I am saying it.  I mean it.  I declare it daily.  Hell, its the name of my business.  When I give people my business card, they say: I love the name. Thanks, so do I.

When I use the term SocialChange Diva, the connection between my brain, my heart and my gut all click in unison.  People who know me  aren’t surprised that  “DIVA” is a part of the name.  It makes my soul jump up and down when they tell me that because:

I am on a mission to ignite and energize the  confidence of women to step into their leadership.

I have felt some pressure to define  and  give examples of what the  phrase SocialChange Diva means.  My early thoughts were to:

• Wax theoretical about the definition of  DIVA which has its roots in opera.
• Show you examples of people who I think are Socialchange Divas  in history and today.
• Share my own stories of  life as a diva since the age of  5  when I knew I had to stand up for what I believed in.  ( Some of my causes such as- how to pronounce the word ” THE”  and what song I should play for my viola audition in 6th grade- were less social change oriented than others.  I blame Diana Ross.)

I rejected all of the ideas that I  just listed  because I don’t want to show you who is and isn’t a Diva or give you the origins of the word.  I like teaching and guiding  people to find their own  definitions and solutions.

However, since I have linked the words Social Change + Diva together I know I owe you the foundation of this new term.  So, here it goes:

10 Beliefs of Social Change Divas

1.  You know that the word DIVA is not a bad word.

2. You can lead AND you can follow.

3. You have strong opinions, take bold actions, and dream big.

4.  You can be  both proud and humble about who you are and what you bring to the table.

5. You can name other Divas that you admire.

6.  You routinely use the word ” rockstar” to describe yourself and others (and you mean it).

7. You are willing to look  fear in the face and do it anyways.

8.   You care about yourself and others equally, fiercely and compassionately.

9.  You believe in leaving everyone and everything better than you found it.

10.  You read. You think. You know.

So, are you Diva?  Its okay to whisper or to shout.   My challenge to you is to just believe it even when its scary or exciting to do so.

Yours in social change,

Ericka

p.s. Males, you can be social change DIVOs.  Be proud.

pps.  What beliefs did I miss?

I think it is meaningless and have had this opinion for several years.   But my opinion is NOT  based on a “inaccurate” belief  that  my professional successes  have been based solely on my work.  I know that my career and leadership have  benefited from the input, advice and tough love of others.    I think its meaningless because I don’t understand:

What does “mentoring”  mean?

The word is meaningless  because similar to  leadership it gets used so often and can mean so many different things.  Additionally , it suffers from having  8 million definitions.  (Okay: that number may be a little inflated.)

The definition that resonates with me is ” someone who gives a sense of perspective and history, offers advice and shares contact or influence.” ~Working Across Generations – Kunreuther, Kim, Rodriguez

It is simple and hits  upon all of the major points that I think mentoring relationships( either as the mentor or the mentee) should encompass.  But it is still too broad.  I think to truly benefit from a mentoring relationship, you have to be strategic and give thought to what type of input you want and from whom.  This brings me to my second question:

What do I want?

The act  of being a mentor or a mentee is meaningless  unless both of you give thought to the outcomes and the structure of the relationship.  Three mentoring structures that I have seen work are:

Guides/Advisors

Kitchen Cabinet

Personal Board of Directors

Guide/Advisors

If you want someone to explain ” the ropes to you” about a discreet situation ,  this is the role you are looking for.  This person could be your boss or a colleague.  They  will outline steps, share books, courses seminars and talks that they have attended that might help you.

Relationship frequency

This is an ala carte relationship.  You ask for the info,  they give it.  You consume it and may come back for more  information.  Make sure to keep the door open to ask questions.  A typical conversation might sound like this:

• Mentee:  I am interested in this one point, did you encounter that?
• Mentor:  Yes ( state similar situation)
• Mentee: How did you handle it?
• Mentor:  I did this ( offers solution)  What I learned from it was ( list)

Kitchen Cabinet

The term,  “kitchen cabinet” refers to any group of trusted friends and associates. This is your friend ” brain trust” who offers perspective and  firm feedback when you ask for it.   Usually, they come from a variety of different relationships with you.  What they have in common is that they know you and will offer you  advice.   And when they work together in offering  that advice, they can pull together a complete picture that can be very beneficial to you.

