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June 2005
Volume 1, Issue 3
This is the third issue of “Leadership TSAE” newsletter. While you receive “Bottom Line Briefing” on a monthly basis (which includes leadership information), this newsletter focuses on one or two short articles or issues dealing with leadership.
Personally, I have found that I am able to use some of this information in writing articles for my own association. Use what you can, and if you find a good article to share, email it to me. I take no credit for being the author of these articles… only for being wise enough to share them with you.
More Wisdom from Kindergarteners
“Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand box at nursery school.”
-Robert Fulghum, author, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten (Ballantine Books, 2003)
Leaders might be surprised at the amount they learn simply by “returning” to kindergarten. But forget thoughts of leisurely play and long snack times. Today’s kindergarteners are doing everything from designing Web pages to embarking on “Web quests” to making CDs of original songs to tracking their own progress via online portfolios.
· Show and Tell. Set aside a regular time to communicate achievements and the lessons of failures; let colleagues know what you value most.
· Read books about lots of stuff. Don’t focus only on work-oriented publications. Expose yourself to books or magazines you wouldn’t normally consider. When did you last read some poetry, for instance? A young adult novel? Dr. Seuss?
· Ask why, why, why. Indulging your intellectual curiosity should be a daily habit.
· Give book reports. Everyone has an overflowing “to-read” pile in their office. Save time while still gleaning the relevant highlights from those books by forming a “power reading” club. Each person is assigned a certain book, summarizes the theory and practical information, and presents it informally to the group.
· Create your own report card. Track your accomplishments, and mark your calendar to ask for feedback on your leadership skills from colleagues every three months. Take careful notes and ask people to hold you accountable for improving any weaknesses.
· Color, paint, sculpt. Incorporate different visual ways to communicate. For example, several associations periodically have brought in artists to graphically depict meeting discussions. Another organization posts a cartoon-like drawing of a dead horse on the wall of every board meeting; attendees then point to the horse to lightly make their point whenever anyone refuses to let something “die” when consensus has been reached or a decision made.
· Go on a Web quest. A Web quest is like an online scavenger hunt. Young students visit a list of teacher-specified Web sites containing certain information that they must find and give to the teacher to prove they have completed the quest. Quests are a great way to learn how to find information quickly from various sources.
· Nap. The 20-minute power nap is increasingly popular (and permitted) in workplaces that recognize that a rested body and mind improves productivity dramatically. Just leave teddy bears at home.
· Start a journal and scribble in it every day. Kindergarten teachers don’t let issues like spelling and grammar get in the way of teaching five-year-olds how to “write,” as in how to shape and communicate thoughts, feelings, and ideas well. Daily journal writing is used to boost reading, memory, and communication skills in almost every kindergarten nationwide. Extra credit: Research shows that it’s an effective stress-buster at any age.
· Adopt a “try-it” mentality. Stickers are a frequent reward to children who try something new. If you don’t want to explain that Scooby Doo sticker on your lapel, set up an alternative reward system to reinforce your own desired behaviors or attitudes, such as spending five minutes introducing yourself to new coworkers.
· Eat a good breakfast and bring nutritional snacks from home. You wouldn’t want your six-year-old snacking on M&Ms and Diet Coke most mornings, so why are you? Get serious about taking care of your health. And besides, Mom says so.
· Play lots – even when it rains. Fill your life with plenty of recess time, and you’ll find that your mind and body will better serve you during your toughest tests.
· Take a time-out. Send yourself somewhere with no intrusions, no toys (e.g., cell phones, PDAs), and no homework. Solitary downtime is not wasted time. There’s a reason kids love to set up tents in their own bedrooms.
· Learn how to make and keep friends. Set up regular, in-person play dates; share more; forgive easily; cut people slack even when “they don’t deserve it;” compliment often and sincerely; learn to manage anger; don’t bully; listen even when you’ve heard it before; and force yourself to practice patience (baby sit your sister’s toddler, for example). Most of all, tell people regularly that you consider them a friend, someone you like and admire. Recall how good you felt when another child told you, “You’re one of my best friends.”
· Become more empathetic. Kindergarteners are at the perfect age to best grasp the idea of putting themselves in another person’s shoes. Empathy is one of the most emphasized traits encouraged in the character development programs of many elementary schools – and is an aptitude of many of the world’s greatest leaders.
· Embrace wonder. Look up from that computer; look around at that red light. Slow down to experience the joy of life around you; it’s amazing what you seen when you’re not looking for anything.
Reprinted from Executive Update, May 2005,Center for Association Leadership.
Want more leadership tips? Robert Morris will be speaking at the TSAE Annual Conference in Galveston on September. 12th and will review several best selling books on Leadership |
