leaders and the law

I am at a workshop entitled "Higher Education Legal Issues Executive Institute" sponsored by NCHERM in which we are looking at a variety of cases from the past year which impact (no surprise) higher education. It has been a learning experience for me - I have heard more acronyms than I care to know about, and am realizing just how perilous it is to be a part of any institution these days.

The one take away so far is that institutions need to write policy & procedure...need to have that policy & procedure reviewed by experts...need to train its workers in policy & procedure...need to FOLLOW policy & procedure as called for...need to document that policy & procedure were followed...and need to update policy & procedure on a regular basis. So what might that have to do with leadership?

I think that many people in leadership positions think that if they just do the right thing, everything will turn out right. Isn't that what we were told as children,to just do the right thing. It sounds so good...it sounds so simple...it sounds so innocent...it sounds so - RIGHT!

BUT - this is not always the case. You know many people who did the right thing and were still sued by an offended party. As hard as we try to be fair, to be just, to be upfront, and to be RIGHT, people will still try to find ways to get to us. So what are we to do?

A few thoughts:

1. be sure that there are adequate (more than adequate) policies & procedures in place for your institution. If you do not have the time or personnel to get after this task - outsource!
2. take time to document your discussions and actions (especially those that are difficult and that you believe could lead to allegations in the future)
3. when talking or writing about difficult subjects, PAUSE before you go forward - and then say or write as little as possible.
4. don't say anything stupid! In tense situations, it is easy to get angry or upset and to say things that could come back to haunt you and/or your institution (worse yet, sending an email with something stupid in it)
5. institute mandatory training for all employees on policy & procedure - and be sure they follow them and document their actions. The first questions that should be asked when you hear about an incident at your institution should be 1) "were the policies and procedures followed?" and 2) "were the actions documented?"
6. remember that you are the representative of the institution. What you say and do can harm the institution in ways you may not even think about.

The leader of the seminar kept reminding us that while these are all scary incidents, in no way should we stop acting. Don't be afraid to fire bad personnel...don't be afraid to engage in new ventures...don't be afraid to try new ideas...don't be afraid to terminate contracts. BUT have policies & procedures in place as to how these actions will be carried out - then train your people - then be sure the policies & procedures are followed. Then you can confidently lead your institution and your people.

life notes

I am reading Marian Wright Edelman's newest book entitled The Sea is so Wide and My Boat is so Small. Each chapter is a "letter" to someone or some entity in which she gives her thoughts and advice for a better world. In the chapter entitled "A Letter to Young People: Anchors and Sails for Life's Voyage," she provides a list of maxims by which to live. Her thoughts should be carved on our doorframes as a reminder fo how to live each day:

- You are far more than any test can measure. No test can predict the quality and worth of your life or the contributions you can make.

- You do not always have to win to win. Sometimes losing is winning and sometimes winning is losing.

- Do your part, however small.

- Give a good day.

- Be a sower. Keep planting and watering seeds of hope and help. Don’t let others discourage you.

- Just do the work and don’t worry about the credit.

- Be humble and grateful for life.

- Struggle, struggle, struggle to develop a nonviolent heart in our violent culture and world.

- Learn to be still and listen to the silence within you.

- Live as if you like yourself. It might happen. Live as if you like others. It might happen.

- Be prepared to sacrifice and persevere for what you believe.

- Do not die before you die.

- Be kind.

- Don’t be afraid to leave comfortable shores. Life’s a very big and beautiful sea even if it does get scary sometimes.

- Keep saying the truth and holding on to your beliefs even if it appears no one is listening.

- Don’t give up too soon or before you have done your best and even better than your best.

- Aim high and work very hard to reach your goal.

- Serve. Do something for others.

- Choose work that promotes life not death.

- Do not fear criticism or let others define you.

- Recognize that you are a global citizen and must compete with peers from China, Japan, India, and all around the globe. Inform yourself about our world and its people. We are all interdependent.

- Dream beyond the moment.

- Faith and doubt are twins.

