1. In Search of Excellence:
Becoming a more effective leader.
Welcome
Everyone have a handout?
Please be comfortable
Just a little disclaimer up front – I found out after this workshop description was published that there was a book written in 1982 with the same title – if anyone came because of a hope for a connection to the contents of that book – I’m so sorry if I mislead you – I haven’t read the book
10 – 10:20, 1 of 7

2. Introductions Are you a leader? Why are you a leader?
Did you get training?
Hi, I’m so happy to see you all here – so much interest in this topic!
I wish we had time for you each to introduce yourself and to tell me why you are here – but we have a lot to cover today – so I’m just going to ask you a few questions to help me know who is here.
You are currently employed in a role that is considered by others as a leadership position?
How many not employed in a leadership position?
Are you a leader in a non-paid part of your life?
Any of you not raise your hand to either a paid or non-paid leadership position?
Why are you leaders – what made you interested in the job?
What made someone interested in hiring you as a leader?
When you became a leader – did you get any training in how to do it?
10 – 10:20, 2 of 7

3. Activity Have you ever had a bad boss/leader? What made them “bad”?
Have you ever had a bad boss/leader?
What made them “bad”?
Care to share . . .
How many of you have ever had a bad boss/leader?
Get that person in mind. Now, what was the one quality about that leader that made them a “bad boss”?
Let’s list a few of these
Put under
A – attitude
S – skill
P – something physical (looks, smell)
10 – 10:20, 3 of 7

4. Introductions Kerenda Applebey 517-668-0185 applebey_k@ccresa.org
Training and Technical Assistance Manager
Early On Training and Technical Assistance
CCRESA/Office of Innovation
So a bit about myself and why I’m doing this workshop
Kerenda Applebey - Started working as a Parent Educator in the Allegan County PAT program, moved into administration and worked the majority of my 14 ½ years there as the Coordinator of their PAT, 0 -3 Secondary Prevention, GP/GS, etc programs.
I stared with Early On Training and Technical Assistance in mid-June this year.
Those activities we just did illustrate part of why I’m interested in this topic?
I’ve had bad bosses – thought I could do better 
I was lucky in that I had Carl Ill as my boss for most of those 14 years – he’s spent his career in education and is the epitome of a lifelong learner – he has a passion for this topic of leadership and inspired that passion in me! Most are not that lucky – are not trained or mentored – just try not to make the big mistakes their bad bosses did.
I’m not an expert in leadership – I’m a passionate student of leadership
Here are the goals I have for today: – 10:20, 4 of 7

5. Today’s Desired Outcomes
Embrace and celebrate yourselves as leaders – the work you do and the opportunities you have.
Deepen your understanding that leadership is not a job title – it is a point-of-view.
Reflect on qualities of effective leadership.
Identify specific leadership challenges and identify strategies for overcoming those challenges.
Embrace and celebrate yourselves as leaders – the work you do and the opportunities you have.
I’m sure for all of you – much of this will be a reminder – a “pat on the
back” – a positive reinforcement for the things you are already doing well.
But, sometimes it’s easy to forget what an opportunity and really a “gift” it
is to be a leader – I hope today you have a renewed sense of that.
Deepen your understanding that leadership is not a job title – it is a point-of-view.
Where you have a “title” or not does not make you a “leader” in the true
sense of the word.
Reflect on qualities of effective leadership.
So what are some of the qualities that make one an effective leader
Huge topic – volumes have been written -- can’t possible cover in today –
hope to highlight a few things and maybe encourage you to learn more
after you leave here.
Identify specific leadership challenges and identify strategies for overcoming those challenges.
If you have a specific leadership – or usually described as an “employee”
problem – I want you to leave today with a couple of new ideas/strategies
about how you might address that issue.
We’ll come back to these at the end of the day and see if we accomplished
them – 10:20, 5 of 7

6. What’s Your Leadership Challenge?
Care to share
Keep in mind – we’ll come back at the end and see if you got any ideas for addressing it.
(So before we get into defining leadership I want to give you a couple of minutes to identify a leadership challenge/problem you have.)
When I ask that question “What’s your leadership challenge?” what comes to mind?
Care to share ?
If you have a specific challenge in mind – I would encourage you to write it down and keep it in mind as we go through this workshop – you’ll have an opportunity at the end to reflect on what you may have heard here today that may help with that challenge . . .
That leads me to talk about different ways you may want to approach today’s content
10 – 10:20, 6 of 7

