MGMT6000 Mid-Term Alan Devine

Module 1 Changing Times and What It Will Take to Succeed

Its a Challenging Organization World! In todays organizational world, there is great turbulence and great opportunity: Its a war out there! Employees must adapt quickly to change as well as do more with less. There is great need nowadays to have greater emphasis on vision values and goals to keep people focused. Managers must become Leaders. Constant restructuring and improving is needed. Workforces are more and more Diverse. Times Have Changed. But, you can get/stay on top. Leaders Leading and having a healthy People/Performance balance are the key. Be aware of present realities and future trends. Know your strengths and opportunities for improvement. Surround yourself with leaders. Develop clear vision, show and encourage passion, be proactive, action oriented, open, innovative and supportive. Again, the key is LEADERS LEADING HEALTHY ORGANIZATIONS AND ACHIEVING HIGH LEVEL RESULTS. It Pays To Do Things Right and Costs When You Dont. The key focus is on leadership, people and performance. This section had many metrics and impressive descriptions of the superiority of doing things right: Built to Last Visionaries 15 times shareholder value; Most Admired companies doubled market return of competitors, THRASHED, MASSIVELY OUTPERFORMED competitors. Doing things right pays off. A personal example can be seen in my private/personal life when I have done things right and done the right things, life has rewarded me with success, happiness, and peace. When I have not done things right, I have lost jobs, relationships, and self respect. What It Will Take For Organizations to Win? It takes High Impact Leaders, Gold Collar Workers, high performance teams, and being a world class organization to win in changing times. You have to be able to define world class, excellence, and high quality to live it. Think it, act on it, habituate it, be it. It starts by defining your terms. If you cant define it, how can you ever reach it? Organizational visions, missions, and charters try to do this, but it may take more. Again: Live it every day, starting from the top. Also: Gold collar workers are eager learners known for teachability/adaptability/re-inventiveness. The Three Organization Options In Changing Times: 1) Actively pursue excellence Commit to Transformational change, Prepare to Win, Develop a Plan For Achieving excellence, Have Leaders Champion the Process, Involve All in Winning 2) Settle for Mediocrity If your organization stays the same while others are improving, it will by default become mediocre. 3) Risk Obsolescence Go under, become acquired, or decline in size, performance, and morale. In my life, I have lived mostly pursuing excellence, but quite often settled for mediocrity. After my 20001 divorce, I risked obsolescence by not working and/or keeping up with technology which literally ended my Info Technology / Systems Analysis career!

Who Will Succeed In Changing Times? Many in our CLT graded themselves harshly (no such thing as a 10), but I gave myself an 82 on the Who Will Succeed Questionnaire, with the caveat that if I dont apply myself I quickly slip down at least 10 points. Strengths include Being Positive, Uplifting, Resourceful, and a problem solver. Weaknesses are (sometimes) commitment to excellence and handling stress and adversity. Our Class Learning Team shared a variety of strengths and weaknesses, which was a great way to introduce ourselves to each other. We came to realize that to succeed, we need to understand our strengths and weaknesses, celebrating our strengths and working to improve our weaknesses. Reading 1 Illusion Article This article suggests leaders are usually last to know when an organization is regressing and/or unraveling. The solution to preventing this is ultimately the trilogy of leaders leading, high performance, and positive people environments. Leaders must be trained to lead, creating clear vision, direction, and inspiration. They must understand the importance of the people/performance balance. Regular reality checks surveying and interviewing employees can surface regression. Focus groups can be used. Keeping leaders in touch with employees is critical this can be done by a number of methods: hands on management, leading from front not rear, management by walking around, etc. Culture teams that define what a healthy, high performance culture should be, develop a plan for building this culture, and evaluate progress and advise leadership on how to help can be appointed. These approaches make it possible to build an organization that both gets good results AND is a great place to work (as opposed to the tyranny of the OR. All of this is in response to what employees are often experiencing today: pushed to work harder, longer, faster, and smarter; plummeting morale with leaders unaware or with other priorities, disillusionment, frustration, and resistance to change, along with increasing people problems because of this. In a past job at Colorado Interstate Gas, I firsthand saw the plummeting morale which management missed until two key employees left despite what was (to us employees) clearly a frustrating environment. Fortunately, after a brief period of chaos, my manager became a leader, hands on and caring, while championing production. He reconnected with his employees, shared in victories and successes. His transformation to leader (from manager), and our teams transformation to a healthy, high performing team, started after overcoming the illusion that all was well. Huge parts of this transformation included rewarding our team for successes, humanizing the team (and leadership) through the leader keeping in touch and becoming more hands on, and better communication up and down and throughout the team. In a future endeavor, I fear my fathers small business, which I may one day run, is operating under a great illusion while really Settling for Mediocrity and Risking Obsolescence, with much frustration and disillusionment from the employees due to the Laissez Faire management style of my father. I continue to use the information from these articles and this class to plan/prepare/strategize the possible transition/succession IT WONT BE EASY but the most rewarding things never are, are they?

Module 2 The Organization of The Future

Is Your Organization Prepared to Succeed In Changing Times? This questionnaire was devised to evaluate how prepared your organization is in changing times. Our class evaluated the organizations we worked for, and then discussed the results in our CLTs. I evaluated two organizations: Colorado Interstate Gas a previous employer, and Rocky Mountain Data Services, an employer I have plans to internship with, and maybe run someday. CIG got fairly strong marks. Its strengths included its ability to attract, train, and retain needed talent, and its organization structure of the right design, technology, processes, systems, and people doing the right things. Its weakness was its design and ability for change since it was from old oil, it was slow to move forward. Rocky Mountain Data Services got low marks across the board, which is scary. It seems to be a dead organization, barely surviving, with most or all employees (starting with the Executive Director, my father) simply collecting paychecks. It is a stagnant organization, lacking vision, strategy, team or talent building. Low, low marks. In our CLT, there seemed to be a lot of average to below average grades, with organizations lacking skills across the board. One interesting and ongoing (and changing) story was Patricias, who now faces the huge uncertainty of change following a citywide vote. Discuss Payoffs Of Building Healthy, High Performance Organizations The class discussion of the Payoffs of building Healthy, high performance organizations included satisfied, happy, and retained employees, higher productivity, increased profits, happier customers (example: how you are treated by a flight attendant is likely a reflection of how that person is treated by his/her employing airline. Clearly, the downside of NOT building healthy, high performing orgs is all the opposites: disgruntled employees, absenteeism, workplace violence, law suits, lower productivity, lower profits (or losses), inability to attract talent, poor execution, etc.

What The Best Organizations of the Future will be Like 1) Leadership is Key - Orgs reflect leadership, so leadership is key - Leaders must lead from the front, be involved - Leaders must show passion for excellence - They must walk the walk, be humble, competent, visible, approachable, trustworthy, not egotistical - Must be Clock Builders, not Time Tellers 2) Clear Vision and Strategy - Org must define and maintain a clearly stated and focused strategy. If you can define it, you can build it. - Must focus on people and performance - Must be clear, energizing, and well communicated throughout organization 3) Respectful, Diverse Culture - Emphasis on being open, straightforward, and doing what is right - Trust and respect others - Encourage teamwork and self-directing - Free people to be their best - Value discipline, allow and encourage diversity in thought and behavior 4) Healthy Happy People (Employees) -Treat people right, they will reciprocate - Make having a committed, motivated, and well trained workforce a leadership priority - Treat people at all levels with value - Attract, retain, develop, and fully utilize committed and talented people - Who first, then How 5) Happy Satisfied Customers - Build positive relationships with present and potential customers - Know and understand the needs of internal and external customers - Make meeting customer needs a priority throughout the organization 6) Constantly Learning and Improving - Place a strong emphasis on continuous learning, improvement, and development of the individual, group and organization - Provide many opportunities for people to share ideas and make improvements - Never allow complacency or maintaining the status quo 7) Innovative, Creative, Risk Taking - Make industry transforming innovations - Encourage and reward risk taking and creativity; lower risk for experimentation - Create opportunities for people to share ideas and act quickly to new opportunities -Try a lot of stuff and keep what works 8) Flexibility and Adaptability - Be Agile and Fluid, ready to change whenever need or opportunities arise - Listen to new voices, from both inside and outside the organization - Be willing (and able) to change everything if thats what it takes to succeed. 9) Execute Focus on What You Do, and Do it Well - Preserve the Core, Align everything with the vision and Core - Develop and Maintain flawless operational execution - Excel at teamwork and success, keep pushing the flywheel to build momentum 10) Love What You Do - Relentless focus on excellence in your org - Create a Cause, not a business - Cult like cultures produce exceptional results and loyalty - You cant fake Genuine. Genuinely LOVE what you do otherwise, why do it?

