identifying and illustrating your goals on the vision board, it is important to post your vision somewhere you pass every day. For me, this was usually behind my desk or on my closet door. For others, it’s on the door of the bathroom or in their personal planner. I used this concept throughout my undergraduate career to clarify my personal direction.

This process can be helpful for developing others as well. As a personal trainer, I found this exercise to be meaningful for my clients. I would ask them to (1) Identify a specific goal they had (i.e. lose 10 lbs), then (2) Find a visual reminder that reinforces them (i.e. old picture of them, magazine clip, bathing suit that they would purchase upon completion, etc.) and (3) Place that visual reminder where they would see it every day.

Recently I traveled back to The University of Tampa and visited some friends on campus. I was intrigued to see different applications of this Vision Board technique on book covers, compilations of magazine clippings, and collages on dorm walls right behind their desk. The Vision Board abides! In fact, it made me realize I hadn’t made my typical goal sheet for this semester. Darn! I let my second-year of MBA classes get so busy that I forgot one of the most important things in my routine. Upon returning home, I blocked off some “ME" time. I cranked a little classical music (yes, I know that sounds nerdy) and created a 20" X 40" vision board (see photo).
I included drawings and inspirational quotes that make me tick. (I wouldn't call myself a Picasso or anything, but check out the artful stick figures!) After investing an hour to create my vision board, I felt great! Seeing the “high bar” I set for every area of my life felt exciting and empowering. Now the only person stopping me would be me. I see that vision board every day. It’s a friendly reminder that gently nudges me to fulfill my potential and live my dreams.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on creating and achieving your personal vision. Have you used a goal sheet and/or vision board before? Are there other methods you use to motivate you? Add a Comment to share your thoughts.


Here are more examples of vision boards created by Leadership Challengers.

Author:
Katelyn Chapman
Leadership Graduate Assistant
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG)

Getting Your Team on the Same Page, By Katelyn Chapman

Are you part of a new team at school or work? Here are some six tips for getting your team on the same page and increasing your chances of a successful outcome. I invite you to review these tips and then ask yourself what hinders you from putting these into action… You know you should “Get Ready, Aim, and Fire” but are you just firing?

1. Build social capital- Understand each other (name, role in organization, strengths/weaknesses, etc.). By providing open space for individuals to candidly discuss their strengths and weaknesses, the team gains an invaluable understanding of each other. The team will then be able to leverage each other’s strengths.


2. Identify a shared vision- Every business needs a vision (where you want to go) as part of their long-term or “strategic plan,” so what’s different for a team? Nothing! Teams also need this glue to align interests, making sure that everyone is aiming for the same end result. Please note the importance of having input from every member at this stage, so everyone feels a part of the end result and knows they contributed. What happens if a team doesn’t have this shared vision? Say you are part of a team and three members think the end goal is to get a project completed for 20 people, whereas others think it’s for 200 people. The members will have different perspectives of what is “right and wrong” for the group. This shared view also helps the members of the group who are “bigger picture” thinkers.


3. Identify roles that best fit individual’s strengths/ weaknesses. By engaging people, they will be more directly involved, and therefore form a stronger bond with the team. This can also help individuals identify themselves as a leader. If an individual does not volunteer for a position but you see leadership potential, you can say, “You seem to have a lot of leadership potential.” The use of this coaching has been suggested by the Leadership Identity Development Model as a way to help move individuals through the different stages of leadership development.

4. Identify meeting times- Is there a regular time/place that works for everyone so people can have a predictable time?


5. Construct a time-line- Set sequential goals that will help you get to the end result. This will help shape your big picture idea and especially accommodate the detailed-oriented team members. This will also serve as an ongoing communication tool- expressing the status of the different project tasks.


6. Identify “Rules of Engagement”- What are the consequences for tasks not being completed? In my most successful group projects for business and academics, we agreed when tasks would be completed, how they would be submitted, and consequences. When people know they will be held accountable for something, they will be more likely to not put your project/team on the back burner. This serves as a preventative step to those DISASTER TEAMS, and something you can use as a “check in” during the duration of the project.

Author: Katelyn Chapman