7. Your Learning . . .
Focus on a specific leadership challenge and listening for ideas that will help with that challenge
Set a leadership goal for yourself between now and this time next year
Listen for what stands out for you and reflect in whatever way fits for you
We’ve all had the experience of attending a workshop, being energized by it and then going back to our busy lives and never thinking about it again
I’d like to encourage you not to do that
Here are three possible ways to approach this material
* keep in mind a specific leadership challenge
* look for a specific area you’d like to improve in
* just listen and see what stands out for you
We will have some time at the end to reflect with each other and then if you would like – to jot down how you would like to use this information – write that down and put in a seal, self-addressed envelope and
I will mail it to you in a few months as a reminder to yourself
10 – 10:20, 7 of 7

8. What is Leadership? Activity:
Turn to a person next to you – introduce yourself
The definition of leadership is ____________
Care to share . . .
Activity:
Turn to someone next to you and introduce yourself
Tell each other what you think the definition of leadership is . . .
Care to share
How difficult/easy was that?
What made it so?
So what is the definition of leadership? Here’s the one I like the best .
10:20 – 10:40, 1 of 10

9. What is Leadership? Leadership is ____________
Leadership is INFLUENCE!
According to John C. Maxwell (book referenced at the end)
I like it for it’s simplicity –
If you are a leader you will have followers
If you have followers – it is because you have influenced someone to “do it your way”
10:20 – 10:40, 2 of 10

10. What is Leadership?
Proverb: She who thinketh she leaderth and hath no one following her is only taking a walk.
I think this proverb illustrates leadership very well
So, if leadership is the ability to influence – then who has the ability to be a leader?
10:20 – 10:40, 3 of 10

11. Everyone! Who is a Leader? Of course – Everyone!
Sociologists tell us that even the most introverted individual will influence ten thousand other people during this or her lifetime! Each of us are constantly being influenced or are influencing others. So the question is really – not are you a leader – but what kind of leader will you be?
10:20 – 10:40, 4 of 10

12. Who is a Leader? The questions become . . .
What kind of leader/influencer will you be?
Positive or Negative?
How can you be more effective?
1st – Be a positive influence
2nd – Change your attitude(s)
3rd – Learn some new skills
What kind of leader/influencer will you be?
Positive – for the good of your family, community, country and world? OR
Negative –
I believe that every interaction we have (and most actions we take) are either one or the other – not neutral!
If everyone is a leader – then it is possible to learn to be a more effective one.
Of course some are born with more “natural” skills/talents – but everyone can learn to be a better leader
First – Make sure all those you are influencing in your everyday actions you are influencing in a positive way (as opposed to negative).
Second – Change your attitude (most of the bad bosses were bad because of bad attitudes – we’ll touch a bit more to this in a few minutes)
Third – learn a few new skills (maybe today)
Now that we’ve defined what leadership is and that we all are leaders, let’s look at some of the details about leadership . . .
10:20 – 10:40, 5 of 10

13. Themes of Leadership Vision Process Outcomes
Often when I hear leaders talk about their work and the organization they are leading – I will hear one of these themes.
Often leadership materials only focus on one of these themes/areas
Vision
Process
Outcomes
10:20 – 10:40, 6 of 10

14. Themes of Leadership Vision Mission and Values Philosophy and Attitude
Professional & Personal
Integrity & the Parallel Process
Strength-Based Approach
Vision –
There are those who understand that a big part of leadership is having a vision of the future
– feeling like we are headed somewhere important
-- have a clear view of why this work is important – what is trying to be accomplished
-- sometimes the vision is for their organization – sometimes for themselves – sometimes neither – rarely both
These are the areas within the THEME: VISION that we are going to talk about today
10:20 – 10:40, 7 of 10

15. Themes of Leadership Process Leadership vs. Management
People & relationships
Effective communication
Priorities, intentionality, self discipline
Process
This theme focuses more on the “how” then on the “where”
– are people happy?
Are they getting along?
Do they feel good about their work?
How do their clients/constituents feel about the service?
These are the areas we will touch on in this theme
10:20 – 10:40, 8 of 10

