Provost Blog Feed

Five Basic Principles for Leadership with a Biblical Call to Action

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 09:09:00 -0400

Leaders lead. It sounds so simple; and yet, we make it seem so complex. I do think it is beneficial to occasionally go back and review the basics. Being an enthusiastic college basketball fan, I marvel at how often “great teams” actually execute the basics the best. So for aspiring and seasoned leaders, reviewing and practicing the basics will help us become strong performers.

The following are five basics worth remembering and practicing:

Leaders influence
- Leaders think about the big picture and help others to see the future.
- Leaders create vision and direction.
- Leaders motivate others to unite around future vision and direction.
- Leaders challenge and expect aspiring leaders to grow to a greater level of influence.
Leaders mentor
In The Mentor Leader, Tony Dungy emphasizes the need for leaders to make developing future leaders a priority.
- Leaders develop the strengths of others.
- Leaders help others achieve success.
- Leaders spend time building mentoring relationships to counsel, coach, and challenge.
Leaders speak with conviction
Al Mohler in The Conviction to Lead says that Christian leaders possess a passion to lead which springs from deep and heartfelt inner convictions based on truth and Biblical principles.
- Leaders lead based on principals and convictions.
- Leaders lead with passion and enthusiasm.
- Leaders are hopeful and have strong faith in the future.
- Leaders know the importance of organizational history and telling stories to marry the past, present and future.
Leaders lead from their strength zone.
- Leaders assess their strength zone and operate within it.
- Leaders become who God has wired them to be.
- Leaders focus on developing their own strengths.
- Leaders spend time taking their strengths, talents and giftedness to new levels.
Leaders read – Steven Sample, former President of USC
Steven Sample in The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership talks about how important it is for leaders to take time to read a variety of books and articles from current to classics.
- Read the word faithfully.
- Read articles and books on leadership.
- Read current events.
- Read biographies and classics.
- Read for fun.

Five Biblical Principles for Leaders

The following biblical principles can provide God’s power for you to lead day in and day out. Try starting each day reading these verses and praying for wisdom to not only do the right thing, but to have courage when facing tough decision. Operating from His power in faith will provide a great sense of strength and peace for facing all circumstances.

Pray for wisdom – James 1:5 – “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
Exalt Christ – Isaiah 25:1 – “O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks for Your name; For You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.” Hebrews 12:2 – “Keep eyes; focus on Christ.”
Have courage to do the right thing and make hard decisions.
Psalm 27: 3, 14
Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear; Though war rise against me, in spite of this, I shall be confident.”
Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.”
Be devoted to prayer. Colossian 4:2 - “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
Remember, it is a privilege to serve Christ.

During recent times of challenge, I had a trusted friend that kept reminding me that it is a privilege to serve Christ even when you may be misinterpreted or misunderstood. If you have the opportunity to serve Christ and risk all, it is still worth it to risk all for Christ.

Positive Conflict

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 12:31:00 -0500

If you are a leader, you know what it is like to discover that there can be conflict, even in great organizations. Conflict represents discord, differing viewpoints, and frequently brings out the worst in people in how they act and interact with one another. Conflict does impact organizations in negative ways and can put a cloud of oppression over the environment.

But leaders can demonstrate through their actions that there can be positive outcomes to conflict if handled with care and deliberateness. A good leader can address conflict and differences between people with strength and resolve to bring reconciliation and healing. An effective leader recognizes resolving conflict can lead to improved communication and a strengthening of relationships.

Top leaders do not shy away from conflict but are deliberate to engage problems because they know there can be a positive outcome from experiencing conflict.

There are three ways to view conflict as positive:

Addressing conflict leads to personal growth.
Addressing conflict deepens relationships.
Addressing conflict enhances communication, provides clarity, and instills truth.

Being willing to engage others in hard discussions does deepen your ability to be open, to be authentic, to be respectful, and to be sensitive. Working through crucial conversations does develop wisdom for appreciating and resolving differences between people.

Working through conflict does force a leader to enhance her communication skills by seeking clarity and truth. This overwhelming drive to form clear and truthful communication patterns needed to resolve conflict does lead to positive outcomes for the leader and those involved.

