1. Identifying and Developing Leaders
Slide 1, Identifying and Developing Leaders

2. Thoughts on leadership
“Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions.”
Harold Geneen,Founder,
MCI Communications
Slide 2, Thoughts on leadership

3. Thoughts on leadership
“Outstanding leaders appeal to the hearts of their followers - not their minds.”
Author Unknown
Slide 3, Thoughts on leadership

4. Thoughts on leadership
“I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.”
Indira Gandhi
Slide 4, Thoughts on leadership

5. Thoughts on leadership
"The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision.“
Theodore Hesburgh
Thoughts on leadership
“Why is it important that we, as an association, choose our leaders wisely?”
Their decisions affect how we operate
They play a role in how we are perceived by others
Leadership impacts membership
If we follow ineffective leaders, we may be ineffective ourselves

6. Why are we here? Meaning of leadership New generation of leaders
Developing leaders
“You are all probably wondering why we are here….”
Review each of the objectives of the presentation:
We’re here to examine what leadership is all about. We’ve all used the term, but does it mean the same thing to all of us?
We’re here to talk about the importance of identifying new Lions leaders
We’re here to discuss what we can do to develop these new leaders

7. What is leadership?
“Leaders are individuals who establish direction for a working group of individuals, who gain commitment from these group members to this direction, and then motivate the members to achieve the directions’ outcomes. This activity is something individual members could not do on their own.”
Adapted from J.A. Conger, Learning to Lead
Start with a definition:
Some are complex

8. What is leadership?
“Leadership is mobilizing the actions and efforts of others to achieve common goals.”
Some are simple

9. Do we need leaders?
Consider how life would be different without leadership:
Families
Education
Businesses
Service associations
Why is it important that we develop and choose effective leaders?
Their decisions affect how we operate
They play a role in how we are perceived by others
Their actions impact membership
If we follow ineffective leaders, we may become ineffective ourselves

10. Successful leaders are able to…
Communicate
Motivate
Build Teams
Solve Problems
Resolve Conflicts
Manage Change
Promote Creativity
Discuss basic leadership skills:
Communication
Motivation
Team Building
Problem Solving
Conflict Resolution
Change Management
Creativity

11. Practices of successful leaders
Challenge the process
Inspire a shared vision
Enable others to act
Model the way
Encourage the heart
As a result of an extensive study of leadership, Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner have developed a list of the practices of successful leaders and presented it in their book, The Leadership Challenge.

12. Challenge the process Meet and overcome barriers Never fear failure
Surveys indicate that most effective leaders have faced and met challenges and change. They found that they needed to challenge the existing process to accomplish an important task, and that they did not let the risk of failure prevent them from achieving their goals.
Provide an example of a leader you can think of who challenged the process. Ex. Nelson Mandela

13. Inspire a shared vision
Team goals
Enthusiasm
A true leader makes sure his or her vision is consistent with the vision of the team. The goal is a team goal, not just one person expecting others to “buy in.”
Kouzes and Posner point out that:
Leaders have a desire to make something happen
They realize that people will not follow unless they accept the vision as their own
They know their team members and how to communicate with them
They recognize the needs and interests of team members
They demonstrate enthusiasm for their vision, spread that enthusiasm to others
Provide an example of a leader you can think of who inspires a shared vision. Ex. Martin Luther King

14. Enable others to act Shared decisions Meaning Coach and support
Trust and confidence
Leaders don’t control, they:
Recognize the value in letting others make decisions
Know that team members must develop a sense of “ownership” for their work to be meaningful
Coach and support
Promote trust and confidence in team members
Provide an example of a leader you can think of who enables others to act. Ex. Melvin Jones
(You may choose a specific coach or manager from your area who is successful)

15. Model the way Set an example Deeds match words Little things = success
Leaders:
Set an example: they go first
Don’t ask people to do things they won’t do themselves
Make sure their deeds match their words
Understand it’s the little things collectively that lead to overall team success
Provide an example of a leader you can think of who modeled the way. Ex. Gandhi

16. Encourage the heart Keep going when times are tough
Simple actions / dramatic gestures
Reinforce to motivate
Leaders encourage their team to keep going even when it is a struggle. They:
Use simple actions and/or dramatic gestures to encourage
Provide recognition, rewards, celebrations
Coach and give positive reinforcement to motivate
Provide an example of a leader you can think of who encouraged the heart. Ex. Mother Teresa

17. Practices of successful leaders
Do you demonstrate these qualities?
Challenge the process
Inspire a shared vision
Enable others to act
Model the way
Encourage the heart
Do you see them in others?
Speak to the effort that we put in as Lions leaders. Consider the travel, meetings, phone calls, speeches, etc. Do we use all of these situations as opportunities to practice our own leadership?
Referring again to our own experiences, are we looking for new leaders as we perform our own roles as Lions leaders?
Transition: Shouldn’t we start?