16. Themes of Leadership Outcomes Measureable outcomes anyone?
What’s the payoff?
Learning communities
Outcomes
This leadership theme focuses on the end product or payoff
– did we “make money” (or keep or get more funding)?
did we get recognition?
Did we at least learn something?
Are we accomplishing our mission/vision?
10:20 – 10:40, 9 of 10

17. Themes of Leadership Vision vs. Process vs. Outcomes
Is one more important than the others?
Know which area you are most comfortable/experienced in . . .
Resist the urge to only focus on that area.
Ask yourself
Do you think that one is more “important than the others?
Where is your focus?
So let’s start with the topics under the theme of Vision . . .
What “theme” are you most comfortable with?
Are you balanced in your approach?
Resist the urge to focus on only one area
10:20 – 10:40, 10 of 10

18. VISION Vision and Mission Statements Do you have one?
Do you know what it is?
Care to share . . .
Vision and Mission Statements
Most organizations have a vision and mission statement hanging on a wall somewhere – can you remember yours?
If you can tell the person sitting next to you.
Care to Share . . .
10:40 – 11:30, 1 of 26

19. VISION What is the vision/mission of Early On?
Turn to your neighbor and tell them . . .
Care to share . . .
What is the vision/mission of Early On? – Turn to your neighbor and tell them
Anyone willing to share?
The good news is that most of you have a very similar idea of what the mission of Early On is
The bad news is that no one can say “here’s our mission”
10:40 – 11:30, 2 of 26

20. VISION What makes a vision/mission valuable?
How will you know when you get there if you don’t know where you’re going?
It needs to be short enough to be memorable.
It will help you make decisions about how to spend your energy and resources.
Why is having a vision/mission important?
If we don’t know where we are going – how will we know how to get there?
It needs to be short enough and clear enough that you can remember it – if it is not – it is not very useful
It should influence all that we do
-- how we hire and train our staff
– how and why we make each decision
– how we know if we are accomplishing our goal(s)
There are many resources out there on how to write a useful mission statement
ATTACHED – A few ideas for creating a mission statement
10:40 – 11:30, 3 of 26

21. VISION Organizational Values/Standards of Excellence
What are some examples of organizational values?
Early On?
Your organization/department?
How are you communicating them?
What are your organizational values – institutional standards of excellence?
What are some examples of the values held by Early On?
* Family-centered
* inclusive
*natural environments
What are some examples of values held by your organization/department?
Things like . . .How conflict is resolved
Do we talk about each other? Do we prioritize diversity on our staff?
What are your values/standards of excellence
How are they communicated? – just because you can’t name them doesn’t mean you don’t have them
Be intentional about these
Ask staff what are the things about the organization that they would never want to lose?
Orient new staff about organizational values
10:40 – 11:30, 4 of 26

22. VISION Philosophy & Attitude Professional and Personal Beliefs
Integrity & the Parallel Process
Strengths-Based Approach
Another part of the Vision Theme is your approach . .
-- What is the philosophy and attitude with which you approach your work?
10:40 – 11:30, 5 of 26

23. VISION Philosophy & Attitude Professional and Personal Beliefs
What are yours?
What beliefs underlie your actions?
Create a personal mission statement
Philosophy/attitude – it is hard to separate the Professional and the Personal
The key here -- Be thoughtful and conscious of what your professional and personal philosophies are.
What are the beliefs that underlie your attitudes and actions?
If you find yourself struggling with any of the things I talk about today – it may be because you and I differ on our basic view of the world – that’s fine – just be conscious of what those views are:
Do you believe that people are basically good and have good intentions?
Are people self –centered or generous?
Do you believe that you have the ability to make a difference (have an internal locus of control) or do you believe that most things are out of your control and it is your “job” to react to things that others “do”?
Write down your personal vision – mission – and values/beliefs.
Come back to it often.
Ask yourself what value/belief is behind a specific attitude you have or decision you make. Here’s the big ones I see:
I can’t do anything about it – it is out of my hands
I often hear people in leadership positions complaining about the leader above them – “I’d love to do that by my boss ” or “Well of course we could do that if the State or the Feds would or wouldn’t do ”
The truth is almost all positions are middle-management positions – almost all of us have someone above us – we can approach that as if we are only followers – or we can remember what we said about leadership being influence – influence can go up the chain of authority as well as down 10:40 – 11:30,6 of 26