Lessons In Leadership Chapter 1 Case 1 A Physician Turned Leader Commits To Building An Award Winning Organization It is exciting to read a success story from an often heckled and downtrodden industry HealthCare. Jeff Weisz is the kind of hero healthcare needs. His shared leadership style, surrounding himself with leaders, giving great leeway for decision making, and not caring who gets the credit seems almost required in an environment where so many in the medical field are autonomous but HMOs so often seem to dictate from the top. The Vision of Great Healthcare, Work As a Team, and Trust Each Other Weisz shares with peers seems to focus on the key production of the business (Great Healthcare) AND create a great people environment (Work As a Team, and Trust Each Other). His focus on patients first, then physicians, then the organization puts emphasis on Doing The Right Thing for People First, then the profits and productivity of the organization can be focused on. Innovation and change, specifically the HealthConnect EMR, seem particularly difficult in the nonhierarchical world of health care. Even Weisz said HealthConnect killed me for three years! Nonetheless, Weisz stuck to it because he knew it would ultimately improve patient outcomes, bring greater transparency and accountability to physicians, and increase quality of care. Sticking to what is important, no matter how big the challenge, is important. Dr. Weisz came to the table with great experience and professional ability. Then he selected high performance leaders to surround him (by picking people smarter than me) who worked hard to improve the organization. They set clear Vision and Mission, and worked together to improve processes and align resources with true clinical and patient needs. Dr. Jeff Weisz has made Kaiser Permanente as a world class organization and a leader in healthcare, possibly even a model for worldwide healthcare.

Module 3 Leadership: The Most Important Skill In the Organization of the Future
Why Leadership Is So Important Leadership is the single most important factor in determining the success and effectiveness of organizations. Leaders keep people focused on the common goal (vision), and good leadership steers people through difficult times. You lead an organization to greatness, NOT manage it to greatness If there is a leadership vacuum, the vacuum almost always gets filled by undesirable consequences and behaviors. At Rocky Mountain Data Services (my dads company) his laisse faire leadership style creating the vacuum which is filled with tons of undesirable behaviors and maybe someday, consequences. Words from experts: Welch: Vision, Passion, Driven, Energy, Make It Happen; Drucker: Lifting, Raising, Building; Kotter: define vision, align people, inspire; OPEN, Informed, Straight, Accessible, Tell Story Differences in Management, Leadership, and Transformational Leadership Management The process of coordinating Human and Material resources to Effectively and Efficiently accomplish Goals by using skills in Planning, Organizing, Directing, Controlling, and Executing Leadership The process of providing Vision, Direction, and Inspiration Transformational Leadership The Process of utilizing skills in Leadership, Championing Needed Change, and Transforming Organizations to prepare them to excel. The differences in these are that Management is running day to day, overseeing and directing people and things. Leadership is Visionary, providing direction and inspiration. Transformational Leadership is the way of future success, including Championing Change, and preparing organizations for future successes and excellence. Leaders Provide Vision, Direction, and Inspiration Leaders provide Vision-giving people a clear purpose and compelling reasons for doing what they do; Direction- Clarifying Goals(what), Values(how), and Priorities(what is most important, and inspiration- Leading by example and motivating people to excel, meet the challenge, and persevere Leaders keep people focused on the vision, keep them enthused about the pursuit of the ideal organization, and steer them through difficult times by walking the talk.

How Committed is Your Organization to Developing Leaders In Organizations I have been involved with in the past, there has been little to no effort in developing leaders. This is quite an eye opener, since most organizations would state that leadership is an important quality. DISCONNECT! In our Class Learning Team meeting, no one claimed great dedication to developing leaders. The only clear organization was the military, where volunteering for opportunities and taking on leadership roles was encouraged and rewarded. I have also seen where organizations rotate managers around different areas of the organization, which seems to be a common effort to build well rounded leaders but could be more management than specifically leadership building.0020 Nonetheless, our group felt that leaders grow from leadership opportunities and experiences, so volunteering, taking advantage of opportunities, and just doing it are great development processes. What Followers Want from Leaders The workbook says Followers want Honest, Competent, Forward Looking, and Inspiring Leaders. Kouzes and Posner say three questions should be answered: Who am I?, Who are You?, and Who are We?: These nicely cover the topic. Who am I? this is the essence of honesty and competence. Are leaders willing to be open and honest, and do they have the skills to get the job done? Who are you? nicely ties honesty and inspiration together. Managers need to communicate with employees and understand who they are, and CARE, in order to inspire in them greatness. Who are we? Shows forward looking vision while acknowledges the need for self-evaluation, improvement, and goal setting and achieving. Evaluating Your Leadership and Management Skills Evaluating and scoring my leadership/management skills was painful I am painfully Under Developed in EVERY category. While this could be a case of real life practice makes perfect, it certainly showed the need for a renewed focus on Skills and Practicing the application of leadership skills. Even skills I thought I had, such as Getting Results and Communication fell dreadfully short. All these skills need to be practiced. For me, the most obvious approach starts with excellence, the pursuit and projection of it every day, making choices and taking actions that are in alignment with the desired IDEAL Self.

Other specifics: Motivate others, help and encourage them too often I do it myself and or choose to isolate myself, staying in my comfort zone. Similarly, I often find the answer myself, instead of creating a participatory, inclusive approach to problem solving. Although my Ability to communicate is good, my Practice of communication is minimal, especially in situations of conflict. Confronting in an honest and valuing fashion are skill sets I need to work on and develop to truly be a great communicator. Discuss the Four Basic Leadership Styles and their Consequences, and Your Dominant and Back-Up Leadership Style Human Relations Leadership Style High Emphasis on People, Low on Performance Over the last few years, I have assumed or rated my dads management style as Laissez-Faire Now I see it more as this: Human Relations Style. He cares about his employees, he tries to maintain harmony without holding people accountable, pushing them for results, or confronting them. This creates a very permissive and less than ideal environment, and is a style Im afraid Ive learned from him. Autocratic Leadership places a high emphasis on performance, and low emphasis on people. Task oriented. These leaders dominate with control, power, and manipulation. Rarely gives compliments, quick to point out weaknesses. Its My Way or the High Way. Laissez-Fair Leadership provides minimal direction, attention to needs or accountability. Leaves people on their own with little or no information or guidance. They cant or dont make tough decisions. Low emphasis on both People and Performance High-Performance Style the desired style places high emphasis on both People and Performance. HP Stylist are results oriented, but excel at valuing, developing, and utilizing people. They strive to create clear goals, challenging work, and an open culture via teamwork, innovations, change management, and a commitment to excellence. I have seen this in a boss at Colorado Interstate Gas, but only after key employees left the company. My dominant leadership style is probably Human Relations, with a backup nearest Lassez-Faire. This showed up for me in my self-assessment of leadership and management skills, as well as the realization that my father demonstrates those styles as well. This is an area I can improve, starting with self, then onto outward projections and everyday reality in groups and organizations I am involved with.

