Session 2 Response Items

Webster Definitions:
Manage – act of control by direction or persuasion
Lead – go first; be in advance

The saying goes that to be a good leader you must be a good follower. I believe that in order to be an effective leader, you must also be an effective manager. One goes hand in hand with the other. The two make for a well rounded job performance.

In my line of work we like to say that we manage equipment and we lead personnel. Equipment needs to be directed and controlled while people need to be motivated, inspired, and given clear direction. As the definition indicates, to be a good leader means to be first, to lead by example, and most definitely to practice what you preach.

Leaders must know very well their environment, the equipment and the personnel which they are to lead. For example, in a school where money is limited, leaders must be conservative and prioritize where resources will be directed. In a situation I found myself sometime ago, a decision was made to revamp the conference room used for staff meetings. All the money for the fiscal year available for technology was allocated to this project. The training department strongly opposed this decision. Training had many projects that needed funding. The person in the leadership position to make these types of decisions looked at the situation and commissioned the training department to write a justification for their position. This person also asked the staff communication’s department to write an assessment on the current equipment installed in the conference room. The assessment needed to show the actual state of the current equipment and the projected timeline of serviceability. Once the training and communication departments had presented their arguments, the person in charge researched information for both alternatives. The goal was to allocate the funds where it would be most needed and contribute the most to the unit. This person came up with a hybrid solution where both sections would be able to get what they needed, if not all the items in their wish list. This was a way to improve the return on investment and the effectiveness of the equipment while keeping the personnel motivated to do their job and increase their efficiency. The person in charge had a meeting with the two sections to communicate the decision and show the proposed plan. The conference room got new wiring, a large wall mounted screen, a monitor and two new workstations. The training department got several new software programs, funds to send personnel to several classes for the “Train the Trainer” series and a stipulation that allowed them to use the conference room as a classroom for training sessions, as long as class schedules were set at least 60 days in advanced.

The moral of the story is that the person in charge was able to resolve a conflict in a way that accommodated the needs of everyone involved. The leadership displayed in this instance improved the effectiveness and productivity of both departments by managing the resources available while satisfying the needs and desires of personnel demonstrating good knowledge of the environment and a clear vision of the direction of each department for the overall progress of the unit.

Weekly Activities:
- Download and listen to Session 2 mp3
- Evaluate the response items
- Post the answers to the response items and weekly log
- Read blog posts
- Post comments on blog posts
- Kick around project ideas
- Bounce project ideas with Dr. Newberry