The Importance of Leadership in the Workplace

By Christy Eichelberger

Leadership is a valuable skill, especially in the workplace. Some people seem to be born to lead, and others have to work at it. Whichever category you fall under, you can be sure that the ability to effectively lead others will improve your work environment and help you get the best out of your employees and coworkers.

Even if you aren’t in a specific position of leadership in your job, leadership skills can benefit you. In dealing with coworkers, leadership skills can help you develop strong working relationships and earn the respect and support of your peers. Even if it’s not your job to manage others, by demonstrating leadership skills in your day-to-day activities, others will be willing to help you and will learn that they can count on you and turn to you for assistance, advice or support.

People are naturally drawn to leaders. The following are some of the characteristics that leaders commonly have. If these characteristics don’t all come naturally to you, make an effort to improve your areas of weakness. Leadership skills can be developed through practice and experience.

Leaders have direction. They are focused on their job and they aren’t easily distracted. Leaders work proactively, seeking new ideas and ways to improve things. They don’t get bogged down with smaller problems and they provide others with direction as well. When people see a good leader and their dedication to the job, it inspires them to be dedicated too.

Effective leaders inspire and motivate others. They help others see the importance of what they are doing and motivate them to do their best. A good leader understands that everyone works differently and takes note of others’ preferred work methods. They are able to use this knowledge to get more out of their employees and coworkers and show that they value them for their contributions.

Leaders are good communicators. They interact well with others despite different personality types and they know how to confidently and effectively convey messages to others. In addition, effective leaders make an effort to remember bits of personal information about others, take note of their interests, skills and experience. Taking a personal interest in someone strengthens their working relationship and encourages them to be more dedicated.

Leaders are positive. They don’t focus on the negative, but inspire others by letting them see how important their contributions are. This doesn’t mean they never have any problems to deal with, but when they do, they do not get wrapped up in the negative- they look for the best solution and focus on reaching it.

Successful leaders are solutions-driven. They see the problem and work for a solution, and they encourage others to help them. Leaders see the bigger picture and are constantly moving toward a specific goal.

Whether you have a disability or not, people are drawn to the same leadership characteristics. When others see leadership potential in you, it is likely to lead to greater opportunities and career growth. Even if you are not currently in a position where you have to be a leader, do your best to demonstrate these characteristics. You don’t have to be a natural leader- you just have to know what it takes, and be willing to work at it.

Recap of Mini Seminar on “Mental Health: The Real Story”

Hello guys, to those of you who missed the last mini seminar session, we had Dzifa Attah, a clinical psychologist at Korle-Bu lecture us on “Mental Health: The Real Story”. Mental Health was defined as the maintenance of a successful mental activity. This includes maintaining productive daily activities and maintaining fulfilling relationships with others.

We discussed the myths associated with Mental Health as well as the causes of mental problems. Most people believe that mental health patients are the same and cannot be helped. Other people believe that mental health patients are mostly people with weak characters who can also be violent and destructive.

Dzifa made us aware of the fact that, mental health patients are victims of violence. She traced the causes of mental problems to genetics, psychological trauma, environmental stress as well as biological factors. We found out that mental health patients can be likened to any other patients and can also be helped.

We would like to say a big Thank You to Dzifa Attah.

PS. We will have a Mentor-Mentee session on the 8^th of June, 2012.

See you All There!!!

Leaders Aren't Just Born

By LaTonya Kittles

The mammography debate had been raging for several years. Advocates, politicians, the general public, and the cancer research community were all looking for definitive answers. At the heart of the issue was whether it was beneficial for women in their 40s to have mammograms. On one side was the National Cancer Institute (NCI), which in 1993 withdrew its recommendation for women to have mammograms beginning at age 40 because of a lack of clear scientific evidence that it would actually reduce death rates. On the other side were those who cited preliminary data from a 1996 Swedish study that showed that women beginning regular mammograms in their 40s had a 23 percent decrease in breast cancer deaths. Some felt that mammograms had too many limitations and did little to improve a woman’s risk of dying from breast cancer, while others felt that mammograms saved lives by finding cancers early enough to control them. And everyone was looking to the government for answers.

In an effort to quell the debate, in March 1996 the NCI hosted a mammography consensus conference where some of the greatest scientific minds from around the world came together to discuss the critical science that would inform the guidelines that would be provided to women. “It was literally my first few weeks as an intern in the Office of Communications at the National Cancer Institute,” said Anne Lubenow, currently the Special Assistant to the NCI Director. “I played a major role in planning for what the organization would do after the meeting. There was a great deal of uncertainty as to what was going to come of this and how we were going to respond. After seeing all the news coverage and hearing from women who wanted more information, I realized that I could actually be involved in really important work that can make a difference in the lives of the public.”

