THE SUCCESSFUL LEADER PROJECT

2015 Student Leadership RetreatSeptember 25, 2015

Presented by Kathryn Gage, Ph.D.Executive Director, Student Affairs

Oklahoma State University201 Whitehurst

kathryn.gage@okstate.edu

1) What does it mean to be a successful person?

2) What does a successful leader look like?

3) What are the actions that set successful leaders apart?

4) Responding to obstacles

DEFINING YOUR OWN SUCCESS

EXERCISE TO IDENTIFY YOUR TOP 10 CORE VALUES

Americans are barraged with the message of how material wealth equates to success.

But what does the research say?

Leadership: What makes a leader successful?

Think of a leader that you admire. Who is it, and what three things about her/him make her/him a successful leader?

What the research says:

2015 report found that 89% of leadership effectiveness was the result of four kinds of leadership behavior:

1) Being supportive2) Operating with strong results orientation3) Seeking different perspectives4) Solving problems effectively

Solving problems effectively. The process that precedes decision making is problem solving, when information is gathered, analyzed, and considered. This is deceptively difficult to get right, yet it is a key input into decision making for major issues as well as daily ones (like how to handle a team dispute).

Operating with a strong results orientation. Leadership is about not only developing and communicating a vision and setting objectives but also following through to achieve results. Leaders with a strong results orientation tend to emphasize the importance of efficiency and productivity and to prioritize the highest-value work.

Seeking different perspectives. This trait is conspicuous in leaders who monitor trends affecting organizations, grasp changes in the environment, encourage team members to contribute ideas that could improve performance, accurately differentiate between important and unimportant issues, and give the appropriate weight to stakeholder concerns. Leaders who do well on this dimension typically base their decisions on sound analysis and avoid the many biases to which decisions are prone.

Supporting others. Leaders who are supportive understand and sense how other people feel. By showing authenticity and a sincere interest in those around them, they build trust and inspire and help colleauges to overcome challenges. They intervene in group work to promote organizational efficiency, allaying unwarranted fears about external threats and preventing the energy of employees from dissipating into internal conflict.

• Solving problems effectively• Operating with a strong results orientation• Seeking different perspectives• Supporting others

Look at these four behaviors. Think of a time you did one of these well (in a small or large way – it all counts).

Time to share.

RESILIENCEResilience is the ability to bounce back in the face of

life’s challenges.

Why does it matter?“More than education, more than experience, more than training, a person’s level of resilience will determine who succeeds and who fails.”

- Dean Baker, CEO of Adaptive Learning Systems

• Sense of humor• Ability to form attachments to others• Possession of inner psychological space that protects them

from the intrusions of abusive others• Seek help• Have a staunch acceptance of reality• A deep belief, often buttressed by strongly held values, that life

is meaningful• Have an uncanny ability to improvise• Believe they have control over a situation, and that things can

get better• Learn how to feel the unpleasant feelings, then move on• Feel gratitude in their lives

Strategies of the Resilient:

TO SUMMARIZE•Live your values•Define your own success•Practice the skills that

successful leaders employ•Observe resilience

Questions?

THE SUCCESSFUL LEADER PROJECT

2015 Student Leadership RetreatSeptember 25, 2015

Presented by Kathryn Gage, Ph.D.Executive Director, Student Affairs

Oklahoma State University201 Whitehurst

kathryn.gage@okstate.edu

Resources

• http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/leading_in_the_21st_century/decoding_leadership_what_really_matters

• http://www.search-institute.org/research/developmental-assets

• https://hbr.org/2002/05/how-resilience-works/ar/1