leadership tasks

1. The Essential Nature of the
Leadership Task
Leadership Academy
Session #1—April 28, 2016
Dr. Frank Benest
frank@frankbenest.com
Eileen Beaudry
eileenbeaudry@gmail.com

2.  Listen & take a few notes
 Try to discern some key elements
leading to successful advancement in
career & fulfillment

3. Leadership Academy
Purposes:
 To create a cost-effective talent
development program
 To enhance the leadership skills of the
participants
 To assist participating local governments
in succession planning efforts
 To offer participants positive development
opportunities in tough times

4. Leadership Academy
Curriculum Focus:
 Curriculum will focus on promoting
leadership aptitudes & skills as opposed
to nuts-and-bolts supervisory or
management skills.

5. Creating Content
 Dr. Frank Benest
 Eileen Beaudry
 Guest presenters
 All of you

6. Exercise: “Exploring the
Commons”
 Rotate through several groups of 6-7
 Identify in 3 minutes what you all have in
common (can’t use “live in Bay Area” or
“work in local government”)
 Announce commonality & form new group
of 6
 Repeat process

7.  Listen & take a few notes
 Try to discern some key elements
leading to successful advancement in
career & fulfillment

8. Self-Introductions
 Your name
 Your title & organization
 “One thing I want to learn”

9. Academy Requirements
1. Attend all sessions & full participation
• Arrive at 8 am (no later than 8:15 am) for prompt
start at 8:30 am
• Turn off cell phones; make calls at breaks
2. Read all articles & be prepared to
discuss
3. Actively serve on Team Project
4. Participate in 1 to 1 coaching
5. Reflect & apply
6. Have fun!

10. It’s all about YOU!
 Your Values
 Your Communication Style Preferences
 Your Leadership Style

11. Your Questions

12. Context of Local
Government
1. What are 2-3 key aspects of the internal
context of local government?
(for example: heavily unionized)
2. What are 2-3 key aspects of the external
context of local government?
(for example: very scrutinized)

13. Key Question
In this kind of environment,
what do organizational
members need from their
leaders?

14. The Big Challenges & Leadership
Competencies
1. What are 2-3 big challenges facing
local governments in the next 5 years?
2. To effectively address these challenges,
what are 2-3 indispensable competencies
for leaders at all levels of the organization?

15. A Disruptive World
 Local governments are overwhelmed with
accelerating & discontinuous change
 Problems are complex, difficult-to-solve,
emotion-laden, & divisive
 No one institution,
including government, can solve
any major problem

16. A Disruptive World (con’t)
 Power is diffuse (“veto” power)
 Citizens have lost
confidence in all institutions,
including government
 To confront any major challenge,
leaders must cross boundaries
Experimenting & learning are key
ingredients to adapting

17. “Are we learning as fast as
the world is changing?”
Gary Hamel

18. “VUCA”
Volatility
Uncertainty
Complexity
Ambiguity

19. The Nature of the
Challenges
 Technical challenges (“tame”)
Solutions are known & can be addressed
through management
 Adaptive challenges (“wicked”)
Solutions are unknown, often involve
value conflicts, & require leadership at all
levels

20. The Essence of
Leadership
“Leaders do not force people to
follow—they invite them on a
journey.”
Charles Lauer

21. Indispensable
Competencies
 Active futures orientation
 Boundary-crossing & partnering skills
 Learning agility
 Ability to start
conversations & tell stories
 Ability to create meaning
 Ability to develop talent
 Resiliency

22. The Importance of People Skills
Top Mgmt
Mid Mgmt
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Lower Mgmt
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23. “Why would anyone want to follow
me?”
 Identify 2-3 reasons that people would
want to follow you
 Identify one trait that would cause people
to be reluctant to follow you

24. Career Journey and Aspirations
 Kip Harkness
My story
What do you discern as
effective strategies in developing
great career?

25. San Jose Case Study
Critique of case study
 What went well?
 What did not go so well?
 What are lessons learned for our
future practice?

26. Reaction Panel
 What resonated with me?
 What did not resonate with me?
 What do I have to add?

27. Team Projects
 Teams will consist of 6-7 members
 Teams will act as consulting group for local
government agency facing real-life
challenge
 Teams will interview subject matter
experts, review key documents, come to
conclusions & provide
recommendations to agency leaders

28. Team Projects (con’t)
 Executive Sponsor for Team Project will
serve as a “go-to” resource & provide
guidance, information & suggestions
 Team will make a Dry Run presentation to
Academy class & Executive Sponsor
 Team will make Final
Presentation to CM Assoc.

29. Team Projects (con’t)
Today
 We will present the 5 Projects
 Participants identify their interest areas
and we will form the Project Teams
 Select unfamiliar topic area
 Teams get started
 Each team member picks “stretch” role
in project in order to expand skill set

30. Team Projects (con’t)
By Next Session
 Meet with your Executive Sponsor
 Develop outline on how you will carry out
project (May 26-copies for everyone)
 Frank, Eileen & all will provide feedback
on
outline (at end of May 26 session)

31. 2016 Team Projects

32. Outline for Team Project
Outline for Next Session:
• The Challenge
• WHY topic is important
• Key players/SME’s
• Key documents
• Methodology—how we plan to proceed
• Deliverable(s)
• How deliverable will be used by
Sponsors

33. Form Teams Addressing Different
Projects
 Identify organizations that you assume are
involved
 Identify possible “key informants”
 Brainstorm some possible source
documents & literature for review
 Arrange to meet with
Executive Sponsor(s)
 Make assignments

34. Readings/Homework for May 26
 Readings
 Why Should Anyone Be Led By You?, Rob Goffee
and Gareth Jones, HBR
 Crucibles of Leadership, Warren Bennis, HBR
 Homework
 Identify “mini-crucible” in your life
 Meet with Executive Sponsor(s)
 Develop as team outline for project

35. www.frankbenest.com