Stephanie Kirschner, national SDA executive director, ended her webinar presentation today with characteristics of successful people. Continue reading
Category Archives: Leadership
Congratulations to Amy Nanni!
A hearty Seattle chapter shout-out to member Amy Nanni (New York chapter) who was recognized today at EDSymposium15 with the SDA Lifetime Achievement Award!
Here’s Sarah Wallace, who presented the award.
Here’s Amy just after she was called up to the front to accept her award.
If you’re looking to destroy employee morale, give this a try
“Fortunately, most of the leaders I work with are keenly focused on keeping their people committed and loyal because they know that engaged and empowered employees perform to their highest abilities and produce exceptional results. But every so often, I come across managers who seem hell bent on doing just the opposite.”
Take our $20 challenge!
Will you be one of the first 100 people to take our $20 challenge? Your contribution will be matched by SDA’s Past President’s Council, up to $2,000.
You can make an impact, and all it takes is $20 and this form.
SDA’s Past President’s Council (SDAPPC) is thrilled to announce that a $2,000 matching gift has been given to the SDAPPC for scholarships for SDA members to attend EDSymposium15 in October, if we match this gift with 100 additional $20 gifts. We are reaching out to you and your firms to meet this challenge.
Attendance at EDSymposium is a pivotal moment in the career of many SDA members, the one factor that helps members turn their jobs into careers, resulting in less turnover for their firms, and creating an SDA member for life.
For those of you who have attended an EDSymposium and know the value, who’ve taken that elevator, please send that elevator back down and give a hand up to our newest members and future attendees.
But wait! Your donation is not limited to $20. The more money received, the greater the number of scholarships that can be provided. So . . . be a leader. Tell your family. And your friends. And your work colleagues. And spread the word throughout your social media. Let’s match that $2K gift!
All your employees can be leaders
This video (created by Inno-Versity) just might make you want to go read L. David Marquet’s book, “Turn the Ship Around! A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders.”
No other introduction is necessary; it stands on its own.
Tips for Coping with Communication Styles
We all have them—managers whose styles differ greatly from yours. If you find yourself getting frustrated because you don’t feel like you are communicating well with your manager, here are some things you can do.
But, don’t expect your manager to change his/her way. You’ll have to change the way you approach your manager, by adjusting to his/her style. Once you can recognize and understand your manager’s style, you just need to know how to respond and act in a complementary way.
Typical characteristics:
The Controller has a direct, authoritarian style. Controllers value efficiency and productivity, and set clear, specific goals. They tend to micromanage their employees for maximum control. They don’t tend to listen or take advice well.
The Open Manager values a democratic and team-oriented system. Open managers have general goals and don’t give specific directions. They value relationships and enjoy chatting and getting together socially with employees.
The Bureaucrat values processes and rules. Bureaucrats resist new and innovative ideas, preferring to base decisions on what’s been done in the past. They have high respect for the chain of command within organizations.
The Entrepreneur has new ideas, is energetic, and can be fun to work for. Entrepreneurs are hard workers and often expect employees to go above and beyond their stated duties. They’re visionaries who don’t always use good business sense.
Watch how your manager acts when under pressure; that’s a good indication of their dominant style. Be aware that a manager’s style may at times overlap between the four.
So how do you deal with each type?
| Your manager's style | Your best approach |
|---|---|
| Controller | Let them be the boss by yielding to authority. Be easygoing and flexible. Be brief and to the point. |
| Entrepreneur | Enforce personal limits. Act as the voice of reason. Develop strong business principles. |
| Open | Encourage manager to take a strong leadership position. Encourage manager to make undemocratic decisions when necessary. Encourage manager to be more specific with instructions and goals. |
| Bureaucrat | Follow rules and procedures. Be gentle, yet persistent when introducing new ideas. |
(Excerpt from PBU online course “Maximizing Your Relationship With Your Boss”)
Is delegating hard for you?
Member Gretchen Renz, CDFA, facilitated a roundtable for us, on the topic of delegation. It was a great session, with chapter members sharing practical advice. You can read the summary from that roundtable in the Spring 2015 issue of Portico, on page 8. You know you can find just about anything on YouTube, and there are a number of videos on delegation, including the ones Gretchen cited during the roundtable. We think you’ll also enjoy the presentation by our friends in the industry, Golder Associates, who have an exceptionally well-done, less-than-3-minutes-long video on delegating. Check it out here.
5 steps to take when your team gets rough
Do your team meetings get a little dysfunctional, with members’ emotions skyrocketing? Read Richard E. Boyatzis’ article for five steps on gaining back control.
Become the catalyst
Ron Worth (CEO of SMPS) spoke about leadership practices at a past SDA national convention. His focus was on what it takes to become a catalyst within your company and within your membership in professional organizations. Here are a few noteworthy excerpts from his presentation. Continue reading
I am a Project Manager . . . now what?
A golden oldie excerpt from an SDA member’s white paper published in 2012.
I’ve just been made a project manager. But now what do I do?
The first thing is to understand the key components of project management: Continue reading
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