The Relationship Mind

Howard Gardner, writing in Five Minds for the Future, talks about the potential of adolescents as future leaders being ripe for nurturing, only needing the guidance of teachers, parents, community leaders, or older peers to steer them in the right direction. Gardner then asserts that these minds can be shaped in five directions manifested through five minds:

• the disciplined mind (a mind trained on a specific scholarly discipline, craft or profession)
• the synthesizing mind (a mind that can create value from information)
• the creating mind (a mind that can break new ground)
• the ethical mind (a mind that contemplates meaning in work and life and then acts on it)
• the respectful mind (a mind that welcomes differences between group and individuals)

Gardner has done a good job of drawing a diagram, of sorts, of the complete leader's mind. Only, I see one mind missing: the relationship mind.

One of the key ingredients of truly great leadership is effective communication. The best communication occurs within trusting, mutually respectful relationships. The leader must be willing to be open with his team. And, equally as important, the leader must be open to feedback from the team. The need for leaders to connect, develop relationships, and sustain those relationships with his team requires a relationship mind. The leader must have a genuine interest in the lives of these people, over and above their contributions to the work, in order for them to care about him and his vision.

Leadership in Plane View

Great post this morning on Three Minds @ Organic. In it, there is one of the most succinct and spot on definition of leadership I've encountered:

"We got honest communication from the person in charge. Leadership is the reduction of uncertainty in organizations, and it comes from clear messages, which lead to focused actions."

We have all heard the stories of JetBlue passengers sitting on the tarmac for as much as 10 hours without explanation. The author of this post had a very different experience. In fact, he ranks the experience, having to wait nearly 100 minutes, as exceptional. Why, you ask?

Apparently, JetBlue has made some important changes in how they communicate with their customers in situations such as this. The pilot communicated the situation clearly--there would be a wait of 100 minute, the cabin would be made as comfortable as possible, the beverage service would begin, and electronic devices could be used. The pilot went so far as to offer his cell in case someone needed to make other arrangements. And, here is the best part, the pilot offered the option of de-boarding and returning at the appropriate time (unheard of in my experience.)

While this might still be a frustrating occurrence, at least the passengers understood the situation. The pilot addressed the uncertainty by providing clear choices to the passengers. Communicating clearly and providing options are necessary ways to involve your customer in the solution. If the customer is involved, the solution will be satisfactory.

Who's In your Reading List?

Sorry about the lag time. I've been busier than the proverbial one-armed paper hanger (apologies to paper hangers of any number of arms if you find this offensive.) As I've gotten back up to speed on my blog reading (my Bloglines was quite full) it occurred to me that blogs have become essential reading for me. As I am time-crunched most of the time, blogs have, in many respects, replaced much of the professional reading I used to do, although I still find time to read books and articles that are must-haves.

What I love most is that I am able to have a conversation, of sorts, with people in all kinds of environments. Some of these people are such leading figures in their fields that I would never have been able to have the opportunity to get their thoughts and insights without purchasing a book or flying to a conference. So, here are a few of the folks I'm reading (some I've mentioned before, but that just underscores how much value I find in their writings):

Seth Godin: pure genius. His thoughts extend well beyond web marketing. His leadership and creativity are evident in nearly every post.

Meredith Farkas: great blog that is library related, offering a mixture of tech, teaching, and commentary on the blogsphere.

Stan Schroeder: his FranticIndustries blog is the best tech turn-on I've found. So may great web tools are passed along that I am afraid to not read it.

Bob Sutton: I love the plain language and common sense in his thoughts on leadership.

I've talked about Kent Blumberg before. He is really dedicated to engaging his readers in a conversation. Lots of experience and wisdom there.

Joel Spolsky: mostly tech related, but a creative thinker. His thoughts extend to many areas of leadership. For instance, his company's 3 year internship program is one of the best I've heard.

Garr Reynolds: as a trainer and presenter, I find his stuff to be indispensable. His ideas about design and delivery have completely changed how I develop presentations. I'm a better presenter because he blogs.