Relationship Frequency

This type of mentoring  is occasional.   You call them together  when you have  the need to get their feedback–the promotion, the layoff, the job offer or the resume.

The conversation may sound like this:

You:    I have the opportunity to get a  promotion but I need to figure out how to position myself so that I can show that  I deserve it.

Kitchen cabinet :  What is the promotion?  Who are the players?

You:  Deputy Director.   The players are  the Executive Director, the Board and  my peers  who will be interviewing me.

Kitchen Cabinet:  You need to think about the following:  who do you have a relationship with on the board, what is your reputation among your peers and what is the Executive Director looking for.   That all needs to be a part of your preparation.

Personal Board of Advisors

I recently listened to a podcast by Pamela Slim who was  interviewing a her BFF Desiree Adaway. The topic of their discussion was  Ms. Adaway’s decision to put together a personal board of directors.   Desiree shared that she got the idea from  Jim Collins  in his article , Looking Out for Number One. In short , the article talked about the why and how of setting up a personal board of directors.  Two important take aways for me were:

• It is composed of seven people you deeply respect and would not want to let down
• Used well, a personal board helps you find creative alternatives to life’s challenges and is a terrific place to turn for advice on handling crises and ethical dilemmas

Relationship frequency:

The frequency of the relationship depends.  In her board of Directors, Ms.  Adaway selected people from different backgrounds to give her  their time over the course of a year.  Her goal was to be able to approach them for guidance or encouragment or strategic advice.  Key to her success was that she:

• worked with each of them differently depending on scheduling
• wrote an annual report at the end of the year

This is not frequent relationship  but it is consistent and it accountable.

I am working on my Personal Board of Directors now. In Pam’s blog , she has a copy of the letter that Desiree  wrote to  her personal Board of Directors (which will be my inspiration for my own).   I am excited to do this as I think having those voices from a variety of different forms is so important as I move forward with my next life challenge/opportunities.

Overall,   my approach to mentoring is similar to  my approach to learning.  It is life long and it is meaningful.  And it sparks interest for me and the person that  I am in a mentoring relationship in.

So what does mentoring really mean to you?

Best,
Ericka

~photo courtesy of a women’s mentoring course sponsored by The Rwanda Association of University Women

Lead by listening

Our ability to lead is built on our ability to observe.    A powerful way to do that is through listening. The power of listening is a deep power to have: it creates connections, it spurs ideas and it gains followers.

Listening means moving yourself out of the way to let the thoughts and ideas of others come through.  It also means allowing  them to have the space to talk while you  listen intently without the need to interject or even respond.

Throughout my career, I have been naturally drawn to those things that allow me to listen to people. It might be that I am introvert ( read: I process internally not that I am shy–see that “Diva” name above).   I also get excited from “riffing” off other people’s  ideas  and I feel most confident in my leadership when I have listened.

Where i learned

• Dorm Advisor

Reflective listening: I remember learning about reflective listening as I prepared to take my place as a dorm advisor during college.  This type of listening urges the listener to reflect back what you have heard from the person who is speaking.  It does not mean “parroting” back verbatim their words.  That is annoying. It means synthesizing what they said and then asking them if you understood.

I wish I could say that I practiced this skill with perfection during college with the kids on my floor.  I didn’t.   I was in my early 20s ( um, who does that?).   But I remembered the theory and as I have grown older and  I have gotten beyond theory to actual practice.

• Facilitator

Active Listening: To facilitate is to listen. It is that simple.  One of the most important roles of a facilitator is to listen to conversations, synthesize and synergize–yes, i made up a word– the conversation taking place.  I learned early on that when I facilitate, I  actually have to push aside my own thoughts and  ideas in order to focus purely on the conversation taking place in front of me.  Doing that well requires  listening  intently, deeply and actively.

• Trainer

Empathic  listening: How often have you attended a training and within the first 15 minutes said” Oh this does not apply to me”?

