Monday, December 10, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
knowing what is expected
"One of the most important foundations of performance is determining what you're good at, what you have the potential to be great at, and bringing that [knowledge] to the work that you do," says Nicole Helprin, director of internal and employee engagement communications for Hewlett-Packard. "When people feel like they're bringing their gifts to the workplace, they're more productive, they're more engaged, and they're going to be more successful in meeting their expectations."
A lack of clearly defined expectations is detrimental to the productivity of an organization. Worse, it's almost impossible for the organization to be credible in the eyes of its employees if it cannot clearly articulate what employees should be doing at work. So what is the best way to communicate expectations to employees?
1. Describe what each employee is supposed to accomplish, not how he or she is supposed to accomplish it. Don't explain expectations as a process or set of steps; explain them in terms of the outcomes the employee needs to achieve to reach organizational goals.
2. Get to know each employee's greatest strengths. Then, discuss how employees can use their unique strengths to achieve expectations. This also helps managers understand the specific ways an employee will produce exceptional results. There is rarely only one way to accomplish a task. Freeing employees to use their strengths to achieve key outcomes can help them find more efficient ways to meet expectations.
"It's so important to understand your own strengths and how you apply them to your job," says Helprin. "It helps you map yourself and your team -- someone may not be good at that, but they are very good at this, and it's really helpful in understanding how to divide up the work. That makes you less prone to put someone in the wrong job or to give them responsibilities that don't fall into areas where they excel."
A lack of clearly defined expectations is detrimental to the productivity of an organization. Worse, it's almost impossible for the organization to be credible in the eyes of its employees if it cannot clearly articulate what employees should be doing at work. So what is the best way to communicate expectations to employees?
1. Describe what each employee is supposed to accomplish, not how he or she is supposed to accomplish it. Don't explain expectations as a process or set of steps; explain them in terms of the outcomes the employee needs to achieve to reach organizational goals.
2. Get to know each employee's greatest strengths. Then, discuss how employees can use their unique strengths to achieve expectations. This also helps managers understand the specific ways an employee will produce exceptional results. There is rarely only one way to accomplish a task. Freeing employees to use their strengths to achieve key outcomes can help them find more efficient ways to meet expectations.
"It's so important to understand your own strengths and how you apply them to your job," says Helprin. "It helps you map yourself and your team -- someone may not be good at that, but they are very good at this, and it's really helpful in understanding how to divide up the work. That makes you less prone to put someone in the wrong job or to give them responsibilities that don't fall into areas where they excel."
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
leadership: it's not about us
Below is a good article by Shirley A. Mullen:
I came to leadership reluctantly. In fact, I have never thought of myself as a "leader." Having said that, for the past nine years, I have found myself in various positions of leadership, first as provost and now as a college president. I've had to learn about leadership as I go. My comments, then, are very much lessons of the road.
First, the call to leadership is often closely linked to particular communities and particular tasks. It does not just come to people who think of themselves as leaders, or to those who have taken classes in "leadership training." It behooves each of us to be prepared for moments when the needs of our communities invite us to consider stepping into leadership roles for particular seasons. Leadership is never about us, or at least it is never only about us. It is about being available when our communities' needs intersect our own journeys of preparation to meet those needs. God may well call some people to be leaders and to think of themselves as such. But the Scriptures remind us that the call to leadership is just as often a surprise to those who are being called. We think here of Moses, of Jeremiah, and of Gideon. In sort, when God calls us to lead-directly, or through our communities-we need to be listening.
Second, the call to leadership is always a call to stewardship. It is a call to care for a treasure that has been placed in our trust-but a treasure that belongs to someone else. We must be clear on the range of stakeholders involved in any situation in which we are called to lead as well as the history, the memories, and the hopes that swirl around that situation. Leaders come and go. Our call is to care for our institutions or communities for the sake of those who will need them to be effective long after we are gone.
