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.

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

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.

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.

Taking Risks, By Lara Amshay

“Expect the unexpected” is a phrase I’ve heard many times from various teachers, mentors, and family members throughout my whole life. Recently, in pursuing the silver level in the Leadership Challenge, I have learned the importance of leaders taking risks. This revelation came into play in reflecting on my time I spent volunteering as a Media Assistant at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships this past January (2011) at the Greensboro Coliseum. As my coach Ryan pulled out a tape recorder at the beginning of our session, I narrowed my focus to the recorder and strongly gritted my teeth. “We meet again!” I slyly told the tape recorder. Like Ryan, you may be wondering why I was talking to a tape recorder. For the past two weekends, I spent a lot of time “getting to know” the tape recorder and other technological devices. I had no prior experience in using a tape recorder before that weekend and I had never touched a Nikon or a Canon Powershot before either. To give a little background, handing me an expensive camera is similar to a scared, hesitant parent giving their newly turned sweet sixteen year-old their precious car for the night. On my way to the Coliseum the first day of work for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, I had no idea what I would be doing. I was slowly approaching “The Unknown Zone” and I didn’t like it. Whenever I approach a task, I generally have an idea of how to do it or what it involves doing. With the figure skating, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be helping interview skaters, escorting the skaters to the press box, and I had feelings that I was going to fail at whatever task I was assigned. Despite these apprehensions, I zipped up my blue figure skating jacket and pulled my press pass over my head and slowly walked down to the Media Zone.

Later that weekend, when I got off from my shift, a friend of mine who was also volunteering texted me saying that my pictures were online. As I waited for my computer to boot up, I couldn’t stop smiling. For the past two days, I got to stand right off the rink and take pictures of the skaters warming up, talking to their coaches and other skaters, on the ice, and I was there the moment they got off the ice to capture their reactions. It truly was an amazing experience. I grew up going to see skaters perform such as Kristi Yamaguchi, Brain Boitano, and Michelle Kwan, but as I got older, skating wasn’t my first choice of sport to watch when Duke Basketball was on TV. Being right by the judges, I saw how disciplined the skaters were and how beautifully crafted their jumps and axels were. I felt the pressure of thousands of eyes on them as they gracefully commanded the ice. It was an honor for me to capture the sacred moments with their coaches and hugging their coaches right when they landed the jumps of their dreams. Just as the skaters took risks adding new jumps, lifts, and axels into their routines, I was taking my own risks by completing and excelling at tasks which I had never done before and had only been given little direction.

The next weekend, the final weekend of the championships, is a pretty big deal. The competition was broadcasting live on NBC and on Sunday the champions were crowned. I took a trip back to the “Unknown” once again when I met my perceived opponent, the tape recorder. I generally tried to avoid eye contact when the team leaders asked if someone wanted to record and transcribe interviews. I desired to be right off the ice again, front and center for the action, but instead I got stuck backstage with my new friend, the recorder. As soon as the skaters received their scores, a volunteer escorts them to the media mix zone where reporters from around the world are waiting to grill them on their performance. My job was to make sure the microphones were working and to be front and center to make sure my recorder picked up good sound. After the reporters were done asking questions, I was to run back to the Media room and transcribe the interviews. It was hard at first, because I was rushing myself to get everything down and to get it done correctly. After awhile, I got the hang of it and let my guard down. Things got really exciting when the top three skaters came back. Ryan Bradley, the overall champion, is one of the funniest skaters to be around. He was always smiling and making jokes, which really made me enjoy doing my job. And to top the day off, I got to touch the championship trophy before Ryan did!

I really enjoyed my time spent volunteering at the Championships. Not only did I get to work around great people, such as the whole staff of the U.S. Figure Skating Media Department and NBC Sports, but I feel I gained more skills as a journalist through my experience. I can now put on my resume that I have over twenty photographs of skaters on Ice Network’s website. I can also list the various jobs I did with helping interview, transcribing interviews, and relaying information for reporters. I now have been there and back from the “Unknown Zone” and it wasn’t bad at all! It was me, just me in those moments. No one else was there to hold my hand while I completed my tasks or tell me how to do them the right way. Ultimately, it was my call and my responsibility to trust my own strengths and abilities and to put them to the test. Yes, they were huge risks, but I’m so glad I took them!

Author:

Lara Amshay

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