Mountain State University LeaderTalk

Lead Like Santa

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?

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

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?

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.

Physical Fitness and Leadership

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

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

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?

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.

Leaders Who Listen

by Vanetta Phifer
Often leaders spend a great deal of time communicating visions and objectives, creating agendas, facilitating meetings, engaging in conversations, responding to emails, developing important letters and documents, giving directions, providing motivational speeches and responding to questions. After all this, many leaders are frustrated when these communications receive verbal responses of support, yet turn out the "same old" results. This behavior is common in many organizations. The effectiveness of communication is evaluated by the end result; consequently if a leader is not experiencing intended outcomes, communication style must change. At what point does the leader take the time to listen? How much time will a leader spend preparing the message instead of hearing the message?

A leader can build an entire new world off of what is communicated but not said. Some leaders get used to followers stroking egos and telling them what they want to hear yet become aggravated when intended communication doesn't bring about a change. Margaret Wheatley, in Leadership and the New Science (McGraw-Hill, 1994), states that it is beneficial to positive change to let go of a present form so a new one can emerge in a form better suited to the demands of the present environment.

What connections of communication do you need to let go? What is your organization telling you? Are you listening to early warning signs of where change is needed? Do you spend more time talking with the same people and expecting different results? Leaders who listen will hear not only what is being said, but what is not said. Your universe is speaking ---

L = Look for those quiet or unknown
I = Interact with these individuals in an informal dialogue
S = Seek for sincerity and truth
T = Truth breeds freedom
E = Expect challenges
N = Necessitate change

Vanetta Phifer works as the program coordinator for MSU's Organizational Leadership program and is currently finishing up her first semester in the Doctor of Executive Leadership program.  

Leadership Breeds Character

by Nicole Greer, PPCC

Myrtle Clara Catherine Charlotte Wittkop Hehl raised me. Grandma Myrt was named after every single one of her grandmothers for a reason. As a child, I marveled at the length of her name. It delighted me to say it, tell my friends about her unique moniker and to hear Grandma's stories time and time again of the women who led her in many different ways to become the woman she was.

Why would my great grandmother, Sadie Wittkop, give her only little girl of six children this name? To make certain no one missed the love, lessons, and a legacy for being a strong woman of character.  In this name is a call to awareness. Awareness that I too must lead and leave an imprint on those I touch.  Leadership is influence. It's the ability to motivate someone to learn, to grow into his or her ordained potential.  Influence must be approached with our whole being.  As leaders, we must use our head, heart, gut, and spirit to affect others.  We must demonstrate character. These are traits that can be celebrated for generations.

Leaders are wise.

Grandma Myrt shared her hard- won lessons.  Every task we worked on together was full of tips, shortcuts, and best practices. She would always say, "Let me show you how to do it. Watch me." Here's how you can embody wisdom:

• Embrace your unique viewpoint, give a new perspective.
• Make clarity your aim, have temperance.
• Be disciplined to stay with a task until you master it, be diligent.

Leaders embrace humanity.

Grandma Myrt loved deeply. With six children of her own and twenty-one grand "babes," she embraced the beauty and the unpleasant side of individuals. Her heart overflowed through a life of dedicated letter writing, package sending, and birthday celebrating! Her greatest gift was her counsel around relationships. When I would lament about the behavior of other kids at school or the cruelness of my brother she would always say, "Honey, kill 'em with kindness." Here's how you can influence with high regard to humanity:

• Always be yourself, authenticity creates trust.
• Be nice, understand your behavior has consequences and be considerate.
• Build friendships wherever you go, be a diplomat.

Leaders are courageous.

Grandma Myrt had a sense of urgency.  There was never any time to waste. She knew problems didn't fix themselves and she would always say, "Get on with it." Grandma led with her gut and showed me courage. Here's how you can demonstrate courage:

• Take a stand on a conviction and demonstrate confidence.
• Boldly and bravely explore unchartered territory.
• Commit to your work and complete what you start…have integrity.

Leaders are spirited.

Grandma Myrt was enthusiastic. She was in touch with the idea that she was not in this life alone. She had an inner spark that shed light on what was possible.  If she didn't know how to do something, she would always say, "God willing, we can make it happen." And we did. Here's how you can lead with spirit:

• Love to learn and be receptive.
• Engage the future to be inspired.
• Invent new ways of doing things and be creative.