Third, the call to leadership is always a call to increasing vulnerability. Part of the vulnerability comes from the range of people who will have expectations-often conflicting ones-about how we ought to exercise our leadership. Most of the vulnerability comes from the multiple factors that are outside our control, but factors that will affect the outcome and impact of our decisions. Furthermore, as leaders, we are vulnerable to the judgments of those outside the situation who will judge us after the fact, as if we did have full control and full knowledge of the variables in the situation. (Occasionally, based on this same principle, we will get more credit than we deserve for positive outcomes!) The call to leadership is a call to submission and humility. It is a call to give of ourselves, faithfully, to the very best of our ability, and then, as the Swedish statesman Dag Hammarskjold reminded us, to "give others the right to judge."
Fourth, the call to leadership is a call to make our entire selves available for God's use in that role. Both our strengths and our weaknesses are in his hands, and he gets to choose on any given day which are most useful for his purposes. We tend to think that God is more interested in using our strengths. But it is in our weakness that he is most able to remind us that leadership is not something that we do alone. It is always a team effort. Furthermore, it is in our weakness that we are most aware of our need for the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom, clear vision, and the courage to act out of conviction rather than expedience.
Leadership is a heady word these days. There are lots of books on how to do it successfully. Many colleges and universities offer programs in "leadership." I have seen first-year students in tears because they did not make it into the "leadership track," thinking that somehow they would then be forever shut out of any opportunities to lead. I even noted that the word leadership does not appear in my concordance. I tend to think that the Lord calls us not to "leadership" as a lifetime call, but to faithfulness in particular moments as part of the larger work of Divine Artisanship in which he works on us, even as he calls us to good works. As Paul put this in Ephesians, chapter 2, "We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Leadership is one of those arenas through which he works on us, bringing us into conformity to the image of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, even as we seek to carry out the particular good works of leadership to which he occasionally calls us.
I came to leadership reluctantly. In fact, I have never thought of myself as a "leader." Having said that, for the past nine years, I have found myself in various positions of leadership, first as provost and now as a college president. I've had to learn about leadership as I go. My comments, then, are very much lessons of the road.
First, the call to leadership is often closely linked to particular communities and particular tasks. It does not just come to people who think of themselves as leaders, or to those who have taken classes in "leadership training." It behooves each of us to be prepared for moments when the needs of our communities invite us to consider stepping into leadership roles for particular seasons. Leadership is never about us, or at least it is never only about us. It is about being available when our communities' needs intersect our own journeys of preparation to meet those needs. God may well call some people to be leaders and to think of themselves as such. But the Scriptures remind us that the call to leadership is just as often a surprise to those who are being called. We think here of Moses, of Jeremiah, and of Gideon. In sort, when God calls us to lead-directly, or through our communities-we need to be listening.
Second, the call to leadership is always a call to stewardship. It is a call to care for a treasure that has been placed in our trust-but a treasure that belongs to someone else. We must be clear on the range of stakeholders involved in any situation in which we are called to lead as well as the history, the memories, and the hopes that swirl around that situation. Leaders come and go. Our call is to care for our institutions or communities for the sake of those who will need them to be effective long after we are gone.
Third, the call to leadership is always a call to increasing vulnerability. Part of the vulnerability comes from the range of people who will have expectations-often conflicting ones-about how we ought to exercise our leadership. Most of the vulnerability comes from the multiple factors that are outside our control, but factors that will affect the outcome and impact of our decisions. Furthermore, as leaders, we are vulnerable to the judgments of those outside the situation who will judge us after the fact, as if we did have full control and full knowledge of the variables in the situation. (Occasionally, based on this same principle, we will get more credit than we deserve for positive outcomes!) The call to leadership is a call to submission and humility. It is a call to give of ourselves, faithfully, to the very best of our ability, and then, as the Swedish statesman Dag Hammarskjold reminded us, to "give others the right to judge."
Fourth, the call to leadership is a call to make our entire selves available for God's use in that role. Both our strengths and our weaknesses are in his hands, and he gets to choose on any given day which are most useful for his purposes. We tend to think that God is more interested in using our strengths. But it is in our weakness that he is most able to remind us that leadership is not something that we do alone. It is always a team effort. Furthermore, it is in our weakness that we are most aware of our need for the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom, clear vision, and the courage to act out of conviction rather than expedience.
