Leadership in the Context of a Public Agency

Transcription

1 CIE-579 Bridge and Highway Infrastructure Management and Public Policy Leadership in the Context of a Public Agency Harry A. Capers, Jr. P.E., Vice President (Corporate Bridge Engineer) Arora and Associates, P.C. Lawrenceville, New Jersey, U.S.A April 12, 2010

2 Disclaimer These are my reflections on my own experiences My goal is to provide observations based on 35 years of experience in about 2 hours I m offering a buffet not a plated meal it may not look pretty but there will be a lot of it! What I say will certainly reflect my own bias Any similarities to real events or people is strictly coincidental

3 Leadership

4 What Is Leadership? The art of getting or inspiring people to do something. Leadership is about vision. Leadership is equally about creating a climate where the truth is heard and the brutal facts confronted.

5 A leader acts as a liaison between the individual staff member and the organization. Leaders integrate the skills of staff members with the goals of the organization by integrating people with tasks. Leaders transform potential into reality

6 Leadership Styles Leadership is situational. Different situations call for different leadership. The behavior must be appropriate for the situation. one style of leadership is not necessarily better than another.

7 Traditional Leadership Styles Autocratic Democratic Laissez-faire

8 Autocratic Tells others what to do Limits discussion on ideas and new ways of doing things No feeling of teamwork experienced by group

9 Democratic Involves group members in planning and carrying out activities Asks before tells Promotes sense of teamwork

10 Laissez-faire Gives little or no direction to group/individuals Opinion is offered only when requested A person does not seem to be in charge

11 WHAT IS COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP? Bringing the appropriate people together in constructive ways with good information, creating authentic visions and strategies for addressing the shared concerns of the organization or community.

12 SERVANT LEADERSHIP - Looks at leadership as a service - Incorporates the spiritual aspect being a leader into style - Take care of others through their style

13 Servant Leadership The best test (of servant leadership) is: Do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And what is the effect on the least privileged in society; will they benefit, or at least, not be further deprived? Robert Greenleaf, The Servant as Leader, 1972.

14 Traditional Boss v. Servant Leader Motivated to achieve Competitive Independent Gives orders Personal power Motivated to serve Collaborative Interdependent Listens deeply Power of the group

15 Qualities: Collaborative & Servant Leadership Leads the process; not the people Promotes a sense of community An attitude of service Inspires honesty, courage, empathy, joyfulness, & love Active listener; paying attention Sees the whole Caring vs. controlling (shared power) Finding meaning Uses personal vs. positional power

16 Practicing Collaborative Leadership Help set norms Ensures everyone is heard Encourages & model inclusiveness Makes real connections Helps identify and obtain necessary resources Creates mechanisms to solicit input Mediates conflict / disputes Adheres to an open process Keeps focus on what s best for the community/customer vs. individual self-interest Maintains collaborative problem-solving & decision-making

17 LEVELS OF GROUP DECISION MAKING METHODS Autonomous/ Unilateral Individual acts independently without consulting others prior to making the decision Delegation An individual is asked or told that he or she has full authority to make the decision and let others know what was decided Consultive An individual makes the decision after getting advice or information from others Democratic Decision making method occurs through voting and majority wins Consensus Decision making is made by the group and evolves from shared information and ideas. Source Material: NCJW Institute

18 CONSENSUS IS ACHIEVED WHEN All members have been heard, fully, frankly & respectfully All views have been considered without prejudice All relevant information has been shared Members are willing to sacrifice personal goals for the sake of the group Members support the decision fully and implement as if it was their own decision

19 Critical Questions for Leadership Is the Organization s Mission and Vision clear and meaningful? Do our members know what is expected of them? What they can expect from us? Are we preparing the next generation of leaders? Does being polite prevent us from addressing the issues that will help us grow?

20 Great Leaders All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership -- John Kenneth Galbreath

21 Pertinent? You don t lead by pointing and telling people some place to go. You lead by going to that place and making a case. -- Ken Kesey

22 Managing Change

23 Managing Change vs. Leading Change Management: Produces a degree of predictability and order and has the potential to consistently produce short-term results.