- Do not give in to that which is easy or convenient. Live intentionally and mindful of the impact of your actions on others.

I have been a fan of Marian Wright Edelman since reading her book of prayers entitled Guide My Feet. I recommend both books to you, and hope that you will embrace the spirit of this amazing woman.

leaders should be seen...

Remember that phrase your mother used to always say that children should be seen and not heard (I think for me it was often that children should be neither seen nor heard). I have come to believe that leaders must be seen in order to be credible. If leadership is about influence...and if leadership is about people...and if leadership is about vision...then leaders need to be seen.

I can think of several people I know in leadership positions that I never see. It's not that I don't think they're doing a bad job (though I would be hard pressed to describe for the job they are doing); it's not that I think they are bad peoople (though I would be hard pressed to describe their personality); it's not that I don't think they have the ability to lead (though I would be hard pressed to tell you what they are leading); it's not that I think they don't care about people (though the phrase "they don't care how much you know until they know how much you care" comes to mind); it's not that I don't think they can lead (though I would be hard pressed to tell you about their style of leadership); and it's not that they can't produce results, because they have (though I never get to celebrate the results with them either personally or publicly).
So why is being seen important? Here are a few thoughts:

1. Leaders lead people...if they are not seen, how can they know people AND how can peple know them
2. Leaders influence people...being able to share ideas in an informal setting (and formal setting) is incredibly important toward influencing others
3. Influence is built through trust...it becomes harder to trust someone whom I never see than if I can have regular interaction with them
4. Followers want to be reassured they are important...leaders walking around and commenting on what others are doing helps to instill that sense of importance in people
5. Leaders need new perspectives...hanging out with people allows for new ideas to be heard, discussed and debated

So as leaders, let's get out of the office and walk around our institutions - on a regular basis.

• Need a cup of coffee? Walk to another area of the building to get one
• Need another cup of coffee? Take the long route and force yourself to walk past other's offices
• Need yet a third cup of coffee? Have it while visiting with someone in another department
• Schedule regular meetings with people outside your immediate area
• Show up at events and mingle with people
• Don't wait for someone else to say hello - be the first to meet and greet
• Schedule a time to walk the grounds - and change up your routine from day to day
• Find a way to delegate your desk duties to someone else so you do not feel rushed when talking with others

Leaders should be seen...and if you take this to heart, I will be looking forward to SEEING you on a more regular basis.

developing one's leadership

I am a fanatic for studying Abraham Lincoln’s leadership – I try to read most of what I can get my hands on, and attempt to keep up with the myriad of new works coming out, especially during this bicentennial year of his birth. A recent read was Ronald C. White’s A. Lincoln, which ended up being a study in Lincoln’s own leadership development. White writes from a perspective that examines how Lincoln developed his thought and his ability to make decisions. Each of the experiences throughout his lifetime formed a part of that which I call Lincoln’s leadership ability.

One of the most influential aspects of Lincoln’s leadership development was his ability to learn – whether it was from reading, from talking with others, or from experiences. Lincoln was a self-taught individual. He read everything he could (often multiple times) and engaged people in conversation who were always much smarter than him. How often do we as leaders do the same thing? Being in a position of leadership can seem so time intensive that it becomes difficult to read and re-read important texts. Another downfall of being in a leadership position is that one can become so self-absorbed that it is difficult to ask for help from someone else (especially someone we consider smarter than ourselves). Here are a few ideas to consider as we continue the process of developing ourselves as leaders:

