Leadership A Dialog on Understanding and Application Kelvin K. Droegemeier University of Oklahoma OK Math and OK Science Leadership Program 4 March 2016

From the Web Site The OKMath/OKSci Leadership Program, sponsored by the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE), goes beyond professional development and helps teachers enhance their leadership capacity. Teachers from K-12 and CareerTech collaborate to solve problems they encounter in their classrooms, schools and districts.

Challenges You Face Not feeling (or being) empowered as change agents Understanding your role in your sphere(s) of influence Effectuating change within complex systems Sorting out complexity and dealing with people who don’t understand you or what you do Thinking about the long haul when the world operates on the next budget cycle

We’re Bombarded with Material on Leadership but do we Really Understand It? Or US?? Are you naming characteristics of leaders or the work of leadership itself? Do people mention values, positive outcomes, etc?

Established in 2015 Are you naming characteristics of leaders or the work of leadership itself? Do people mention values, positive outcomes, etc?

What OU Faculty Have Shared... I am very fearful, especially of rocking the boat and harming my future No one is interested in what I have to say I’m not a department chair, dean, or associate dean so I have no power or authority I have a too limited perspective and don’t have access to needed information I don’t have any opportunity to move into a position of leadership where I can make a difference

What Does the Word “Leadership” Mean to You? Do You See Yourself as a Leader? If so, in What Ways? Are you naming characteristics of leaders or the work of leadership itself? Do people mention values, positive outcomes, etc? What Individuals Have Been Important Leaders in Your Life? Why?

My Definition of Leadership Empowering and directing people to achieve a common goal, solve problems, or effectuate positive change when pathways to progress are unclear or do not exist

My Definition of Leadership Empowering and directing people to achieve a common goal, solve problems, or effectuate positive change when pathways to progress are unclear or do not exist -- and do so by having the big picture, clarifying and contextualizing issues, managing stress and disequilibrium, and giving the work to the people impacted.

Leadership: Searching for a Definition                                 Ask them to comment on these people as leaders – to identify their leadership traits.

Leadership: Searching for a Definition Powerful/influential Intelligent Mobilize people and resources to work toward a common goal Effectuate positive change People of high values/standards/ethics – role models Well known/famous – leave a legacy Operate with a mixture of formal and informal authority                                 Ask them to comment on these people as leaders – to identify their leadership traits.

But What Makes Them Leaders? Money? Pedigree/education? Beliefs? Actions? Personalities? Looks? Connections? Work ethic? Chance? Which of these do you feel is THE most important?

"Leadership is a combination of strategy and character "Leadership is a combination of strategy and character. If you must be without one, be without the strategy." - Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf Which of these do you feel is THE most important?

Leadership: Searching for a Definition

Leadership: Searching for a Definition Powerful/influential Intelligent Mobilize people and resources to work toward a common goal Effectuate positive change Role models People of high values/standards/ethics Well known/famous Operate exclusively with formal authority, usually by coercion

Key Facts About Leadership Leadership seeks positive outcomes to benefit others – a servant viewpoint

“We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. " “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill

LIFE: Is Difficult!! LEADERSHIP: Is Difficult!! “This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. Once we truly know that life is difficult – once we truly understand and accept it – then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.” - M. Scott Peck (The Road Less Traveled)

The Good News …It is in this whole process of meeting and solving problems that life has its meaning. Problems call forth our courage and our wisdom; indeed, they create our courage and wisdom.” - M. Scott Peck (The Road Less Traveled)

Leadership In a nutshell, that’s what leaders do – they solve problems But they do so in a way fundamentally different than what you might imagine

Two Words that Often are Confused: Leadership and Management Leadership and Management are very different, though some confuse them as being nearly synonymous Few people are effective leaders and managers

Leadership and Management is about coping with complexity brings order and consistency out of potential chaos applies known solutions and strategies in creative ways

“Leader” of a Baseball Team??

Leadership and Management is about coping with or planning change, especially if it’s sudden

"Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall." - Stephen R. Covey Which of these do you feel is THE most important?

"Management is doing things right… Leadership is doing the right things." - Peter Drucker Which of these do you feel is THE most important?