If a trainer is really worth her “salt”, then her training is going to be  specialized for the audience.  And that specialization comes from listening to both the client that is paying for the training and the participant who is attending the training. In training terms that is called  “meeting the learner where they are”.

Being a trainer takes understanding both the needs, concerns and objectives of two parties.  Again, you have to move yourself out of the way to make space for the learning to occur. In most cases, I have found that their needs (although they would not know it) are never too far apart!

What I practice

I am now bringing all of these listening skills  to SocialChange Diva.   Through  salons and coaching, I have listened .  At first I thought, “Oh I am not talking enough”.  I have realized that by creating that space for women to talk and by listening, I was leading these women to understand, connect and lead better.

So, the next time you see someone in a leadership position doing more listening than talking, don’t mistake that lack of response as inaction, but instead understand that when people really listen, you see the wheels turning in their brains and what you witness are the first seeds of a plan.

With an active ear,

Ericka

(SECRET:  Active listening is the same as reflective listening is the same as empathic listening.  The lesson here is just to LISTEN!)

photo courtesy of  ky_olsen

In the previous post, I offered an explanations of why  social goods are the bottom line for the public sector.   In order to create  social goods, social energy and organizational capital are necessary.  Organizational capital is the everyday “ making the donuts stuff” – staff, funds, etc.   But social energy, well it is:

• The mojo
• The special sauce
• The “secret” why did this turn out so well “ ingredient
• It is a part of the social change formula

Social energy has been the driving force that has made possible every advance made in society

~Leaders who make a Difference by Burt Nanus and Stephen Dobbs.

As leaders, you want to see it as an avenue and a way for you to move your causes forward.

How is it made

It is created through human relationships.   We connect to each other. Then we connect to causes.  Finally, we combine our relationships with our causes to move social  change forward.  If we believe in the cause enough; we will maximize all of our relationships to make change happen.

Right  now, we are so lucky to have many ways to build  human relationships.  There are numerous  points of entry ( Facebook,Twitter, LinkedIn,  E-mail, and  IRL – in real life).  We can make friends and contacts through all of these avenues.  For many of us, we use these social media applications as a way of expanding people’s knowledge about our causes and also motivating them to join us.   They provide repeated chances to build a community.

Why should I care

Social energy measures the number of followers and level of participation of the commitment to the purpose of the organization and the leader’s vision.

~Leaders who make a Difference by Burt Nanus and Stephen Dobbs.

It is important to focus on both of these factors when thinking about social energy.  It is not just about the number of followers.  * Note to self: stop looking at number Twitter followers on a daily basis-Dangit!* It is about the level of participation.   Do  you want people to click, subscribe, send money, or volunteer?

Depending on the social energy that you are trying to harness, your efforts and your strategies need to reflect that.   If  ”the click”  is that easy, what about the standing in protest or giving money.  That is the leap.

Who creates it

We all do.

Through our individual efforts at work and in our communities.  It is volunteering, organizing, serving and leading  that moves the causes we work on towards its social good.   It is the power of one, combined with the power of another individual in an orchestrated way that creates the energy surge.

What does it look like

Social energy is the energy generated  when a  non profit  or agency marshals its resources for action that  help the common good.  Examples:

• Signing the Human Rights Campaign petition for inclusion training at all schools
• Twitter campaigns for our causes
• Building the “Emergency Shelter  kits” for Haiti earthquake victims
• And when it is used for evil, it is the teabag party.  ( no link, not giving them any power in my diva world)

What is that special sauce that you want

from

• stakeholders
• constituents
• employees

Ultimately, we want our social energy to be spent in a way that is meaningful.  We want to use our own social energy to increase the commitment, morale and enthusiasm in others.  We want to make sure that people will be involved at all levels.

So Twitter is the first step, getting and staying on the radar is the ultimate destination.   We have more ways than ever before to get people build up their social energy, our challenge is to get them to use in the present and in the future.

Best,

Ericka

In the previous post, I offered an explanations of why  social goods are the bottom line for the public sector.   In order to create  social goods, social energy and organizational capital are necessary.  Organizational capital is the everyday “ making the donuts stuff” – staff, funds, etc.   But social energy, well it is:

• The mojo
• The special sauce
• The “secret” why did this turn out so well “ ingredient
• It is a part of the social change formula

Social energy has been the driving force that has made possible every advance made in society

~Leaders who make a Difference by Burt Nanus and Stephen Dobbs.

