SCHOOL BUSINESS LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT:

PRINCIPLES OF LEADERSHIP

ASBO MD & DC Annual Fall ConferenceNovember 9, 2012

Rick Gay, CPPO, RSBOPurchasing Manager

Baltimore County Public Schools

ISO 9001:2008 Certified 2005-2012 NPI Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award

NIGP Outstanding Agency Accreditation Achievement Award – OA4 2010 MWMCA Public School District of the Year for Minority

Business

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WHAT IS LEADERSHIP, ANYWAY?

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WHAT IS LEADERSHIP, ANYWAY? leadership is a skill to influence a group of individuals

to willfully follow a direction, in order to achieve the ultimate goal of the organization.

It involves dealing with a complex set of people, complex because every individual is different with different attitudes, temperaments, needs, and competence, and convincing them all to follow a particular path is no doubt a very daunting task

If you are an aspiring leader, then it is imperative for you to know and understand the different leadership traits and principles that need to be acquired and followed for being a successful leader.

WHO QUALIFIES TO BE A LEADER?WHO CAN BE CALLED A LEADER?

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IS ANYONE AND EVERYONE CAPABLE OF BECOMING A LEADER?

Leadership development is crucial for individual and organizational success.

Executives and managers are often called upon to find creative solutions toComplex situations.

Leaders usually have more drive and determination and probably a greaterconcentration of positive qualities than non leaders.

We do not believe in "born leaders;" we believe the leadership is a skill, ability, or

competency that can be acquired.

Research over many years, has revealed that leaders commonly share a definite

set of skills, or competencies.

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WHAT MAKES A PERSON WANT TO FOLLOW A LEADER?

When people decide to respect you as a leader, they observe what you do so they can know who you really are.

People then use this observation to tell if you are an honorable and trusted leader, or a self-serving person who misuses authority.

A good leader has an honorable character that selflessly serves his/her organization. In your employees’ eyes, your leadership is everything. Your activities affect the organization’s objectives and their well-being.

People want to be guided by people they respect and who have a clear sense of direction. To gain respect, they must be ethical. A sense of direction is achieved by conveying a strong vision of the future.

So basically, you must be trustworthy and you have to be able to communicate a vision of where you are going.

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THE PROCESS OF GREAT LEADERSHIP:

1. Inspire a shared vision – Next, share you vision in words that can be understood by your followers.

2. Challenge the process – First, find a process that you believe needs to be improved the most.

3. Enable others to act - Give them the tools, authority and methods to solve problems themselves.

4. Model the way – When the process gets tough, get your hands dirty. A boss tells others what to do; a leader shows it can be done.

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PRINCIPLES AND TRAITS OF A GOOD LEADER

The qualities that identify a true leader are as follows:

VisionThis is one of the most definite leadership quality that you'll find in an absolute leader. A leader has this extraordinary ability to foresee the future. It is not simply a dream, but a realistic dream as they can foresee the change in time, the challenges that they might have to face, and the way to survive and evolve in future.

Goal OrientedAnother must-have quality of a leader includes setting goals for the organization. Other than setting goals for themselves as individuals, it is imperative for a leader to set goals for the organization and the employees of the organization respectively.

Great and Quick ThinkersThe ability to think quick and smart is another important attribute of a leader that distinguishes a true leader from others. It's a tough market out there, that means tough competition and the leader who can think smartly and quickly can sustain this huge challenge and continue to thrive. Otherwise, he'll be crushed as the world does not match your pace, you need to match the world's pace.

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PRINCIPLES AND TRAITS OF A GOOD LEADER

Setting an ExampleBeing a leader is not easy, it means that you are a role model to many in your organization. A leader is an inspiration to everyone and besides wanting your employees to work, you want them to perform. Employees have a tendency to closely watch their leaders, the kind of demeanor they carry, the way they speak to them, and the general behavior at work. Hence, it is essential to keep a positive attitude in even in tough situations.

MotivationFor a leader, it is important to understand the level of motivation of the employees in the organization. According to the Maslow's Hierarchy Theory, a human being has different needs at different levels. Understanding those needs and providing the employees with what they need so that they can give their hundred percent at work is an essential quality that a leader must work upon if it is not inherent in him. A little motivation could work wonders for your employees and the organization, both.