I read alot more, but these are the ones that stand out. Please take a moment to share who you're reading and why you find them to be so compelling.

What to Do about Burnout?

What would you, as a leader, do when one of your most loyal, knowledgeable, and productive team members, with one of the most vital functions to your mission comes to you wanting to quit? Let me clarify here. This person doesn't really want to leave the organization. They have not secured another position. They are not having difficulties with other team members. Simply stated, they are burned out with the routine nature, and sheer volume, of the work they are doing.

I am prompted to ask this question because this is the situation my wife finds herself in. She has worked for an organization for 10 years. She is on the agency management team. She has developed a reputation for excellence and is one of the "go-to" people. Because of her accomplishments and acumen for the field she is in, she was "rewarded" with the responsibility of taking care of a vital quality assurance function of the organization. Simply put, she was good at this function, and nobody else in the company wanted to do it.

Over the last two years, she has had two important conversations with her Director regarding the insane volume of work and the fact that it is not stimulating. To her Director's credit, she did make several adjustments that provided some relief in the volume. However, none of the steps taken alleviated the core issue: the work, although crucial to the agencies viability, is boring!

My wife is no longer interested in talking about solutions to the problem. She has decided to leave the organization. Nothing will change her mind.

What would you have done differently if you were her Director? I'd love to hear your comments.

Career Development

Happy New Year! As you start 2007, it is a great time to do an assessment of your career aspirations and make the necessary adjustments to meet your goals. With this in mind, it is important to understand how organizations design and structure HR processes in order to develop and maintain the best teams possible, and how you can position yourself to take advantage of opportunities.

Organizations conduct a baseline level of training in order to ensure that staff understand the philosophies, values and core expectations in order to ensure success in a given field. In addition, the organization has developed a framework by which departments are organized with a goal of ensuring leadership occurs (succession planning.) There are job descriptions that define the basic expectations or competencies for positions. Advertisements are worded carefully to attract a strong pool of applicants. And, interview panelists and questions are chosen to ensure that successful candidates possess the necessary experience, competencies, and desired attributes to match the position. The desired result is that there are good matches to positions and a high level of success is attained.

Within MPLIC, we make sure that our training program gives staff the necessary tools to perform in their positions. However, attaining the experience and skills necessary for an advanced position, and providing evidence of accomplishment that warrants career advancement is the responsibility of the individual staff member.

What can you do to demonstrate success and provide evidence of accomplishment?

• Learn to “Talk the Talk.” Assess organizational terms that are most acceptable for the promotion, position, or organizational competencies in question.
• What have you done that relates to the job you are seeking? Identify position elements that are transferable skills, e.g. communication skills, teamwork, organizational skills.
  
• Assess your readiness. Determine the level or knowledge/experience you have in the competency areas in question.
• Résumés are targeted. Write résumé position descriptions using terms consistently under job titles.
• Indicate evidence of accomplishment in skills areas in résumé entries.
• Bring something to the table. Provide evidence of accomplishment in portfolio, advancement, promotion, or application package.
• Use skills statements in cover letters.
• Discuss skills and accomplishments in response to interview questions.

Other important things you can do:

• Dress for the job you want—not for the job you have.
• Don’t sit on committees, participate in them.
• Take the lead! Ask for the responsibility, volunteer to do the task.
• Be visible. Attend professional events, conferences, FAN, Adult Enrichment, etc.

"Ask and Ye Shall Receive--Maybe."

Have you ever been asked your thoughts or opinion about something, only to have the asker refute everything you say? What feelings were you left with? If you are like me, your first thought was, "Well, why did you ask me?" Your second thought was probably along the lines of, "Good luck getting my opinion again!" Why? Because you got the sense that they never really wanted to hear your thoughts in the first place. Rather, they were seeking validation for their point of view.

