Mountain State University LeaderTalk™

Judgment Calls provides Balance in Leadership Stories

2012-04-23T14:52:13-04:00

by Elisebeth VanderWeil, Ph.D.

Media streams are clogged with stories involving leadership gone wrong – from personal scandals to financial shenanigans to outright abuse. It is no wonder that my students of leadership still baulk at answering the call to be leader when these are the examples most often set before them.

Enter Judgment Calls, a dozen stories on leadership gone right.

"Judgment" is another term that often gets a bad rap. While we would all like to exercise "good judgment," we don't like to "be judged" or be "judgmental." So, too, many of us would like to "exercise good leadership," but don't want to "be leaders" or believe ourselves to have leadership capacity. Thomas Davenport and Brook Manville offer a counterpoint toward balance with their "12 stories of big decisions and the teams that got them right." In order to present us with examples of 21st Century leadership that works for the benefit of all, these 12 case studies span as many industries to offer keen, clear insight into the vital elements of leadership and judgment that are needed for long-term, sustainable, profitable – however "profit" is defined – organizations.

Two of these leadership elements are evident right out of the gate: collaboration and wisdom.

All of these stories of leadership gone right defy the "Great Man" or "Dictator" default setting many people have in mind when they think of great leadership. All of these judgment calls are made by groups – teams, project partners, departments, etc. The processes and products of these opportunities to get it right involved a lot of people in diverse capacities who shared experiences, vision, and passion. Successful leadership and decision-making does not happen in a vacuum or even a boardroom. In order for organizations to best benefit, judgment calls must happen within a "collective capacity to make good calls and wise moves when the need for them exceeds the scope of any single leader's direct control" (from the Foreword). This could be termed a "culture of leadership" for the 21st Century organization.

This "culture of leadership" is needed at a time when we are inundated with information and increased rates of change. The authors of Judgment Calls point out that it doesn't matter how much information you have, or how you can manage and manipulate it; getting leadership right is a matter of wisdom through relationships and experiences over time. Getting it right tends to take more time and the way to get it right may not be straight and narrow; developing relationships, reflecting on consequences, integrating multiple views, and getting creative with resources all take time and are not a direct path to "the bottom line." Activating the "wisdom of the crowd" is one of the greatest challenges and rewards of leadership today for tomorrow.

For, as one astute, young poet put it, "the bottom line's in the car seat/the bottom line's voice hasn't dropped." (George Watsky, 2010)

VanderWeil works as the Director of Organizational Leadership at Mountain State University and holds a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University. Her seemingly disconnected yet thematic work experience has provided her with the skills and experience to remain curious, flexible, decisive, and knowledgeable in many realms.

Roles of Gender and Empathy in Leadership

2012-03-21T16:46:26-04:00

by Shari Frisinger

I work with leaders – mostly males - helping their team "play nice in the same company sandbox." One area in which they have particular difficulty is empathy, understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another. However, their interpretation of empathy is listening to their direct report's complaints and positing possible solutions; then, when the employee has finished their sad tale of woe, to tell them succinctly how to solve their problem. I have heard countless versions of: "But I listened and let them finish! I asked the questions we discussed, and listened to their response. Wasn't that what I was supposed to do?" This is said with the utmost sincerity and they are genuinely puzzled when I tell them that they only half succeeded in the empathy department; they got the listening portion correct. Like leadership, empathy is not just about fixing, it is about relationships.

Alternately, the women leaders with whom I have worked, and they are very few, listen empathetically. Women leaders tend to be able to see the situation from the other person's perspective, to feel how the other person is feeling, and project those emotions onto the future. For example, a direct report that is feeling sad and irritated at himself or herself because of a missed important deadline. An empathetic response would include projecting his or her sadness and irritation onto the remainder of the day – how will their actions reflect their emotions? And how will the direct report's actions affect other team members, clients, vendors and colleagues?

Women leaders seem to be more willing to show concern and take a personal interest in their direct reports. They say things like "What's really bothering you?"or "How are you feeling?" and encourage talking about feelings and emotions, which is the basis of relationships. Empathy encourages talking and verbally working out emotional issues, allowing for vulnerability and engendering trust. Empathy can purge distressing or inappropriately harmful emotions, freeing the person to regain their sense of situational objectivity.

Emotions need to be respectfully processed and incorporated into rational decision-making. It is only when the emotional aspect of situations has dissipated that the rational conversation can begin. To offer solutions or advice before that has occurred can harbor resentment and dissatisfaction, which has a direct effect on productivity, retention and morale.