RecognitionRewarding and recognizing the employees for the work done is another important trait that many of the leaders tend to miss out on and that is the reason for many unsatisfied employees. Remember, your employees are the most valuable asset of your organization and they also have many options available in this fast-moving world. So, if you don't appreciate and acknowledge the valuable contribution they make in your success then they would have no qualms in leaving you because they have other places to go.

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THE 10 PRINCIPLES OF LEADERSHIP:

1. Know yourself and seek self-improvement. In order to know yourself, you have to understand your “be”, “know”, and “do” attributes. This is possible by continually strengthening your attributes by reading and self-study.

“Be” - what he/she is, i.e. beliefs and values“Know” - what he/she knows, i.e. job, tasks, human nature“Do” - what he/she does, i.e. implement, motivate, and provide direction

2. Be technically proficient. As a leader, you must know your job and have a solid familiarity with your employees’ jobs.

3. Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions. Search for ways to guide your organization to new heights. And when things go wrong, do not blame others.

4. Make sound and timely decisions. Use good problem solving, decision-making, and planning tools.

5. Set the example. Be a good role model for you employees. They will believe what they see not what they hear.

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THE 10 PRINCIPLES OF LEADERSHIP:

6. Know your people and look out for their well-being. Know human nature and the importance of sincerely caring for your workers.

7. Keep your people informed. Know how to communicate with your people, seniors, and other key people within the organization.

8. Develop a sense of accountability, ownership and responsibility in your people. These traits will help them carry out their professional responsibilities.

9. Ensure that tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished. Communication is the key to this responsibility.

10. Train your people as a team. By developing team spirit, you will be able to employ your organization, department, section, etc. to its fullest capabilities.

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PERSONAL LEADERSHIP

1. Take Charge of Yourself. You’re responsible for what you think, feel, and do. Decide what your guiding values are and commit to live consistent with them.

2. Rethink your goals and objectives and set new ones. Do they fit your company’s vision of who the company is and where it is going? Decide what you want and where you are going. Plan and execute the plan.

3. Become aware of the new company goals and align your priorities to support the changes. Make sure your priorities also support you and your personal goals and values.

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TEAM LEADERSHIP

4. Work to make the changes effective for the company and your team. Swim down stream. Ask for help. No one succeeds alone.

5. Be clear about why the changes are occurring and what the challenges are of others. Listen, be empathetic. Understand the needs of others before concluding.

6. Team with others to leverage their talents, perspectives, skills, experiences, and supportive energies. Work to be creative in solving challenges, especially in relationship building.

7. Keep yourself engaged in learning. Focus on how to better lead and be a team. Think about your customer, their business and personal needs, and how you can help them solve those needs.

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EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION BY LEADERSHIP IN THREE CRITICAL AREAS IS THE KEY TO WINNING ORGANIZATIONAL TRUST AND CONFIDENCE, AND INVOLVES:

Helping employees understand the company’s overall business strategy.

Helping employees understand how they contribute to achieving key business objectives.

Sharing information with employees on both how the company is doing and how an employee’s own division or department is doing – relative to strategic business objectives.

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DEALING WITH CRITICISM

Can you think of any other advice for dealing with criticism?

What's worked well for you?

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DEALING WITH CRITICISM CONSTRUCTIVELY

Criticism is an unavoidable consequence of success. No one escapes it. Presidents are criticized. Evenmother Theresa was criticized.

Harsh criticism takes the wind out of our sails. It sometimes makes us want to give up. Sometimes, itleaves us with doubts that hobble us for days or even decades. Even constructive criticism can keep usup late at night or kill momentum in an otherwise exciting project.

It seems there is very little we can do to stop criticism other than to do nothing and hide. Put yourself out there to dojust about anything worth doing, and it's coming, baby.

There is, however, a lot we can do to process criticism. Since we control at least 50% of all communication as thereceiver, we can control how we hear criticism and how it affects us. We can actually control MORE than 50% if weknow it's coming, but I'll get to that in a minute.

Criticism is a gift. If looked at from this perspective, we can realize certain advantages. It improves what we're doing. Ittells us where we are, or at least how others perceive where we are. It can actually build confidence if it's leveragedcorrectly.

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HERE ARE A FEW THINGS YOU CAN DO TO TURN CRITICISM FROM SOMETHING BAD INTO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE IN YOUR LIFE.