READING 2 - Best Practices Occur When Leaders Lead, Champion Change, and Adopt a Sound Change Process The abstract begins with the premise that most efforts to achieve best practices and competitive advantage will fail! The article goes on to propose alternatives to this failure, offering approaches that will achieve best practices and competitive advantage by having Organization Development practitioners prepare transformational leaders Two key Propositions: 1) Best practices and competitive advantage can best be achieved when leaders lead, champion change, and adopt a sound change process. 2) The most important rol of Internal and External OD Practitioners in the future will be to develop transformational leaders and top leadership teams that are skilled in leading, transforming organizations, and championing and managing change. You can build a good organization with good management, but you can only build a GREAT organization with good LEADERSHIP Leaders are the single most important factor in determining the success and effectiveness of organizations Leaders are the main shapers of organization culture Leaders can make or break organizations by the way they manage change Good Leaders Build Trust Good Leaders Provide the Focus, Direction, and Continuity necessary to keep perspective during times of rapid growth and change, and momentum and hope during difficult times

Helping Leaders Lead: Demystify Leadership qualities: Vision, Credibility, Courage, Adaptability. Help Leaders develop a working definition of leadership (ie.Vision,Direction,Inspiration) Help Leaders Develop a Leadership Philosophy Train, Develop, and Coach Leaders Develop the Top Management Team into a Top Leadership Team

Helping Leaders Champion Change: Agree on the role leaders should take in championing change Provide Training in Change Management Create a Change Management Learning Forum

Helping Organizations Adopt a Sound Change Process Help leaders explore a variety of change models Help Leaders develop their own or select/adopt/modify an existing model to begin applying to their organization

GOOD LEADERSHIP is the key to best practices and competitive advantage. OD Practitioners can have the greatest impact by helping leaders lead, champion change, and adopt a sound change process that is practiced throughout the organization.

Managers Toolkit Chapter 11 Becoming A Leader Certain characteristics exist in effective leaders: These include Caring, Comfort with Ambiguity, Persistence, Excellent Communications, Effective in Negotiations, Politically Astute, Humorous, Level-Headed, Engaging, Challenging, Self-Aware, and Future-Focused. These characteristics will help leaders deal with todays rapidly changing world, recognizing opportunity and threats, becoming alert and enterprising. Managing tension, such as the competitive urge between employees is critical. Sharing decision making, yet knowing when to take charge is another tension management skill. Crafting a Vision - by creating a hoped-for end result: what it will look like, how it will function, and what it will produce is a required leadership skill. People need to see that change will be worth the effort. VIVID Description is important at communicating vision. Be an agent for change articulate the need for change, be trustworthy and competent, motivate people to change, work through and with others to implement change, find and fix stagnant operations/processes. Lead when you are not the boss. Often, leaders accept accountability without authority. I like this five step method: 1) Establish Goals 2) Think Systematically 3) Learn from Experience, Adapt 4) Engage Others 5) Provide Feedback All of the above characteristics, approaches, and recommendations could help me become an effective Leader. In the looming opportunity with RMDS, I will be seen as an outsider, without earned trust or competence, and will need to manage tensions, create vision, engage others, quickly adapt, motivate and work with others to implement needed change.

Lessons In Leadership Chapter 1 Case 2 Visionary Leadership From Northern Ireland: A Woman of Many Firsts Aideen McGinley is a modern day hero and leader, and it was a pleasure to read about her. This story of her life discusses the many successes she led, mostly through great leadership and allowing/aiding others to excel, as well as introduces us to a process she used: Future Search. McGinleys many successes are even more impressive when you know/understand the background and environment inside Northern Ireland. The deep rooted issues, lack of trust, even hatred between the many factions made cooperation seem impossible, and make her efforts and outcomes heroic. The qualities McGinley exhibits that make her a great leader include drive, determination, energy, genuine caring, trustworthiness, selflessness, inclusion, dedication, bravery, generosity, humor, confidence, risk-taking, and on and on. She became and acted as the outcome she wanted and the people/groups/organizations around her followed suit.

Her including and entrusting ALL interested parties from the beginning, not needing to dictate solutions but allowing groups to arrive at the best solutions for themselves is a great quality. Bringing in experts to lead meetings (specifically Future Search), but insisting on inclusion from all for quality outcomes was impressive. The Future Search process itself seems effective Id like to learn more about this. Clearly, it worked for McGinley and she fully buys in. I like the idea of a large group or organization (in her case, a community): 1) Developing vision and strategy, 2) Making an implementation plan; 3) Start action planning with goal clarity. ALL WITHIN 3 DAYS! I am thrilled to have learned of Aideen McGinley; if I can learn and apply a fraction of the skills she demonstrated, I would be quite proud as well as a better person. Lessons In Leadership Chapter 2 Case 1 Ecolab: How A Company Encourages Ethical Leadership This article is especially interesting and timely considering the recent WalMart ethics violations/ inquiries in Mexico! In reading this case, I was AMAZED at the detail and depth of ECOLABs ethical Code of Conduct, which clearly defined (and even gave examples of) actions and situations and expected/acceptable behaviors. Requirements in dealing with customers, contact with competitors, gathering competitor information, and when notifying supervisors and the Law department were documented and clearly laid out. No Gray Area! The pride, awards, and led from the top ethical leadership was obvious. When Doug Baker says Ecolab Values how we achieve those results, and that ethical leadership is a fundamental value in growing his business, people buy-in. The Seven Guidelines to enhance Global Organizations ethical and legal behavior are: Establish Specific Standards of Conduct Appoint a Sales Manager As a Compliance Officer Address Ethical Propensity in the Hiring Process Provide Ethics Training to Salespeople and Sales Managers Monitor Behavior Enforce Ethical Standards Develop an Ethical Culture from within, starting at the top

Ecolab clearly has employed most (if not all) of these efforts, and is a great example of ethics in what could be written off as an unethical environment.

Lessons In Leadership Chapter 3 Case 1 How Leaders And Companies Treat People Matters: Voices Of Women Garment Assembly Workers In Nicaragua This case underlined, highlighted, and exclaimed the need for caring, concerned, committed leaders to engage in socially responsible leadership, especially in the marginalized members of the global community, who often provide goods and services to Americans. At first, I found this difficult to read. While I appreciated the detailed account the author made of her meeting and interview with the twelve Nicaraguan women, including their environment, situation, hardships, perspective, and plight, I felt frustrated by the lack of solution, by the harsh reality. Then, I saw the hopes and dreams of the women in their unionization and the future so much like our own: To learn something To give my children education To have a shop to sell their products To not be mistreated by employer To give children opportunity.

It seems to me that Unionization HAD its place in the United States, but still HAS a place in Nicaragua Unions can help these women in their effort at decency, at human justice, and in creating a better future for them and for workers around the world. This was hard to read I wanted to glaze over the realities these women face. But, could American leaders, far removed from these conditions and injustices, make changes and/or impact these workers in a positive fashion? Could I, as a consumer? Could a Consumer LEAD in a cause? This story impacted me. I wonder, will I react?

Module 4 Value Added Management

Managing in the New Millennium Span of control has grown from about 7 employees to nearly 21 employees over the recent decades. This creates new challenges for managers, whose roles have changed. Changes include: Must quickly adapt to changing needs, demands and circumstances Understand and utilize technology Must manage people remotely, including new technology/virtual meetings Must have thirst for growth and developing people Must do more with less Must add value to teams and organizations, and to processes To get things done in this ever changing world, managers will need to significantly improve people skills, team skills, team building skills, and skills in change management

Understanding the Role Of a Manager And Leader Managers coordinate human and material resources to effectively and efficiently accomplish the goals of an organization Leaders provide vision, direction and inspiration to followers, individuals, teams, and organizations. The primary role of a manager and leader is to develop and apply the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve high performance, motivated people, and superior service. Manager/Leaders must develop a big picture understanding of the org and job, develop a sound management and leadership philosophy, and develop a sound management system to prepare for the role. To apply the role, manager/leaders must understand people, create clear responsibilities and goals, and pave the way for people to excel.. They must plan, organize, direct, control, and communicate well, and create vision, direction, culture, and get results.