Leadership is a heady word these days. There are lots of books on how to do it successfully. Many colleges and universities offer programs in "leadership." I have seen first-year students in tears because they did not make it into the "leadership track," thinking that somehow they would then be forever shut out of any opportunities to lead. I even noted that the word leadership does not appear in my concordance. I tend to think that the Lord calls us not to "leadership" as a lifetime call, but to faithfulness in particular moments as part of the larger work of Divine Artisanship in which he works on us, even as he calls us to good works. As Paul put this in Ephesians, chapter 2, "We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Leadership is one of those arenas through which he works on us, bringing us into conformity to the image of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, even as we seek to carry out the particular good works of leadership to which he occasionally calls us.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
lesson on leadership by Carver T. Yu (Fuller ThM '76)
The leader of any institution must have vision: knowing where you are going, and identifying the most important thing you want to accomplish. But having vision is not enough; you also need passion to really dedicate your life to making the vision real. Without dedication and passion, you simply cannot inspire others to join you.
Partnership with others is very important in leadership. A leader has to have an openness to listen to others, and must take them seriously. A leader has to share ownership of his or her vision and be able to entrust others with the things they can do best.
Lastly, a leader must be willing to confront challenges and respond to them with honesty and integrity.
Partnership with others is very important in leadership. A leader has to have an openness to listen to others, and must take them seriously. A leader has to share ownership of his or her vision and be able to entrust others with the things they can do best.
Lastly, a leader must be willing to confront challenges and respond to them with honesty and integrity.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
10 things that cause stress in a leader
According to Perry Noble, the following 10 beliefs and circumstances cause stress in leaders. I believe this is a good list, though in my opinion I wouldn't say these things cause stress in every leader. However, I do believe these are 10 common stress factors for many leaders and it is worthwhile to take a look at them and assess yourself.
1. I actually believe the church is MY church and not the LORD's church...and that I am in control rather than Him (cf. Matthew 16:18).
2. I do not trust the people who I delegate authority and responsibility to and actually begin to believe the lie that, "If I want something done right then I must do it myself."
3. When I know without a doubt what God has spoken to me to do...but I begin to listen to the "experts" who tell me that the very thing God has called me to do is an impossibility.
4. When I try to explain myself to those who don't really want an explanation...they just want to argue.
5. When I refuse to take some time to disconnect and rest, claiming that the devil never takes a day off while not understanding that the devil isn't supposed to be my example.
6. When I begin to take on the "Messiah complex" and begin to think about how much the church needs me rather than how much I actually need Christ.
7. When I worry about results more than obedience.
8. When I focus on the size of the problem rather than the size of God.
9. When I fail to share my worries and concerns and admit my mistakes to others for fear that it may make me seem weak and stupid (When...the opposite is the case, those around me actually love and respect me more when I ask for help).
10. When I become unaware of the LORD's presence every single minute of my life.
1. I actually believe the church is MY church and not the LORD's church...and that I am in control rather than Him (cf. Matthew 16:18).
2. I do not trust the people who I delegate authority and responsibility to and actually begin to believe the lie that, "If I want something done right then I must do it myself."
3. When I know without a doubt what God has spoken to me to do...but I begin to listen to the "experts" who tell me that the very thing God has called me to do is an impossibility.
4. When I try to explain myself to those who don't really want an explanation...they just want to argue.
5. When I refuse to take some time to disconnect and rest, claiming that the devil never takes a day off while not understanding that the devil isn't supposed to be my example.
6. When I begin to take on the "Messiah complex" and begin to think about how much the church needs me rather than how much I actually need Christ.
7. When I worry about results more than obedience.
8. When I focus on the size of the problem rather than the size of God.
9. When I fail to share my worries and concerns and admit my mistakes to others for fear that it may make me seem weak and stupid (When...the opposite is the case, those around me actually love and respect me more when I ask for help).
10. When I become unaware of the LORD's presence every single minute of my life.
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