Wednesday, September 29, 2004

What we're reading

The Leader who is hardly known - by Stephen Simpson
Results from the Heart - by Kiyoshi Suzaki
Inspire! - by Lance Secretan
The Heart Aroused - by David Whyte
The Servant - by James C. Hunter
How, then, shall we live? - by Wayne Muller
Today Matters - by John C. Maxwell
The Goal - by Eli Goldratt

The Power of Showing Up & Choosing to Be Present

Closing thoughts for my eight companions:

Someone who sees you
and does not laugh out loud,
or fall silent,
or explode in pieces,
is nothing more that the cement
and stone of his own prison.
- Jalal al-Din Rumi

Sunday, September 26, 2004

Motivating people to be their very best

"Why is it, at home, we excel at hobbies, volunteer work, etc? The creativity and motivation, the work ethic, the 'dress to impress' persona that drives a person to go above and beyond, is found minimally in organizational behavior." < Karen

Learning about Bonto [poetry for the net]

I was told the Wall Street Journal I should read,
But it was people who taught me how to lead.
Leaders we became, one step at a time.
I paid for it all on my own dime.


Jim doesn’t like interaction.
He feels he can’t get enough traction.
Guess he won’t be a leader to others
Unlike his roundtable brothers.

Wednesday, September 22, 2004

Practice—the ongoing process of experimentation, learning, skill-building, attention, and self-reflection

The primary work of leaders in the 21st century, rather than performing to meet externally imposed demands, will be to deepen their ability to sense and act on emerging opportunities and challenges amid constant change. Practice—the ongoing process of experimentation, learning, skill-building, attention, and self-reflection—equips us to cultivate this ability in several ways.

First, practice often pulls us away from the comfortable and familiar, preparing us to recognize and align ourselves with the change that is already occurring around and within us. As a pianist, I learn through practice to have faith that my intuition will lead me where my fingers want to go next. Like piano players, leaders need to be adept improvisers, willing to set aside their scripts and listen for signals, follow their instincts, and imagine a future that has not yet arrived.

Second, practice cannot be rushed. While acquiring knowledge happens quickly, transforming it into wisdom takes time. When we try to speed up, we often commit errors that force us to backtrack and start over again. Finally, practice teaches us detachment. The "performance" may be exciting, but we often practice in an inspired solitude that aligns us with a deeper inner harmony.

As long as we remain open to noticing our experience and how it is changing, then we are fulfilling the essential spirit of practice. When we devote this level of attention to any aspect of our lives, not only do we improve the outcome—the song we play or the product we create—we also discover within ourselves a heightened sensitivity and a new way of being present in the world. [Michael Jones]

Monday, September 20, 2004

first things

We must be inspired first before we can inspire others.

Sunday, September 19, 2004

restoring local communities into cohesive units

"In grammar through grad school, put more emphasis on creativity, discovery, ethics, entrepreneurship and flexible problem solving".  [Richard Samson of EraNova Institute]

Wednesday, September 15, 2004

No shame in starting small

"When contemplating the pursuit of a dream or the start of a new venture, too many people are hesitant to begin because they can't comprehend the entire journey. If that's where you find yourself right now, don't expect to understand what it takes to get to the top. Just take the next step. There's no shame in starting small; in fact, if you don't start small, you'll probably never start at all." - Dr. John C. Maxwell [Leadership Wired]

Monday, September 13, 2004

Shaping life choices at LR2 [grad students Top 10]

** Personal development (self-improvement)
* Setting personal goals
* Confidence building
Answers to leadership questions
Leadership skillbuilding
Meet other leaders, learn from others
Achieving success, meeting goals
Relationship building
Becoming a better presenter
Meeting new challenges

Thursday, September 09, 2004

The shortest distance between vision & substance [Stella Okoli]

"Leadership is the ability to engage the hand, head and heart of a free and informed people in pursuit of a definite and worthy goal. It goes beyond charm, warmth and style. It is commitment, character and courage. Leadership is the shortest distance between vision and substance."