Leaders must get input from those around them. We cannot be experts in every discipline. We do not have the benefit of knowing every facet of an issue. Most, importantly, we must know that we we do not have all the answers. Getting input from trusted cohorts gives us the benefit of broader expertise and experience, different problem-solving perspectives, and, often, a more objective view. Invariably, the course of action taken will be stronger and more successful for this kind of interplay.

Soliciting, and valuing (that is the key) others' input creates a sense of team ownership. It lets the group know that the leader is concerned how decisions affect everyone. There likely will be a stronger 'buy-in' which often results in greater success.

Thus, it is crucial that when you are seeking input, you are doing it from a genuine desire to hear others' ideas. If you have done a good job of building a strong, success oriented team, you have every reason to include them in the decision making process. Frankly, you have banked your success on them! You have hired, smart, intuitive, creative people--people who will see right through disingenuous attempts to be 'inclusive.'

So, ask for their thoughts, opinions and ideas. Let them know you appreciate it. Explain how their contribution is of value. And, if you disagree, be honest about why. Ask more questions. You may end up being very glad you did because the answer may reveal itself.

Being Right Can Go Terribly Wrong

If there is debate among the team, does it matter who is right?

Maybe that is the wrong question. Choosing what is right does matter. But it doesn't (and shouldn't) matter who is right. Often, strong team members, with great ideas and conviction, will argue for their particular points of view. This kind of debate is healthy, and generally ends up delivering a better product. I want the team to debate, play Devil's advocate, flesh out the details and come to some conclusions about choosing a course of action. This helps to balance perspective, and ultimately creates broader appeal for the product.

Enter the problem. A team member vociferously defends his position, openly criticizes (even attacks) dissenting views, and alienates other members of the team. Who loses? We all do. The morale of the team is damaged (maybe irreparably) and momentum gets lost. Sure, we may be able to develop consensus following this kind of unhealthy exchange, but the damage is done. And what about the dissenting team member? In six months, no one will remember what the argument was about, but they will remember the behaviors. These impressions are set and will never go away.

We have all felt passionately about our positions and wanted to see our vision realized. I encourage everyone to exercise this passion. Realize, however, that you are always being evaluated as a team member. How you disagree is as important as what you disagree with.

To get more perspective on this issue, see a previous post, Strong Opinions and Conscience-Directed Change, and Bob Sutton's Strong Opinions, Held Weakly.

One of the Best

Dr. Jim Johnson , long-time Senior Manager of the History and Genealogy department, and one of the most respected authorities on genealogical research in the midsouth, is retiring today. It is with fondness that I post this. Jim has been an inspiration to all of us. His calm demeanor, great sense of humor, and passion for his work have made him one of the most effective leaders I have ever worked with.

The loyalty he has engendered in his staff, and the collective sense of mission they all possess is due, in large part to his modeling. Any time I visited the fourth floor, I would see Jim working side by side with his staff, serving the customers. And, what was evident was that he was not doing it out of a sense of duty. Rather, he was enjoying it! He lead and participated. He humbly gave credit for the great work of his department to his staff. He coached and guided them to success. He shared his knowledge and expertise with them. And, he handled change and challenges with equal amounts of patience and humor.

I know that I'll miss him.

Perspective: Helicopter View

If you've ever ridden in a helicopter, you can relate to the idea of perspective. When you look out, you can see everything--below, behind, ahead, up--all in spectacularly clear view. It is breathtaking!

So, when I encountered this concept while reading Leading Blog, culled from The Nature of Leadership, by Jim White, I had an immediate, gut level understanding of what the "helicopter view" as it relates to leadership means.

Leaders have the ability to see events, crises, challenges, etc. in the larger context. They draw on the lessons of the past to inform the present. And while looking toward the future, they keep the core principles of the organization--mission, service, vision--firmly in view. Without this perspective, it would be easy to repeat the mistakes of the past, or fail to preserve the values that have shaped the organization.