MY Leadership and Management Philosophy

CREATE CLEAR VISION Develop a purpose and direction, and build commitment and enthusiasm around vision Make clear what needs to be done LEAD BY EXAMPLE Demonstrate passion for excellence** Know and live your values Live the life you want to be surrounded by** DEVELOP GOALS, PLANS, and APPROACHES Look for better ways to do things, challenge the process Clarify roles, goals, responsibilities and team process LEAD THE EXECUTION Provide tools, training, resources, and environment for success Develop, share, and implement best practices for success CHAMPION CHANGE Think beyond status quo Challenge and reward innovation Have courage to make needed changes** Continue learning, and encourage learning DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS Know your people Encourage and motivate excellence Build sense of community Step out of comfort zone to develop relationships** CELEBRATE LIFE AND SUCCESS Celebrate even small successes Ensure good work/life balance for you and your employees** Celebrate and reward large successes Share success with teammates

** - These are ones I need to work on

My One Page Performance Management System

Team Kick-Off / Planning When working with a team, have a Kick-Off meeting to create vision, enhance teamwork, build enthusiasm and communicate direction for team. Create a Strategic Direction, including Vision, Mission, Roles & Responsibilities, Goals, & Plans Use brainstorming, collaborative approach to achieve this. Individual Planning Meet with individuals to discuss goals, roles, and responsibilities Ensure buy-in on major goals and roles Status Meetings / Collaborations Meet with both individuals and teams to discuss progress Encourage open, honest feedback Collaborate with others to get ideas/feedback/direction on critical or stalled projects; use meetings as planning AND executing tool USE VISUAL TOOLS TO DISPLAY PROJECT AND TASK PROGRESS via whiteboard for each team member and team as whole. This allows others to quickly see what is happening:

ALAN DEVINES DO/DOING/DONE BOARD 9/27/12 DO List Tasks Pending MGMT6100 Final DOING List tasks underway MGMT6100MidTerm DONE List Tasks Recently Completed MGMT6100 Self-Assessment

Review / Celebrate When items fall outside of expectations, meet to review why and to reprioritize/re-plan approach Review critical / large projects more frequently Celebrate task completion. The bigger the win, the bigger celebration!

Lessons In Leadership Chapter 3 Case 5 Leadership Style And Development In A Growth-Oriented Chinese-Australian Family Firm For this chapter, I have decided to specifically respond to selected Discussion Questions: D1 - Tims leadership style is High-Performance, as he gives vision, shows caring, and provides opportunity, while expecting results and autonomy from centers/employees. D2 Tim believed in building high performance teams. He ensured a solid mix of family and nonfamily employees. Tim managed by walking around, meeting with and personally knowing his center leaders names. He encouraged openness and invested in training. He believed in the value of people. D4 If Tim chose a professional manager/leader for succession, he should look for someone with similar vision and management style as him. Radical change, just for the sake of change, is not necessary, and may be detrimental in this family business. D5 If the next generation wanted to join Tims business, he should integrate them at lower level positions, learning the business from the inside out. He could then mentor them, showing them the approach he and his wife use to manage by walking around, division of powers between centres and management. Key Leadership Lessons Character, effective leadership style, philosophy and vision are needed by successful leaders. They must continue to transform their organizations by making needed changes, and attract and retain quality employees. Family firms must balance growth, motivation, and succession of family and non-family employees. (Of course, all this has meaning to me with the future of my fathers company unknown!) Lessons In Leadership Chapter 4 Case 1 Experiencing Whitewater: Navigating The Challenges Of The New Workplace Eds pressures are typical, and can almost be expected in todays new organizational world. The critical skills needed to succeed include providing vision, directions, inspiration, along with clear goals and priorities. Strong values are equally important. One area Ed could improve on is focusing on his leadership skills not the past. His reminiscing of the good old days wont help him get the job done. Ed needs to slow down, assess the situation, and decide how to lead. He needs to lead and manage upwards (with his VP) as well as downwards (to his employees), and manage expectations and realities while creating an environment of excellence. He could provide opportunities for employees to excel. With 700 employees, Ed doesnt have to fix all the problems and resolve all the issues himself. He could include key players to devise strategy winning buy in and building teamwork and enthusiasm. Looking long term, not just focusing on the issues at hand, would help Ed immensely.

Module 5 Understanding and Working With People

The Importance of People Skills Well, this was a class discussion in a class that I missed Ive put myself at a disadvantage, havent I! Ill give it a shot, then contact a CLT member and put see what they say. People Skills are critical. How you interact with others is WHO you ARE. As Ive aged, Ive come to realize it doesnt really matter to the rest of the world what you internalize (think, feel, believe), it is how you act, what you do with/for others that defines Who You Are. Good People Skills can make others happy, feel good, think positive, work together, be an ally, get things done together. People skills improve the quality of life for you and those around you.

How We Get The Way We Are We get the way we are thru a mixture of Biology, Environment, and Personal Choices: BIOLOGY (Nature): Genetics, Physiological Characteristics ENVIRONMENT (Nurture): Caught and Taught Behaviors (Beliefs, Values, Attitudes, Morals, Habits, and Personal Characteristics), Parents or Parental Figures, Role Models, Friends, and Idols, Cultural Conditioning, Societal Values, training, Education, Experience, Circumstances (Past and Present) PERSONAL CHOICES: Behaviors, Beliefs, Values, Constructive Choices (responsible, mature, helpful), Unconstructive (Irresponsible, Immature, and Harmful)

The Three Primary Skills for Working With People TREAT PEOPLE WITH RESPECT Treat people the way you want to be treated. Listen attentively. Be Kind. Be Nice. Give open, honest, direct feedback. Keep commitments. Respect/appreciate differences. *** MAXIMIZE VALUING AND MINIMIZE DEVALUING BEHAVIORS Valuing: Attitude of genuine caring, active listening, leveling, confronting with caring, Honesty, Trust, Calmness, Assertiveness with caring, Reflecting feelings, giving specific rather general feedback, Using descriptive rather than evaluative words, Using I messages De-Valuing: Judging, condemning, advising, instructing, moralizing, attacking people instead of problems, blaming, scapegoating, being autocratic, intimidation, assuming, using killer glances,

absolute or exaggerated statements, overreacting, double messages, indifference, not listening, nagging, sidetracking, shot gunning, negativism, interrogating, stereotyping, labeling, interrupting, using You messages. USE A PROBLEM SOLVING STYLE - Be a problem Solver, not a Resister or Hard Core Resister *** - I have put Valuing / DeValuing behaviors on refrigerator magnet, for myself! Skills For Working With People Challenges and Challenging People Working will all People: Clearly demonstrate your desire to communicate, cooperate, and solve problems Treat people with respect Maximize Valuing and minimize de-valuing behaviors Use a Problem Solving style Listen with understanding Think before you speak Choose to stay reasonable, objective, and in control dont be provoked Tell the truth in a respectful way when you must, confront with caring Choose battles wisely Commit to doing what is right

Working with Problem Solvers Make issues Clear, provide opportunities for problem solving, and remove barriers

Working with Resisters Listen, listen, listen, understand and acknowledge feeling Keep focused on the issues Ask for insights, alternatives, and possible solutions Agree on guidelines for resolving issues Confront resistance in a caring and concerned way Remove or minimize payoffs for resistance

