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These. V. Big Ten development conference. Leading in Turbulent times July 25, 2013 Carl Robinson – Vantage Leadership Consulting . Opening Thought . If you wake up in the morning and aren’t confused, you are in big trouble!. The Challenge.
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These V Big Ten development conference Leading in Turbulent times July 25, 2013 Carl Robinson – Vantage Leadership Consulting
Opening Thought If you wake up in the morning and aren’t confused, you are in big trouble!
The Challenge Significantly and meaningfully accelerate the development of very talented and successful leaders in a period of extraordinary transition and demand NO EASY TASK!
Your Challenge the Next Couple of Days • Behave as if your professional development actually matters….it does • Focus on becoming a “difference maker” for your university– a leader with even bigger impact and contribution • Experiment and explore…push your comfort zone
A Little Advice… • Write down any and every smart idea • Your colleagues – beg, borrow, and steal from them; “extreme networking” • Our distinguished speakers – engage, listen, and learn; ask terrific questions! • Your assumptions – temporarily suspend them
PLAY HARD..! “Let’s pretend that this is your life we’re talking about!”
7.25.13 Let’s begin with a few thoughts on the dynamic world in which we find ourselves…
Three Core Lessons In demanding, turbulent times….. • Organizations become increasingly irrational places • Employees become at greater risk of disengaging • And leaders cast very long shadows!
Indicators Your Team is Struggling… • Heightened politics, gamesmanship, noise, distortion, and distraction • Unfair follower demands, weak leadership responses • Increased rigidity and escalating commitment to failing courses of action • An increasingly wary workforce prone to learned helplessness
Unable to keep up Lucy and Ethel resort to eating the chocolates, stuffing them into their clothes and finally into their hats
A Few Questions for Reflection • In general, how are your employees holding up? • What is shaping the way they perceive their environment, think about their work, and feel about their futures? • What do you personally need to be doing differently as a result?
The Unspoken Conversation • “We will just have to do more with less.” • Are you crazy? We can hardly meet our objectives now! • “We will need to become a leaner organization.” • “Lean! We are past lean!” • “I am here to tell you how to expand capacity.” • Go ahead, @&^%$^##@@, let’s see what you’ve got.
Where Do Your People Stand • “On Board” • Eager, proactive, engaged, supportive, committed • “On the Fence” • Anxious and wary but hanging in there, persuadable • “Against It!” • Cynical, defensive, resistant, uncooperative or angry • “Don’t Get It??” • Lost in action, dazed and confused, satisfied for the wrong reasons
In-Place Breakout - Does Leadership Actually Matter? • Pair up with another person for a 5 minute discussion • Think of a person who had significant positive impact on your growth and development during a tough or formative period – a “great boss” • Discuss • Who was it? • What impact did they have? • What specifically made the difference?
The Way It’s Always Been….Characteristics Shared by Great Leaders • Very high standards for both self and others • Terrific Emotional Intelligence and a genuine passion for seeing people excel • Core optimism – a belief in possibility • A solid and practical grasp of what’s needed
Is This Enough? All necessary, but perhaps not sufficient
The Keys to Leading People Who are Paid to Think • Autonomy • The lightest possible “management” • Mastery • Work that plays to personal strengths • Purpose • A straight line connection to a compelling mission
For Discussion and Journaling Where do you personally need to show more leadership? Which of these dimensions would make the biggest difference for you? What should you be focusing on during your Conference?
Finally, a Thought or Two on Diversity • “Unlikeness” or “dissimilarity” • “Variety and variation” • “A point of difference” Dictionary.com
The Business Case for Diversity “Research demonstrates that complex problems are best solved by diverse teams” True or False?
Closing Advice Prepare yourselves to be outstanding students again… “What you know is increasingly less relevant than your ability to learn new things”