SUCCESSFUL LEADERSHIP BEGINS WITH SELF

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SUCCESSFUL LEADERSHIP BEGINS WITH SELF

• Ontario Library Association
• Mary Ann Mavrinac
• University of Toronto Mississauga
• Feb 1, 2008

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Agenda

• Introduction Agenda and Learning Outcomes
• Context Leadership, Environment, Learning
• Focus on Self
• Experiencing Organizational Change - Findings
• Benefits Organization and Self
• Action plan personal Leadership Focuser
• Conclusion

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Learning Outcomes

• Understand why leadership begins with self
• Identify three stages of experiencing
  organizational change
• Knowledge of strategies for successful leadership
• Understand benefits and impact on self and
  organization
• Develop personal Leadership Focuser (action plan)

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Ground Rules

• Questions always welcome! There are no
  interruptions
• Participation is encouraged
• Keep names, identities out of discussion
• Any confidential matter stays inside these walls

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Context Leadership

• Leadership is a relationship of influence
  between at least two people, not necessarily
  related to position, who strive towards a shared
  purpose which results in meaningful and
  substantive change.

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Context Environment

• We basically do not know what the world of
  tomorrow will be like, except that it will be
  different, more complex, more fast-paced, and
  more culturally diverse. This means that
  organizations and their leaders will have to
  become perpetual learners.
• (Schein, Organizational Culture and Leadership,
  2004, p. 394.)

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Context Perpetual Learning

• Is it possible to imagine a organizational
  culture that, by its very nature, is learning
  oriented? Can one stabilize perpetual learning
  and change?
• (Schein, Organizational Culture and Leadership,
  2004, p. 394.)

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Focus on Self

• Consequences of Self
• Planning
• Decision-Making and Self-Control
• Self-conceptualization and Evaluation
• Introspection
• Perspective Thinking
• (Leary, The Curse of the Self, 2004)

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Focus on Self

• The ability to self-reflect is an essential
  feature of the human psyche, yet it is also a
  curse.
• (Leary, The Curse of the Self, 2004, p. 5)

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Feeding a Need Strategies

• Experiencing Organizational Change
• Disabling
• Reacting
• Resisting
• Shutting Down
• Deluding
• Arming

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Letting Go Strategies

• Experiencing Organizational Change
• Building a Foundation
• Transforming Moment
• Reflecting
• Relearning
• Committing/Recommitting

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Liberating Strategies

• Experiencing Organizational Change
• Focusing on Facts
• Using Values
• Serving Self, and Others
• Quieting Self
• Going with the Flow
• Strategizing
• Seeing Opportunity
• (Concept from Leary, The Curse of the Self,
  2004, p. 46)

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Liberating Focusing on Facts

• And so this journey has caused me to investigate
  these kinds of things and to do it without bias.
  To really be able to look at whats there and not
  make assumptions about itand to see how it all
  works together and what it produced.

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Liberating Using Values

• You need to sit down and think what is it that
  you can live with, and what is it that you cant
  live with. And when you start to think of that,
  and you break your life down into those very
  simple, almost like values, and all of a sudden,
  it gets things clear.

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Liberating Serving Self, and Others

• trying to look out for yourself, trying to
  protect yourself, have to do withhow you
  approach it, what you dowhether it is done in
  the service of just you or if you can learn to
  transform it so that it serves the entire system
  or community has to do with your level of
  development.

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Liberating Quieting Self

• Because virtually everyones mind runs along in
  this fashion, most people regard this obsessive
  thinking as normal and do not realize how
  unnecessary and harmful much of it really is.
  (Leary, 2004, p. 187)

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Liberating Going with the Flow

• Im at the point where there is no longer that
  fear anymore. It has happened so many times now
  and the outcome is way beyond whatever I could
  imagine and always for my well-being that I take
  it for granted and I know that its okay that
  this is a part of that process. The process of
  moving. Change, really...I think I just said Im
  going to see where this takes meI just got to go
  with the flow.

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Liberating Strategizing

• Im looking at my optionsand I weigh them and
  make my decision.Ill try it outMy coping
  strategy is to focus on my job, do the best
  that I can, and to do lots of listening and
  observing of the administration and decide do I
  want to stay or do I want to go?

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Liberating Seeing Opportunity

• Its an opportunity as well as having been
  really, really difficult. Its that good stuff
  has come out of it

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Liberating Strategies

• Experiencing Organizational Change
• Focusing on Facts
• Using Values
• Serving Self, and Others
• Quieting Self
• Going with the Flow
• Strategizing
• Seeing Opportunity
• (Concept from Leary, The Curse of the Self,
  2004, p. 46.)

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Benefits of Liberating Strategies Self

• Accountable focused on solutions
• Analytical multiple inputs, fact-based
• Calm, composed, clear perceptions
• Optimistic, engaged, energetic, enthused
• Empowered and empowering
• Reflective, self-aware

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Benefits of Liberating Self

• Trustworthy, integrity
• In control
• Embraces change as natural and normal

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Benefits of Liberating Organization

• Reflective Workplace
• Perpetual learning state
• Collaborative, team-oriented, supportive
• Efficient and productive
• Trusting
• Nimble, risk-taking, creative, innovative
• Open to multiple perspectives, diversity and
  change
• Fun!

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Leadership Focuser

• Leverage strengths into actions and outcomes
• Strengthen areas in need of improvement into
  actions and outcomes
• Commit to outcomes through tangible actions
  starting tomorrow through to 1 year

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Leadership Focuser
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Leadership Focuser

• Tomorrow
• Write down why seeing opportunity is important
  for my leadership development.

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Leadership Focuser

• 1 Week
• List specific examples where I felt a negative or
  anxious response to change.
• Note the strategies I used in responding
  negatively, including emotions and behaviour. Be
  detailed.
• Identify leaders who see opportunity in all
  they do.
• Contact a leader to ask them to be my personal
  coach.

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Leadership Focuser

• 1 Month
• Continue to log negative responses to change.
• When I am comfortable with change, what is
  different?
• Use journaling to better understand why I am
  uncomfortable in certain situations. Patterns
  emerging?
• Create an opportunity from anything negative or
  annoying.
• Meet weekly with coach to discuss observations.

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Leadership Focuser

• 3 Months
• Utilize leadership strategies of focusing on
  facts strategizing and quieting self when I feel
  uncomfortable with change.
• Ask questions. Dont make assumptions.
• When I falter, deconstruct the situation. Why I
  am responding this way? Write it out.
• Discuss with coach.
• Be kind to myself

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Leadership Focuser

• 6 Months
• Focus on one change initiative in my organization
  in which I am feeling particularly uncomfortable.
• Develop a detailed approach to manage this change
  using strategy of seeing opportunity.
• When barriers occur, seek opportunities to
  overcome these barriers by developing an action
  plan.
• Note benefits when I turn a challenge into an
  opportunity.

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Leadership Focuser
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Implications of Theory for Leadership and
Organizational Change

• We basically do not know what the world of
  tomorrow will be like, except that it will be
  different, more complex, more fast-paced, and
  more culturally diverse. This means that
  organizations and their leaders will have to
  become perpetual learners.
• (Schein, Organizational Culture and Leadership,
  2004, p. 393.)

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Successful Leadership Begins With Self
Comments? Questions? maryann.mavrinac_at_utoronto.c
a
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Successful Leadership Begins With Self

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