An older presentation, but principles never die!

1. Leadership: Do you really want
to be out front?
Linda Oestreich, STC President
June 4, 2007
STC Israel Convention

2. 2
Opening Questions
• Why would anyone want to be led by
you?
• Do you have, or can you get, what it
takes?

3. 3
Plan
• Introductions
• Definition
• Myths and theories
• Keys to leadership: trust and communication
• Competencies of leadership
• Leadership strategy cycle
• Tips and lessons
• Teamwork
• Exercise
• References

4. 4
What is leadership?
• Leadership is a complex process by which
a person influences others to accomplish a
mission, task, or objective and directs the
organization in a way that makes it more
cohesive and coherent.

5. 5
Leaders are…
“People who
leave their footprints
in the areas of
their passion”

6. 6
In other words…
• Good leaders make people WANT to
achieve high goals and objectives;
bosses TELL people to accomplish a
task or objective.
• It is the followers, not the leader,
who determine if a leader is
successful.

7. 7
Myths of leadership
• Leaders are charismatic.
• Leaders are born, not made.
• Leaders exist only at the top of an
organization.
• Leaders control, direct, manipulate,
and prod.
• Leadership is a rare skill.

8. 8
Bass’ theories of leadership
• Trait theory: Some personality traits lead
people naturally into leadership roles.
• Great event theory: A crisis or important event
may cause a person to rise to the occasion,
which brings out extraordinary leadership
qualities in an ordinary person.
• Transformational leadership theory: People can
choose to become leaders and learn leadership
skills.

9. 9
Two keys to leadership
• Trust
• Communication

10. 10
Trust
Trust, n.
1. Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or
character of a person or thing.
2. Custody; care.
3. Something committed into the care of another;
charge.
4.
a. The condition and resulting obligation of having
confidence placed in one: violated a public trust.
b. One in which confidence is placed.
5. Reliance on something in the future; hope.

11. 11
Communication
• In 350 B.C., Aristotle said, “if communication is to
change behavior, it must be grounded in the
desires and interests of the receivers.”
• Lead through 2-way communication.
• Recognize and practice good nonverbal
communication.
• Set the example.
• Don’t ask your team to do things you wouldn’t do.
• What and how you communicate builds or harms
the relationship you have with your team.

12. 12
Nonverbal communication
• Eye contact
• Facial expressions
• Gestures
• Posture and body position
• Proximity
• Vocal elements

13. 13
Barriers to communication
• Culture, background, and bias
• Noise (real and perceived)
• Ourselves
• Perception
• Message
• Environment
• Stress

14. 14
Four competencies of leadership
• Management of attention
– A set of intentions or vision
– A sense of outcome, goal or direction
• Management of trust
– Reliable, constant, focused, authentic
• Management of meaning
– Communicate your vision
– Integrate facts, concepts, and anecdotes into meaning and
focus
– Get people to understand and support goals in a variety of
ways
• Management of self
– Know your own skills and deploy them
– Know your strengths and nurture them
– Accept risk
– View failures as steps toward success

15. 15
Leadership strategy cycle
• Intent
– What are the key success factors?
– What intended behavior do you hope to
achieve?
• Behavior
– Actual behavior that resulted from work?
• Effect
– What reactions did you observe?
• Adjustment
– What behavioral change is needed to get back
to original intent?

16. 16
Example
• Intent
– establish a resource of leadership to meet
needs of community leaders
• Behavior
– process driven, no ability to meet needs, lost
vision in leadership changes
• Effect
– miscommunication; too much energy in wrong
places; unhappy community leaders
• Adjustment
– reassign leadership; redefine vision; enhance
communication; clarify results expected

17. 17
Twelve tips for leaders
1. Know what is going on.
2. Set the direction.
3. Help them stay on course.
4. Offer guidance.
5. Open doors if you can.
6. Assess their progress.
7. Be smart; use their smarts.

18. 18
Twelve tips (continued)
8. Help team maintain self-esteem.
9. Offer an empathetic ear.
10.Use their ideas, results, etc.
11.Give them credit and thanks.
12.Never take credit for their work.

19. 19
To work well, teams need
• Direction (key result areas, goals,
measurements)
• Knowledge (skills, training, information,
goals)
• Resources (tools, materials, facilities,
money)
• Support (approval, coaching, feedback,
encouragement)

20. 20
Set preferences for
• Communicating
• Planning and/or problem solving
• Resolving conflict
• Deciding

21. 21
Team incentives
• Let them decide
– who works on what
– how to handle nonperformers
– how to strengthen their weaknesses
– who their own team leader is
– ways to improve their performance

22. 22
Bottom line
• Tell people what you expect of them.
• Make the work valuable.
• Make the work doable.
• Give feedback.
• Reward successful performance.
• Be enthusiastic!

23. 23
Individual exercises
• Leadership style
– Authoritarian
– Participative
– Delegative
• Leadership matrix
– Friend
– Leader
– Bankrupt
– Boss

24. 24
Team exercise
• Count off into teams of three.
• Examine your thesis statement. (1 min)
• As a team, do you accept or reject it as an
idea? (2 min)
• Choose a recorder to record your
statements.(5 min)
• Develop 3 to 5 statements that support
your team position. (3 min)
• Choose someone on your team to present
your case. (2 min)

25. 25
Thesis statements
• Cartoon characters
should wear pants.
• Neighbors should
mind their own
business.
• A journey of 1000
miles is better than
studying 1000
books.
• Lotteries are
harmful.
• Cats are worthless
creatures.
• Vegetable soup
cures colds.
• An old friend is
better than two
new ones.

26. 26
Discussion
• What did you notice?
• Who took the lead?
• Were decisions made as group, or
did someone take charge?
• How did you arrive at conclusions?
• Who chose the recorder? The
presenter?

27. 27
References
• Bass, Bernard, Stogdill’s Handbook of Leadership: A Survey of Theory and
Research, New York: Free Press, 1989
• U.S. Army Handbook (1973). Military Leadership
• Kouzes, James & Posner, Barry (1987). The Leadership Challenge. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• Pearson, J. (1983). Interpersonal Communication. Glenview, Illinois: Scott,
Foreman and Company
• Covey, Stephen R. (1989) Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. New
York: Simon and Schuster.
• Peterson, David B. & Hicks, Mary Dee (1996) Leader as Coach.
Minneapolis, MN: PDI International
• Big Dog’s Leadership Page;
www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadcon.html
• http://www.leader-values.com/Guests/Lead23.htm
• Dean Carlo Brumat, from the Duxx Graduate School of Business
Leadership
• Symposium for Chief Elected and Chief Staff Officers; ASAE & the Center
for association leadership; Feb 12-13, 2007, (Tecker Consultants, LLC,
2006)

28. 28
Questions and Wrap-up?

29. 29
Contacting me
• Linda L. Oestreich
• STC President (2007-2008)
• day: +1 858-655-3878
• eve: +1 619-303-6277
• cell: +1 619-518-1186
• pres@stc.org