Frisinger is an adjunct professor for MSU's organizational leadership program and a Doctor of Executive Leadership student. As President of CornerStone Strategies LLC in Houston Texas, she designs and conducts leadership hands-on, real-world workshops and executive one-on-one mentoring tailored to leaders that want to improve their bottom line through enhanced interpersonal skills.

With Daughters in Mind

2012-03-07T11:23:43-05:00

by Elisebeth VanderWeil, Ph.D.

President Obama called Sandra Fluke to offer his support and encouragement after being vilified by Rush Limbaugh for her Senate hearing testimony. When asked by reporters why he made that call, the President said that he was thinking of his daughters and how he wanted them to be able to participate in public discourse and the democratic process without fear of being called horrible names.

The Republican Party – for which Rush Limbaugh has been touted as an unofficial spokesperson – has been profiled as having declared a "war on women." This label is the result of Republican supported rhetoric and legislation that limits women's access to not just health care, but also public discourse and democratic participation, as exemplified by the arrests on the Virginia capital steps of peaceful protestors calling attention to these issues. The protestors were charged with trespassing – on public property during the day – when they sat on the capitol steps.

All this at the start of Women's History month in the U.S.

Though rarely part of primary education, the U.S. has a rich history of women leaders – from artists like Anne Bradstreet, to emancipationists like Sojourner Truth, to suffragists like Alice Paul, to world leaders like Eleanor Roosevelt. These women engaged at various levels of public discourse and democratic process as was mandated by white men at various times per their gender, race, and class. Still, regardless of what was expected or allowed, women have consistently "crossed the line" and taken leadership roles in shaping this nation. For their efforts to make the world a better place for their children – which would necessarily include all of us – they have been reviled, stripped of property, tortured, and relegated to social and historical oblivion.

So that's some of the history from which we could not learn because it has been hidden. These are some of the models of leadership which are not part of our popular press or consciousness; yet, they have influenced our country's values and agendas for longer than we have been a nation.

So what is our U.S. future to be?

As their forebears would predict, our daughters will do what is unexpected and, likely, what is not allowed by those who wish to remain in power and privilege. With our daughters in mind, we must protect, not just their right, but their ability to participate in public discourse and democratic process – especially if we do not agree with what they have to say. We must open spaces and venues for our daughters to participate fully in keeping our democracy vital and valid in an interconnected world. If we fail in this, if we succumb to division and suppression, we risk losing a better world for all of us.

The Importance of Leadership Skills for Followers

2012-02-29T16:47:47-05:00

by Elisebeth VanderWeil, Ph.D.

Many people aspire to be good – or even great – leaders; few aspire to be good – let alone great – followers. However, odds are most people who prepare to lead rarely do so beyond the team or group level; others who do eventually reach powerful positions of leadership spend a significant chunk of time as followers before they get there. On the whole, with all our study and practice of leadership knowledge and skills, we spend most of our time and energy following.

So why learn leadership if one’s chances of being a powerful leader are so slim?

For one, leadership is not something that can be wielded only by "official" leaders. It is a powerful tool in any realm in which a group of people want to accomplish something. Whether your group is three or thirty, hierarchical or egalitarian, your skills and awareness of leadership will have a significant influence on whether or not the work is accomplished effectively.

Secondly, if you can put your ego to good use and "hitch your star" to a great leader, you can still be part of accomplishing great things. Your ability to recognize quality, effective leadership as it is enacted by someone else will give you the advantage of joining with that leader to support, reflect, and expand the adaptive outcomes you both envision beyond what either of you could do alone.

Finally, the rate of change in our complex world is spinning out so fast, the followers of today can be the leaders of tomorrow and tomorrow's leaders are next week's followers. As with leaders, followers operate along a spectrum of multiple perspectives and roles from interactive, to independent, to passive. If you have the skills, knowledge and experience as both an accomplished follower – someone who supports and enriches the work of the leader – and that of an accomplished leader; you have far more opportunities to experience success than someone with skills in only one realm.

Being a great follower is not recognized by our culture as vital to great leaders, but it most certainly is. The interactive relationship of leaders and followers is the core of the leadership process. Thus, more and more leadership scholars and practitioners are joining a growing chorus singing the praises of "followership." As with many, many women leaders who have gone unrecognized for their work for the "greater good" (ex. Eleanor Roosevelt, Helen Keller, Wangari Maathai) the growing recognition and value of followership is changing not only what, but how we understand leaders and leadership.