That experience, which exemplified the critical role of government, produced a passion for government service which has lasted to the present day. “Over the course of my years at NCI, there have been times of uncertainty and turmoil, but I have been fortunate enough during those times to have been able to take the leap,” said Lubenow. “My experiences have been that no matter how scary the options may seem, they couldn’t be worse than doing nothing.” Her experiences over the years have included: serving as Special Assistant to the Director of the NCI; coordinating the development of a communications plan for the cancer research community in response to the events of Hurricane Katrina; overseeing a communications program to inform the public and health professionals about the exposure of the American public to radiation during the Nevada bomb tests in the 1950s and 1960s; and leading national communications campaigns concerning breast and cervical cancer.

“Throughout the years, regardless of my role in projects, I have come to realize that an essential component in my leadership journey has been my commitment to the core values of my organization,” said Lubenow. “Making sure that you and your organization are in alignment will ultimately help both succeed.”

Without initially knowing where her journey would take her, Lubenow stumbled upon her career in the government. After learning that her husband was going to be stationed in the Bethesda, Maryland, area she needed to find a job that would fulfill the requirements for her Masters of Public Health. “I didn’t come here because of a strong desire to work with cancer and I certainly wasn’t looking for a government job,” said Lubenow. “Circumstances led to my arrival as a health communications intern, and the opportunities to lead from within have made me stay.”

Working with the NCI’s Office of Communications Health Promotions Branch as an intern, she saw that people were receptive to her feedback and, in her eyes, she had nothing to lose. The environment was supportive of leading from within and thanks to a boss who provided her the safety net she needed, she was able to do what she was trained to do. “I learned a huge lesson from an incredible boss—that people who work for you can do amazing things if you let them,” said Lubenow. “That lesson on effectively leading people has stayed with me through the years and I have had some great successes with my own staff by doing just that.”

According to Lubenow, while it is critical for leaders to build the support of their staff and guide them towards achieving a shared vision or mission, anyone at any level of an organization should feel empowered to lead. “If you are willing to take the chance, you have the opportunity you write your own story,” said Lubenow. “This can be far easier to do at a mid-level management level because you have a defined environment and you can decide where to put a stake in the ground.” According to Lubenow, it can often be more difficult at a lower level of an organization because you often don’t have resources and sometimes even more difficult at higher levels because of a desire to not “rock the boat.” “It’s really about taking advantage of opportunities that come your way,” said Lubenow. “People should look beyond their grade level and realize that they can always have a role in improving their environment—no matter where they sit in an organization.”

The all too true realities of public vs. private leadership can often drive people to the private sector or in some cases cause them to become even more dedicated to the mission of their government organization. Many government leaders often feel torn and Lubenow, herself saw the value in finding time to reflect on her own leadership values through the Council for Excellence in Government Fellowship in 2005. “I had honestly become disenchanted with my organization and was having difficulty seeing the value in government,” said Lubenow. During a group discussion, one of the other Fellows said, “If not us, then who?” and according to Lubenow, that is when she decided that she “didn’t want to leave our government to be led by people who don’t have options.” This struck at her core and that discussion renewed her commitment to civil service. Although she went to another part of the organization, she remained in government service at NCI. “The journey is clear for me,” said Lubenow. “I am not competing for a raise in my job or competing with others…I am competing with myself to do my best in helping my organization achieve its mission.”

Although Lubenow finds much more satisfaction in her current job and is looking forward to many more years of continued service she mentions the difficulty in striking a balance between work and her family. As a mother of two young children, she often has to make difficult decisions around priorities. “If you do jump, you can overextend yourself because work doesn’t stop,” said Lubenow. “I am still struggling with that.”

As NCI continues to do critical research, communicate the research, and build the linkages necessary to meet the organization’s mission, leaders such as Lubenow must also continue finding new ways to motivate others. “As you move higher in an organization you have less involvement in the actual work so it can be a struggle to keep connected while leading people,” said Lubenow. “My job now is really about building and leveraging partnerships to connect people and build teams—and I am finding that quite rewarding.”

DEFINITION OF LEADERSHIP

The Definition of Leadership has been called “The ability to get followers “One of the deepest cravings of human nature is the need to feel important, to have a sense of meaning and purpose in life and work. Leaders are invariably those who can tap into the deeper emotions of others and get them to rise above and beyond anything they may have accomplished in the past.