As leaders, you want to see it as an avenue and a way for you to move your causes forward.

How is it made

It is created through human relationships.   We connect to each other. Then we connect to causes.  Finally, we combine our relationships with our causes to move social  change forward.  If we believe in the cause enough; we will maximize all of our relationships to make change happen.

Right  now, we are so lucky to have many ways to build  human relationships.  There are numerous  points of entry ( Facebook,Twitter, LinkedIn,  E-mail, and  IRL – in real life).  We can make friends and contacts through all of these avenues.  For many of us, we use these social media applications as a way of expanding people’s knowledge about our causes and also motivating them to join us.   They provide repeated chances to build a community.

Why should I care

Social energy measures the number of followers and level of participation of the commitment to the purpose of the organization and the leader’s vision.

~Leaders who make a Difference by Burt Nanus and Stephen Dobbs.

It is important to focus on both of these factors when thinking about social energy.  It is not just about the number of followers.  * Note to self: stop looking at number Twitter followers on a daily basis-Dangit!* It is about the level of participation.   Do  you want people to click, subscribe, send money, or volunteer?

Depending on the social energy that you are trying to harness, your efforts and your strategies need to reflect that.   If  ”the click”  is that easy, what about the standing in protest or giving money.  That is the leap.

Who creates it

We all do.

Through our individual efforts at work and in our communities.  It is volunteering, organizing, serving and leading  that moves the causes we work on towards its social good.   It is the power of one, combined with the power of another individual in an orchestrated way that creates the energy surge.

What does it look like

Social energy is the energy generated  when a  non profit  or agency marshals its resources for action that  help the common good.  Examples:

• Signing the Human Rights Campaign petition for inclusion training at all schools
• Twitter campaigns for our causes
• Building the “Emergency Shelter  kits” for Haiti earthquake victims
• And when it is used for evil, it is the teabag party.  ( no link, not giving them any power in my diva world)

What is that special sauce that you want

from

• stakeholders
• constituents
• employees

Ultimately, we want our social energy to be spent in a way that is meaningful.  We want to use our own social energy to increase the commitment, morale and enthusiasm in others.  We want to make sure that people will be involved at all levels.

So Twitter is the first step, getting and staying on the radar is the ultimate destination.   We have more ways than ever before to get people build up their social energy, our challenge is to get them to use in the present and in the future.

Best,

Ericka

If leadership is about the bottom line, what is the bottom line in the public sector?  And how do we meet it?

A questions that met other questions and then had a question parade.  Thus a 3 part series.

Part 1- Social Goods

Ever read something, see its initial applicability  to your situation {oh yeah, this could work} but then find yourself doing mental gymnastics to try and make the information fit your situation{eh, the circumstances are not quite the same but I can probably learn something from this}?

In doing research on different types of leadership, I realize that most of them are written about  successful leaders using their respective styles (situational, transformational, hierarchical etc., etc.) to effect the private sector bottom line: profit. Because the leadership development work that I work on is the public sector , I am always forced to ask myself the following:

• What is the bottom line for non profits?
• Will the information that I find apply to the non profit sector?
• If so, how do I translate it so that I can share it with people?
• Why aren’t there more books written about leadership in the public sector? ( Wait, that is a frustration)

Social Goods:  Now we are on to something

What is the bottom line for the public sector ? If it not profits, what is it? I have been bumping up against this question for a while now.   For our sector, its about impact, its about change, its about societal and public good.

When I tried to simply replace the bottom line language- ” help increase your profits” , I was left with a really stupid statement. The bottom line would be  to help increase “your not for profits”.  That is nonsense and does not work.

Then I read a book that made it clear for me.  The book:  Leaders who make a Difference by Burt Nanus and Stephen Dobbs.