18. Who are our leaders? Formal Informal
Discuss formal and informal Lions leaders:
Formal leaders are those elected or appointed leaders: directors, district officers, club officers, etc. (Give examples of formal leaders who have exhibited true leadership)
Informal leaders are those Lions who do not necessarily lead by virtue of “authority” but rather by demonstrating the practices of successful leaders in meetings, planning, and project work. (Give examples of informal leaders who you have known who demonstrate their leadership effectively)
When we talk about developing leaders, one thing we should strive for is to make sure the informal leaders have the encouragement and the opportunity to become formal leaders in the association.

19. Why do we need to develop new leaders?
Misdirect the spotlight
“The spotlight can be misdirected and shine on Lions who:
Do not reflect the ideals of Lionism
Do not lead by example
Threaten other Lions
Make negative comments or personal character attacks on other Lions
Use manipulative or controlling or dictatorial methods
Seek office for power alone

20. Why do we need to develop new leaders?
Shine on the same Lions
Many of our current leaders are overworked. (Give example of the workload of a typical club or district officer.)
New leaders can reduce the burden on those leaders who carry a heavy load.

21. Why do we need to develop new leaders?
Out of touch
Some may be out of touch with the needs of the membership and the communities we serve.

22. Why do we need to develop new leaders?
Fresh ideas
Every individual contributes a unique set of experiences, ideas, and values.
New leaders also bring a high level of enthusiasm…they want to do a good job and prove they are worthy of the leadership position.
Enthusiasm

23. Identify a new generation of leaders
Reflect membership
When we identify a new generation of leaders we don’t just mean a younger group of leaders…we mean a cross-section of Lions who reflect our overall membership,who respect each other’s talents and skills, and who collectively can guide us now and in the future.

24. How do we do it?
The question is how we go about finding and developing these new leaders.
There’s no correct answer, but there are some things we can do and some resources we can utilize

25. Practice effective leadership ourselves
Challenge the process
Inspire a shared vision
Enable others to act
Model the way
Encourage the heart
Personally demonstrate the practices of successful leaders in all of your own Lions efforts.

26. Share the concept of leadership with other Lions
Challenge the process
Inspire a shared vision
Enable others to act
Model the way
Encourage the heart
Use every opportunity to share what you know about leadership with groups and individuals in your district or club. (Give examples of when this could be done and how.)
Offer your services as a mentor.

27. Identify potential
Look for Lions who already demonstrate some leadership skills
Look for Lions who express an interest in being more active in service
Watch for the next generation of leaders…those who are either demonstrating leadership in some way already or who show through their actions that they want to assume more responsibility.

28. Encourage Encourage them to participate in the Lions Mentoring Program
Encourage them to seek office
Encourage them to explore LCI leadership training:
Leadership Institutes
E-learning
Encourage potential leaders to complete the four levels of the Lions Mentoring Program
Encourage them to take the next step and seek office within Lions, and let them know you support their efforts.
Encourage them and support their efforts to attend institutes and seminars.
Remind them that the Lions website will be increasing leadership offerings online in the Lions Learning Center.

29. Support Meaningful projects Mentoring and guidance Recognition
Personal satisfaction
Support their efforts whenever possible by ensuring that they:
Are involved in meaningful projects and activities
Receive the mentoring and guidance that will help them succeed
Are recognized for their efforts
Feel the personal satisfaction of serving others less fortunate than themselves

30. Our task Agree on Need Develop New Leaders Reward and Spotlight
As current Lions leaders who wish to foster new leadership, our task is then to:
Help other Lions realize that there is a need for new leaders to make sure Lionism remains at the forefront of volunteer organizations
Focus on identifying and developing leaders from all areas of Lionism
Put new leaders in the spotlight and ensure that they are recognized and feel personal reward for their efforts

31. Thoughts on leadership
“True leadership must be for the benefit of the followers not the enrichment of the leaders.”
Robert Townsend
Finally, we must remember that leadership is not about status and power…it is about service and hard work.
Thank you for your time.

32. Identifying and developing leaders
Allow time for question and answer if appropriate.