Lead Like Santa

2011-11-29T11:35:51-05:00

By Dr. Larry Ferguson

Tis the season to be a leader, just ask anyone in retail management. As a leadership training consultant, I am often challenged with providing unique presentations. This month has been no exception, as I have been asked to facilitate a leadership training seminar based on the leadership skills of Santa Claus. Yes, that's right Santa Claus. The seminar I plan to present is based off the 2003 book by Steve Ventura entitled "The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus." I highly recommend the book as a light and somewhat humorous read that helps to reinforce some proven strategies for effective leadership. Below I have outlined the general principles in the book for your review so you can begin leading like Santa!

1. Build a Wonderful Workshop: Make the organization's mission the main thing. Focus on your people as well as your purpose. Let values be your guide.

2. Choose Your Reindeer Wisely: Hire tough so you can manage easy. Promote the right ones …for the right reasons. Go for the diversity advantage.

3. Make a List and Check It Twice: Plan your work. Work your plan. Make the most of what you have.

4. Listen to the Elves: Open your ears to participation. Pay attention to how you're perceived. Perception is often more important than reality. Walk awhile in THEIR shoes.

5. Get Beyond the Red Wagons: Help everyone accept the reality of change. Remember, the customer is really in charge. Teach "The Business" of the business to your employees.

6. Share the Milk and Cookies: Help them see the difference they make. Do right by those who do right. Expand the reinforcement of possibilities.

7. Find Out Who's Naughty and Nice: Confront employee performance problems…early. Coach the majority in the middle, your middle stars. Motivate and support your super stars that may need less coaching and more kudos.

8. Be Good for Goodness Sake: Lead by example. Establish transparent performance guidelines and accountability measures. Remember, that everything counts when it comes to quality.

Dr. Larry Ferguson is the Dean of Community Workforce & Economic Development for Ashland Community and Technical College and an experienced adjunct instructor for Mountain State University. For over a decade he has facilitated leadership training and keynotes for business, industry, government, healthcare and higher education. He specializes in professional development, workforce education, personal enrichment education, strategic planning facilitation and organizational wellness.

What Do Our People Need?

2011-11-16T10:56:19-05:00

By Dr. Roy E. Alston

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, corporate profits grew 36.8% in 2010. This represents the biggest gain in corporate profits since 1950. Corporations have cut costs, reduced labor, invested in technology, opened new markets, and taken advantage of cheap money via low interest rates. In short, corporations have gotten what corporations need to make it through an underperforming economy that boasts a 9% unemployment rate. In the midst of corporations recovering from the effects of the Great Recession, leaders have forgotten to ask their people what they need to be just as successful as the company.

When corporations are faced with a crisis, company leaders get in a room and they discuss the courses of action to right the ship. Company leaders seek out advice from industry experts, conduct a SWOT analysis, develop a plan, execute the plan, analyze the results, and make adjustments as needed. Unfortunately, during this process, company leaders fail to ask, "What do our people need to be successful?" The truth is our people know that corporate profits have been rising steadily, while unemployment has remained high, and our people are left out of the prosperity.

The current economy is a crisis for our people and our people need the following:

Training that will give them the technical skills to do the jobs of the new economy.

Leadership development so they can address the demands of emerging external business realities in today's complex, dynamic, cyclic, and global commercial environment.

Motivation so that they can look up and share in the vision and promise of tomorrow.

Self-empowerment that discovers and garners the resources required to be an amazing person both personally and professionally.

Organizations that have failed to provide training, leadership development, motivation and self-empowerment to their people have failed to invest in their most important asset. As a result, a large gap has opened up between organizational performance and people performance in the current corporate climate and ultimately in the current economic climate. As leaders, we must be aware of this phenomenon and begin the process of closing this gap. Closing this gap means corporate leaders giving their people what they need to succeed or risk a destabilized and demoralized workforce. Our people need to be aware of what they need to succeed and start asking for what they need to succeed. If they don't, they risk being left behind and relegated to "non-participant" status in a global economy where unemployment is in the double digits or higher.

Roy E. Alston is a visionary leadership consultant, strategist, and public servant who also teaches Organizational Leadership at Mountain State University. Alston holds a Ph.D. in Applied Management and Decision Sciences with a specialization in Leadership and Organizational Change from Walden University.

Leading Story

2011-10-06T13:31:39-04:00

by Elisebeth VanderWeil, Ph.D.

