Leadership Tip: Empowering Others

"A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver
five minutes longer."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I’m a powerful person. Now, I’m not a power-hungry person at all, and I don’t even get excited about being the ultimate “decider” of what our family eats for dinner, but rather, I’m powerful in the sense that I can do good for other people every, single day. You are a powerful person too. If you don’t think you are, you should step back and think again. As a leader, you support a lot of women in our League who go out and do good in our communities… and that is incredibly powerful. I want to take a minute and encourage all League leaders to use their power to empower others.

The following is an excerpt from The LeaderShape® Institute. (I had the opportunity to attend LeaderShape while in college, and then help facilitate a session after college, and it has sincerely shaped me into the person I am today.)

Power is the ability to influence others and get things done. It is not a negative concept. In fact, it is only when power is wielded through intimidation, manipulation, or for personal gain that the concept becomes a negative one. You need not apologize for utilizing power if you’re thoughtful and responsible about its use. Leaders, however, always need to consider: who they are leading, why they are leading, why they are interested in having power, and how they can be most effective.
Empowerment is the process of sharing so that others have a sense of autonomy and control. Empowering is a leap of faith for many leaders and often feels risky because you are consciously giving up control and trusting others so they can perform independently – and be held accountable.
Empowerment works only under two conditions: When people are qualified to do the job and when the transfer of assignments doesn’t appear to be dumping of responsibilities. It’s inappropriate, for example, to give people tasks for which they don’t have the knowledge or skills. In this instance, a leader is only setting up someone to lose face – and power – when the job is poorly done. Likewise, to delegate simply to get the monkey off your back is an irresponsible use of empowerment.
How, then, do leaders empower? First, by giving people important work to do on critical issues. Allow people autonomy over their work by giving them projects from beginning to end. Recognize the talents and skills of those in your organization and delegate tasks to match skills so that people will succeed! Trust people to do the job, even if it’s not done your way. Finally, create an environment where people are recognized for their efforts, where people are coached and encouraged if they need help, and where people’s strengths and unique qualities are valued.
The positive aspects of empowering others is that people will begin to self-motivate (all leaders dream of this!), they will work harder, and they will receive greater personal satisfaction for their efforts all of which results in a stronger organization.

Leadership Tip: What kind of Leader are You?

"The past does not define you, the present does."
-- Jillian Michaels

What kind of leader are you?

This leadership inspiration is more of a reflection for each of us as League leaders. While these are not the end-all-be-all of leader descriptions, they are general categories that can help you identify where you are, and help you grow in new directions.

Basic Leadership Styles
(Adapted from Leadership and the One-Minute Manager, Kenneth Blanchard et al)

1. Directing - The directing leader provides specific instructions and closely supervises task accomplishment. Feedback from members is minimal, and it is assumed that they will comply automatically with the instructions they receive.
2. Coaching - The coaching leader continues to direct and closely supervise task accomplishment, but also explains decisions, solicits suggestions, and supports progress. Members’ input is sought in setting goals, in determining what tasks should be scheduled, and how the tasks should be done. This method is a combination of the directing with supporting styles.
3. Supporting - The supporting leader seeks the members’ input in planning and decision making, and facilitates their efforts toward task accomplishment.
4. Delegating - The delegating leader turns over responsibility for decision making and problem solving to subordinates who have shown that they can handle the responsibility.
   

In all cases the leader maintains ultimate responsibility for members’ actions. The progression inherent in the move from directing to delegating indicates maturity and increased capability of both leader and member. A good leader does not operate as the sole decision maker. As she moves from directing to delegating (or to any appropriate combination of the four styles), the leader must share some of the authority and glory inherent in getting the job done. True sharing requires comprehensive knowledge of the goal and task, a high degree of self-knowledge and self-assurance, and a great capacity for persuasion.

Leadership Tip: Components of Active Listening

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being
can alter his life by altering his attitudes."
-- William James

This leadership inspiration focuses on the components of ACTIVE LISTENING. I imagine most of you have heard that term and likely practiced it before, so just think of this as a quick shot-in-the-arm refresher. I highlight active listening this month because it is a very powerful aspect of being an effective leader.

Listening to our fellow committee members and community representatives is critical to each of the League’s successes. As leaders, we need others to listen to us, and we, in turn, must listen to others, so that they know that they are valued. They will also walk away feeling pretty effective too. A win-win.
So, from my perspective, the goal of active listening is: To non-evaluatively hear what another person is saying. I encourage you to use active listening in your monthly/weekly meetings, your community involvement, your business interactions, and just about all daily encounters. (It may also come in handy in tight situations of relationships, child-rearing, parenting, etc.) So, review these components and see if you can make a difference in someone you listen to today.

CRITICAL BEHAVIORS

• Attending - Showing interest through nonverbal behavior and acknowledging responses.
• Mirroring - Accurately reflecting content and feeling in a non-judgmental way.
• Questioning - Eliciting more information or requesting clarification.
• Showing Respect - Suspending judgment or evaluation and avoiding behaviors which discredit or trivialize the conversation.
• Self-disclosure - Sharing one’s own experience.
• Problem-solving - Exploring alternatives and developing specific action steps to solve problems.
• Showing empathy - Expressing concern for the other person
• Spontaneity - Being expressive rather than contrived.
  

Some of this month’s sources include: Personal notes and content from The LeaderShape® Institute.