The gem of the book is that it outlines a bottom line was for the public sector the makes sense: SOCIAL GOODS

Social goods are the end, the fundamental purpose or mission, for which non profits organizations exist…

[They] are the educational, health, cultural and other benefits that accrue to society through the activities of these communities and their institutions…

… Contributions to the social good is the single most important measure of success of non profit organizations.

AHA Oprah Moment : If the public sector focuses on social goods as their bottom line; then we would need leaders who could build,  sustain and grow that bottom line. Right?  And what does that mean?

Back to the book:

Leadership effectiveness means producing a greater social good, usually by increasing organizational capital or creating and harnessing social energy… All of the things a leader does–setting direction, inspiring people, making organizational changes are simply a means to an ends.

Everything a leader does should relate back to the social good. Now, you might be wondering what is organizational capacity and social energy?  I will go into those in Parts 2 and 3 of the series.   I wanted to save us both from reading a 2000 word post.  Relieved?

For my peers in the public sector,  with a bottom line om line in my mind’s eye, here are some questions that I am now trying to use when I work with leaders:

• What is your organization’s or agencie’s social good?
• Can you find it? It it in the mission statement or is it in the vision statement?
• Can you look at all of the work of the organization and see how it all relates back to the social goods?
• And what are you as a leader doing to support it from where you sit ? (this is not a title question of the LEADERSHIP, it is a question of accountability and ownership that we all have as leaders)

I have my touchstone now for doing the work that I do, do you ?

Best,
Ericka
Next post:  What is Social Energy?

Build your leadership skills so that you can change the world. That mantra expresses my world view.  And it focuses mostly on building external leadership skills.  However, recently, I was reminded that internal leadership is as important as external leadership.  In 2010, we work in a workplace where women leaders are prevalent and their leadership style is considered the WAY to do business.

But some of us are stuck in the 80s.

This weekend a twitter friend, @heidiekmassey, sent me an article posted in the New York Times entitled ” Neither Men Nor Mice” by Peggy Klauss, a career coach.   The gist of the article advises women to adjust their communication styles in the workplace.  Specifically:

Ultimately, women must be more mindful and use greater finesse when conveying messages.  We need to be better chameleon communicators and to carefully read our audience, adjusting our style to the circumstances.

That is a nice nugget of advice.  It makes sense.  And it should apply to both MEN and WOMEN.  But, when  I read it  she was only applying this advice to women.  And it was then that the time warp to shoulder pads, Reeboks  and manly suits began.  I was in the 80s’ and it was not pretty.  Simply put:

The rest of  this column  illustrates a short sighted, lazy view of the workplace that reinforces the perception that todays workplace culture is governed by men and what men want.

This is not  the movie, ” Baby Boom” where women who are  senior leaders in the workplace are still a “novelty” .   It is 2010 – women are a force in the workplace, our skills are valued as the new leadership skills necessary in the workplace and that training more women leaders is what is  going to move innovation in every sector forward.

New York Times , you let this Coach  sell women and women leaders short .

Here are some very choice snippets that got under my skin.

1. Either you are the victim or the B*&^tch

From the article:

Women still deal with a well entrenched double standard when it comes to gender acceptable behavior.  Because of that, they often fall victim to self defeating actions that can undercut their careers. The may assume a strident ” command and control” approach  or else turn passive.

Well, that is certainly reinforcing an outdated stereotype. Isn’t it?   I don’t think that this standard is  still entrenched.  The image of  women in the workplace is not relegated to only these two extremes.    To give advice to women and state that they are operating in only these two atmospheres undermines what the current workplace is currently focussed on: intergrating more of womens leadership styles into the workplace.  It undermines the tremendous presence of women leaders in every single sector of the workplace.

In ” Women Leaders:  The Hard Truth about Soft Skills,” the author states:

Organizations should also be exploring how women change the leadership equation, both in terms  of the strength they bring to an organization and the barriers they still face.

Yes, there are barriers.  Equal Pay? Still not a dollar for a dollar.  Representation on Board Of Directors , still at less than 20 %.   There are problems indeed; but do not tell me that the way for it to get better is to mold myself to the communication style of men.

2.  Accept this as the normal

The column states:

But as long as the stereotypes remain all powerful and are perpetuated by men and women alike, it is necessary to navigate them.

