Mountain State University LeaderTalk

Veterans Day Thoughts

Captain Joe Newcomb, a graduate of Mountain State University's Master of Science/Physician Assistant program, is preparing for deployment.

From the deserts of the Middle East to the tundra of Alaska, from the open waters off the coast of Puerto Rico to 30,000 feet above the earth, Captain Newcomb has been using his medical training to make a difference in people's lives.

On Saturday, he will return to the Middle East after repeating the goodbyes that have become familiar to him during his military career. This time, though, Joe will leave behind his wife, Hoi Ling, his three year old daughter, Yukiko, and his one year old son, Noah.

Joe will be providing medical care to whoever needs it, including flight crews and pilots, as an Aeromedical Physician Assistant in a brigade that gives relief to battalions on leave. His brigade will work in both Iraq and Afghanstan.

For a year, he will miss milestones and smiles, while working hard to ensure that other families, like his, will be safely reunited.

Mountain State University is proud of those individuals like Joe who sacrifice to serve our country. On Veterans Day, and every day, we salute those who lead, serve, and sacrifice.

MSU participates in tuition assistance programs designed to help veterans as well as active duty military members complete their education.

Staging/Branding

This is my kitchen.

It has never looked this way before.

For days, I have been in the middle of packing up and putting away, clearing off and sweeping out. With a combination of hard work and window cleaner, I am making the surfaces in my home shine.

We are staging; strategically arranging our home to look its best for potential buyers. In this market, our realtor tells us, it is important to get everything right — starting with the price — to increase our chances of success.

Most of our rooms now contain about half of what they did before. By the time our home goes on the market later this week, many traces of our family's personality will be removed to present a glossy, photo ready space. Counters clear, half empty and tidy closets, books lonely on the shelves.

This is not really how people live.

Of course, I know that, and realtors know that, and buyers know that. But the message we are creating is that of the better and happier life that they can achieve by buying a new home. And it works.

In many ways, personal branding is a similar process.

Personal branding is put-your-best-foot-forward, minimize your weakness, highlight your strengths, be competitive in today's competitive work environment. Personal branding is a new way of life.

Personal branding is NOT about projecting an unrealistic ideal. If your personal brand is unrealistically perfect, those who follow will inevitably feel discouraged. A staged home permits people to use their imaginations to consider how they can express themselves in the space. As you are honest about imperfections and foibles, you help others embrace the freedom to be who they are, releasing them from the need to live up to your ideal.

Personal branding is NOT about crafting a false impression of your value. As you work at expressing your personal brand, you are showcasing your inherent value.

Personal branding is NOT about hiding your personality. Instead, it IS about shining: allowing who you are deep down to shine through in a way that allows you to connect with others and make an impact through what you do.

Personal branding IS strategic. The way you present yourself to others should be well-planned, thought-through, and carefully considered.

Personal branding sends a message. To create a personal brand, you clarify who you are and what you can do. Then, you present it to others in a holistic and recognizable package. As you interact in the workplace, your community, and the cyber-world, you gain personal and brand recognition, creating opportunities to engage and influence others with increasing success.

And it works.

Transparency

My neighbor stopped me on the stairs to ask how I'm doing.

Two weeks ago my husband got news of a long awaited transfer, and she knows we have been busily preparing for the transition.

"It's hard," I said.

"I know," she answered. "I told my husband that when we moved here, it was one of the most stressful times I can remember, and it was just the two of us then. I can't imagine what it's like with all your kids. I think I read that moving is on the top of the most stressful life events list."

So this morning, I took at look at a life events stress test. Even when you add up all the associated changes with this move: change in residence, new mortgage, major change in living conditions, change in social activities, change in frequency of family gatherings — the relative amount of stress still doesn't come close to the stress caused by the major three (death of spouse, divorce, marital separation.)

A simplistic test, of course, can't reflect the nuances of a situation. To get a true read on my stress level, you would need to ask the right questions and listen carefully to my response. If I were transparent in sharing my answers, you would get a much more accurate reading than the one the online test gave.

But do you really want to know?

In the workplace, or out, how much transparency do we want? Yesterday, I read a blog post from a woman sharing about her hysterectomy, thanking her uterus for its faithful service. Penelope Trunk made national news recently when she tweeted about a miscarriage, while it was happening, during a business meeting. These type of posts can be really helpful to read, especially if you are experiencing a similar situation.

But what about day to day, with people you know or talk to regularly? Do you want them to be transparent, sharing about their health crisis, family, or marital problems? Or would you prefer that they carefully put on their game face and carry on as usual?

A Special Request

Not long ago, many of you helped us celebrate 100 posts at the LeaderTalk blog. Now that we are starting our second half year in this space, we would like to get to know who are readers are.

I would appreciate it if you could take a moment — right now — and send me an email at brobinson@mountainstate.edu. Tell me where you live, what you do, and what draws you to read this blog. If you feel like it, tell how old you are, what kind of leader you are, and some goals you have for the future.

As we plan for the future here at LeaderTalk, we will use this information to help make sure we provide the kind of content that will keep you coming back.