Working with Hardcore Resisters Increase their awareness about their behavior and consequences Increase incentive for change Bring in an objective third person to facilitate Become a student of their behavior so you can work with them Dont get involved with foolish arguments

Giving And Receiving Feedback GIVING FEEDBACK: Share with caring, be sensitive, chose a private place, share information, be truthful, stick to behaviors and consequences without judging, and acknowledge option rather than fact Be clear that you are trying to help, not impose solution Be sensitive to the needs and readiness of the person you are sharing with

RECEIVING FEEDBACK: Receive Feedback without interrupting, getting defensive, or explaining away Consider the source; dont rely on a sample of one Look for consistency, which means you may need to change Dont discount positive feedback! Reframe situation if you need clarification on feedback

Managers Toolkit Chapter 8 Handling Problem Employees Simple Overview: -The Key to motivating people is to offer them intrinsic rewards: Interesting, challenging work with growth opportunity. Try offering fewer guidelines while keeping accountability. - Feedback honest, direct, clear feedback about an employees problems and problem resolution will provide them with an approach and direction to improve. - C Performers should be helped to achieve more, or re-aligned with new position where they can excel, or removed. - Employee dismissal requires understanding of employment law, direct, brief and professional handling, and good documentation. While not a fun or pleasant topic, removing routine C performers who are unable or unwilling to improve is a part of developing a high performing team or org. This whole chapter faces the reality that you cant build an A Organization with C Performers. It is critical that these employees are recognized, provided feedback and opportunity to improve, so they can move to A or B performers. If they are unable to reach this improved status, you are not doing your organization OR them any favors by keeping them in their underperforming position. Help them by helping them improve, or giving them new opportunities outside your organization.

Lessons In Leadership Chapter 4 Case 3 I think Mr. Hall has done a fairly good job of recognizing that a problem existed and determining what the problem was. Now, he needs to execute: take action to correct the problem. I believe Hall has a great opportunity here. He can show how much he values his employees if he can overcome this rumor-mongering. Clearly, he needs to put an end to it. Id recommend a one-on-one meeting with Ms. Brown. In this meeting, Hall should be direct and open with Ms. Brown. He should let her know that several employees have told him she is the rumor-monger, and that it needs to stop. He should let her know that these rumors not only affect him personally, but the entire team and the whole office moral, and that any future such behavior would not be tolerated. He could let her know that he considered her termination. He could express that that her skills are appreciated, but continued rumormongering would not be tolerated. He could try to explain to Brown the damage she has done, and even offer her help if there is anything she needed to overcome this behavior. (Counseling, meetings, whatever) Additionally, he could emphasize an open door policy to the entire office. He could express that he is aware of the rumors, and would be happy to discuss them openly and honestly with anyone at any time, and from what he knows, they are all false now. He could also even tell the whole office that he believes he has dealt with the problem, and that rumor mongering was an unacceptable behavior, and detrimental to the team. Lets move on and learn from this. Maybe have a celebration in the kickoff of a Rumor Free Office environment!

Module 6 Developing Yourself And Others

Somehow, Dr. Warrick, you have turned this class (and our MGMT4370 last winterm) into a personal motivator, an eye-opening revelation of the unrealized potential, need for change and growth, and discovery of potential in myself thank you. Few people realize how much potential they have, much less attain it. Developing this potential takes discipline and self-control, as well as a willingness to learn from mistakes and failure. Actually, just the willingness to grow and learn brings immediate satisfaction without even reaching the accomplishment. Although leaders may already be successful, healthy, integrated and already have specialized knowledge and skills, they must continue to grow and keep growing. They influence many other people, and can impact them by example. Again, The Importance of a Leaders Example hits so close to home. Out of shape, fitting in, drinking with the best of em, skilled at the art of making a living and faking a living. THAT HAS BEEN ME! Ultimately, those close see through this, and I cant be a leader to those people, who are often the people I most strongly desire to lead. I must do as the reading suggests, and make personal commitment to growth by defining worthwhile goals and channeling my growth into a positive and worthwhile direction. Committing To Personal Excellence Level 0 Unwilling Level 1 Commitment to Excellence in at least One Area Level 2 Commitment to Excellence in Several Areas Level 3 Commitment to Excellence in All Areas Level 4 Commitment to Level 3 AND Inspiring others to Excellence

*** I am around a 1.5 very few areas committed to excellence needs improvement Why Few People Utilize Their Potential Reasons few people utilize their potential include: Lack of awareness of potential Lack of knowledge how to develop potential Lack of motivation to reach potential Fear of Failure Fear of Success Lack of Purpose Must define why we are here Becoming a Victim of Circumstance allowing past, present and future events to shape life. Lack of Deep Roots giving up when difficulties arise Resistance not all growth is cheered on

The Behavioral Chain Reaction This is one of my favorite lessons learned; a basic truth about thoughts and behaviors that can shape destiny. The way we think determines the way we act. Actions that are practiced become Habits. Our Habits shape our Character as a whole person, mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Our character shapes our destiny.

THOUGHTS

THOUGHTS

ACTIONS

HABITS

CHARACTE R

DESTINY

The Key To Growth and Change: Taking Responsibility for your Behavior The key to growth and change is to take responsibility for current behavior. Do not focus on How I Got Here, but Where Am I Going and How am I Going to Get There! Blaming Past events and People gives an escape clause a scapegoat, relieves us from responsibility. This doesnt help us grow or change. We must change how we act, our current behavior, regardless of how we got where we are. Accepting responsibility for behavior, acknowledging strengths and weaknesses, defining the ideal self, and accepting responsibility for getting there one step at a time makes getting to the ideal selfpossible. Changing Human Behavior To change behavior, we need to change the way we think. Then we must practice acting consistently with our change in thoughts, until new habits are formed. Understanding this makes almost any change possible. There are three Stages of changing human behavior: STAGE 1 COGNITIVE CHANGE Change in Thinking (awareness, understanding, attitude, beliefs, values, perceptions) increases Probability of a change in Action Keys are willingness to learn and grow, awareness of need for change, acceptance of reality, incentive to change, commitment to change

STAGE 2 BEHAVIORAL CHANGE Change in Actions (Change in thinking and actions must be achieved for lasting change) Keys are clear and realistic plan for change, Practice

STAGE 3 HABIT CHANGE Change in Habits (New actions need to be practiced to become habits. Strength of habit depends on commitment to change and persistence in practicing new behavior. Keys are motivation to change, ability to change, support and encouragement, accountability, constructive feedback on progress, reinforcement of successes, reasonable consequences for non-compliance

Developing The Whole Person The Whole Person approach consists of balancing our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual characteristics. The Whole Person Model from Reading 3 (this model is my ONLY scan/import from your workbook(everything else was typed):

Trying to balance the internal person with all the external factors can be quite complicated! However, it is only when there is a balance that a person can be fully functioning, like a welloiled machine.