Are the stereotypes of the Victim or the Bitch still all powerful and do women continue to perpetrate the stereotypes?   I don’t think so .   I wonder if that is my vantage point of the workplace as a Gen Xer.  I don’t know people in my age group or in Gen Y who are willing to operate in a workplace where ” this is a man’s world” is the modus operandi.  So, I don’t know who is doing the perpetrating, but it is not coming from any workplace that I know of.

Here is the stereotype I think is more prevalent.  In a study conducted by Business Week and the Hays Group, the study found that:

Company female executives were significantly more likely that their male counterparts to coach and develop others and to create a more committed, collaborative, inclusive and ultimately more effective teams.

Ms. Klauss- until you decide to advance women’s leadership a little bit further and hold MEN and women accountable for the new workplace,  then your advice is not worth much to me.  We as women, as leaders, as workers, as doers are here.  We have shaped the workplace of today and we will continue to shape the workplace of tomorrow.

Now, move out the way, I got some “change” to do!

All Fired Up,
Ericka

Build your leadership skills so that you can change the world. That mantra expresses my world view.  And it focuses mostly on building external leadership skills.  However, recently, I was reminded that internal leadership is as important as external leadership.  In 2010, we work in a workplace where women leaders are prevalent and their leadership style is considered the WAY to do business.

But some of us are stuck in the 80s.

This weekend a twitter friend, @heidiekmassey, sent me an article posted in the New York Times entitled ” Neither Men Nor Mice” by Peggy Klauss, a career coach.   The gist of the article advises women to adjust their communication styles in the workplace.  Specifically:

Ultimately, women must be more mindful and use greater finesse when conveying messages.  We need to be better chameleon communicators and to carefully read our audience, adjusting our style to the circumstances.

That is a nice nugget of advice.  It makes sense.  And it should apply to both MEN and WOMEN.  But, when  I read it  she was only applying this advice to women.  And it was then that the time warp to shoulder pads, Reeboks  and manly suits began.  I was in the 80s’ and it was not pretty.  Simply put:

The rest of  this column  illustrates a short sighted, lazy view of the workplace that reinforces the perception that todays workplace culture is governed by men and what men want.

This is not  the movie, ” Baby Boom” where women who are  senior leaders in the workplace are still a “novelty” .   It is 2010 – women are a force in the workplace, our skills are valued as the new leadership skills necessary in the workplace and that training more women leaders is what is  going to move innovation in every sector forward.

New York Times , you let this Coach  sell women and women leaders short .

Here are some very choice snippets that got under my skin.

1. Either you are the victim or the B*&^tch

From the article:

Women still deal with a well entrenched double standard when it comes to gender acceptable behavior.  Because of that, they often fall victim to self defeating actions that can undercut their careers. The may assume a strident ” command and control” approach  or else turn passive.

Well, that is certainly reinforcing an outdated stereotype. Isn’t it?   I don’t think that this standard is  still entrenched.  The image of  women in the workplace is not relegated to only these two extremes.    To give advice to women and state that they are operating in only these two atmospheres undermines what the current workplace is currently focussed on: intergrating more of womens leadership styles into the workplace.  It undermines the tremendous presence of women leaders in every single sector of the workplace.

In ” Women Leaders:  The Hard Truth about Soft Skills,” the author states:

Organizations should also be exploring how women change the leadership equation, both in terms  of the strength they bring to an organization and the barriers they still face.

Yes, there are barriers.  Equal Pay? Still not a dollar for a dollar.  Representation on Board Of Directors , still at less than 20 %.   There are problems indeed; but do not tell me that the way for it to get better is to mold myself to the communication style of men.

2.  Accept this as the normal

The column states:

But as long as the stereotypes remain all powerful and are perpetuated by men and women alike, it is necessary to navigate them.

Are the stereotypes of the Victim or the Bitch still all powerful and do women continue to perpetrate the stereotypes?   I don’t think so .   I wonder if that is my vantage point of the workplace as a Gen Xer.  I don’t know people in my age group or in Gen Y who are willing to operate in a workplace where ” this is a man’s world” is the modus operandi.  So, I don’t know who is doing the perpetrating, but it is not coming from any workplace that I know of.