24. VISION Philosophy & Attitude The Parallel Process & Integrity
Related concepts
Do unto others as you’d have them do unto others (Jeree Paul)
Walking your talk
You can not expect that which you are not.
Leader ↔ Staff ↔ Parents ↔ Children
Model what you expect
I also what to look at the concepts of the Parallel Process and Integrity
Are you familiar with the Parallel Process (it’s a theraputic model)
- Do unto others as you’d have them to unto others. Jeree Paul
And of course INTEGRITY is about making your talk and your walk match – having your thoughts and actions align
These are very related concepts which both point to You can not expect that which you are not.
Leader – Staff – Parents – Children
If you want staff who are warm, flexible, encouraging and strength-based with the families they serve
Then you have to ask yourself – are you (and your policies) warm, flexible, encouraging and strength-based with the staff?
Often as leaders we are asking our staff to “make changes”
Well – how about you? When was the last time you changed?
Are you willing to do the kind of self-reflection and often uncomfortable actions associated with making a change?
How are you displaying your willingness to do this to your staff?
Basically – model what you expect from others Here are some examples of things you might want .
10:40 – 11:30, 7 of 26

25. VISION Model what you expect (some examples) Act professionally
Work hard
Be a good listener
Have a sense of humor
Have high expectations for yourself and your staff (but always higher for yourself)
When you’re wrong, admit it; apologize and move on
Don’t panic in a crisis
Accept responsibilities for problems; credit others for successes
ATTACHMENT – Top 10 Principles for Leaders Who Others Want to Follow
Another philosophy/attitude I want to look at is the Strength-Based Approach . . .
10:40 – 11:30, 8 of 26

26. VISION Philosophy & Attitude Strengths-Based Approach
More than an example of parallel process
Social Services:
Opposite of deficit-based approach
Abilities vs. disabilities
Business:
Approach to staff development and organizational leadership
What does that mean to you – being “strength-based”?
In social services – it is the language used to describe the opposite of the “deficit-based model” – the historically predominate way of providing services – look for what is wrong and try to “fix it” – it if often now linked with the “medical model” of diagnosis/treatment/cure.
In the field of “disabilities” – it is about looking at “abilities” – looking at what is possible – not just what is not
It certainly is tied to the parallel process we were just talking about
But it is more than that – the philosophy of employee development has historically also been very deficit-based.
What have your annual employee evaluations been about – pointing out what you are poor at and talking about a plan-of-action to address those weaknesses.
The new thinking – even in the field of business – is about focusing on strengths – I would highly recommend the books by Marcus Buckingham and ______________ “Discover Your Strengths”
This does not mean over looking weaknesses and deficits -- it does not mean “sugar-coating” things (either with clients/families or staff)
It does mean that are strengths are our biggest opportunities for growth!
Identifying who on your staff is particularly skilled in an area – ex. explaining the program to families – and encouraging them to write that down – share/train the other staff – maybe have them do the calls?
10:40 – 11:30, 9 of 26

27. Themes of Leadership Vision Process Outcomes Leadership vs. Management
Mission and Values
Philosophy and Attitude -- Professional & Personal
Parallel Process, Integrity, Strengths-Based Approach
Process
Leadership vs. Management
Relationships
Effective communication
Priorities, intentionality, self discipline
Outcomes
Ok, we’ve quickly covered a lot of ground under the theme of VISION
Let’s move on to PROCESS . . .
10:40 – 11:30, 10 of :55

28. PROCESS Leadership vs. Management Not the same
Can be an effective manager without being a leader but,
Can’t be an effective leader without having some strong management skills
Leadership vs. management
They are not the same, but management is essential to being viewed as a leader
10:40 – 11:30, 11 of 26

29. PROCESS Leadership vs. Management A couple of key management skills:
Learn to hire well
Targeted Selection
Learn to run effective meetings
Great Meetings
A couple of management things that can really get in the way to being an effective leader:
Learn to hire very well – then orient, train, and support your new staff purposefully – you will gain or lose so much respect and loyalty during this process!
Targeted selection
Learn to run an effective meeting – so much credibility is lost because of poorly run meetings – be clear why you are having a meeting – if it is really the best format for the need – make sure the desired outcomes and the activities of the meeting match
Great Meetings
10:40 – 11:30, 12 of 26

