ITLP Tuesday Readings

In this week's piece, Rick Brenner at Chaco Canyon talks about some artifacts of healthy organizational cultures. He ends by asking two questions: Do you work in such a place like this? If not, what can you do about it?

Take a few minutes and read "Healthy Practices" and then answer Rick's two questions, especially the one about what you can do about it.

EXTRA CREDIT: I know not all of you are Patriots fans. However, fan or not, CIO had a piece on January 23 titled "Management Lessons from Bill Belichick" that is worth reading. He cites five important lessons:

1. Immaculate delegation.

2. Feedback from manager to staff.

3. A clear focus on the task at hand, and only the task at hand.

4. Creating a culture of collective responsibility.

5. A love for the work and self-knowledge about the role to play.

Posted by Jim Hall at 9:19 AM | Permalink

During a 2005 guest lecture at MIT's Sloan School of Management the following question was asked: "What should you be learning in business school?" Jack Welch answered: "Just concentrate on networking. Everything else you need to know, you can learn on the job."

In this week's reading, "Great Leaders Build Off Great Relations" John Baldoni talks about the importance of building relations and the related skill of collaboration. He suggests three approaches:

1. Learn to read people. Learn to listen for what is said and not said, understand aspirations and commitments.

2. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Yes, the Golden Rule but applicable everywhere. You establish trust by personal example and one example is helping others reach their goals.

3. Put yourself out there. Selfless collaboration calls for blending ideas to create a better whole. It comes from trust and understanding.

You'll find some survey data on the importance of relationships at in the Center for Creative Leadership's October 2007 edition of Leading Effectively http://www.ccl.org/leadership/enewsletter/2007/OCTdata.aspx.

Posted by Jim Hall at 9:18 AM | Permalink

Do you sometimes feel that you are being watched?

Susan Cramm, in a recent piece "Leading Change With Every Move You Make" argues everyone is watching "every move you make, every bond you break, every step you take ..." (as the Sting song puts it) for a sign of who you are and what you care about. These can be teachable moments when you can convey your leadership agenda. Don't squander them.

Posted by Jim Hall at 9:17 AM | Permalink

In an email late in 2007, Brian passed along to me a URL to the Dumb Little Man Tips for Life blog. The post associated with the URL was 7 Simple Tips That Will Turn You Into a Powerful Leader. Written by K. Stone, author of Life Learning Today blog about daily life improvements, it is a good reminder of many of the practices associated with goals, leadership, and teamwork that you have met through the leader's program. Maybe it would be worthwhile taking some of these tips as New Year's Resolutions. Give it a thought!

Posted by Jim Hall at 9:16 AM | Permalink

I thought that I would point you to Joe White's "Lessons and Insights from Twenty Years of Leadership and Management" (PDF).

I learned about this gem from Andy Palms who suggested it to members of his leadership program group last April. Unless you are from the University of Michigan where Joe White served a stint as interim President or from the University of Illinois where he is now President, Joe White's name is likely unknown to you as it was to me. That's unfortunate.

This paper, written in 2001, at the end of ten-years as Dean of the University of Michigan's Business School is as Andy noted particularly insightful, accurate, and deceptively simple. I think that you will find it a very appropriate way to begin thinking about leadership in 2008.

Posted by Jim Hall at 9:14 AM | Permalink