Leadership Development

John W Meredith, PE

Charles J Lord, PE

IEEE-USA Annual Meeting August 2013

Outline

Leadership defined

The changing engineering career

Skill set for success

A 4-stage Personal Model for Leadership and Management Excellence

Center for Leadership Excellence

Volunteer Leadership:

Practical tips for IEEE volunteers Presented by

John W. Meredith 2007 IEEE-USA President

2013 IEEE-USA Annual Meeting Aug 1-4, 2013 Portland, OR

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Overview

• My thoughts and perspectives on practical aspects of IEEE volunteer leadership

• Stimulate your thinking on developing the next generation of leaders

• Leadership skills are largely ‘learned’ through experience — IEEE provides this opportunity

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Leadership is About Growth and Development • Seek opportunities to lead Become a volunteer ‘helper’ (assist in organizing

local activities, etc.

Lead an ad hoc (informal) committee

Take on larger responsibilities (Section, Chapter, or Branch officer position)

• Continue your development as you take on higher responsibilities

• Develop those who follow you

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Don’t be Afraid to Step Up

Some are reticent to take on leadership role because of concerns about time or required skills. Realize that leadership roles are available that fit your time budget and/or skills:

Time: consider taking a ‘helper’ role (chair an ad hoc committee, help organize a conference, etc.)

Skills: realize that you will grow as a leader (OJT training); others will mentor you

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Larger View of Volunteer Leadership Volunteer leadership make a difference by pursuing a cause that benefits others. For example:

Volunteers who organize technical or professional programs provide educational and growth benefits for current and potential members

Volunteers who organize town hall meetings inform citizens of their community on issues of a global nature (energy, education, health care, etc.)

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An Important Leadership Concept Delegation and Empowerment:

Delegation – talk to me first, then “we” will determine the next move.

Empowerment – you make the first move, then tell me about it.

Empowerment is the desired state.

Empowerment builds volunteers.

Volunteers want to be empowered.

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Said Another Way ….

Delegated volunteers must check with their ‘leader.’ They aren’t empowered to act on their own. This is a limiting process.

Empowered volunteers don’t have to ask. They make decisions, solve problems, and create solutions without asking the boss. They understand the organization’s objectives and act in the best interest of the organization. Everyone benefits.

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The Role of a Leader

Customer focus

Setting the vision

Defining and carrying out the action plan

Providing clear direction

Communicate

Developing others

Reward others

Self-improvement

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Guiding Principles

Principles or precepts that guide leaders through difficult decisions. I recommend you develop your own set of guiding principles. Here are mine:

Perseverance

Adaptability

Simplify

Think strategically

Act

Innovate

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Leadership Characteristics

Creator of Culture

Proactive

Change agent (positive)

Cheerleader

Coach

Motivator

Focus Provider

Management and Leadership

Management Leadership

Coping with Complexity Coping with Change

Planning and Budgeting Setting a Direction

Organizing and Staffing Aligning People

Controlling and ProblemSolving

Motivating and Inspiring

John Kotter: Harvard Business Review, May-June 1990

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can

change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has

Margaret Mead

Peter Drucker on Leadership

Leadership must be learned and can be learned

Leadership personality, traits, style: they don’t exist

Drucker on Leadership

A leader is someone who has followers

An effective leader is someone whose followers do the right things

Leaders are highly visible: Set examples

Leadership is not rank, privileges, titles or money. It is responsibility

Professional Skills

Listening skills

Communication skills: written / oral

Presentation techniques

Negotiating skills

Teamwork roles

Project management knowledge

Meeting management techniques

Empathy - Mentoring

What’s Needed?

To be successful, leadership knowledge and skills need to be applied

Best if applied in the professional and personal realm

A successful framework for integration and application

A Personal Leadership and Management Model

Tools and a Process to Support Leaders

Plan activities and identify customers

Survey customers to determine needs

Define and use metrics to measure effectiveness

Establish continuous improvement to do it better the next time!

Planning Steps

Develop a shared vision

– Organizational or personal

Decide who your customer is

– Member?, Self?, Business customer?

