1. Leading the Total Extension Program
How many balls can you juggle at one time?
The job of leading an extension program can sometimes seem like a juggling act. There are so many things to do and seemingly so little time that often one ball or the other gets dropped. Constantly working to master the skills required to be effective in this role is a must.

2. Objectives
Identify 7 balls extension middle managers juggle every day in leading the extension program
Identify strategies for keeping the balls in the air
SAY:
What we hope to accomplish today in our time together is to identify at least 7 balls extension middle managers must juggle every day in leading an extension program and to explore the skills and strategies necessary to keep those balls in the air.

3. 7 Balls Middle Managers Juggle Every Day
Leadership
Administrative Management
Office Management
Fiscal Management
Personnel Management
Program Management
Public Relations & Marketing
SAY:
A middle manager’s job is multi-faceted to say the least. Would you agree? In any given day, you find yourself juggling at least 7 balls and sometimes many more. Today, we will be looking specifically at 7 basic competencies required to keep these balls in the air:
Leadership
Administrative Management
Office Management
Fiscal Management
Personnel Management
Program Management
Public Relations & Marketing
We will look at each of these in a little more detail as we continue.

4. Leadership
Provide leadership and direction for the overall extension and help others to understand the mission and vision of extension and its relationship to other agencies and institutions.
SAY:
The first ball is leadership. For the purpose of our discussion today, this mastery of this competency requires providing leadership and direction for the overall extension program and helping others to understand the mission and vision of extension and its relationship to other agencies and institutions. Let’s look at how a middle manager might do that.

5. How you do that… Promote the vision & mission
Support the strategic plan
Explain the land grant system
Communicate the history, philosophy & contemporary nature of extension
Create an atmosphere for positive working relationships & teamwork
Promote positive working relationships with research & 1890 personnel
Model personal accountability
SAY:
A middle manager who is effective in this area:
Promotes the vision and mission of extension.
Is familiar with and actively supports the organization’s strategic plan.
Understands and effectively communicates the relationship between extension and the 1862 institution of which it is a part.
Understands and effectively communicates the history, philosophy and contemporary nature of extension.
Creates an atmosphere for positive working relationships and teamwork among extension educators and staff.
Fosters and promotes positive working relationships with research and 1890 personnel.
Models personal accountability and fosters the development of a culture of accountability.

6. How you do that…
Inspire positive attitudes, professionalism & leadership among personnel
Set high expectations for performance
Seek to improve personal self
Effectively manage conflict
Promote critical thinking
Demonstrate exemplary work ethics
Effectively manage groups
Effective middle managers also:
Inspire positive attitudes, professionalism, and leadership among extension personnel.
Set high expectations for performance for all extension personnel.
Continually seek to improve personal supervision and management skills.
Effectively manage conflict and seek assistance when issues cannot be resolved locally.
Promote creative and critical thinking and effective problem-solving skills.
Demonstrate exemplary work ethics.
Effectively manage groups.
Application:
Throughout our session today, I will stop periodically and ask you to fill out a section on your Best Practices worksheet to share ideas that have worked for you in a particular area. At the end of our session, I will collect those, compile a list of them and share them with all of you. So here’s the first opportunity to do that. Thinking back over what I’ve shared with you about how you might achieve mastery in Leadership, write at least one thing that has worked for you in this area. I’ll share an example, maybe you have decided that the best way to create positive working relationships in your office is to host a monthly brown bag session where personnel share success stories from the previous month with each other. Be specific in what you share so that others might be enticed to try the same technique.

7. Administrative Management
Effectively and efficiently manage all office, fiscal, personnel and programmatic issues .

8. How you do that… Follow extension & university policies & procedures
Comply with Civil Rights, Equal Opportunity Employment (EEO), Affirmative Action (AA) & other appropriate employment laws & policies
Facilitate effective communication (both written & oral) among extension personnel at the local, district & state level
Understand and promote diversity
A middle manager who is effective in this area:
Administers and adheres to all extension and university policies and procedures.
Assures compliance with Civil Rights, Equal Opportunity Employment (EEO), Affirmative Action (AA) and other appropriate employment laws and policies.
Facilitates effective communication (both written and oral) among extension personnel at all levels.
Understands diversity and promotes such understanding among extension personnel.
Application:
Now it’s time to jot down your Administrative Management Best Practice. What’s one thing that’s worked for you in this area?

9. Office Management
Maximizes the use of all resources to promote professionalism and efficiency for the extension program.

10. How you do that… Keep the office open and equipped
Maintain a professional & safe business atmosphere
Conduct well-organized staff conferences, keeping thorough records
Maintain effective communications with all personnel in office
Involve personnel in decision-making
Keep the office clean, neat & presentable to the public
A middle manager who is effective in this area:
Appropriately staffs and equips extension offices.
Maintains a professional and safe business atmosphere in the extension office.
Conducts well-organized staff conferences, keeping thorough records of minutes.
Maintains effective communications with all extension personnel.
Involves extension personnel in decision-making.
Ensures that extension offices and facilities are clean, neat and presentable to the public.
Application:
Take a moment now and write down Office Management Best Practice. What’s one thing that’s worked for you in this area?