Inspiring words lead to victory. Winston Churchill was able to arouse and inspire an entire nation with words like these: “Let us so carry ourselves that if the British empire should endure a thousand years, men will say this was their finest hour”

Spearhead a Turn around Lee Lacocca stepped into Chrysler Corporation when the company was almost bankrupt. Through the sheer force of personality, his unshakable, his appeals to Congress, to Chrysler workers and to Chrysler customers on television, he spearheaded a turn around that will go down in the history book as one of the greatest achievement in American business.

Trust other people; the key to getting followers in every case is to trust your subordinates. Many studies have concluded that it is the mutual bond of trust and respect that acts as the catalyst that creates high performance. Not only must you trust your subordinates, but even important, they must trust you.

“Act with integrity in order to get followers”, your subordinates must have an absolute belief in your integrity. They must believe that you will abide by the highest ethical standards of fairness and justice. Integrity appears over and over as the most important leadership quality. People can only put their hearts into their work when they feel secure and can feel secure when they can relax and trust you completely.

Action exercises here are two things you can do immediately to bring out the very best from the people who look up to you.

First, make people feel important. Tell them how important and valuable they are and then give them both the responsibility and the opportunity to do their job the very best they know how.

Second set a good example. Be an inspirational leader by being a role model for everyone else to follow. The more people look up to you, the better they will do their work and the happier they will be.

MINI SEMINAR

Dear Mentors,

Hi everyone,

I trust  your weekend was super!!!

We are having a mini seminar this Thursday, the 24^th of May on the topic, “Mental Health”.  

The venue is Kinbu Secondary Technical School and the time is 3:00 prompt. The Resource Person will be Dzifa Attah, a Psychologist at Korle-Bu

See you all there.

Thanks a lot and kind regards

Christiana

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PS. The mini seminar is on Thursday due to Friday being a Holiday.

MINUTES OF THE MID-YEAR EVALUATION MEETING WITH JUNIOR MENTORS HELD ON FRIDAY 4th MAY, 2012

Elinam asked for general views about the entire programme and the following were some responses:

-     There was a suggestion that there should be an event for junior mentors to get to know themselves better.

-    There was also a suggestion of having the all our mentor-mentee groups do presentations on the same or on different topics as part of mini seminar sessions.

-    Sired brought up the idea of incorporating a family way of living into the program. This way mentors will see their mentees as family and vice versa.

-    Sally suggested sending text messages to junior mentors aside the emails.

-       Mentors suggested the deadline for the submission of the appraisal forms be moved to the first week in June.

-    Some junior mentors also complained about the fact that they were unable to meet with their senior mentors because they tend to be very busy with their work. 

-   `Godfried mentioned that we should find a way of making mentees appreciate the program better so that it does not look like they are being forced.

-    Manasseh said he use to be a reserved person, however he is open now due to our programme.

-    Sally mentioned she learns a lot from her mentees during her meeting sessions with them.

-    Mentors agreed that the speakers for the Leadership conference and the training sessions were on point.

-    Mentors agreed that the Leadership conference was practical and inspiring

Some new strategies for improving the next session of the YLMP were made known and they are as follows:

-      Restructure  YLMP to make it more family oriented

-      Extend time for mentor-mentee sessions during the Leadership conference

-      Mini seminars will have more variety and will include more than the usual lecture based format. Next year, all the groups presenting on different topics during mini seminars, more debates and quizzes between the two schools

-     More effort should be made to expose mentees to the need of being mentored. For example, meet mentees outside school hours, become more like a family to them.

NB: Our next mini seminar session will be on the 24^th of May at the Kinbu Secondary Technical School.

What makes a good Follower/Mentee

There has been a lot talk about the need for good leadership skills and leadership qualities. Seminars have been held to this effect. People have even gone to school to learn about leadership. But wouldn’t the problem of achieving good leadership skills and qualities be solved if we turn our focus on how to become good followers? Imagine a team whose followers understand the vision and are purpose driven. Compare that with a team whose followers are little concerned about what happens in the group. Your guess is as good as mine.

What makes a good follower/Mentee? Here are my thoughts.

-          Prepared: - Every good follower or mentee must be knowledgeable about the group’s goals and aspirations. Only then can you properly fit into that group. If the group’s goals and aspirations synchronize with yours that’s when you begin to enjoy yourself and feel part of the group.

-          Look for an opportunity to lead: - Being a follower/mentee should be a preparatory stage for everyone aspiring to be a good leader/mentor. Don’t be caught unaware one day when you finally have the platform to become a leader. So in every small way as a follower/mentee look for an opportunity to lead. Show that you are learning from your leader or mentor.