30. PROCESS It’s all about Relationships!
People – your most appreciable asset
It’s all about relationships!
People truly are your most appreciable asset – a big part of the process of leadership is about building those relationships and staff development
10:40 – 11:30, 13 of 26

31. PROCESS Staff development:
Check your assumptions about people/employees
Really listen – learn to see things from their perspective
Learn what motivates people
Learn what de-motivates people
Handle conflict effectively
Between you and staff
Between staff
Support people’s growth – even if it means losing them
People development – a major key to organizational success
Check your assumption about people – back to your philosophy & attitude
Learn to listen – really listen – learn to see things from their perspective – even when we disagree on something – as long as I know you can understand my point of view – I can live with the disagreement
Learn what motivates people & what de-motivates people
* many books out there on this topic
Handle conflict appropriately
Between you and staff
Between staff – tell about conflict management in Allegan
Support people’s growth – even if it means they outgrow their position and you lose them
10:40 – 11:30, 14 of 26

32. PROCESS Be an effective communicator Over communicate Decision making
Problem solving
The next topic under the Process Theme – Be an effective communicator
10:40 – 11:30, 15 of 26

33. PROCESS Be an effective communicator
Better to over-communicate than to under-communicate
“Assumption is the mother of all screw-ups”
(Carl Ill)
- Tell the truth – in the most loving way possible – but tell the truth
Better to over communicate, then to under-communicate
– assumption is the basis of all screw-ups  Carl 
Tell the truth – people always know when you’re not being completely straight with them
10:40 – 11:30, 16 of 26

34. PROCESS Be an effective communicator
Clarify the decision-making process
√ I decide
√ You give me your opinion and then I decide
√ We decide
One of the biggest mistakes I see leaders make is not being clear who/how a decision will be made
Have you ever had a boss that asked for everyone’s opinions in a way that made it seem like a group decision and then completely disregarded the input and did something different?
Clarify the decision-making process
I decide
You give me your opinion and then I decide
We decide
10:40 – 11:30, 17 of 26

35. PROCESS Be an effective communicator Problem-solving: Right attitude:
Listen
Whose problem is it?
What influence do I have?
Is a change in perception needed?
Most of us have a low tolerance for problems – if you can learn to excel in the area of problem-solving – you will gain a great deal of respect and influence
You need 2 things need to solve problems . . .
The right attitude and the right action
Right attitude
Listen
Whose problem is it?
What influence do I have
Is a change in perspective needed (by me? By the staff?)
10:40 – 11:30, 18 of 26

36. Problem-solving Right action: Identify the problem
Prioritize the problem
Define the problem
Ask the right questions
Talk to the right people
Get the hard facts
Get involved in the process
Right action plan
Identify the problem
Prioritize the problem
Define the problem
Ask the right questions
Talk to the right people
Get the hard facts
Get involved in the process
10:40 – 11:30, 19 of 26

37. PROCESS Priorities, intentionality, self discipline
Spend your time/energy on the most important things
Important & Not Urgent (Covey – Quadrant II)
Be intentional – what’s the most important focus/accomplishment:
This year? This month? Today?
Self Discipline – Lead yourself first!
The last focus under Process is Setting your priorities, intentionality & self discipline
Essentially – all good leaders have to learn to -- Spend thier time on the most important things
Stephen Covey – learn about Quadrant II activities (not urgent and important)
Be intentional about how you spend your time
What are the most important things that we accomplish this year?
This month?
Today?
And Self Discipline – LEAD YOURSELF FIRST!
10:40 – 11:30, 20 of 26

38. PROCESS
“Great leaders have understood that their number one responsibility was for their own discipline and personal growth.” (Maxwell, p. 161)
“Great leaders have understood that their number one responsibility was for their own discipline and personal growth.” (Maxwell, p.161) – Lead yourself first!
Self discipline is the “key” and something most of us are constantly working on (in one area or another)
10:40 – 11:30, 21 of 26

