15 Minutes a Day

Archive for the ‘Life’ Category

The only constant in the Universe is change and yet it is the most reviled thing in the Universe. So many people long for the days of yester-year when this or that was “perfect” and is no longer that way today. The World War II generation complained about the Baby Boomers who now complain about Generations X and Y. Each worries that the next generation will ruin everything they have worked so hard for and yet each successive generation talks about how the prior generation screwed up the world for them. Change happens. To complain about it and continuously look back is useless except to learn from past mistakes. Holding grudges, picking nits, prolonging arguments; these are no way to live.

I tend to be a person who embraces change and rolls with the punches that change throws my way. I don’t say this to brag, but to advise. Change is going to happen. As leaders, we need to work hard to prepare our followers for the coming changes. If we know there is a reorganization coming, then as leaders we need to help our workers shine so they find a place in the new organizational structure. If we know there are layoffs coming, we need to prepare our followers for that inevitability so they can land on their feet and keep going. I would also hope that leaders in this program will also stress the need for followers to educate themselves. Not everyone is cut out to pursue a graduate degree, but a culture that values education is one that can innovate its way out of tough situations. That’s my two cents…

This was posted as the answer to a discussion question in my classroom learning environment. However, I wanted to share it here and get your feedback as well. All references are cited in APA format. Some may not be accessible to the general public because they are in private library sites accessible only through an account with those libraries or client schools. ~CF

Kofman & Senge (1993) pointed out that three major organizational challenges must be overcome in order for an organization to integrate an organizational learning culture. These are “fragmentation, competition, and reactiveness.” A very relevant example is currently unfolding in the oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico. I am not referring to the organization called BP, but to the United States Government. While these problems may occur within BP, I have not studied this company enough to prove it. However, the “fragmentation, competition, and reactiveness” of the US government is obvious and I have studied that organization for years.

Fragmentation:
The Hill News website reports (Snyder, 2010) that three Congressional committees are having hearings on the BP Oil Spill. Recently I heard of another five hearings that were happening. In addition the following agencies have been cited as being involved by the media: Minerals Management Service (2010), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (2010), the Coast Guard (2010), the EPA (2010), and others. This fragmentation shows an abundance of rework being done and quite possibly a lack of communication between the agencies. While I’m sure that the Federal Government is committed to hiring intelligent people to work for these agencies, and I admire them a great deal, the lessons learned from this environmental catastrophe will not be easily shared across organizational boundaries (Scott & Davis, 2007).

Competition:
Competition and finger-pointing between and within the political parties is not doing any good for this situation either. Playing the blame game only causes divisiveness and wastes time and resources (Guttman, 2005). The parties should come together to solve the problem, not stand apart and point fingers at each other. They are both responsible for making the government function and right now the government is too fragmented to function effectively.

Reactiveness:
Because of the cronyism that runs through both parties and at all levels of government, the response to the oil spill has been reactive and chaotic. While BP was required to file a disaster response plan, according to documents obtained by the media (The Maddow Blog, 2010), BP had apparently cut and pasted sections from other drilling disaster plans because they mention animals that live in cold climates, not the Gulf of Mexico. Nobody in the government caught this or, if they did, they did nothing about it. These reactions are wrong and do not demonstrate a learning organization.

Will the Federal Government learn from this disaster and make changes? I don’t know. I hope so. Your thoughts?

References:

Environmental Protection Agency. (2010). EPA response to the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/.

Guttman, H.M. (2005). Partnering to solve team problems. Leader to Leader, 2005(37), 16. Retrieved September 7, 2009, from ProQuest Database.

Kofman, F. & Senge, P.M. (1993).Communities of commitment: The heart of learning organizations. Organizational Dynamics; Autumn93, Vol. 22 Issue 2, p4-23, 20p. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=9402182644&site=ehost-live.

Minerals Management Service. (2010). News and Press Releases. Retrieved from http://www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/whatsnew/newsreal/newsreal.html.

National Ocianic and Atmospheric Administration. (2010). Publications, Factsheets and One-Pagers. Retrieved from http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/topic_subtopic_entry.php?RECORD_KEY(entry_subtopic_topic)=entry_id,subtopic_id,topic_id&entry_id(entry_subtopic_topic)=812&subtopic_id(entry_subtopic_topic)=2&topic_id(entry_subtopic_topic)=1

Scott, R.W. and Davis, G.F. (2007). Organizations and organizing: Rational, natural, and open system perspectives. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Snyder, J. (May 10, 2010). Congress opens probe into gulf coast oil spill. The Hill. Retrieved from http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/96865-congress-opens-oil-spill-probe.

The Maddow Blog. (June 9, 2010). Preshow homework: BP wasn’t ready (Blog post). Retrieved from http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/06/09/4487189-preshow-homework-bp-wasnt-ready.

US Coast Guard. (2010). Coast Guard Compass. Retrieved from http://coastguard.dodlive.mil/index.php/2010/06/stay-up-to-the-minute-with-the-deepwater-horizon-response/

Leadership is an exercise in humility and responsibility. As the recent leadership issues in the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico has shown us, the ability to admit when a leader is wrong and the acceptance of responsibility for an error or problem can go a long way to preserving or destroying the image of an organization or (in this case) several organizations. BP is not the only organization to have taken a serious public relations hit because of the lack of active leadership and disaster planning. The Minerals Management Service, the Interior Department, along with the Executive and Legislative Branches of the U.S. Government have also taken quite a hit because of lax regulations, cronyism, and too much stock in the Great Man Theory. I think we need a shift in leadership culture in this country.