1. Take the time to read – Brain Tracey noted in a recent newsletter that people in leadership positions need to take the following time to do no work: 1 day each week; 3 days in a row each month; and at least 2 solid weeks each year. When I have those days, I read – sometimes in my field, but more often than not outside my field.
2. Never spend a lunch by yourself – One’s calendar should be full of lunch appointments with people smarter than themselves. If you cannot get out of the office, find someone within the office that does something very different from you, sit with them at lunch, and ask them to explain what they do. Be ready to ask a bunch of questions…and then try to apply what you learn to leadership issues.
3. READ, READ, READ (part 1) – read widely and outside your field of expertise. One of the best ways to do this is to browse the magazine section of your favorite bookstore and purchase one on a topic you know nothing about. Read it thoroughly and see if you can learn anything about leadership. Be sure to also scan the NY Times best sellers list in all categories at least once a month and see what others are reading.
4. READ, READ, READ (part 2) – someone once mentioned to me that if I read one book a week on a particular subject, that would mean that within one year, I would have read 52 books on that subject, making me an expert in that particular area. If I did that for 5 years in a row, I would have read 260 books on that subject, making me a world-renown expert on that subject. In which subject do you want to become an expert?
5. READ, READ, READ (part 3) – someone else once mentioned that we only have a certain number of hours to read during our lifetime, so we should spend time only on those texts that have stood the test of time (his cutoff point was 450 years, so it could include Shakespeare). Are you reading the great books – those that changed the world? For starters, check out Martin Seymour-Smith’s list of the 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written.
6. Become self-reflective – This is perhaps the most difficult part of learning for those who lead, because in order to be self-reflective, time and honesty are both needed. I have found that blogging has been my way to self-reflect on issues of leadership. Others journal; still others have coaches, mentors or accountability groups.

If in the midst of a Civil War Abraham Lincoln could take time to read and listen to people who were smarter than him (see Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals for an excellent study on this aspect of Lincoln’s leadership), why can’t we?

who determines change?

Upon reading Sinclair Lewis’ Main Street (written in 1920), I became intrigued by the question of who should determine and/or introduce change into an organization or community. This follows on the heels of reading Barbara Kellerman’s book entitled Followers which seems to indicate that the will of the followers is always more powerful than that of the leader.

A brief synopsis of the story of Main Street: Carol Kennicott, having grown up in Minneapolis, marries a doctor and moves to a rural town in Minnesota. Once there, she determines to bring it “up-to-date” and revitalize it into a “proper” city. At first, people are enthusiastic, and go along with her suggestions. However, they never fully buy into the changes and behave in an underhanded manner, hurting her and stopping any change that she would bring about. Carol keeps trying time after time, yet continually fails, finally accepting the fact that she alone cannot bring about the change she believes is good and right for the community. The novel is a wonderful treatise on the emancipation of women and the battle between the morals of small-town America and the changes sweeping the country in the early 20th century.

So…was it Carol’s “calling” to bring about this change she believed was good, right and proper for the citizens of Gopher Prairie, Minnesota? If a group of people do not want change – and their worlds are no worse for it – should one person (or a small group of people) determine change for them? Who is it that should finally decide to make changes to an existing structure, organization, or community? And just because one has been voted into a position, does that person have the moral right to enact change upon their constituency?

When one perceives the need for changes to occur, perhaps they need to ask themselves the following questions:

1. For whom do I want to bring about this change – myself, those who are presently a part of the organization, or for those who are to follow us in the future?
2. What is it that is driving my need for change – and from where does that need for change emanate?
3. How do I know whether or not the people of the organization themselves want change? In what ways might I measure their need for and receptivity to this change?
4. When is change absolutely necessary? Is it ever absolutely necessary? Who am I to determine the absolute necessity for change?
5. How many people are needed within a given group to provide the mandate to move forward with change? Is it a simple majority? Is it a consensus? Is it certain individuals who are trusted by the rest of the constituency?
6. As the chosen/elected leader of an organization, if I believe that change is necessary and those I lead do NOT believe change is necessary, what should I do? Is that a time for me consider moving on and going somewhere else (as Carol Kennicott does by moving to Washington DC toward the end of the novel)?...or should I be content with the status quo knowing that my followers are content with it?