24 What Does a Leader of Change Do? 1. The Leader Establishes Direction Aligns People Motivates and Inspires 2. Always Evaluates 3. Creates an Action Plan

25 What Does a Leader of Change Do? Establishes Direction: Develops a vision of the future and strategies for producing the changes needed to achieve that vision.

26 What Does a Leader of Change Do? Aligns People: Communicates direction to all those whose cooperation is needed and influences the creation of teams that understand and accept the validity of the vision and strategies.

27 What Does a Leader of Change Do? Motivates and Inspires: Energizes people to overcome barriers by satisfying basic human needs.

28 What Does a Leader of Change Do? Always Evaluates: Am I doing the right thing? Am I dealing with priorities (mine or my organizations)?

29 Five Phases of the Change Process 1. Communicate the change. 2. Admit that you have felt the same way. 3. Demonstrate that you have made a change.

30 Five Phases of the Change Process 4. Encourage and promote change. 5. Build skills to handle resistance.

31 The Duties of Government Safety Security Service Justice

32 The Organization

33 Agency Background Authorizing Legislation Authorities granted organization Mission Vision Objectives

34 History of Jurisdiction and Origin History Accomplishments Noted Leaders Current events Agency

35 The ORG Chart Who's in charge? Who are the key players? Chain of command/authority Organizational Relationships Organizational Authorities/Responsibilities

36 Look Familiar?? Typical Hierarchy Board Executive Director

37 Know The Organizational Tempo Organizations generally operate in a repetitive tempo. Planning cycle Budget Cycle Legislative cycle Election cycle Weather cycle HR cycle Press cycle

38 Know the Rules What Legislation governs your job What Rules govern your position? What are the agencies Policies and Procedures? What other guidance governs your work? Are there forms? Are there Reports?

39 Examine Your Agency s Unspoken Rules How are decisions made? Is the process clear to all members? What is done to orient new members so they feel comfortable enough to participate? How are unwritten rules shared? What other rituals should you know?

40 Tips: 1. Assign a mentor to all new members to help ease their transition into the group and to articulate unwritten rules. 2. Reach out to individuals who may serve as intermediaries with specific groups in the organization. 3. Create a feedback system that allows anyone who perceives or experiences exclusion to make it known to the organization; make sure the organization responds to all feedback.

41 Organizational Relationships Who is the leadership team in the organization? Who sets the agenda? How are decisions made?

42 Who has the bigger desk!

43 Building Relationships with Care Make sure you convey the message that you respect the other person s position and judgment Avoid questions that begin with the words How do people from your group feel about. Use we a lot! Everyone is a member of the team Check out a question by first asking it of yourself.

44 Training Provides a means of relaying all types of information to a broad audience. Training insures QA/QC targets are met Training insures staff and leadership development Forms of training: Opportunity training exercises Agency training Contract training Certification programs Conferences University programs

45 Amplify Staff Strengths And Reinforce Their Weaknesses Define The unit and staff responsibilities Identify needs and assets of each of each staff member Examine current performance, comfort zone and environment of each staff member Identify strengths - what each member brings to the table Identify weaknesses the pitch they can t hit! Develop action plan for utilizing strengths and reinforcing weaknesses where possible

46 Project Team Management Organize the team Provide the vision to the team Clearly state the expected outcomes Provide checkpoints and milestones as required Resource the team Check in and support the team Celebrate it s success DO NOT MICRO Manage the team!

47 Civil Service Hiring Job scope Pay ranges Promotions KSA Knowledge, Skills and Abilities EEO ADA

48 Recruiting Formal recruiting usually performed by agency Civil service announcements College fairs Promotional announcements Temporary appointments Informal recruiting Referrals Inter or intradepartmental transfer requests Personal contact by staff or yourself

49 Promotions Systems vary across agencies and title series Education and Experience Promotional Exam Oral exam Written exam Combination Get to know the system and it s quirks

50 Discipline Make sure rules are clearly understood by all Again, early intervention Counseling Retraining Use Progressive discipline Verbal reprimand written reprimand Suspension Dismissal Don t ignore a problem that affects all in the organization!

51 Diversity We serve all citizens living or doing business within our jurisdiction How do we do that without knowing about them?