Keeping Mental Balance: Make Constructive Thinking a Habit Be selective about what you expose your mind to Continuously develop and improve your mind

Keeping Emotional Balance: Think good thoughts Think positive thoughts Process negative thoughts and move on

Keeping Physical Balance: Good Health Physical Fitness Good Nutrition

Spiritual Balance: Love of God/Higher power Loving others unconditionally Truth and Wisdom Seeking

How To Stay Motivated Live Life With Passion Get Involved in activities that keep you motivated Build schedule for motivation Think, act, and speak like a motivated person Re-evaluate demotivating activities Inventory needs, goals, priorities, and behaviors Build on strengths and develop new ones Reward important accomplishments Surround yourself with motivated people Make Motivation Contracts for encouragement/ accountability

Take time for selfrenewal

Growth Guidelines - Simple descriptions aiding in successful, rewarding growth: Take one Step at a Time Let people know what you are doing Evaluate consequences Be a balanced, whole person Change the Changeable Grow with Humility Dont Overanalyze Dont be a victim Learn from mistakes and move on Be available to aid change, but dont force it on others Surround self with growth oriented people

Managers Toolkit Chapter 10 Developing Your Career Key Topics: Identify your core business interests, work reward values, and skills; Finding career opportunities within your organization; Using career ladders and mentors; Developing the careers of your subordinates Career lattice can replace career ladder consider lateral moves for self and employees Know Yourself: type of work you like; activities that give you satisfaction; preferred environments; who you like to work with; abilities you possess and youd like to develop Core Business Interests: Butler and Waldroop Framework: 1) Application of Technology; 2) Quantitative analysis; 3) Theory Development and Conceptual Thinking; 4) Creative Production; 5) Counseling and Mentoring; 6) Managing People and Relationships; 7) Enterprise Control; 8) Influence through language and ideas Clarify your work values, assess your skills, experiment, try new things, and find a mentor Provide a career ladder (or lattice) for every person you hope to retain Gain Self-Knowledge know your passions, values, and strengths Core business Interests are more stable than values and skills (for me, Applying Technology as a value is more important than a specific computer language or application) Move people into areas of greater learning, responsibility, and professional growth Whats good for you is good for your employees managers have the responsibility to develop the capabilities and futures of their employees Mentors can influence both managers and subordinates use them!

Module 7 Interpersonal And Organization Communications

The Importance of Interpersonal Communications The ability to communicate may be the most important skill we have. It plays a major role in our success as a person, leader, and whatever endeavors we experience. It is particularly important for leaders and mangers, who must give/receive instructions, evaluate performance, solve problems, listen, communicate ideas and feelings, confront and level, and eliminate inappropriate behavior without alienating people. The Holmes Report quotes estimates of:
1. $37 billion: total estimated cost of employee misunderstanding (including actions or errors of omission by employees who have misunderstood or were misinformed about company policies, business processes, job function or a combination of the three) in 100,000-employee companies, among 400 surveyed corporations in the U.S. and U.K. (average cost per company is $62.4 million per year) $26,041: cumulative cost per worker per year due to productivity losses resulting from communications barriers

2.

Organizations continuously have problems with communication. People with different backgrounds culturally, socially, geographically, and experientially, plus different values, beliefs and education make communication a great challenge. Other issues include differences in self-image, position, and power. All these things, when people perceive and communicate through their own filter, combine to make communication a challenge. Understanding The Message Factors that affect the message include: Attitude encouraging open supportive communication is key Verbal messages the word we choose are important Nonverbal messages tone, gestures, facial expressions, posture, eye contact, body movement should be consistent with message Appearance clothes, cleanliness, hairstyle, shoes, adornments, jewelry, items in hand all communicate and affect the message Background of communicator education, position, gender, race, socioeconomic heritage, lifestyle, and reputation all play a part in the message. Expectations of the communicator expectations tend to lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy The Setting the message is sent in matters at home, in an upscale office, in a public space; these settings can influence the message.

Organizational Communications There are at least six major components in modern organizational communication systems: 1) Organizational Climate Management Philosophy and Style, and the Health and Openness of the organization are the major organizational climate characteristics. 2) Structural communications, such as clear goals, expectations, policies, and procedures are important. An up to date flow chart, clear job descriptions, reward systems, and internal communication systems are all important. 3) Meetings Only have productive meetings; plan the type of meetings needed, the frequency they are needed, and the content of the meetings. 4) Electronic communications Rapid technology changes means that electronic communications must be well designed and managed this should be an asset! 5) Supplemental Communications include newsletters and suggestion boxes 6) Communication Systems Evaluations regularly evaluate you communication systems, via observation, surveys, interviews, and outside evaluations Lessons In Leadership Chapter 4 Case 1 Whitewater (SECOND TIME!!! ????) Eds pressures are typical, and can almost be expected in todays new organizational world. The critical skills needed to succeed include providing vision, directions, inspiration, along with clear goals and priorities. Strong values are equally important. One area Ed could improve on is focusing on his leadership skills not the past. His reminiscing of the good old days wont help him get the job done. Ed needs to slow down, assess the situation, and decide how to lead. He needs to lead and manage upwards (with his VP) as well as downwards (to his employees), and manage expectations and realities while creating an environment of excellence. He could provide opportunities for employees to excel. With 700 employees, Ed doesnt have to fix all the problems and resolve all the issues himself. He could include key players to devise strategy winning buy in and building teamwork and enthusiasm. Looking long term, not just focusing on the issues at hand, would help Ed immensely.

Application 1
This application was a great assignment for me, as it took me away from my comfort zone of analyzing words printed on paper and forced me into an interactive environment with people I respect and admire. I chose two people I consider leaders: Don Devine, my father, and Gary Klatt, my high school football coach (who I hadnt seen or spoken with in almost 30 years!) I found two very different people with very different leadership styles, yet came away with renewed admiration for each of them. Interview 1 Don Devine, Rocky Mountain Data Services, and My Father My father, Don Devine, may seem like an easy interview, taking the easy way out. Far from it! Since he runs the company I one day may run, and since I have perceived him as a laissez faire type leader, this was important. It was also a type of discussion I have never had with him. We met at his home, 8548 Ingalls Circle in Arvada, my childhood home. We sat at the dining room table, and I began asking him questions. I dont really have a leadership style he answered my first question. We were just getting started, and he wasnt sure how to respond. Im just trying to survive he added. In the past, I always took this as a do as little as possible approach, but the interview added some great insights. I learned he kept the best employees with him as deregulation completely changed the landscape of the trucking industry. I saw that he truly cared about the people that worked for him. He led them through hard times and major changes, included them in issues related to workload slowdowns (they opted for 4 day workweeks and 20% pay reductions instead of facing possible layoffs). I learned his greatest challenge was keeping his people focused and motivated in a mature environment, and that he had done so by non-financial compensation: time off, flexibility, generous health benefits, open and honest feedback/environment. I learned that while Don Devine is a very hands off leader, he is not Laissez Faire at all; he works hard to keep his company and employees productive, has worked through many crises, and is as good a leader at Rocky Mountain Data Services as I have always know him to be with his family. This was a great interview.

Interview 2 Gary Klatt retired Football Coach and Jefferson County Teacher

I hadnt talked to Gary Klatt in years although I had written about him in previous papers about leadership and leaders. This was great. After a few phone calls to find a convenient time, we scheduled an over the phone interview. I care about my athletes said Coach Klatt. Ive always wanted to help young people grow and succeed. I can attest to that first hand from my personal tutelage under him. Coach Klatt kept me from quitting football my senior year: Quitting is not an option he told me back then. My greatest inspiration comes from Jesus Crist; Ive been concerned that todays young people lack the spiritual guidance they need He said. I give most of the credit for who I am to my father he said, and I hope I have passed that down to my son. His son is Joel Klatt, who was a three year starter for the Colorado Buffalo football team. Many of his answers reflected his faith. Without imposing it upon me, (during this interview or during my football career) he wanted to communicate clearly that his spirituality and Christianity was a driving life force for him. I told him I thought he was a great coach, but that many coaches around him when I went to school were quite dictatorial: That never worked for me he said. I found that to get the most out of athletes, you have to suffer with them lead and direct, but get right in the trenches with them. Again, I can attest to this, as Coach Klatt used to turn his hat around, spinning his baseball cap backwards and getting in a three point stance to take on a fully equipped football player. That was stupid he said today. (He once suffered a separated shoulder doing this!) Gary Klatt was a great leader, an inspiration to me and many other young men, and I was fortunate to have known him and to interview him last week.