Nicole Greer, PPCC, is a professional life and business coach, as well as a student in Organizational Leadership at MSU.

 

Celebrating Forgiveness

by Dr. Penelope Gladwell

Memorial Day began at the close of the Civil War, when families torn apart by that horrific struggle sought to honor all those who died on both sides by visiting their graves and often decorating them with American flags or other symbols of unity. It was important as a nation to admit that such an extreme loss of life was wrong; that the effects of the war devastated North and South alike; and that whatever excuses history might offer could not erase what was done.

In our nation we take time out each year, on the last Monday in May, to commemorate that human need to apologize, to remember our incivilities, and to be agents of reconciliation in our society.

Asking for forgiveness is part and parcel of leadership character. In his book Choosing Civility (2002) P. M. Forni says as we go through life we are bound to offend someone, upset others, and cause feelings of anxiety or stress. Leaders will take their businesses through change that requires retraining, relocations, or layoffs. Organizations will require extra efforts from members on occasion. Parents will make tough choices that impact the lives of their children. And apologizing is the decent thing to do. It is a most valuable resource for those who seek to be fair and considerate.

It is not an easy thing to do, however. If we ask for forgiveness in earnest, we have to struggle with our own pride. We would like the other person to make the first move so we could add, "Me too." But it really is up to us to own our actions and understand the impact of our choices on others.

Apologies may not always be received graciously, much as we may want to have a clean slate. But that cannot deter us from the practice.  Gestures of empathy are noticed. Regretting that we have been the source of hurt keeps our spirits pliable. Being aware of the feelings of others and the risks of injuring another person from our position of authority keeps us humble as leaders.

What does your organization need to remember and then say, "I owe you an apology"?

How is your leadership a source of reconciliation?

Dr. Penelope Gladwell, associate professor for leadership at MSU Martinsburg, is a lifelong learner, having degrees from several seminaries and universities. She is a teacher/facilitator with experience at the elementary, high school, undergraduate, and graduate levels. A consultant, public speaker, counselor, and workshop developer, Dr. Gladwell is happy to share the secrets of her resilience with all comers!

Wow, what an experience: Reflections on LeadershipLink 2011

By Dr. Jimmy Arthur Atkins

I attended the first annual LeadershipLink conference in the spring of 2009 at Mountain State University in Beckley, WV. In fact, I still have the T-shirt that came with the registration. Although the T-shirt is a little faded now, my experience at the conference is still fresh in my mind. LeadershipLink, now in its third year, continues to provide rich opportunities for scholars, practitioners, and students to contribute to new and emerging paradigms of leadership. 

This year's conference focused on leading self with character. The opening keynote address by Dr. Glenda Simms on women and leadership caused moments of reflection as I considered the many important women in my life — my wife, mother, sisters, and grandmother who have encouraged me to pursue my dreams.

The conference offered diverse sessions related to leading self with character including emotional intelligence, integrity, ethical decision making, leading with purpose, and personal brand loyalty. A consistent thread of discussion that ran through each session was the need for leaders to be true to themselves and others. Moreover, it was clear from the onset that leadership is inside out rather than outside in, a view of leadership that I find consistent with my own values and beliefs.

On the last day of the conference, I had the opportunity to present on the importance of courage and resiliency for leaders. In my mind, the two are not mutually exclusive. I also discussed the "f" word — failure — and what we can learn from it. It takes resiliency and courage to bounce back from disappointment, pain, and feelings of inadequacy.

On the drive back to Charlotte along the picturesque mountains of West Virginia on I-77, I felt a renewed sense of purpose and passion. The conference helped me to refocus on two important questions: Who am I, and for what purpose was I created? I am looking forward to participating in LeadershipLink 2012. A special thank you to everyone who participated and shared presentations, ideas, gifts, and talents to make the conference a success. 

Dr. Jimmy Arthur Atkins is an Associate Professor in MSU's Charles H. Polk School of Leadership and Professional Development and is based at MSU's center in Hickory, N.C. He is the founder and managing partner of The Atkins Leadership Group and speaks regularly on the topic of leadership with corporate, non-profit, and faith-based groups.