39. PROCESS Self discipline
Make a list of 5 areas in your work/life that need more discipline
Prioritize them
Start small
Find resources
Get help/support/models
Focus in the a.m., check in mid-day, reflect each evening
Allow 60 days before moving on to next area
Celebrate your successes!
Make a list of the 5 areas in your work or life that need more discipline
Prioritize them
Start with the first and take small steps
Find resources
Get help/support/models
Focus in the am, check in mid-day, reflect in the evening
Allow 60 days before moving on to the next area
Celebrate your success with the one who was your support/accountability!
10:40 – 11:30, 22 of 26

40. Themes of Leadership Outcomes Vision Process
Mission and Values
Philosophy and Attitude -- Professional & Personal
Parallel Process, Integrity, Strengths-Based Approach
Process
Leadership vs. Management
Priorities, intentionality, self discipline
Effective communication
Relationships
Outcomes
Measurable outcomes anyone?
What’s the payoff?
Learning communities
Now that we have looked at Vision and Process – let’s move on to Outcomes
If you’re not sure where you’re going – how will you know when you get there?
10:40 – 11:30, 23 of :15

41. OUTCOMES Measurable outcomes anyone? What’s the pay off?
Focus of recent years
Does it have a negative connotation?
What’s the pay off?
Mission?
Other measures?
Essential to job satisfaction
Measurable outcomes anyone?
There has been so much focus on outcomes in recent years – just mentioning “outcomes” is a great way to get groan out of a crowd 
It has somehow become a “negative” a way to punish people or make them feel bad about the work they are doing
If done well . . Outcomes are a very important and positive part of doing our jobs
– part of something bigger than just us as individuals (we all need this)
– They should make us feel like we are using our time wisely
– give us as individuals and as an organization a sense of accomplishment – a lack of a sense of accomplishment is one of the major contributors to burnout and low job satisfaction!
So how do we have outcomes that work?
I believe strongly that you have to know what your mission is and how you know if you are reaching it
I also believe there is great value in identifying short-term and more immediate ways we can measure success (compliments from clients, difficult families that are “won over”, etc.)
Ask the staff – how do you know you are doing your job well?
10:40 – 11:30, 24 of 26

42. OUTCOMES Create a learning community Continuous improvement model
Reflection is essential to learning
Which is essential to improvement
Which is essential to organizational health
Include staff in the process (don’t inflict it on them)
The newest way of looking at outcomes in a more useful and positive way is
Through Learning Communities
This means setting up your organization to be a community of learners
It is a “continuous improvement model”
Are we reflecting (as an organization and as individuals) – essential to learning – which is essential to improvement – which is essential to organizational health
Important to include the staff in this process – not inflict it on them
Look for resources on Learning Communities – there are many
ATTACHED – Personal Mastery
10:40 – 11:30, 25 of 26

43. Themes of Leadership Vision Mission and Values
Philosophy and Attitude -- Professional & Personal
Parallel Process, Integrity, Strengths-Based Approach
Process
Leadership vs. Management
Priorities, intentionality, self discipline
Effective communication
Relationships
Outcomes
Measurable outcomes anyone?
What’s the payoff?
Learning communities
OK, so in a really fast way – we have looked at these 3 themes of Leadership and 3 – 4 topics under each theme
We have a few minutes – what are your thought, comments, questions?
10:40 – 11:30, 26 of 26 43

44. Reflections/Ideas? Small groups (2 – 5)
What was your leadership challenge?
Ideas?
How would you like to improve your leadership skills over the next year?
What stood out for you in this presentation?
What will you do with that?
So in the next 20 minutes – get in a group of 2 – 5 people and reflect together
Choose any of these focus
You could also be filling out your individual reflections
If you’d like to share your reflections with me – please (individually or as a group) put them on my feedback form.
We’ll come back at 11:50 and do a few things to finish up
11:30 – 11:50

45. CLOSING Thank you for your attention & participation! Resources
Addressed & sealed envelopes
I truly value your feedback!
Conference evaluation forms
Additional feedback:
Desired Outcomes?
What was most helpful for you?
What could I do to improve this workshop?
Which of these topics would you most like to learn more about?
Thank you for your attention & participation!
Resources
-- Last two are print off from web resources – weekly s
If you’d like to fill out the last page – tear it off – put in envelope – seal – address and turn in before you leave
I truly value your feedback –
Conference evaluations
My feedback form (2nd to last page of packet)
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION & PARTICIPATION!
11:50 – 12:00