Here is the stereotype I think is more prevalent.  In a study conducted by Business Week and the Hays Group, the study found that:

Company female executives were significantly more likely that their male counterparts to coach and develop others and to create a more committed, collaborative, inclusive and ultimately more effective teams.

Ms. Klauss- until you decide to advance women’s leadership a little bit further and hold MEN and women accountable for the new workplace,  then your advice is not worth much to me.  We as women, as leaders, as workers, as doers are here.  We have shaped the workplace of today and we will continue to shape the workplace of tomorrow.

Now, move out the way, I got some “change” to do!

All Fired Up,
Ericka

You are a leader. I said it. You are a leader.  What is your visceral response to  those words?  Do you :

• Roll your eye and grimace?
• Sigh heavily and put your head down?
• Thrash about as if I just tried to put a straightjacket on you?  (seriously, i hope not this one)

The Tug of War in Leadership

For some time I have wondered why leadership is both a desired and a loathed position to have.   We want it because it signals respect and a certain amount of freedom.  But we reject it because it means responsibility and accountability. It is a tug of war .

Are you caught in between the DESIRE  and REJECTION of being a leader?

In the management world, that tug of war is described as creative tension. Creative tension is THE most important part of personal mastery.

The gap between vision and current reality is also a source of energy.  We call this gap creative tension…There are two possible ways for the tension toresolve itself.  Pull reality toward the vision or pull the vision toward the reality.Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline

Leadership  Creative Tensions -Scarcity, Mysticism & the word “Can’t”

Reality: People apply the scarcity principle to leadership.    The words ” gap” and “pipeline” have become all too common and acceptable to describe the current leadership situation. ” We don’t have enough” is echoed too often.

My vision:

Stop with the sky is falling, mantra.  There are an abundance of leaders working all around you willing to lead.  Are they worried about being qualified to lead? Yes.  Do they want to do a good job? Yes.  Would they like some skills and support in order to transition into this new position. Of course.  But they are here and you need to look at them.

To my peers in future leadership, I pledge to :

Show you  the chances that you have to exercise your leadership every day.  I will point out existing opportunities and I will help you strategize more  possible opportunities if you feel like none really exist.

There are opportunities to be a leader:

1. every day
2. at all levels of organizations
3. in all situations

Reality:

Thinking of leadership as a mystical designation.  We continue to perpetrate the myth that leaders are divined.  They are not. They do have followers, though. And that is kind of magical.

My view:

Leaders do not get pulled out of the sorting hat as in Harry Potter. I agree with this view of leadership:

“throughout the course of their lives, people must take on leadership roles to carry out responsibilities to their workplace and their communities.

Center for Creative Leadership

When the question ” who is going to own this process, project, etc? ” is asked; the leader’s mindset is “ ME”. You may not  see it as  a leadership opportunity at the time,  but you do see it as something that has to get done . How many times do you volunteer to do a project or work with a team ?  Guess what?  *pointing upward* You are a leader.

My peers of future leadership, I pledge to :

Explain and explore the different types of non-profit  leadership capacities that are available.  I will teach and share  the leadership skills  that  I know  and try to identify resources for the ones that I don’t .   Most importantly, i will try to provide a   peer community of your peers who will serve as the true brain trust for your to learning.

Reality: People say that we want to be considered leaders but they cannot or will not develop their leadership capacities.

My view  :

Much like you may want that promotion, you have to want to be a leader.    It just will not happen any other way.   Yes, it will take your commitment to learn and exercise  the necessary leadership skills.   And many of those skills are  soft skills that deal with how we act and  react to varieties of people and situations.

For my peers leaders, I pledge to:

I will continue to ask the questions and facilitate the conversations to  show that leadership opportunities  already exist.   I will continue to cajole and  persuade you to get the skills training that you need .  And I will continue to illuminate  the current leadership and  the funding community about the opportunities to cultivate leaders that is all around them.