Leadership and Management: Parallel but Not Equal Creating a plan Defining steps Establishing a structure Allocating resources Executing the plan Controlling situations and solving problems Which of these do you feel is THE most important?

Leadership and Management: Parallel but Not Equal Developing a vision and setting direction Defining strategies Aligning, motivating, inspiring and empowering people Testing reality Delegating work

Important Facts Management controls people by pushing them in the right direction Leadership motivates people by drawing them in a way that satisfies the basic human needs for achievement recognition self-esteem a sense of belonging

Major Tenets of Leadership Leadership involves coping with or producing useful change in response to challenges, problems or opportunities Leadership can be exercised with or without formal authority

Major Tenets of Leadership Leadership involves coping with or producing useful change in response to challenges, problems or opportunities Leadership can be exercised with or without formal authority

Producing Useful Change Problems -- when circumstances do not conform to the way we think things ought to be Two solutions Apply a known technical fix (management) Develop solutions that previously were unknown (leadership) – known as adaptive change

The Strategy of Technical Fixes Technical fixes consist of Identifying the nature/source of the problem Understanding which possible (existing) solutions might best apply Implementing the technical fix and monitoring results/outcomes Refining the approach to maximize the effectiveness of the result Technical fixes are the easiest strategy because they require the least work and produce results quickly (survival of the leader) Thus, they often are applied when they should not be (work avoidance)

Give Me Some Examples Where You’ve Seen This Take Place – and the Results Have Been Less than Desirable! Dick Hallgren’s comments plus being intrigued about leadership. I’ve become a leader of sorts but never intended to. It was sort of a natural talent and I was curious about how leaders emerge….and then did the leadership academy.

The Strategy of Adaptive Change Adaptive work consists of The learning required to address conflicts in the values people hold, or to diminish the gap between the values they stand for and the reality they face Adaptive work requires a change in values, beliefs, or behavior It does not mean passively “giving in” to the circumstances or compromising moral stands It does require that one clarify what matters most in balance with trade-offs Terrorism threat in the US and issues of liberty People want clean water but also the economic benefits of heavy industry

Applying (Adaptive Change) Leadership Get on the balcony and see the big picture, from all sides. This is the singular work of the leader Work with all stakeholders to identify the challenge: technical fix or adaptive change Ripen the issue, regulating distress and providing direction/orientation Ask tough questions, challenge traditional thinking – expose contradictions, orchestrate conflict, test reality Protect the voices of everyone/provide cover to all sides Give the work back to the people involved; get advice from those on the front lines. This is part of the buy-in. Leaders do NOT DO ALL THE WORK!!! Adaptive Change TAKES TIME!!! But it LASTS!!

Give Me Some Examples Where You Believe Adaptive Change Needs to Occur Dick Hallgren’s comments plus being intrigued about leadership. I’ve become a leader of sorts but never intended to. It was sort of a natural talent and I was curious about how leaders emerge….and then did the leadership academy.

Major Tenants of Leadership Leadership involves coping with or producing useful change in response to challenges, problems or opportunities Leadership can be exercised with or without formal authority

Leading With Formal Authority Conferred in exchange for protection, direction, conflict control Based on a set of expectations or a job description Essentially a formal contract – it can be revoked or walked away from Pros and cons Breadth and completeness of information Must operate within specific bounds Must operate at a distance from the front lines

Leading With Formal Authority

Leading With Informal Authority Based upon trust, reputation, civility, admiration, creativity and availability It can never be revoked, though the trust relationship can be broken and the reputation damaged This is the most powerful type of authority Can deviate from norms of decision making Can focus on hard issues Can get closer to the experiences of the stakeholders down in the trenches, where relationships are developed

Leading With Informal Authority

Some Key Points We often look to people in authority to solve problems, and leaders operating without formal authority often assume that only authority figures have the power to effect change The authority figures are not the only audience for action, but they CAN change their ways when the sources of their authority change their expectations The community authorizes people in positions of formal authority, so mobilize stakeholders to drive change rather than challenge the authority directly (the people do the work, not the leader or authority)

In Your Current Position, Do You See Yourself Leading With Formal or Informal Authority? Dick Hallgren’s comments plus being intrigued about leadership. I’ve become a leader of sorts but never intended to. It was sort of a natural talent and I was curious about how leaders emerge….and then did the leadership academy.