Tuesday, September 07, 2004

reading versus applying

1) Hearing and learning from the experience and views of other leaders and managers. It's easy to pick up  a management book and read about someone's leadership theory. It's a whole different, and I believe more valuable, process to hear and discuss various circumstances where Vermont leaders applied these theories to our world.
2) Along this same line, sometimes these same management books are a great way to begin these discussions because they give a common starting point. < Rebecca

Monday, September 06, 2004

Job Satisfaction and Retention survey [Chart Your Course International]

CYCI conducted this Job Satisfaction and Retention survey in August 2004. Key findings include:
1- Salary has risen to become the top issue as why people will "stay," or "leave" their organization for another.
2- The number of people considering leaving their current employer for another has increased since the first survey in 2001.
3- "Communication" issues have increased in importance as to what causes low morale and causing "dissatisfaction" at work.
4- Question 12 indicates a large portion of untapped potential in the workforce. Over 70 percent of the respondents indicated they had ideas/suggestions that could be used to improve productivity between 30-60 percent.

Full survey results : http://www.chartcourse.com/employeeretentionsurvey.html

Friday, September 03, 2004

a network of our peers

The prospect of developing a focused, small, intimate network of peers who are similar to me in terms of inventory and scope of issues that they deal with. < Jon

doesn't end when I pull into the driveway

To, for once, have the opportunity to leave a gathering freshly inspired and motivated for great things (easy to do) with a committed few to continue communicating with for the exchange of ideas, criticism, motivation and refreshed inspiration (the challenge). So that it does not end when I pull into the driveway... for this, I would walk a day for. < John

teams & individuals

how to motivate your team to reach their goal, followed by how to develop the strengths of individuals on your team to improve the overall team and help them with their individual advancement. < John

Thursday, September 02, 2004

follow-up for getting things done

Maybe a sense that there would be small group work with time to do some problem solving for each attendee, and a commitment of follow-up support by the small group and workshop leadership so that attendees feel like this is helping them get something concreter done. < Gordon

Wednesday, September 01, 2004

moments of truth

I think I would like to learn how better to use time and talents in leading by example, not necessarily by charge.  Also, how does one transform personal feelings of inadequacies, lack of confidence and fear of failure into qualities reflective of a strong leader < Cindy

forging agreement

to get groups of people with competing interests to see things your way (aka, agree on a common solution). < Gary

communications, vision, expectations

1. "The role of communications in leadership." - Revolving around personal and team communications. It should differentiate "leadership" communication skills from "management" communication skills (ie: motivational differences; "pull" vs. "push"; creating ownership via inclusion, not pressure: etc.)
2. "Establishing a vision people want to get behind." - Often the vision is based on the environment (ie: project, industry, etc.) but skills and tools for building a solid vision (AND generating buy-in) would be useful
3. "Managing expectations." - A leader needs to "keep everyone on the same page" with respect to a rewards system, what people are responsible for, etc. Skills and tools associated with managing expectations would be great. Obviously, this ties closely with number 1. < Scott

direct talk

Talk directly with lots of other leaders about the most important traits of a good leader. I don’t want to listen to some speaker tell me their view or the research. I would want to talk to other leaders about what they think works for them and what they struggle with. < Rick

integrity

Maintaining integrity in the workplace in today's corporate marketplace. < Mark

topical focus & great books

I like workshops that have a specific topic or purpose (ie. dealing with difficult personalities, or identifying different roles in a work team--collaborators, etc.). I also like workshops where you have been asked to read a particular, inspirational leadership or management resource book, and then have a book discussion. < David

ethics, service first, & non-profits

1. Ethics- how do you lead an organization to buy in to the process of owning a Code of Ethics that is the lense through which they do their work. Once adopted, how do you keep it alive.
2. Service- how do you lead an organization to adapt their organizational model and organizational behavior to be one of service first, putting the consumer, the client, the partner at the top of the pyramid and the CEO, Director, at the bottom. How do you get organizations to make that switch from leading to serving.
3. Non-profits- how are the leadership styles of nonprofits unique and what skills need to be nurtured. How do you prevent burn out in nonprofit leaders? What is the hook that will keep them wanting to come to work, balancing home and work, and not being tempted to make more dollars in the for-profit world?
< Polly

in service

How to serve others. < Bob

inward journeys

One that covers the inward journey of leadership…..how is one leading her/his own life, what are they leading from within themselves, how do leaders stay in self inquiry and renewal with all of the outer demands? For that, I would get in my car and drive. < lori