80s Prom - TOTALLY RAD, DUDE!

POSTED BY: Tara Roussel



Feet. So sore.

I haven’t danced that much since the actual ‘80s.

After being greeted at the door by Provisional Committee member Carson Eltoukhy and Co-Chair Courtney Charney, we paused only long enough for a picture before bouncing our side-ponytails to the beat! We danced until they turned the music off and the lights back on.

Club Illusions on California Ave. in Palo Alto really wowed with an impressive collection of hits – and vintage videos on a huge screen at the front of the club. I’m not sure what was more hilarious: re-watching the ‘special’ effects in those early videos or finally realizing that sparkly woman in the large brown wig was President Jan Woolsey.

And who knew six-foot-tall Kristen Fabos-Livingston could groove like that! (Oh and God bless her sweet hubby and all the hubbies who came. Mine was ecstatic to be on babysitting duty that night.)

So while I have washed the Aqua Net out of my hair and retired the hot pink mesh fingerless gloves to my daughter’s dress-up closet, I’m still bopping inside to ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!”

What a blast. Thanks so much to the organizers. Provisional Committee: You outdid yourselves!

Pancake Breakfast 2009 in Photos

Many hours...one morning...volunteering to support the Alisa Burn Foundation

Leadership Tip: Checklist

My name is Ansley, and I’m a list-maker. Whether it’s the running list of groceries on the fridge, a list of things to remember to do before I leave the house with the kids in the morning, or a list of things that I need to start thinking about…I make lists. And I really enjoy checking things off as I go along.

So, I did a little research into the checklist-making habit I have. Here is what I’d like to share with you.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
“A checklist is used as an aid to memory. It helps to ensure consistency and completeness in carrying out a task. A basic example is the "to do list." A more advanced checklist would be a schedule, which lays out tasks to be done according to time of day or other factors.”
Checklists can improve results. Checklists are powerful tools for jogging your memory, reducing stress, and sharing know how.
People use checklists effectively to:
· Reduce task saturation. Task saturation is simply too much to do and not enough time. Checklists help you reduce that overwhelming feeling – probably not all of it, but some of it.
· Lower stress. Checklists minimize forgetting something. This relieves the stress of worrying about forgetting (especially when consequences are very bad).
· Free the mind. You don’t have to waste your prefrontal cortex on mundane things. Basically, checklists free you up to worry about higher level issues.
· Be a refresher course. You can use checklists as a tool to remember a sequence of actions for the next time you do something, like submitting a check request or packing for a trip.

Do you use checklists? If you currently don’t use them, create a list for the coming week and see if you feel more productive. If you are already a checklist person, please share your effective checklists. I just might write your secrets down, try them out, then make a “to-do” to remind myself to thank you for suggesting the secret!
This month’s sources include: Wikipedia and www.sourcesofinsight.com.

February 2010 - Inspiration for Leaders

Be Powerful in an Empowering Way

"A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I’m a powerful person. Now, I’m not a power-hungry person at all, and I don’t even get excited about being the ultimate “decider” of what our family eats for dinner, but rather, I’m powerful in the sense that I can do good for other people every, single day. You are a powerful person too. If you don’t think you are, you should step back and think again. As a leader, you support a lot of women in our League who go out and do good in our communities… and that is incredibly powerful. I want to take a minute and encourage all League leaders to use their power to empower others.

The following is an excerpt from The LeaderShape® Institute. (I had the opportunity to attend LeaderShape while in college, and then help facilitate a session after college, and it has sincerely shaped me into the person I am today.)

Power is the ability to influence others and get things done. It is not a negative concept. In fact, it is only when power is wielded through intimidation, manipulation, or for personal gain that the concept becomes a negative one. You need not apologize for utilizing power if you’re thoughtful and responsible about its use. Leaders, however, always need to consider: who they are leading, why they are leading, why they are interested in having power, and how they can be most effective.

Empowerment is the process of sharing so that others have a sense of autonomy and control. Empowering is a leap of faith for many leaders and often feels risky because you are consciously giving up control and trusting others so they can perform independently – and be held accountable.

Empowerment works only under two conditions: When people are qualified to do the job and when the transfer of assignments doesn’t appear to be dumping of responsibilities. It’s inappropriate, for example, to give people tasks for which they don’t have the knowledge or skills. In this instance, a leader is only setting up someone to lose face – and power – when the job is poorly done. Likewise, to delegate simply to get the monkey off your back is an irresponsible use of empowerment.

How, then, do leaders empower?

First, by giving people important work to do on critical issues. Allow people autonomy over their work by giving them projects from beginning to end. Recognize the talents and skills of those in your organization and delegate tasks to match skills so that people will succeed! Trust people to do the job, even if it’s not done your way. Finally, create an environment where people are recognized for their efforts, where people are coached and encouraged if they need help, and where people’s strengths and unique qualities are valued.

The positive aspects of empowering others is that people will begin to self-motivate (all leaders dream of this!), they will work harder, and they will receive greater personal satisfaction for their efforts all of which results in a stronger organization.

Have a great month ahead – and thank you for your powerful and empowering leadership!

Some of this month’s sources include: Personal notes and content from The LeaderShape® Institute.

Do you feel inspired? Do you have suggestions for future topics? If you have questions or comments, or just want to comment on what you’ve read, please send a note to the Nominating Committee.

What’s that you say? Components of Active Listening

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes." -- William James