It is very easy for us (humans, that is) to slip down the spiral of negativity and "dark vision" when faced with on-going distress or confusion. Our animal nature is very good at preparing us for potential threats, creating scenarios and activating reactions that position us for survival in a crisis. The problem is there very often is no crisis or threat at all, or anything as bad as what we imagine. Thus we are left depleted, depressed – possibly looking for or creating a fight just to act out our preparations.

I have recently experienced significant upheavals in life - particularly a new marriage, a new house-sitting situation and new responsibilities at work. I have felt at the whim of fate; confused in the midst of changing or absent information and direction. As these situations went on for a few weeks, I noticed my growing tendency to cast those around me in a "dark light" – assigning malevolent motivations, nasty character traits, and emphasizing how wrong they are in almost every aspect of their behavior. Consequently, I was becoming darker myself; I was less happy, felt heavier, and had little energy to do the work before me.

I didn't like me and this wasn't working. I remembered that we still have power, even when we don't have control.

So I changed the story.

Stories are very powerful - leaders use them all the time to inspire, create, and motivate the people who look to them for guidance. However, stories are especially powerful when we don't know we're telling them. The human imagination is capable of creating our realities to a great degree: we can take a compliment and make it an insult, we can see a mistake as an opportunity, and we can choose connection over conflict when disagreements arise. When we perceive feelings, motivations, assumptions, and values in others, we meld them with our perceptions which have arrived at our awareness after moving through a lot of filters (experiences, histories, values, and emotions). Our imaginations can create entire worlds around us and it is up to us to set intentions and forms, to lead the worlds in which we want to live.

So here's my new story:

The people who appear chaotic or distant around me are under a lot of stress themselves. They are doing the best they can in this situation and are coming from a place of depleted resources because of past crises. I am here to help them live the way they truly want to live, how they would be conducting themselves if they were functioning as their best selves. I have been given the opportunity to be their gift, no strings attached.

What story can you give yourself and the people around you in order to open the gifts that are present?

Physical Fitness and Leadership

2011-07-27T08:27:38-04:00

by Dr. Larry Ferguson

Over the past year I have lost 63 pounds simply by cutting and counting calories along with regular exercise. Strangely enough I have received multiple comments from direct reports and others about how much more energetic and effective I seem to be as a leader. Personally I do not feel that I have changed my level of work intensity or my leadership philosophy or strategies.

So what does this mean? The military has long advocated the connection between physical fitness and leadership. Charles Garcia (2009) in his book "Leadership Lessons of the White House Fellows" quotes Maj. John Patrick Gallagher as saying that self-discipline and being able to perform under pressure and exist outside our comfort zone is the key to unlock our success. I believe the key to this statement is "self-discipline". A leader who exhibits the self-discipline to take control of and maintain his or her physical fitness sets a good example for his or her subordinates. As Stephen Covey would say, it is walking the talk. Research supports that being physically fit increases mental stamina and endurance which are both attributes an effective leader must possess.

A 2002 study published by McDowell-Larsen, Kearny and Campbell from the Center for Creative Leadership examined the impact regular exercise had on two multi-rater leadership assessment instruments. Starting in 1997, data was collected from over 600 senior-level executives who attended the same five-day CCL course. Prior to attending the course, the participants completed a health and physical activity questionnaire. Data were collected from both the participants and their observers. Upon arrival, additional data were collected including percent body fat, blood-pressure and exercise routine. The health data were compared with the results of the leadership skills assessments which included input from an observer group comprised of bosses, direct reports and peers. The results revealed that the observer group rated exercisers significantly higher than the non-exercisers on many of the leadership skills examined.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would most likely agree with these findings. Multiple articles have highlighted her routine of arising at 4:30 a.m. daily to work out for 40 minutes regardless of her agenda or where she was in the world. Other well-known fitness buffs include Tom Monaghan, Domino's Pizza founder; Larry Ellison, co-founder and chief executive officer of Oracle Corporation; Klaus Kleinfeld, chief executive officer of Alcoa Inc; and Richard Branson, Virgin founder.

Ultimately physical fitness provides a window to the self-discipline of the leader which conveys a message to followers. Obviously there are health benefits to being physically fit which may enhance either the real or perceived effectiveness of the leader. So who is ready for a workout?

Dr. Larry Ferguson is the Dean of Community Workforce & Economic Development for Ashland Community and Technical College and an experienced adjunct instructor for Mountain State University. For over a decade he has facilitated leadership training and keynotes for business, industry, government, healthcare and higher education. He specializes in professional development, workforce education, personal enrichment education, strategic planning facilitation and organizational wellness.