Application 2 The Best And Work Employee Treatment

Coastal Corporation HR/Payroll Process Improvement A Great Project! When I worked for the Coastal Corporation, what appeared on the surface to be a computer software upgrade was really so much more it was truly a change championing process. We were a cross functional team, composed of technical, HR, Payroll, and management experts, led by a coach who was a great leader championing change. The treatment of employees he used was fantastic. It included trust, relationship building, openness, training, opportunity, and financial rewards based on team success. We had a library of information on change and organization development. Our project plan was a living document, which we worked on in self-managed teams. Almost everything we did was team based. If a problem or opportunity arose, a team was devised to attack it. Each team started with teambuilding process, defining mission, vision, roles and responsibilities, and self-directing processes for resolution. This approach created teams of motivated individuals who wanted to grow and learn together, synergizing varied experiences and backgrounds into successes on a wide variety of projects. The selfdefined and directed teams led to highly effective, motivated teams with happy individuals. Of course, there were other practices that made working there satisfying fair (and often researched/adjusted) compensation packages, project success bonuses, comfortable and fair travel compensation that kept employees as whole, fresh and comfortable as possible. Also, opportunity, as change agents on this project often went on to grow, lead, and promote change in other areas of the company. This was great treatment of employees. AeroTek Inc A Temp Agency from hell I worked for AeroTek for two assignments; both had horrible downsides, and I cant believe I made it a full year with them. Financial compensation was well below normal. They were so hands off, that legally their employees should have been considered employees of the contracting company, not AeroTek. Benefits existed, but at costs to temp employees that would be higher than pay! The company did not react to dangerous situations. Whatever the contracting company wanted, AeroTek expected temp workers to do or to quit. They made no effort to investigate dangerous workplace complaints by employees. One personal issue I was considering a temp job near Telluride, CO, but housing was outrageous. My AeroTek supervisor told me to take a tent and camp there after he put me on hold because he was just finishing up at the closing on his home purchase! Talk about feeling unimportant! I had to pay for my own training/certification to get a job through them without compensation. No trust, no human care, unfair compensation, dangerous environment, no training, just bad practices by a bad company.

Book Review 1 Wooden on Leadership John Wooden and Steve Jamison

My father is a UCLA Alum and grew up in southern California, so I knew of John Wooden and his legacy long before I read this book. What I found particularly interesting right off the bat is how Wooden knew how to define success so early in his career, long before he had achieved coaching greatness: Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing that you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable. I was amazed that Coach Wooden came to define, understand, and believe in this statement at such a young age but what a great motto to focus your mind around and base a lifetime upon! For me personally, I have felt this kind of success at numerous times in my life without directly realizing that self-satisfaction is a great part of the definition of Success. The Books Introduction (and the whole book really) is filled with wise saying which support the foundation of Woodens approach to leadership. They are scattered across the pages. The pyramid of Success defines and describes the fifteen building blocks Wooden wanted to define him as a leader. Briefly, they are: Industriousness a foundation cornerstone, basically meaning hard work Enthusiasm the second cornerstone, real enthusiasm exuded from within stimulates others Friendship To make a friend, be a friend. Respect engenders goodwill and strengthens bonds Loyalty Do not betray those you lead. Loyalty must be first given to be gained Cooperation sharing ideas, information, creativity, responsibility and tasks is required of good leaders Self-Control self-discipline leads to group discipline, poise and emotional control are critical Alertness Urgent Observation most of what you learn comes from others Initiative Make something happen mistakes of commission are much better than those of omission Intentness Resolve to stay the course; when thwarted, go over, under, or around. Determination Condition Mental, moral and physical strength. Your Condition and choices define your character Skill when I am through learning, I am through. Lifelong devotion to learning and improvement Team Spirit eagerness trumps willingness selflessness for the good of the team Poise Being true to oneself regardless of the circumstances or situation Confidence knowing your preparation is complete, that you are the best you can be Competitive Greatness excitement and joy from the struggle of competition

Wooden added Faith and Patience as mortar at the top of the Pyramid, helping the great leader remain undaunted in times of frustration, fatigue, setback and difficulty. The self-satisfaction of living by these building blocks is how Wooden ultimately describes Success. After defining the Pyramid of Success and his Leadership foundation, Wooden goes on to discuss Lessons in Leadership. These are a number of real life scenarios where Wooden and many people he knew experienced challenges and situation that required leadership skills. After explaining the situation and the outcome, often listed are Rules to Lead By or Suggestions to Lead By, giving wit and wisdom that could be gleaned from that particular chapter and applied in leadership opportunities. Some of my favorite Rules to Live By include: The star of the team is THE TEAM Control Emotion or Emotion will Control You A great quarter in basketball or business starts with a great minute Identify and Remove Excuses for not getting to the Next Level Stop saying No and Start Asking How? Long Term Success requires Short Term Focus Welcome Contrary Ideas, but not Contrarians A Good Demonstration tops a Great Description When you start having all the right answers, you will stop asking all the right questions Good Values attract Good People Character is tough to Coach

Less focused on Leadership, but equally interesting to me, are the ON WOODEN briefs where an associate familiar with Coach Wooden (opposing coaches, former players, and assistant coaches) describes some characteristics of Coach Wooden from their eyes, how they saw Wooden practicing and applying the words he led by. Some of these ON WOODEN briefs include: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar suggested Coach Wooden built a Field of Dreams. Fred Slaughter states Coach Wooden focused on the positive, not wasting time on the negative. Lynn Shackleford mentions Coach Wooden taught that great things can only be accomplished by doing the little things right. Bill Hicks describes how Coach Wooden suspended one of UCLAs top (maybe best) players for storming off the court Wooden treated all players the same, no favorites. Don Meyers says Coach Wooden didnt talk about winning ever. Denny Crum says Coach Wooden never thought he knew everythinghe wanted to keep learning, improving as a coach and a leader.

Each of these contemporaries perspectives adds credit to the fact that Coach Wooden WALKED THE WALK, not just TALKED THE TALK. He lived by the rules, the building blocks, and the approaches he lists in this book, giving great credibility to his wisdom on Leadership.

The epilogue to Wooden on Leadership shares John Woodens fathers Seven Point Creed: 1) Be true to yourself; 2) Make each day your masterpiece; 3) Help others; 4) Drink deeply from good books including the Good Book; 5) Make friendship a fine art; 6) Build a shelter against a rainy day; 7) Pray for guidance and give` thanks for your blessing every day. I truly enjoyed WOODEN ON LEADERSHIP. I think my takeaway from the book is to focus on the little things. Develop good habits. Work on self and relationships. Focus on constant improvement. The journey, THE HOW, is more important than the end result.

Managers Toolkit (Book Review 2)

Chapter 1 Setting Goals That Others Will Pursue Goal setting and measuring are essential in strategic management. Defining targets you plan to achieve allows you to focus limited resources on the things that matter most. Managers must set goals for themselves and for those they manage. It is important that goals for units, groups, and suborganizations are all in alignment with the strategic goals of the whole organization. Characteristics of Effective Goals: Recognized by everyone as important; Clear and easy to understand; Written down in specific terms; Measurable and framed in time; Aligned with organizational strategy; Achievable but challenging; Supported by appropriate rewards

Goals must be Developed, Prioritized, Tasked, Planned, Assigned, Executed, Reviewed, Rewarded Learn from reviews, Celebrate Successes! Chapter 2 Hiring The Best Hiring is often considered the most important managerial decision. C employees make C level companies. Defining Job Requirements by understanding: Primary Responsibilities and Tasks, Education and Experience needed to perform the job, Personal Characteristics that make a good fit with the job, Key Features of Organizational Culture, and Your own Managerial Style Recruiting and screening resumes creates a pool of qualified candidates. Interviewing helps make best possible decision. Have core questions asked of all candidates to have a common base of comparison Evaluating important decision making process for selection hopefully based on criteria Making a Decision and Offer Always aim for the individual who can contribute the most to your team and organization