Myhappy place- Come on in

In the visions that I have ,  my peers are ready to become great leaders  because they are no longer afraid.  They  have developed a personal mastery mindset about leadership and decided to step into their role as prepared as possible and ready to lead.

I want to help you . But only  IF you  have chosen to  personally master your leadership. I will not ” develop a leader”;  I will help you master the leader you want to become.

You are a leader. You are leader.  You are leader.  Can you see my vision on the horizon now?

Bests,

Ericka

You are a leader. I said it. You are a leader.  What is your visceral response to  those words?  Do you :

• Roll your eye and grimace?
• Sigh heavily and put your head down?
• Thrash about as if I just tried to put a straightjacket on you?  (seriously, i hope not this one)

The Tug of War in Leadership

For some time I have wondered why leadership is both a desired and a loathed position to have.   We want it because it signals respect and a certain amount of freedom.  But we reject it because it means responsibility and accountability. It is a tug of war .

Are you caught in between the DESIRE  and REJECTION of being a leader?

In the management world, that tug of war is described as creative tension. Creative tension is THE most important part of personal mastery.

The gap between vision and current reality is also a source of energy.  We call this gap creative tension…There are two possible ways for the tension toresolve itself.  Pull reality toward the vision or pull the vision toward the reality.Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline

Leadership  Creative Tensions -Scarcity, Mysticism & the word “Can’t”

Reality: People apply the scarcity principle to leadership.    The words ” gap” and “pipeline” have become all too common and acceptable to describe the current leadership situation. ” We don’t have enough” is echoed too often.

My vision:

Stop with the sky is falling, mantra.  There are an abundance of leaders working all around you willing to lead.  Are they worried about being qualified to lead? Yes.  Do they want to do a good job? Yes.  Would they like some skills and support in order to transition into this new position. Of course.  But they are here and you need to look at them.

To my peers in future leadership, I pledge to :

Show you  the chances that you have to exercise your leadership every day.  I will point out existing opportunities and I will help you strategize more  possible opportunities if you feel like none really exist.

There are opportunities to be a leader:

1. every day
2. at all levels of organizations
3. in all situations

Reality:

Thinking of leadership as a mystical designation.  We continue to perpetrate the myth that leaders are divined.  They are not. They do have followers, though. And that is kind of magical.

My view:

Leaders do not get pulled out of the sorting hat as in Harry Potter. I agree with this view of leadership:

“throughout the course of their lives, people must take on leadership roles to carry out responsibilities to their workplace and their communities.

Center for Creative Leadership

When the question ” who is going to own this process, project, etc? ” is asked; the leader’s mindset is “ ME”. You may not  see it as  a leadership opportunity at the time,  but you do see it as something that has to get done . How many times do you volunteer to do a project or work with a team ?  Guess what?  *pointing upward* You are a leader.

My peers of future leadership, I pledge to :

Explain and explore the different types of non-profit  leadership capacities that are available.  I will teach and share  the leadership skills  that  I know  and try to identify resources for the ones that I don’t .   Most importantly, i will try to provide a   peer community of your peers who will serve as the true brain trust for your to learning.

Reality: People say that we want to be considered leaders but they cannot or will not develop their leadership capacities.

My view  :

Much like you may want that promotion, you have to want to be a leader.    It just will not happen any other way.   Yes, it will take your commitment to learn and exercise  the necessary leadership skills.   And many of those skills are  soft skills that deal with how we act and  react to varieties of people and situations.

For my peers leaders, I pledge to:

I will continue to ask the questions and facilitate the conversations to  show that leadership opportunities  already exist.   I will continue to cajole and  persuade you to get the skills training that you need .  And I will continue to illuminate  the current leadership and  the funding community about the opportunities to cultivate leaders that is all around them.

Myhappy place- Come on in

In the visions that I have ,  my peers are ready to become great leaders  because they are no longer afraid.  They  have developed a personal mastery mindset about leadership and decided to step into their role as prepared as possible and ready to lead.

I want to help you . But only  IF you  have chosen to  personally master your leadership. I will not ” develop a leader”;  I will help you master the leader you want to become.

You are a leader. You are leader.  You are leader.  Can you see my vision on the horizon now?

Bests,

Ericka