Leadership and Love

2011-07-13T16:36:02-04:00

by Dr. Roy E. Alston

Typically, we do not think about leadership and love in the same context. According to the American College Heritage Dictionary, love is a feeling of intense desire and attraction toward a person. In philosophical context, love is a virtue (a value in practice) representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Many of us have a much narrower view of what love is. For many the word love conjures up images of romantic and sexual pleasures, of intimacy and friendships, and of images consistent with romance novels and love stories. These misconceptions of what love really is prevents many from putting love and leadership in the same sentence.

Leadership is the process of modeling personal values while influencing and energizing people to embrace change, by providing purpose, vision, direction, motivation while operating to accomplish the mission (goals) and improving the organization. I cannot begin to list the many definitions that exist for the word leadership. Possibly this is a part of the confusion associated with the true essence of what leadership is and what impact leadership should have on human potential. What I challenge people to do is recognize that leadership is in essence composed of higher order human values in practice, or a virtue, like love. In order to lead people, you must LOVE people.

L – Letting Go. As leaders, we must let go of our preconceived notions of human relationships, groups of people, any and all our differences and let people thrive based on their unique talents, passions, and gifts.

O – Opening yourself up. As leaders, we must allow everyone to know who we are, what we stand for, how we operate, what our expectations are of others, what others can expect from us, and most importantly, provide a way for others to give us their honest feedback.

V – Valuing every relationship. As leaders, we tend to forget that the people in our organizations are just that, people. As leaders we should value our relationships with people by placing a premium on the time we spend with our people helping them to fulfill their hopes, their dreams, and their desires.

E – Embracing the human being in every person. Leaders must embrace the human being in every person by finding out what an individual's motivations are. When we find out what a person's motivations are and work with that person's motivations we are embracing the human being in that person.

When we understand what they truly are, we understand that love and leadership are both virtues. Highly successful people are successful because their leaders LOVE them. Can you LOVE your people?

Roy E. Alston is a visionary leadership consultant, strategist, and public servant who also teaches Organizational Leadership at Mountain State University. Alston holds a Ph.D. in Applied Management and Decision Sciences with a specialization in Leadership and Organizational Change from Walden University.

Leading Through the Doldrums

2011-07-01T16:42:17-04:00

by Dr. Elisebeth VanderWeil

Many people who are interested in and practicing leadership get really excited about change. Some have defined leadership as initiating and guiding change. "Change is constant" has become a mantra in many organizations and leadership conversations. How a leader cares for and supports people and processes through change is often seen as definitive of leadership ability.

Let's consider for a moment what a leader or organization would look like if change was a defining characteristic:

• procedures and policies would always be out of date; indeed they may never be completed
• creativity and innovation would be high, but products and outcomes would be unrealized
• career and group development would be trapped in the realms of "storming" and "forming"
• trust and collaboration would be "thin"
• nerves would be as frayed as those of the proverbial long-tailed cat in a roomful of rocking chairs

Change is only one iteration on the developmental path of growth and evolution. As needed and necessary are plateaus of rest, reflection and assessment. These times between changes where things happen as expected are vital in their ordinariness. These times of relaxation allow us to enjoy our accomplishments, deepen our connections and relationships that made those accomplishments possible, and reenergize us after great effort.

During plateaus between changes – either within individuals or organizations – one can reflect on the changes that have taken place, where they have brought us, and what we think and feel about the whole thing. Our reflections can bring us to assessing how successful the change has been and discern a path for the future. When we stop to look around, our vision becomes wider, more varied, and more rich.

Leadership in a time of what could be perceived as "maintaining the status quo" demands a very different set of skills and awarenesses than those needed for beginning and guiding change initiatives. Leaders and organizations cannot depend on the "high" provided by creative realizations, newness, rearrangements, and "shaking things up". A leader "in times of same" needs to support the unexciting middle work of solidifying, establishing, smoothing, refining, examining, and sustaining people, processes, procedures, and purpose. These actions that don't move provide nurturance and build energy for when movement is needed.

It is during quiet plateaus that opportunities for sustainable development, innovation, and growth are realized. It is from these plateaus that leaders can both see and be seen by followers more clearly than ever. The times of rich of stillness are when a leader can truly shine.

What do you do – and not do – to support and determine the next best, elegant step?