Know your customer: Survey

– Mail, newsletter, email, phone

Establish goals

Surveys: Identify Customer Needs

Outline the problem

Define survey objective

Find existing data

Define the target group

Decide on the reliability

Define, sample and scope

Decide survey method

Decide who will conduct the survey

Outline analysis and report requirements

Timing

Cost

Measuring Results: Metrics

Not how many, but how good The point-of-delivery survey:

– How well was the meeting received?

– Did the meeting meet expectations?

– What changes would improve the meeting?

Customer Satisfaction is the best metric

Continuous Improvement

PLAN

DO

STUDY

ACT The Deming Cycle

Is This Your Section?

If I tried to implement this stuff here I would either be ignored or everyone would quit. My senior people are burnt out and want out. My junior people are mostly not interested in anything except showing activity on a resume. I have only one person out of 20 that I consider to be capable.

Or is this your Section?

We already use some of these concepts to great advantage. Training has been very helpful also.

Our Section tried this process over the past year and it worked great

IEEE Leadership Training Concentration

Core Characteristics

– Customer Value

– Training

– Continuous Improvement

– Measurement and Metrics

Reinforced through:

– Individual officer strategic plans

– Documented IEEE Vision

Tools From the IEEE

Center for Leadership Excellence

Career Planning: IEEE-USA Career Manager

Technical: Society publications

Professional Skills: IEEE-USA Professional Development Projects

Management for Engineers: IEEE Technology Management Council

IEEE CENTER FOR LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE

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IEEE Center for Leadership Excellence (CLE)

Affinity

Groups

s Chapter

Delivers training content that supports the volunteer

in their role and the volunteer and member

professional development

A single source for all volunteers and members to

find training resources

Standardizes expectations for positions and makes

it easy for new volunteers

Uniquely tailored for individual volunteer positions –

includes everything you need in your 1st 30 days on

the job

Library of training material: Leadership,

Management, Communications, Financial,

Membership Development, Vitality, Programs, Tools,

and Career

Learn if a position is right for you

Learn what's expected of you

Find out what you need to know in the first 30-days

Take training over the year to learn, grow, and improve as a volunteer and professional

Use the IEEE CLE to provide local training for your other officers

Run into an issue or a question, come check IEEE CLE training

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How can the IEEE CLE help you?

IEEE CLE Homepage www.ieee.org/go/cle

CLE Volunteer positional training modules include the following: o Job Description

o Timeline of Activities during the year

o Quick start guide of everything you need to know in the first 30 days

o Recommended Training from Learning Library

CLE Learning Library o Opportunity to improve skills and knowledge

in areas of Leadership, Career and professional development and more

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The IEEE CLE is organized so you can find the right training when you need it

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IEEE CLE includes 18 volunteer positions today and more are coming

Student

Section Chair Student Branch Chair

Section Vice Chair Student Branch Vice Chair

Section Treasurer Student Branch Secretary

Section Secretary Student Branch Treasurer

Section Technical Chapter Chair Student Branch Counselor

Section Professional Activities Chair

Section Student Branch Mentor

Section Educational Activities Chair

Section Student Activities Chair

Section Member Development Chair

Section Affinity Group Vice Chair

Section GOLD Affinity Group Chair

Section Life Member Affinity Group Chair

Volunteer Development across Organizational Units

Grow Professional Development and Leadership training

Survey Feedback and Ask the Expert options at the end of each module

New tailored training modules based on

— your suggestions

— Alternative training formats

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IEEE CLE Future Plans

The Message:

Technical Skills are a basic necessity

Think: Life Long Learning

Professional skills add to the toolbox

Technical and professional skills need to be integrated for maximum effect

Best if applied to professional and personal life

Resources

http://ieee-elearning.org/CLE/

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Steven Covey)

The Fifth Discipline (Peter Senge)

Leading Without Power: Finding Hope in Serving Community (Max DePree); John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. (2003)

Many thanks to the many many IEEE volunteers and staff that have gotten us this far!

John Reinert

Ray Findlay

John Miller

Cecelia Jankowski

Cheryl Sinauskas

….and many many more!!!

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Contact Information

John W. Meredith

j.meredith@ieee.org

Colorado Springs, CO

Charles J. Lord

c.j.lord@ieee.org

Asheville, NC

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We welcome

your questions

and all

offers of assistance…