What’s in Your Leadership Tool Box? Finding the Right Tools to Get the Job Done. Presented By: Kathryn Penniston, PMP PREMIER Bankcard, LLC

Develop the Will to Lead Sit at the table and ‘Lean In’ Find the drive within to excel Make the right choices Establish boundaries Construct a support system Mentor along the way Define what is important to you Determine how to achieve it

Develop the Will to Lead Ask yourself – “What would I do if I weren’t afraid?” Then go do it!

What Does a Leader Look Like?

You Need the Right Tools! PMBOK, Chapter 9 Human Resource Management Interpersonal Skills “Interpersonal skills, sometimes known as “soft skills”, are behavioral competencies that include proficiencies such as communication skills, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, negotiation, influence, team building, and group facilitation. These soft skills are valuable assets when developing the project team.”

Leadership Qualities Honest Intelligent Open to Input Considerate Logical Organized Dedicated Good Work Ethic Tough No-Nonsense Gives Back

10 Key Skills Today’s Leaders Need 1)Strategic Thinking Don’t just immerse yourself in today’s tasks. Think big picture. Step back from the dance floor from time to time and take the balcony view. 2)Collaboration Overcome the four barriers to collaboration: Distance: Stay on the radar with people you don’t see regularly. Dominance: Change assumptions about the importance/subservience of certain roles in your organization. Discomfort: Educate yourself and your staff about the work of others. Dissonance: Check your demands and systems to make certain they aren’t undercutting collaboration.

10 Key Skills 3)Emotional Intelligence Build your self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management. 4)Critical Thinking Critical thinkers question conventional wisdom. They are vigilant about identifying and challenging assumptions that underlie actions or inaction. Ask, “How do we know that?”.

10 Key Skills 5)Communication Leaders who don’t communicate effectively get in the way of their team’s effectiveness. Make it your goal to master every form of interpersonal communication and make it powerful: one-to-one, small group, full staff, , social media, and of course, listening. 6)Motivation Telling people “You are lucky to have a job” in no way qualifies as motivation. Understand the key intrinsic motivators: competence, autonomy, purpose and growth. Determine the prescription for each of your employees.

10 Key Skills 7)Feedback Commit to wearing “feedback glasses” — new lenses through which you look at people and their work. 8)Tough Conversations Don’t avoid tough talks. Learn to do them deftly, avoiding the many pitfalls they can present. Become an expert at addressing challenges and problems early and often.

10 Key Skills 9)Coaching Coaching is an entirely different skill from fixing. It helps people learn to improve their work and make decisions for themselves. 10)Making Values Visible and Viral Let people know what you stand for. Make it safe to talk about values like integrity, diversity, community, and service. If you don’t inspire, who will?

Leadership Philosophy Being a leader isn’t just about being authoritative and telling people what to do. It’s about knowing the right direction you need to go and effectively communicating that direction in a way that others can understand. Everyone needs a cheerleader! ‘Way to go! You rock!’ is never a bad thing to say. And sometimes you need to be your own cheerleader. You can’t build yourself up by tearing someone else down. Be fair. Voice your expectations. People can’t read your mind. Common sense, practicality and critical thought are exceptional skills which should be honed.

Leadership Philosophy Recognize when you make a mistake. Take ownership, learn from it and don’t pass the buck. Ask questions. Then listen to understand, not just to respond. Conversations are a two way exchange of independent thought. If there’s a problem, acknowledge the problem exists. Reserve judgment until you have the facts and understand them. Be willing to think beyond your preconceived notions of ‘what is’ and work towards defining ‘what can be’. Learn from others. You don’t know everything. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and it doesn’t have to be the same as yours.

Lean In

What Tools Do You Need? Reflect on what tools you are missing from your toolbox. Make a plan to ‘find your missing tools’. Then determine how you will add them to your leadership toolbox. Create your own leadership philosophy. Believe in your ability to achieve and succeed as a leader!

Resources Sandberg, S. (2013). Lean in: Women, work, and the will to lead. management/what-great-bosses-know/196814/10-key-skills- todays-leaders-need-to-succeed-in-2013/ management/what-great-bosses-know/196814/10-key-skills- todays-leaders-need-to-succeed-in-2013/