These questions are important for leaders to consider, since leadership is about change…and about people…and about influence…and about followers. What do you think?

leading with WOO

I just returned from a Strengths Quest conference, where we learned about implementing this assessment tool with our freshmen this coming fall. Strengths Quest is the college version of Strengths Finder, which was first made popular with Marcus Buckingham's First Discover Your Strengths. It is a fascinating development tool for people as they consider how to improve by focusing on what they naturally do well, rather than those lesser developed talents we often perceive as weaknesses.

One of my top five themes (groups of talents) is called WOO - which stands for Winning Others Over. The idea behind this talent/strength/theme is that people with WOO love to connect with others...they get an energy around meeting new people...they find joy in making new connections and friends...they like to connect their friends with others...they never meet a stranger, only a friend they have not yet met...they love to ask questions of people to get to know them better...they look for the pereson who is alone in a group and go up to them and introduce themselves...they have a large list of contacts...they love to work a room.

Yes, that is who I am. But more important, how can that strength help me in my leadership? A few thoughts:

• I need to keep meeting more people - but keep better track of them over time
• I need to put myself in places where I can meet more people - but be sure I am in the right places
• I need to consider who I might NEED to meet - and find others to help me meet them
• I need to refine my "elevator speech" about myself and Concordia University Texas - so as I meet these people they remember who I am and what I do
• I need to have a list of needs from the College and University - so when people ask to get engaged, I can quickly connect them to a project or a person
• I need to keep polishing my "cold-calling" skills - so I can meet even more people outside of those I meet in person
• I need a follow-up system - so as not to loose connection with people important to me and the University

I love to meet people - I also know it is extremely difficult for others to do that. I believe it is a skill that can be learned, no matter how difficult it might be for one to "mingle." I also believe it is incredibly important for those in leadership positions to be able to do this...because the more people we meet, the more people get to know the mission of our institutions. Here's the best tip I ever learned: when walking into a crowded room, look for the person standing by themselves. Go up to them , introduce yourself, and begin asking them questions about themselves. Be genuinely interested, and you will be amazed at how quickly you will have a new friend. And you will no longer feel alone in a crowd.

directness and trust

Interesting conversation this week about directness and trust. I had someone tell me that they appreciated the fact that I could be direct with them and do so in a way that was respectful and kind. They indicated that they had observed this behavior not only one-on-one with me but also in meetings...and that it seemed to help meetings move along and also help to build a sense of team. Later on in our conversation, we began to talk about the importance of trust among individuals and teams. We discussed the book The Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey (the younger) and sunddenly A LIGHT BULB WENT OFF for me. It seemed there might be a connection between trust and directness. Let me explain a little more.

For me, trust is my line in the sand. I inherently trust people - I trust them to do the right things, I trust them to be honest with me, I trust them to do their work in an excellent manner, and I trust them to be ethical in their decisions and actions. I give them trust to begin with (as opposed to them having to earn my trust). I think that because of that starting point, I am also able to be direct with them. Because I trust them (and they know I trust them), I can tell them what I see and observe in their behavior, be it positive or negative. Because they trust me (trust is often reciprocal), they can handle that directness because they know I have their best interest at heart - and more important I have the best interest of the organization at heart. Trust provides the opportunity to be direct...and being direct can build a greater sense of trust.

So how can we make this more of a reality in our own lives and in the lives of our organizations?

1. when being direct, shape your comments around the organization, not the individual
2. when being direct, reflect how one's weaknesses are often a result of the overuse of their strengths
3. when being direct, be sure to note that you may be wrong (and if so, allow the person to tell you so)
4. when being direct, state the issue and let it go (do not beat the person up with negative comments)
5. when being direct, be sure you have your facts straight
6. when being direct, be sure to follow up to see if the behavior has changed
7. when being direct, do so with an empathetic heart, mind and voice
8. when being direct, trust that the comment will be taken in the spirit in which it is given

What do you think? Is there a connection here? What does an organization look like when trust and directness is present in all areas? And while this post seems to infer trust and directness from a superior to a subordinate, does the same hold true from the subordinate to the superior - and/or across similar levels? And ultimately, where trust and directness is a part of the culture, does an organization even need levels?