1. Realize that criticism is a natural part of success. Winston Churchill once wrote "You've got enemies? Good. That means you stood up for something in your life." Think about criticism in this way: if someone has criticized you, it means that they paid attention to what you've done. It means that they have exerted energy to figure out how they think you're doing is related to them. And it means that they cared enough about whatever you're doing to make the time to either write or verbally express their criticism. Criticism is actually an honor of sorts.

2. Get rid of your failure support team. Professional enemies, jealous friends, and habitual critics create a lot of noise. The value they provide is diminished by their intention to do you harm. Criticism is often random from these people, and it is never satisfied. Just put them on ignore.

3. When you can't ignore your critics, respond strategically. Agree with them. There is usually some truth behind every criticism. It may be completely it of context, not relevant to the situation at hand, or purely done for cruelty, but it's not completely manufactured. If someone says: "You're ALWAYS ignore people!" Agree with the part that's true. "You're right that I didn't pay enough attention to Sally during our staff meeting today."

4. Take constructive criticism seriously. If it's constructive, then it's not meant to be harmful. This criticism, like all criticism, is often difficult to swallow, but it is a gift. It's not always easy to give constructive criticism, so when someone does this for you, be grateful and spend some quality time thinking about it. This kind of feedback might not be helpful, but it is definitely worth considering.

5. Thank your critics. Let it be known that you appreciate constructive criticism. Not only does this make it easier for people to give you this kind of criticism, but the act of thanking people releases you from defensive posture. Over time, thanking your critics makes it easier for you to receive it.

6. Deliberately seek constructive criticism. We do this by getting ahead of things and seeking criticism before it's too late to do anything about it.

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THE SEVEN HABITS OF SPECTACULARLY UNSUCCESSFUL EXECUTIVES Habit # 1: They see themselves and their companies as dominating

their environment Warning Sign for #1: A lack of respect Habit #2: They identify so completely with the company that there

is no clear boundary between their personal interests and their corporation’s interests Warning Sign for #2: A question of character

Habit #3: They think they have all the answers Warning Sign for #3: A leader without followers

Habit #4: They ruthlessly eliminate anyone who isn’t completely behind them Warning Sign for #4: Executive departures

Habit #5: They are consummate spokespersons, obsessed with the company image Warning Sign of #5: Blatant attention-seeking

Habit #6: They underestimate obstacles Warning Sign of #6: Excessive hype

Habit #7: They stubbornly rely on what worked for them in the past Warning Sign of #7: Constantly referring to what worked in the past

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THE TEN COMPONENTS OF LEADERSHIP, INNOVATION AND CHANGE

1. Visionary - Conceptualizes a clear and compelling vision of the organization’s future and identifies and reinforces shared core values in support of the vision.

  2. Agents of Change - Challenges bureaucracy and the status quo; creates a sense of urgency; disturbs the comfort

zone; disallows complacency and satisfaction; and encourages “creative tension”.  3. Trusted and Respected - Establishes and reinforces an environment based upon integrity, credibility and trust.  4. Strategic Thinker and Planner - Helps lead the process of strategic thinking, planning and management.  5. Mentors, coaches, teaches and develops people through Empowerment - Helps create a “learning

organization” and develops and empowers others.  6. Motivator and Role Model - Inspires commitment and action through effective communication and example; they

motivate others to make the vision a reality.  7. Teambuilder - Creates a shared sense of vision, missions, values and focus; creates effective teams.  8. Student - Open to new ideas and never stops learning.  9. Self-Awareness - Knows themselves; their personality and their strengths and weaknesses. 10. Architect of a Strong, Positive Corporate Culture - Creates and manages culture.

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SUCCESS WILL COME TO ANYONE WHO ADHERES TO THESE TEN MILITARY PRINCIPLES:

Integrity:Take the harder right over the easier wrong.

Duty:Do what you’re supposed to do, when you’re supposed to do it.

Passion:Be passionate about what you do, or do what you’re passionate about.

Impeccability:If it is worth doing, it is worth doing right.

Teamwork:There is no “I” in TEAM.

Selfless Services:Give back.

Planning:Fail to plan, plan to fail.

Loyalty:Up, down, and across your organization.

Perseverance:It’s not the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog.

Flexibility:The person with the most varied responses wins.

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SEVEN STEPS TO STAGNATION

 “We’ve never done it that way” “We’re not ready for that yet” “Were doing all right without it” We tried it once and it didn’t work” “It costs too much” “That’s not our responsibility” “It won’t work”