By the way, even if you think I already know who you are, I still want to hear from you. Thanks in advance for your help with this special request.

The November 1st Leadership Development Carnival

The Leadership Development Carnival is up at Great Leadership by Dan, and it's a great one. I am excited to take some time to read over the posts, and excited to be included again in this month's carnival.

If you are new to blog reading or writing, you may not know about carnivals. A blog carnival is a compilation of posts on a specific theme or topic. It's a great place to get learn new things about your favorite topics of interest and find new blogs to read. Anyone can contribute, so it's the perfect opportunity for someone just starting out with blogging to get some exposure.

One new blogger in this month's carnival who is making a big splash recently is Mountain State University's own Dallas Bragg. Dallas is the Director of Recruiting and Training at Mountain State University and an online instructor. I have never met Dallas in person — he travels extensively for his job and happened to be out of town both times I visited our main campus in Beckley, WV — but we have shared a lot of tweets and talked on the phone. It has been my pleasure to encourage him in the process of getting established with his new blog, Developing Daily. If you have not done so yet, check it out. Dallas has some great insights about leadership, especially in the area of integrating new employees.

As you look ahead to next month's carnival, hosted by Mark Stelzner at Inflexion Point, consider how you might participate. Maybe you'll start a new blog this month; if so, a carnival is a great place to gain an introduction to some new readers. Maybe you know a new blogger, like Dallas, who would be encouraged by inclusion in the carnival; perhaps you can encourage that new blogger to submit by making sure he knows how. Any event is more fun when you bring others along.

See you there!

DEL Students in the Spotlight | Barbara Julian Garner

Recently Barbara Julian Garner joined 14 other individuals in the inaugural cohort of Mountain State University’s Doctor of Executive Leadership program. These 15 students are the leaders among leaders, paving the way for others who enroll in the program. Over the next months, we will introduce you to the students of our program and give you a glimpse into their lives as leaders.

When Barbara Garner announced her intention to earn a doctorate, curious friends and family members wondered at her decision; at age 61, many of her peers are looking toward retirement. But Barbara is excited and anticipating not only this time of study, but also the plans she has in mind for the future.

In addition to owning her own consulting company, Barbara coordinates the medical programs at WV Junior College Morgantown. Each year, graduation is an important milestone and remembrance for her.

She remembers the inspiration and encouragement she received from her father about the importance of education. Before Barbara could walk, he invested in an insurance policy set aside to fund her college education. This —in the mid 50s, when most of her friends did not even consider college an option — gave her an understanding of the value of education and the expectation of limitless possibilities ahead. 

She remembers her own struggle to complete college at age 40 after beginning years before as a traditional student.

She remembers the wide smiles of her mother and pride of her father as they watched from the audience on the day she received her degree.

She remembers the story of each student graduating and the hours spent together in her classroom or office. She remembers patiently helping each one who faced different obstacles yet overcame them in  hope for a successful career.

One lesson from these first days in the DEL cohort that she is striving to incorporate comes from this quote from Jerry Hunt at Texas Tech University who wrote:

The color of leadership is bright orange, the color of leadership research is slate grey.

As a leader, Barbara knows that she wears bright orange, vibrant and standing out for others to see and emulate. As a leadership researcher, she understands the importance of thinking grey, open to new ideas.

Barbara Garner truly models the way for her students. As a lifelong learner, she daily lives out the values she is teaching. She is a teacher — and a student. A leader — and one who follows. And she wears bright orange — and grey.

Be Who You Are

Steve Roesler, one of my favorite leadership bloggers, is the CEO of his own business. His frequent updates are always practical, and reflect the wisdom of his 30 plus years of experience with executives

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Another favorite, Mary Jo Asmus, owns a leadership solutions firm, Aspire Collaborative Services. She has a special focus on soft skills needed for leadership success and has a unique way of challenging leaders to be thoughtful in their relationship building on the job.

Wally Bock gathers the best from the business press about leadership, top stories from the news, and highlights from independent business blogs, and presents them weekly to his readers, along with his own commentary. His other posts provide insights and ideas for leaders at all levels. Wally reads everything so the rest of us don't have to.

Miki Saxon, who leads her own company, RampUp Solutions, Inc. , writes Leadership Turn. She brings her unique MAP (mindset, attitude, and philosophy) to everything she writes. She is not afraid to tell it like it is. She often includes quotes and cartoons in her off-beat blog.

Here's the thing: I am not Steve; I am not Mary Jo; I am not Wally; I am not Miki. 

Discovering and defining who we are includes understanding and accepting our unique life circumstances, values, preferences, and limitations.

Earlier this week, I loaded my three daughters into the van for a trip to O'Hare to meet Lisa Rosendahl, a friend I met on Twitter. I had planned to leave them with a sitter but at the last minute, those plans fell through.

I had a decision to make. I could cancel the meeting, and miss an opportunity to connect in person, or I could bring my crew along.