Is Leadership “A Part of Who You Are,” or Can it be Learned? Dick Hallgren’s comments plus being intrigued about leadership. I’ve become a leader of sorts but never intended to. It was sort of a natural talent and I was curious about how leaders emerge….and then did the leadership academy.

The Key is Intelligence! Part I: Intellect Intellectual capacity (IQ) Technical expertise Knowledge and experience

The Key is Intelligence! Part I: Intellect Intellectual capacity (IQ) Technical expertise Knowledge and experience Part II: Emotions 90% of the difference between outstanding and average leaders is due to emotional intelligence (EI) It’s twice as important as IQ and technical expertise combined It is THE differentiating factor in leadership

You’ve Experienced This! Have you been around people that don’t have a clue when they offend others? What instructors did you enjoy or value the most in college? The really brilliant one who cared nothing about you individually? or … The one who was really smart (can’t be a professor otherwise) but made an effort to learn about your plans and dreams?

People are persuaded by reason, but moved by emotion; [the leader] must both persuade them and move them." - Richard M. Nixon

Emotional Intelligence (EI) The capacity for recognizing our feelings and those of others; for motivating ourselves and others; for managing emotions in ourselves and in our relationships Understanding yourself (self-awareness) Managing yourself (self-regulation) Understanding others (empathy) Managing others (motivation, social skills)

Key Characteristics of Leaders A true leader is likely to be one who has no desire to lead, but is forced into a position of leadership by the press of the external situation. I believe it might be accepted as a fairly reliable rule of thumb that the man who is ambitious to lead is disqualified as a leader. (A.W. Tozer) The true leader will be as ready to follow as to lead, and when a wiser and more gifted man than himself appears, he will step aside.

System/ Environment Self

Diagnose Action

Diagnosis of the System/Environment Action on the System/Environment Diagnosis of Self Action on the System/Environment Action on Self

Adaptive Leadership Framework System Self Diagnose Diagnose Action See Yourself as a System Identify your loyalties Prioritize your loyalties Name your unspeakable loyalties Self Diagnose the Political Landscape Who are the stakeholders What are the values driving behavior Where are the existing loyalties Who will perceive a sense of loss Are there any hidden alliances Know Your Tuning Know your triggers Think Systemically What is the status quo What are the cultural norms and forces What are the structural implications What are the default interpretations & benchmarks Diagnose Broaden Your Bandwidth Discover your tolerances Diagnose Understand Your Roles What roles do you play Identify your “scope of authority” Diagnose the Adaptive Challenge Determine the technical & adaptive components Is there a gap between espoused values and current reality Are their competing commitments What are the risks of speaking the “unspeakable” What are the work-avoidance patterns Articulate your Purposes Prioritize your purposes What is the story you tell yourself Adaptive Leadership Framework Use Interpretations Experimentally Technical vs. Adaptive Benign vs. Conflictual Individual vs. Systemic Reframe the groups default interpretations Generate multiple interpretations Audition (don’t advocate) your own idea Generate diverse interpretations Stay Connected to Your Purpose Keep purposes alive Integrate your ambitions & aspirations Avoid common traps Engage Courageously Lean into your incompetence Give yourself permission to fail Build the stomach for the journey Act Politically Expand your informal authority Find allies Stay connected to the opposition Manage authority figures Take responsibilities for casualties Protect and engage the voices of dissent Thrive Anchor yourself in multiple communities Grow your personal network Create a personal holding environment Find confidants Renew yourself Action Action Run Experiments Own your piece of the mess Take more risks Exceed your authority Allow for silence Orchestrate Conflict Create a holding environment Select participants Regulate the heat Give the work back to the people Inspire People Listen with curiosity & compassion, beyond judgment Hold yourself and others through the emotion Speak from the heart Allow for silence System Self Adapted from “The Practice of Adaptive Leadership” by Heifetz, Lensky & Grashow

Summary: Being A Leader... Is truly DIFFICULT work!! Is not about a title, position or role of authority, but about leadING – and YOU are LEADERS! Is about what matters for others, not about what is best for you Is about driving positive change for those impacted Is about knowing yourself and your role Is about empowering others Is not an activity you DO but a way you live