11. Fiscal Management
Effectively secures and utilizes financial resources.

12. How you do that… Follow all accounting policies & procedures
Secure sustainable funding to support extension programs
Maintain current cooperative agreements for all partners
Ensure proper invoicing of partners
Prepare and defend annual budget to partners and stakeholders
Maintain accurate financial records
Involve extension personnel in budget development & purchasing decisions
A middle manager who is effective in this area:
Maintains and adheres to all accounting policies and procedures.
Actively seeks to secure sustainable funding to support extension programs.
Maintains current cooperative agreements for all partners.
Ensures proper invoicing of partners through proper communication with pertinent parties.
Prepares and defends annual budget to partners and stakeholders.
Maintains accurate financial records, especially as they pertain to travel and purchasing.
Involves extension personnel in budget development and purchasing decisions.
Application:
What is one thing that is working for you in the area of Fiscal Management? Take a minute and write that Best Practice on your worksheet.

13. Personnel Management
Provides an environment that allows for the continued growth and development of all extension personnel.

14. How you do that… Orient new staff.
Conduct effective annual performance evaluations & provide positive feedback
Foster courteous & productive co-worker relationships
Follow personnel policies and procedures
Support extension personnel in personal & professional growth
Motivate extension personnel to do their best work
Reward exemplary performance
Help prepare extension personnel for promotion
Work with appropriate individuals to promptly address poor performance, policy violations & similar issues
Hold extension personnel accountable for work hours
A middle manager who is effective in this area:
Leads the orientation of new staff.
Conducts effective annual performance evaluations and provides positive feedback for improvement as appropriate.
Guides and maintains courteous and productive co-worker relationships.
Understands and adheres to personnel policies and procedures.
Continually coaches and supports extension personnel in personal and professional growth.
Motivates and empowers extension personnel to do their best work.
Recognizes, acknowledges and rewards exemplary performance.
Helps prepare extension personnel for promotion and guides them through the promotion process.
Works with appropriate personnel to promptly address poor performance, policy violations, and similar issues.
Maintains extension personnel accountability for work hours and provides scheduling flexibility as appropriate.
Application:
Personnel management is the competency area in which we face the biggest challenges. Take a moment now and write down at least one Best Practice that has worked for you.

15. Program Management
Ensures the extension program effectively addresses issues of concern to stakeholders by providing high-quality educational, research-based programs.

16. How you do that… Align program plans with identified issues
Be sure that outcomes accurately reflect the impact & results of program efforts
Be able to explain extension’s program development theory & cycle
Submit reports on time
Support extension educators in the development & maintenance of effective program advisory councils/committees.
Attend local program advisory council meetings
Encourage the recruitment and effective use of volunteers
A middle manager who is effective in this area:
Reviews plans of work to ensure that program goals are aligned with identified issues and that outcomes accurately reflect the impact and results of program efforts. (This may be more of a county director responsibility than a district director responsibility.)
Clearly understands and can articulate extension’s program development theory and cycle.
Provides leadership in program reporting and accountability and ensures that all reports are submitted in a timely fashion.
Develops and maintains an effective advisory leadership council.
Supports extension educators in the development and maintenance of effective program advisory councils/committees.
Attends local program advisory council meetings.
Encourages the recruitment and effective use of volunteers in county program.
Application:
Take a moment now and write down one Best Practice that has worked for you in the area of Program Management.

17. Public Relations & Marketing
Effectively promotes the value of the extension and develops and maintains strong partnerships.

18. How you do that… Build strong partnerships and collaborations
Promote positive image of self and extension
Promote the brand identity of extension
Attend appropriate government meetings
Report progress to stakeholders and partners
Have a public relations strategy
Establish rapport with key individuals
Use all media outlets to tell extension’s story
Participate in commodity & civic organizations & associations
A middle manager who is effective in this area:
Understands and appreciates the importance of building strong partnerships and collaborations.
Promotes positive image of self and extension.
Promotes the brand identity of the extension
Participates in government meetings as appropriate.
Reports regularly to stakeholders and partners.
Coordinates the development and implementation of an extension public relations strategy, striving for a high level of program visibility.
Establishes and maintains rapport with key individuals.
Ensures that program impacts from all program areas are reported to stakeholders.
Effectively uses all media outlets.
Participates in commodity and civic organizations and associations as appropriate.
Application:
And finally, Public Relations and Marketing are so important to extension’s continued existence. Take a moment now and write down at least one thing that has worked for you in this area?

19. Keeping the Balls in the Air
Initiative
Fairness
Objectivity
Personal accountability
Positive attitude
Responsiveness
Attention to detail
Caring
Integrity
Respect for diversity
Perception
Sensitivity
Behavioral flexibility
Assertiveness
Professionalism
Organizational skills
So how Do you keep all these balls in the air? These personal attributes will help.