Self Knowledge is the Key to Effective Leadership

Jeanne Carr, Managing Partner with Team Trek Coaching Group completed the all day retreat for our new LEAP class. In the session, Jeanne clearly established that effective, visionary leadership can only begin after a thorough process of self discovery and awareness. This process leads one, inevitably, toward an understanding of talents and strengths. It is the application of these strengths, in a measured and balanced way, that leads to excellence.
Most importantly, the session outlined the principle of 100% responsibility. Simply stated, "I am 100% responsible for how I choose to respond to the people and circumstances in my life. Everyone else is 0% responsible." Therefore, I am 100% responsible for developing my strengths, 100% responsible for preparing for challenges, and 100% responsible for how I react to challenges. It is quite empowering and liberating when I realize that, although I cannot control the circumstances, I do control my reactions. And, consequently, I am far more likely to effect positive outcomes.

Welcome to the Class of 2007

We have been dilligently reviewing applications and conducting interviews to narrow the fine group of applicants, hence the lack of posts. Now, we have done our work as a selection committee and are ready to present to you the Class of 2007. Here they are:
Laura Bonds
Leann Gordy
Lillian Johnson
Twan Jones
Kam McHugh
Dean Moore
Carolyn Ray
Linda Scott
Nathan Tipton
Keshia Williams
And what a wonderful group it is. We have high expectations. Here's hoping that you discover your true leadership style. Here's hoping that you unlock hidden talents and conquer long-held fears. Here's hoping you bond into a formidible group of future leaders!

Managers, How Do You Lead?

One of the inevitable questions managers ask themselves is "how to do I model for my staff?" Good leaders are concerened with the examples they set for the staff in their charge. They want to motivate staff, provide direction and vision, and demonstrate a commitment to that vision. So, as leaders in our Library, what can you do to lead your staff?
One important thing you can do is encourage your staff to apply for the LEAP program. Let them know you value their contribution and have recognized their abilities. By giving them your support, you are letting them know they are an asset to our system and deserve an opportunity to grow into a leadership position. This demonstrates commitment to your staff and to the goals of our system.
The staff will gain invaluable information and experience that will serve your agency well. They will be armed with a renewed commitment to "satisfying the customer's need to know," while, at the same time, serving as a representative for agency!

Blogs for Leaders

A recent post to our very own LEAP member Kevin's MPLIC Techtrain blog, http://mplictechtrain.blogspot.com/ made me realize what a tremendous resource the blog world is for everyone, potential leaders included. His post, "Put Everything in One Place and Be Done with It" underscores the need to have a "management tool" so to speak when sifting the web for information. The technology that allows you to choose an aggregator and subscribe to blogs is a wonderful opportunity to have relevant, timely leadership information sent to your account.
I have found some great blogs that are very relevant to my position, and to the concept of organizational leadership. These are just two of the many I have found in my searches: http://www.blogwriteforceos.com/blogwrite/
http://kmblogs.com/public/item/85527
Take a look at them! And, use your aggregator to find other blogs and sites that will enhance your leadership reading and learning. Finally, comment to this post and share what you found!

Where I Went and What I Learned

The most recent session was entitled Where I Went and What I Learned. Each class member submitted an activity, event or opportunity that they wanted to participate in. They were charged with analyzing the experience and presenting it to the larger group. The LEAP class did a wonderful job of presenting their experiences!
Activities ranged from presenting at a professional conference to participating in a Delivery and Distribution nightly run. The presenters utilized a variety of presentation styles, from graphic intensive powerpoint shows to a really fun scrapbook that was used as a visual aid.
I am very pleased with the progress of the class in their public speaking abilities. In particular, one class member stood with confidence at the podium, spoke clearly and strongly, and fully entertained the group with her comfortable speaking style. What a contrast! She was the class member who was reduced to tears in the first session at the prospect of public speaking. Kudos to her for having the courage to face that fear and develop into a fine speaker!