It's not the first time I have included one of the girls in my work relationships. Anyone who has ever talked to me on Skype knows that my daughters' faces frequently show up in range of my webcam. Or if you have talked to me on the phone, you might know that my conversations are frequently interrupted, sometimes happilly, other times, not so.

Earlier this summer, while on campus at Mountain State University, my youngest daughter colored and played nearby while I did Twitter training with a few staff members; later, she snacked on Cheetos while I worked on last minute edits of a blog post.

In some ways, I would like to have a firmer boundary between who I am at work and my life at home. I envision myself putting on my professional self like a suit and walking into meetings on confident career legs, unencumbered the ballet bag full of colored pencils, books, stickers and snacks I carry to keep my girls occupied. At this stage of my life, though, that vision is unrealistic.

Being with my girls and juggling work and home life is what I do now. More than that, it is who I am. As I write about leadership here, I bring all of who I am.

Sometimes you might see my girls peeking through the spaces in my sentences; sometimes, I let them take center stage. But they're always around: sticky fingers, whiny cries, sweet smiles.

This is who I am. Who are you?

Leading in Relationships

A few Sundays ago, while visiting family out of state, our family spent the day with my husband’s cousin Katie. She came after church and stayed until after our three daughters went to bed. The picture of her in our wedding album is a pre-teen grinning at the camera; now, she is a doctoral candidate in economics – nearly 30 -- who teaches intro level business courses at a state college near her home while researching her dissertation.

After a cook-out, Katie joined in our afternoon activities: play-doh at the table, a walk outside to check out the soybeans growing nearby, a seemingly endless game of War. At dusk, Katie chased our daughters around the pond, picking them up and twirling them around. She sat on my daughter’s bed and listened to her read, encouraging her efforts, taking turns with each page.

Along the way, we squeezed in bits of conversation about a crisis she is having right now in her work life. Mostly, I listened. Once the girls were sleeping, she took a deep breath and then shared the whole story, one that is about work but also about friendship, faith, and risks.

During our day together, I made a connection with Katie that is giving me an opportunity to influence her and support her at this critical time in her life. Later, she sent me a text and followed up with a phone call. 

“Yesterday was one of the best days I have had in a long time. You helped me see what is really important in life, family and love, and now I know what I want.”

Katie reminded me of something important, also. In order to lead and influence others, we have to be available and intentional in our relationships.

The best way to lead others is to invite them into your life, whatever it might look like. As you invite others along  -- to the boardroom, the classroom, or the playground -- you create an environment that allows your relationship to grow.

Relationships take time, sometimes years:  time when we build a foundation of love and respect. Yet when we make ourselves available to others, we may have the opportunity to have a significant impact by giving encouragement, direction, or help. 

A happy postscript: In the weeks since I wrote this post, our family got news that we will soon be moving back to my husband’s hometown. We look forward to many more happy afternoons spent with my daughters’ favorite cousin Katie.

Running Together

At the starting line of Sunday's half marathon in Des Moines, I waited for the race to begin. As I started to run, I reached to tap the timer on my watch... the screen went blank. Dead battery. 

For a few minutes, I obsessed over the frustration of not being able to pace myself well. Trying to push those thoughts aside, I opened my eyes to the sights of the course including the gold-gilded Iowa State Capitol; I let myself feel the contrast between the brisk air and the sunshine and listened to the rise and fall of my feet in rhythm with the hundreds of runners surrounding me.

I watched the miles slide away, feeling strong. As I reached the 10K mark, the only spot on the course with a race clock, I realized I had started the race WAY TOO FAST. Through miles six to ten, I could tell my pace was slowing. One person after another passed me by.

The last half of the race circled a beautiful lake before returning to downtown. After crossing a bridge, we ran into the wind. I felt depleted. Coming up a small rise, I saw a man struggling as much as I was.

"I have nothing left," I said to him. "How about you?"

"It's going to be all guts from here," he said.

Throughout the last three miles, we stayed together. He would stop to walk and I would continue my steady, but slow, jog. Eventually, I would see him beside me again. Jerry, from Lincoln, Nebraska, and I, turned to the final stretch of the race. "Let's finish strong together," I said to him.

As I caught my breath after a fast kick to the finish, I turned to congratulate Jerry.

When the race we are running is real life, it is even more important to have a Jerry to keep us going. We need to know that we are not alone in the struggle. Sometimes it may not be clear who is doing the encouraging. In connecting with Jerry late in the race, I wanted to help him along, but I also gained strength from his presence. I kept his white shirt in my sights, making sure we stayed together in those last miles.

Who are you running life's race with today? How can you encourage your team to persevere and finish strong?

LeaderExtra | Dr. George E. Walker's Speech to the Inaugural DEL Class, October 19, 2009

Last weekend, Dr. George Walker's keynote address invigorated the new students in our Doctor of Executive Leadership program. His talk centered on creating intellectual communities and changing the way we educate students in doctoral programs.

As a LeaderExtra today, we give you a chance to be a member of our class, learning from Dr. Walker while you listen to this 90 minute unedited replay. Listen here at LeaderTalk or download for your personal player.

Download