-          Communications skills: A follower/mentee must be able to understand and communicate with the leader and other team members. There are some followers who don’t attempt to build a relationship with their leader and team members. They are just passively involved in the group. To be a good follower or mentee you need to possess good communication skills. Also give feedback and always be available to listen.

-          Personality: - Remember it is important to enjoy yourself. So put up an outgoing style and enjoy working with the group you find yourself in. Every group needs people who are outgoing and once you show that you possess such characteristics you become an asset to your group.

Godfried Nyaku's Thoughts
Senior Mentor

How to Lead Now!!!

Getting Extraordinary Performance When You Can't Pay for It.

BY John A. Byrne | August 1, 2003

It was one of those grunt jobs that employees in any organization might have to do: move a computer center to a new location. Except mortgage lender Fannie Mae asked more than 550 employees to do their "day jobs" all week and then throw themselves into this new task over 13 consecutive weekends, pulling all-nighters on Friday evenings -- without even the promise of extra pay.

To do it, the group had to bring down, move, and start up more than 300 business applications. It had to unplug, wrap, and box 577 computer servers, lay more than 1.8 million feet of copper cable and 35 miles of fiber, and perform more than a million separate tasks to transfer the data center from the Fannie Mae corporate headquarters in Washington, DC to an office park in Reston, Virginia, some 25 miles away. Remarkably, they did it flawlessly, without a single interruption to the company's business -- and it was full-time Fannie Mae people who did almost all of the work.

How? "Napoleon said that an army marches on its stomach, and I fed the hell out of these guys," says Mary Cadagin, the Fannie Mae leader who spearheaded the move last summer. She's half-joking, of course, but she did serve about 1,600 pounds of chicken wings to her crews for midnight snacking -- not to mention the Friday-night themed dinners, ranging from New England clambakes to down-home southern cooking, or the full-blown Saturday morning breakfasts with pancakes, eggs, bacon, and sausage.

It wasn't just the chow. Cadagin is one of those relatively rare inspirational leaders who are able to get people to do extraordinary things. She is what Jon R. Katzenbach, an ex - McKinsey & Co. director who now heads up Katzenbach Partners LLC in New York, would call a pride builder: a leader who instills self-esteem in workers and builds unflagging support for remarkably tough assignments.

In truth, this is the stuff of Leadership 101: drawing the very best out of people by making the emotional bond every bit as important as the monetary one, feeding the soul as well as the wallet. But as profits have plunged and unemployment has soared, nurturing and innovative approaches to leading have fallen by the wayside, replaced by tougher, more autocratic, and more egocentric styles. Inspirational leadership has come to be lumped in with the fripperies of the bubble: the snazzy dotcom digs, the office concierge, the take-your-dog-to-work days. In many workplaces, the message has changed from "What can we do to keep you happy and keep you here?" to "You're lucky to have a job, so sit down and shut up."

But if the recent period of excess and arrogance has taught us anything, it's that leadership must return to the principles that are practiced by people like 49-year-old Cadagin. Eight years ago, in its premier issue, this magazine proclaimed, "Work is personal." That statement is more true today than ever. Howell Raines, an autocratic, inaccessible, and arrogant leader, learned this from his recent undoing at the New York Times. In the aftermath of that newspaper's scandal over the plagiarism and fraud of a favored reporter, Raines quickly lost credibility with his own colleagues, partly because of his leadership style and partly because that style prevented him from understanding the enormity of the problem.

Katzenbach, who has long studied high-performing organizations, thinks that it comes down to one core issue: building pride. In bad times, when money is tight and people are highly skeptical of top leadership, building pride on the front lines of business is central to performance, says the silver-haired consultant and author of Why Pride Matters More Than Money (Crown Business, 2003).

If businesses are to grow their way out of the current economic malaise, they will have to get more productivity out of their people -- not by cutting and slashing, but by nurturing, engaging, and recognizing. Far from being the frothy excess of the boom years, these emotionally engaged leadership styles are enduring -- not because they're new or good or interesting, but because they pay real economic dividends. In fact, there is far more of a payoff to "working the people side" than most managers think. In a study of 3,000 companies, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that spending 10% of revenue on capital improvements boosts productivity by 3.9%, but a similar investment in developing human capital increases productivity by 8.5% -- more than twice as much.

MID YEAR REVIEW

Hi All,

Our Mid Year Review is today. The venue is Databank  Quiet Room and the time is 3:45pm.

We hope to see everyone there.

Thanks a lot and kind regards

Christiana

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