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Leveraging your talent to lead from the middle. Mary Kay Carodine & Leslie Pendleton University of Florida NASPA 2012 Phoenix . Session overview. Role of Mid-Manager Components of leading from the middle Aligning your talents and strengths All about you - creating an action plan.
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Leveraging your talent to lead from the middle Mary Kay Carodine & Leslie Pendleton University of Florida NASPA 2012 Phoenix
Session overview • Role of Mid-Manager • Components of leading from the middle • Aligning your talents and strengths • All about you - creating an action plan
Goals for This session and for you • We hope you’ll leave this session feeling…. • That you have a very important role on your campus • Valued for your work • An opportunity to be more strategic in your role • Renewed clarity about where you see yourself making the largest impact in the field
The Value of the Mid-Manager “Top level Management relies on others at deeper levels of the organization to learn what is working and what is not, what new trends are happening and what new directions to consider. In a real sense top leadership is lead by others . . . those in the middle.” - Allan Cohen Leading from the middle: Issues and answers on leadership for middle managers. Prof. Allan Cohen. Transcript on www.babsoninsight.com
360 degree leader • Maxwell describes the middle as the optimal place from which to exercise influence. Influence is the key ingredient to leadership. President Eisenhower once said, "Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it." The most effective leaders are those who are adept at influencing the actions of others above, beside and below themselves in an organization. Maxwell, J.C. (2011). The 360 degree leader: Developing your influence from anywhere in the organization. Nashville: Thomas Nielson.
Myths of leading from the middle • The Position Myth: “I can’t lead if I am not at the top.” • The Destination Myth: “When I get to the top, then I’ll learn to lead.” • The Influence Myth: “If I were on top, then people would follow me.” • The Inexperience Myth: “When I get to the top, I’ll be in control.” • The Freedom Myth: “When I get to the to, I’ll no longer be limited.” • The Potential Myth: “I can’t reach my potential if I’m not the top leader.” • The All-or-Nothing Myth: “If I can’t get to the top, then I won’t try to lead.” • Maxwell, J.C. (2011). The 360 degree leader: Developing your influence from anywhere in the organization. Nashville: Thomas Nielson.
Challenges a Mid-manager faces • Challenge #1 The Tension Challenge: The Pressure of Being Caught in the Middle • Challenge #2 The Frustration Challenge: Following an Ineffective Leader • Challenge #3 The Multi-Hat Challenge: One Head…Many Hats • Challenge #4 The Ego Challenge: You’re Often Hidden in the Middle • Challenge #5 The Fulfillment Challenge: Leaders Like the Front More Than in the Middle • Challenge #6 The Vision Challenge: Championing the Vision is More Difficult When You Didn’t Create It • Challenge #7 The Influence Challenge: Leading Others Beyond Your Position is Not Easy • Maxwell, J.C. (2011). The 360 degree leader: Developing your influence from anywhere in the organization. Nashville: Thomas Nielson.
Who do You Lead? • Leading Up • Leading Across • Leading Down
Components of Leading from the Middle • Strategic planning • Using your budget • Communication • Managing vs. leading • Environmental scanner • Listening to the priorities of the institution, president, VP, and others • Translator to the students, new professionals, colleagues, community, and supervisor • Vision • Supervision • Scouting • Initiative • Collecting & Using data • Visibility and promotion of ideas • Student advocate • Asking good questions from different perspectives, including the opponents
What inhibits you from truly leading from the middle? • Lack of confidence in the value of your ideas • Insecurity • Lack of competency • Uncomfortable with empowering staff and letting them lead • Idea that there will be more work • Not feeling like you have the authority or the power • Other?
Part 3: Aligning your talents and strengths Now, it’s about you!
Daniel Pink, DRIVE • What really motivates us? • Autonomy • Mastery • Purpose • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc • watch from: 4:45-10:36
Gallup Organization Strengthsquest • Started from disengaged workers in the workplace • Realize talent and capitalize on that talent • Weakness-fixing will not produce excellence at the same rate as strength-building • Using talents should give you energy as well as success • “One should waste as little effort as possible on improving areas of low competence. It takes far more energy to improve from incompetence to mediocrity than it takes to improve from first-rate performance to excellence.” • — Peter Drucker http://www.strengthsquest.com/home.aspx
Gallup OrganizationWellbeing • 5 Essential Elements: • Career Wellbeing • Social Wellbeing • Financial Wellbeing • Physical Wellbeing • Community Wellbeing • 66% doing well in at least 1 area; 7% doing thriving in all* Career Wellbeing • Use strengths everyday • Avoid burnout • 6x more likely to be engaged in their job* • People thriving in career wellbeing have a deep purpose and plan to reach their goals. *Rath, T. & Harter, J. (2010). Wellbeing: The five essential elements. New York: Gallup Press.
Career Wellbeing cont’D Rath, T. & Harter, J. (2010). Wellbeing: The five essential elements. New York: Gallup Press.
Self-assessment of knowledge, skills, and strengths Please rate yourself on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the highest) (like it; good at it) Supervision 1 2 3 4 5 Assessment 1 2 3 4 5 Motivation 1 2 3 4 5 Managing your supervisor 1 2 3 4 5 Visioning 1 2 3 4 5 Strategic planning 1 2 3 4 5 Using budget 1 2 3 4 5 Advocacy 1 2 3 4 5 Communication 1 2 3 4 5 Translator 1 2 3 4 5 Team player 1 2 3 4 5
Personal action plan • What I am REALLY excellent at (better than anyone I know) • Ways I can more effectively incorporate these talents into my work every day • New opportunities at my institution to utilize my talents • People who are strategically placed within my institution to help me with my career development • Opportunities that can further my responsibility or role to promote my growth • Action steps I want to take and by when
Questions and contact information Mary Kay Carodine, Ph.D. Assistant VP for Student Affairs marykay@ufl.edu (352) 392-1265 Leslie Pendleton Director of Florida Opportunity Scholars Program lesliep@ufsa.ufl.edu (352) 392-1265