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May 2009
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Academy News
Leadership is defined in many ways, the person who quietly helps others achieve their goals or the one who stands in front of the group forging the new path and bringing others along with. Each leadership style has one thing in common, action, taking that first step, speaking up, and trying a new way. Successful leaders have learned from their failures - they keep "doing".
The Utility Leadership Academy proudly supports the 2nd Annual Energetic Women Conference a conference that believes in Developing skills, Owning success, Increasing your role, and Taking action. DO IT!
2nd Annual Energetic Women's Conference
June 16-18, 2009
FireSky Resort
Scottsdale, AZ
If you have any questions about the Utility Leadership Academy please feel free to give me a call at (651) 289-9600 x131.
Dianne Felty
Director of Member Relations
Midwest ENERGY Association
Walk the Talk
Excerpts from Susan M. Heathfield, "How to Walk Your Talk Leadership and Sponsorship in Action" <http://humanresources.about.com/cs/managementissues/a/walktalk.htm>, accessed on May 12, 2009.
Want to know how to “walk the talk” to enable organization change and improvement? Want to take the power away from the oft-repeated employee complaint that managers don’t walk their talk?
The most important tip comes first. If you do this first action well, the rest will follow more naturally. If the ideas you are promoting are congruent with your core beliefs and values, these actions will come easily, too. So, start with a deep understanding of “why” you want to see the change or improvement.
- Model the behavior you want to see from others.
- If you make a rule or design a process, follow it, until you decide to change it.
- Act as if you are part of the team, not always the head of it. Dig in and do actual work, too.
- Help people achieve the goals that are important to them, as well as the goals that are important to you.
- Do what you say you're going to do.
Book Review: Leading Every Day
Leading Every Day: 124 Actions for Effective Leadership by Dr. Joyce S. Kaser, Susan E. Mundry, Katherin E. Stiles, and Susan Loucks-Horsley is a great source of inspiration and techniques especially for those with busy schedules. In only minutes a day the lessons teach a broader understanding of leadership in today's world and offer a guide to personal reflection and growth.
Action Centered Leadership
Excerpts from John Adairs's "Action Centered Leadership" http://www.businessballs.com/action.htm>, accessed on May 6, 2009.
John Adair's simple Action-Centered Leadership model provides a great blueprint for leadership and the management of any team, group or organization.
The Action Centered Leadership model is Adair's best known work, in which the three elements - Achieving the Task, Developing the Team and Developing Individuals - are mutually dependent, as well as being separately essential to the overall leadership role.
Importantly as well, Adair set out these core functions of leadership and says they are vital to the Action Centered Leadership model:
- Planning - seeking information, defining tasks, setting aims Initiating - briefing, task allocation, setting standards
- Controlling - maintaining standards, ensuring progress, ongoing decision-making
- Supporting - individuals' contributions, encouraging, team spirit, reconciling, morale
- Informing - clarifying tasks and plans, updating, receiving feedback and interpreting
- Evaluating - feasibility of ideas, performance, enabling self assessment
John Adair's Action-Centered Leadership model is represented by Adair's 'three circles' diagram, which illustrates Adair's three core management responsibilities:
- achieving the task
- managing the team or group
- managing individuals
When using it in your own environment think about the aspects of performance necessary for success in your own situation, and incorporate local relevant factors into the model to create your own interpretation.
Your responsibilities as a manager for achieving the task are:
- identify aims and vision for the group, purpose, and direction - define the activity (the task)
- identify resources, people, processes, systems and tools (inc. financials, communications, IT)
Your responsibilities as a manager for the group are:
- establish, agree and communicate standards of performance and behavior
- establish style, culture, approach of the group - soft skill elements
- monitor and maintain discipline, ethics, integrity and focus on objectives
- anticipate and resolve group conflict, struggles or disagreements
- assess and change as necessary the balance and composition of the group
- develop team-working, cooperation, morale and team-spirit
Your responsibilities as a manager for each individual are:
- understand the team members as individuals - personality, skills, strengths, needs, aims and fears
- assist and support individuals - plans, problems, challenges, highs and lows
- identify and agree appropriate individual responsibilities and objectives
- give recognition and praise to individuals - acknowledge effort and good work
Please visit the link above for a complete list of "Your responsibilities" these are just brief examples.
Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit. ~ Conrad Hilton, Hilton Hotels
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Discussion: Academy News - May 2009
Posted: 13 May 2009 1:08 PM