52 The Four Layers of Diversity Functional Level/ Classification Management Status Marital Status Geographic Location Age Income Work Content/ Field Parental Status Race Personality Gender Personal Habits Union Affiliation Appearance Ethnicity Sexual Orientation Recreational Habits Division/ Department Work Experience Physical Ability Religion Work Location Educational Background 2 Seniority

53 Practical Action Steps Intentionally identify and address issues relevant to the particular groups of people with whom you are working (e.g., history, language, learning style, communication, gender roles, value systems) Intentionally recruit, retain, and develop diverse staff Alliance for Nonprofit Management s Cultural Competence Initiative web page

54 Succession Planning Plan your departure the first day you begin the job Identify potential candidates for your job Act as a mentor for subordinate leaders Train them to do your job and let them practice Don t be afraid you can be replaced you can be! Have a departure plan for yourself. Go out on top and with dignity!

55 Consultant and Contractors Low bid is not the same as lowest responsible bid Consultants and contractors are not nonprofits Don t ask for work not in their contracts Give clear and timely guidance Partner! If you create an uncertain environment your costs will go up! Economic viability of state depends on profitability of businesses in the state

56 What Does It Mean to Think Strategically? You have a strategy for what you do with goals and purpose You work toward outcomes You are results-oriented You are future-oriented

57 Critical Success Factors in Strategic Thinking Move Out of Your Comfort Zone Differentiate Between Ends (what) and Means (how) Develop Audacious Objectives Use an Ideal Vision Define Need as a Gap in Results

58 Develop Audacious Objectives: If our objectives are fuzzy, then We allow for misinterpretation of the desired results We create barriers to shared meaning and useful results We make it difficult to assess progress and determine success We could choose costly and ineffective means and methods We create misunderstandings about what results are intended We may respond too late to be effective with new realities We avoid taking responsibilities for measurable results

59 Develop an Ideal Vision: If we proceed without this, then We become victims of short-term thinking and risk the future We leave the impact in the long term to luck We seem to not care about the next generation We increase the risk of early failure We limit ourselves to results within the present, without creating opportunities for the next generation We choose familiarity over better or more useful options We become reactive instead of proactive

60 Define Needs as Gaps in Results: If we fail to do this, then We increase the risk of racing for new means and methods before agreeing on what is to be achieved We waste resources without gaining measurable improvement We confuse wants with true needs We make it difficult to set and justify priorities for the real needs We define the wrong problems and waste time and resources fixing them We choose process over consequences.

61 Ethical Issue or Challenges Mission Drift Dishonest about organizational agenda/bottom lines Making decisions for a partner or customer (not with) Lack of financial responsibility Not following agreed upon roles Not supporting agreed upon decisions Collaboration on paper, only

62 Ethics A General Test! Is it Legal Is it Moral Could you look yourself in the mirror in the morning

63 Ethical Leadership Ethics is not an option It s a Ground Rule. Ethics is not about the way things are It is about the way they ought to be 2006 ARORA Josephson and ASSOCIATES. Institute P.C.

64 Data Critical to setting goals and tracking performance Know what data is available Realize that data is expensive Quality data is essential unpopular conclusions from data will be quickly challenged

65 Incident Management Wargame what could happen before it does including branches and sequels Prepare contingency plans and resource them Brief your plan, conduct tabletop exercises and if possible conduct a field exercise

66 Dealing with the Press Know the agency rules Review the issues before the interview Be accurate Be timely Be positive If possible be proactive

67 Bumper Sticker Personal Leadership Tips

68 Recognize the existence and necessity for Political Engineering Have your own professional development plan Set Goals or someone else will set them for you! Have a vision that you can clearly articulate to all and do it often

69 Be clear when giving direction or commenting to staff, vendors or for that matter anyone! Do not use unnecessary inflammatory words Be a good confidant when looked to be Beware of , it s forever. It s still OK to use the telephone or even have a face to face discussion!

70 Be approachable Keep your commitments Expect and work with change wisely Be consistent Loyalty works in all directions Have priorities but not too many Don t expect what you don t inspect!

71 Your experience may equalize your skill set reflecting older technology use your experience Beware of a sense of personal self importance be confident but not arrogant People respect your position be aware and prepared for that when you leave Begin your departure when you take over transition & mentoring Have the willingness to leave

72 Questions?