Chapter 4 Delegating With Confidence Delegation is the assignment of a specific task or project by one person to another, and the assignees commitment to complete the task or project. It is often neglected by overworked managers. Effective delegators spend less time doing and more time planning. Effective Delegating: Be very clear on what you want done, and on when and how results will be measured Elicit special interests and availability to identify delegates Build a sense of shared responsibility for goal achievement Avoid dumping only menial, tedious, or difficult jobs on employees include special interests and or easy victories as appropriate. Delegate high visibility opportunities Delegate to those you trust Offer coaching or training as needed Delegate structured assignments to less skilled members to build trust Delegate entire projects, not just pieces Follow up, mentor, monitor, and provide feedback Maintain open lines of communication; Let me know if you hit any roadblocks Use face to face meetings Give sufficient authority and resources to get task done Chapter 7 Appraisal and Coaching Many times in my professional career, I have approached a manager and asked for some feedback, like Ed Kochs How am I doing? It is important to know how your boss thinks you are doing, so you can continue and/or improve/modify your efforts as needed. A performance appraisal is a formal approach for assessing how well employees are doing compared to their goals. The eight steps to an effective Appraisal are: Be prepared Conduct the appraisal as a meeting Identify performance gaps Find rood caused of performance gaps Plan to close performance gaps Re-examine performance goals Get it on record Follow up

One important thing I feel is missing in this model is positive feedback: let the employee know what they are doing well!

Coaching is a two-way activity where the parties share knowledge and experience. This begins with observation, moves on to discussion, involves two-way feedback and an action plan, and can maximize a subordinates potential. Chapter 9 Dealing with Crises You can avoid some crises by anticipating their possibility and taking preventative measures. The Y2K issue in IT as year 2000 approached was a great example most companies saw this coming and took action to prevent a crisis. Some crises are beyond control, but you can have action plans in place to react should they occur. Brainstorm contingency plans. Recognize a crisis by keeping an open mind. All crises are not obvious, the earlier you recognize a crisis the less damage will be done. Contain the crisis, Resolve it, and learn from it. Chapter 12 Strategy A Primer Strategy is a deliberate search for a plan of action that will develop competitive advantage and compound on it said Bruce Henderson. Strategy is doing the right things to differentiate and gain competitive advantage. Porter has variety-based, need-based, and access-based positioning. Variety based provides limited products/services faster, better, or cheaper than competition. Need-based provides solutions to all the needs of customers. Access based ensures easy access for customer base. Five Steps for Formulating Strategy: Look Outside to ID Threats and Opportunities Look Inside at resources, capabilities, and practices Consider different strategies for addressing Threats and opportunities Build a good fit between strategies and capabilities Create Alignment by communicating strategy and coordinating efforts

Be prepared for change successful strategies are often short-lived, and your organization must be adaptable to future environment changes.

Book Review 3 Lessons In Leadership

Chapter 2, Case 2 Abraham Lincoln and The Reaper Case: On Forgiveness, TrustBuilding And Mutual Respect Wow. Abraham Lincoln had the right to be humiliated, hurt, even angry, and the potential to hold a very big and deep grudge against Harding and Stanton. He did not. One of the great leadership traits Abe Lincoln showed was selflessness and forgiveness, a direct impact on trust building. Harding and Stanton humiliated him, and he ignored/forgot/forgave that, and simply made decisions on facts, not old grudges, hiring them both to high office in Lincolns government. Instead of taking the Cinncinnatti snub personally, Lincoln accepted it and learned from it. Instead of leaving town in an angry disgrace, he stayed to learn. Differences in style dont need to lead to exclusion. My family would be better off if we were so forgiving. I am reminded of my Grandmother who held a 50+ year grudge against my grandfather for his unfaithfulness and their divorce: She missed births and birthdays, graduations and celebrations because she refused to be in the presence of my grandfather. It was very sad to see, how holding a grudge can injure you. (Bobbie Devine, my grandmother above, did have many GREAT leadership qualities: she was one of the first female Vice Presidents of PPG in Pittsburg there is a picture of her (circa 1962) around a boardroom table full of men, ashtrays, and cigars) But forgiveness was not one of her strengths! Lincoln proved trust builds trust, and his trust of Stanton could have contributed to his moniker: Honest Abe! Chapter 2, Case 4 To Act Or Not To Act: This Is Johns Dilemma From the details in this case study, clearly John MUST report this issue. He has tried to deal with it reasonably without causing a scandal by discussing it with Bill AND the Governor. This failed, and the fact that his boss and the Governor want him to keep out of it and not acknowledge it force Johns hand. Johns personal values, beliefs, convictions and ethics require him not to allow this practice to continue. John should become a whistleblower. Immediately. Since John seems to care about his job, he should approach Bill again and let him know what he was planning kind of one last chance. Since they told him to keep quiet, this probably wont do anything. Does he really want to work for such unethical people? Misappropriation of funds is Criminal, no small matter. He must let someone know the States Accountants, the press, somebody. He can choose to resign, but I dont think he should. If he is open and honest, the people above him will be

forced to resign. Further, he would have clear legal grounds to sue (and win) for illegal termination if he were fired over telling the truth. Not fun, but John must report this misappropriation of funds! Chapter 3, Case 4 The Far Reaching Consequences Of A Leader Jumping From Symptoms To Solutions Well, Frank Leader certainly derailed himself here. Frank had an autocratic style, which he had learned from his parents and from his military background. It had worked for him most of his career, so he seemed to stay with it. Then this challenge arose. By deciding to take action when he felt things going from bad to worse, Frank didnt allow time for the joint efforts of those around him to take effect. Though things may have appeared to be going from bad to worse, they may not have been they just may have needed more time to turn things around. Also, by ignoring those around him, Frank assumed all the control, and thus, ALL the responsibility. As things continued to deteriorate, there was no one else to blame but Frank. (It is an old trick to hire consultants to do your dirty work, and then to blame them after they are gone, but at least youre not to blame!) The six ideas put in place including union avoidance program, training, group-round tables, gainsharing, and increase inventories sounded like reasonable, well thought out responses. Franks Shoot from the Hip approach just made things worse. Frank needed to take a step back, check out reality, and engage stakeholders to work toward good solutions, not just git-er-dun shooting from the hip.

Five Major Insights

Evaluate all that you have written for Midterm, LIST and Discuss on one page or less The Five Major Insights you most want to recall from this.

1. My favorite major insight was the Think It, because: Thoughts become Actions, Actions become Habits, Habits become part of your character, and your character helps you reach your Destiny. I love the idea that thinking something is the beginning of transforming you into your destiny. 2. I was moved by reading John Woodens book. The fact that he had a definition for success as a young man amazed me and it seems spot on. Success is an self-satisfaction, a personal connection that you are happy with yourself and your life goals, achievements, and effort. I really appreciated Coach Wooden and his book. 3. The concept of maintaining a balanced, whole person healthy lifestyle struck me. I am one who has often focused on one or two areas of healthy existence, while ignoring one or two others. Although I am still searching for my spiritual center, I can strive for excellence in my search. Also, I have come to realize my physical health and well-being, whether it be weight loss / physical fitness or sobriety is a necessary top priority. 4. One item of embarrassment that stands out is the need for a detailed plan AND MONITORING and ADJUSTING to meet a goal or objective. Specifically, I have not kept self-promises and/or plans for losing weight and it shows (no success)! Having a plan is great, but you have to stick to it, monitor success, and adjust to ensure ultimate success. 5. Practicing behaviors you wish to hope to have/show/habituate is another strong item. I know this from my efforts and struggle for sobriety, but also just as simple as making a point to smile and properly greet those you encounter. When I make an effort to ALWAYS smile and greet people, after a while, it becomes a habit. (This also tied to the perfect pitch can be learned idea practice that which you wish to achieve.)