Why Would You Want to Be in LEAP

I have received quite a few calls this week regarding the application process. Most were matter of fact questions about having supervisors sign off, the deadline, etc. But, I had one very interesting question. "What is going to happen to those who are graduating from the current class?" In other words, how did they benefit?
The question gave me pause. Really what the person was asking was, "What's in it for me?" or WIIFM. As a trainer, I understand the importance of this concept. Much of our motivation for learning new concepts, accepting new responsibilities, enrolling in classes, etc. revolves around this question. Instinctively, I feel that true leaders are motivated intrinsically. A leader does the right thing because it is right. A leader avails himself of learning opportunities for self improvement.
However, one cannot discount the importance of the WIIFM. So, here are some great reasons why you should apply for the program:

• Candid insight into the history and philosophy of the Library system, as told by its current leadership
• Continual opportunities to learn new communication skills and techniques, and improve on existing ones
• Gain a deeper understanding of public relations as it relates to libraries
• Learn who our major collaborators are
• Have an opportunity to shadow and model current library leaders

These are just a few of the reasons why you want to consider being a part of this great program.

LEAP Program Schedule

In order to make the LEAP experience a consistent one, we will be maintaining the same program schedule as last year. However, there will be some minor modifications to some of the programs. Also, the order of the sessions may need some minor adjustment in order to refine the flow of the program.
Here is the schedule in its current form:

July
Welcome Reception
August
Leap Retreat
September
Essentials of Communication
October
Follow the Book
November
Part 1: Challenge throughout System History
Part 2: We've Come a Long Way, Baby
December
Public Relations: Our Window on the World
January
Shake 'Em Up: A Day in the Life Somewhere Else
February
The Library world Beyond Memphis Public
March
Community Involvement
April
Where I Went/What I Learned
May
Graduation

I will be adding more content regarding these sessions, including links to PowerPoint Shows and .pdf versions of the handouts in the near future.

Applications Are Available

I sent out the applications last week. Last year, we had 37 interested applicants. Not bad for the first year. With word of mouth and encouragement from all levels throughout the system, we are expecting a larger pool this year.
The process will be the same as last year. Interested staff must complete the application, and be sure to submit with a letter of recommendation attesting to his/her leadership potential. This letter may come from someone outside the system.
After the applications have been screened, a group of interviewers will be selected. The pool will be narrowed to 20. These finalists will be interviewed individually to determine suitability for the program. Ultimately, the 12 members of the class of 2007 will be selected from the process.
So, if you are interested, please go ahead and complete the application. You can download a copy by following this link:
http://www.memphislibrary.org/intranet/StaffD/Leadership%20Application.pdf
Do something positive for your career--LEAP!

What is LEAP

LEAP is a leadership program of Memphis Public Library and Information Center.

LEAP (Leadership Empowerment Achievement Program) is designed to:

• identify potential leaders within the library system,

• allow employees interested in advancement an opportunity to enhance their leadership skills, and

• develop a pool of individuals who can assume leadership roles when the need arises.

The objectives for participants in LEAP are:

1. develop visionary leadership through practical hands-on experience and classroom training sessions;

2. develop awareness of external and internal social and political influences impacting the library system, resulting in effective communication strategies for disseminating information;

3. develop proactive strategies to address a shifting workplace environment; and

4. gain an understanding of the overall operation of the library system and how each part works together to support the organization’s mission.

The following is a list of “soft skills” or “transferable skills” identified by the Leadership Development Steering Committee as shaping future Memphis Public Library leaders. Individual LEAP sessions were designed based on these competencies; each session addresses one or more of these skills:

• identifying and appreciating various leadership styles

• effective communication

• motivating followers and teambuilding

• ethical leadership

• valuing professional organizations

• advocacy and outreach

• stress management

• strategic planning

• personal and professional development

• dealing with change

• coaching and mentoring

• community awareness

• public relations

• coping with chaos

• recognizing charateristics of good leaders

• political acumen or savvy

• building collaborative elationships

• networking

• handling criticism and adversity

• creating and communicating vision

• understanding the library "big picture"

• time management

• identifying future trends