For millenia almost every culture on the planet has been led by “Great Men” who have been rich or influential enough to garner enough power and strength around them to run things by force or strength of will. Perhaps we need to get away from following such people and look for more of what Robert K. Greenleaf calls Servant Leaders. These types of leaders are not interested in amassing power for the sake of building up themselves and their interests. They are interested in serving others through leadership so that everyone benefits, not just their friends and followers. Becoming a Servant Leader takes a change in mind-set from most of the examples given in the past. Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. were Servant Leaders. Their protégés haven’t had the same successes that they did because they don’t seem to understand how to be Servant Leaders.

Is it possible to get away from the tyranny of the Great Man Theory of leadership in the United States? I don’t know. Servant Leaders are a rare breed, but perhaps if more leaders were to espouse this newer theory and begin working for the betterment of everyone rather than for just themselves and their followers, we would begin to see real change in the world. Perhaps corporations would learn to make money for their shareholders while also being good to their workers and the environment. Perhaps politicians would work for the benefit of their constituents rather than their donors. We need to start expecting this from our leaders if we ever hope to get it.

What are your thoughts on this? How can we switch to Servant Leaders? Are Servant Leaders and Great Men (or Women) mutually exclusive or can they blend techniques? Please share…

One of the biggest challenges I have found in both my current and past jobs and in other organizations I have been involved in has been what’s called “leading up.” This means leading your supervisors or other superiors. When one is not in a position of authority, leadership becomes a challenge because some of those you are trying to lead or influence are not obligated to follow you. This can be a frustrating experience and may lead some to think that they need to get a promotion before they can become a leader. This is not true.

I just finished listening to the Audible.com version of The 360-Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization as read by the author, John C. Maxwell. I enjoyed listening to it and Mr. Maxwell reads it very well. Mr. Maxwell gave advice on how to lead your supervisors, peers, and subordinates in a manner that is inoffensive to all three groups and yet still gets things done. It seems that what some forget is that leadership is a matter of influence, not force or position.

Learning how to build influence has been a tough lesson for me to learn, but I think I might finally be getting the hang of it. I’m not talking about learning to manipulate people or win at office politics. I am talking about building a reputation for yourself as a subject matter expert (SME) and proving that expertise over and over again. In part, leadership is an exercise in constantly improving yourself so that you can work on helping others improve themselves, their situations, and the organizations you work in.

While leading from the middle can be tricky, Mr. Maxwell’s book is full of examples of middle leaders who have had an effect on all levels of their organization. While I don’t agree that some of Mr. Maxwell’s examples are positive examples of leadership, I do agree that they are correct. He uses former Vice President Dick Cheney as an example of a 360-degree leader. I agree that Cheney is a leader, but not one that leads for the betterment of everyone. His influence and decisions have led us down a path that has caused environmental, social, and economic disasters that now must be corrected while Mr. Cheney sits back and shrugs his shoulders. I would encourage Mr. Maxwell to pick more positive examples in the future.

Are you a middle or 360-degree leader in your organization or community? Please share your story and challenges here. I’d love to know how you are handling the issues mentioned here.

I’ve been back from Year 3 Residency for a bit over a week now and I’m pretty nearly feeling human again. I got sick with a cold or allergies while I was in Phoenix and that is finally clearning up. I spent several days sleeping quite a bit and recharging before heading back to work.

My husband and I also celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary!!! We went to a Sacramento RiverCats Baseball game (which we both love to do!) and Mark had them put a message on the board for me (see the photo). RHMILY means “Remember How Much I Love You!” He got a great big “Awwww” and a kiss from me as I scrambled to pull out my camera. It was a wonderful day!

I started a new class last night. It’s called “Organizational Diagnosis and Intervention.” Do you have any idea what this is about? I’m not sure yet, but I’m sure it’s important. I just haven’t taken the time to read the syllibus or do the reading yet. That starts tonight! I’m sure this has to do with dealing with troubled organizations. I can think of a few organizations I’ve worked for where a class like this would have been helpful.

I think I’ve reached an alternatively weary/exciting part of my doctoral program. There are some days (hours/minutes/seconds) when I am tremendously excited about the fact that I only have four content classes and my dissertation project left to do and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. There are other days (hours/minutes/seconds) where I’m extremely tired and keep wondering “What was I thinking when I signed up for this journey?” I look at the “light at the end of the tunnel” and am sure it’s an oncoming train.

I am hoping that the excitement will go back to being the predominant feeling so I can push through to the end of this process and graduate. In the meantime I keep putting one foot in front of the other and doing one task or assignment at a time. My dissertation mentor, Dr. Holley, has assured me that my dissertation project is now doable and my timeline is reasonable. Now I just need to pitch it to the folks that I want to study…

Anyway, life proceeds apace. I’m back at work and am still training a new coworker who is coming along nicely. He starts teaching training classes tomorrow (under my watchful eye). Hopefully by July he’ll be able to take half of the training chores off of my plate and let me concentrate on other tasks.

My husband and dogs are great! I think Shasta wishes I’d walk her more often. Come to think of it, I wish I could walk her more often. Now that the weather is starting to improve I hope to fulfill her wish. I think I’ll start by taking both Roobee and Shasta to a nearby dog park.

Mark is as loving and supportive as ever! I really couldn’t do any of this without him. He keeps me going and helps to recharge my batteries on a daily basis.