Getting through something hard does produce personal satisfaction and it does deepen and strengthen relationships. Good leadership seeks to engage conflict knowing that it can lead to positive outcomes if handled with integrity and deliberateness.

Leadership and Truth Telling

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 14:28:00 -0500

Leaders frequently talk about the need for transparency and authenticity. It is commonly accepted and fashionable today to encourage transparency in all areas of life and leadership. However, living and practicing truth telling and integrity in all matters seems to be a difficult task for effective leaders today.

In our world it appears that being highly truthful and careful to clarify all statements is less of a concern on the part of leaders as well as followers. Today, being dishonest or telling half-truths seems to be commonplace and even acceptable even when in contrast we are quick to judge and criticize those who have highly visible moral or financial failures. Perhaps we are less willing to hold them accountable to live and practice leadership with a high degree of integrity because society today regularly overlooks lying and exaggeration among high profile leaders. There is a disconnect between how we judge leaders for lying and being deceitful versus judging them for much more serious sins or illegal activities. We are ok to let leaders tell half-truths if they portray a positive and likeable image. Holding those in authority accountable for truth telling does not seem to be of high value and importance. However, I contend that demonstrating integrity and truth in all communication and interactions is critical to effective leadership.

Why do those in top positions so frequently communicate in shades of grey? Leaders who desire to be well-liked or who have an overwhelming desire to please people can easily fall into the trap of communicating with less than accurate information. Leaders who have a high need to be liked or favored are often willing to tell people what they want to hear.

Why is it important to speak and lead with truth and integrity?

People deserve to know the truth.
Truth telling clarifies and defines actions and information.
Truth telling creates real authenticity and provides consistency between past actions and current and future actions.

Telling people hard things can be difficult. But it is far better to tell people hard things rather than avoid telling them just because you do not want to be disliked or criticized. Leaders who speak the truth even when it may represent bad news are willing to do what is right even in the face of experiencing criticism. It is important to applaud true authentic leadership – leadership which operate based on truth and integrity.

Good Leaders Are Intentional

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 08:44:00 -0400

John Maxwell often says if you boil leadership down to its most basic ingredient you have the word “influence.” Leadership is influencing others toward some desired outcome. As leaders we must be intentional in leading. A good leader leads with purpose and confidence. The following are a list of behaviors evidenced by an intentional leader.

Seven Marks of Intentional Leadership

Good leaders are intentional.
Good leaders are consistent.
Good leaders are directive.
Good leaders establish boundaries.
Good leaders listen and learn.
Good leaders make timely and significant decisions.
Good leaders communicate with authenticity, honesty, and passion.

A Good Attitude

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 10:13:00 -0400

A Good Attitude Starts With a Smile: Attitude is More Than Half the Battle in Creating a Positive Work Environment

Today most work environments struggle with keeping high morale. With increasing pressure to reduce costs, changing consumer buying patterns, lower salary increases, and higher expectations to accomplish more with less people; it becomes challenging for leaders to find ways to increase employee satisfaction.

If you focus too much on the weighty environmental threats that seem to engulf our nation, you can lose sight of a fundamental human expression, if promoted, that can contribute significantly to overall employee satisfaction and morale.

The fundamental human behavior that can essentially change our outlook in life and our work environment is attitude.

What is Attitude?

According to Webster's Dictionary, attitude is a feeling or emotion toward a fact or state.

Attitude starts in the heart and moves outward to determine how we will view things. It is a choice. One can decide to be positive or one can decide to feel sorry about one's circumstances and as a consequence be down and self-absorbed.

In leadership workshops, I often use the example of how we approach work is an individual choice. Early in my career, I made it a practice to start smiling on the way to work as a way to pump up my attitude before I walked into the office. The reason I continue to do this simple exercise is two-fold (1) it helps me mentally and emotionally prepare because if you are like me there are days I just don't feel like working, and (2) it helps others because my attitude does have an impact on others and a positive attitude is contagious.

When my wife and I were living and working in Chicago, my wife posted a quotation from Chuck Swindoll on our refrigerator so our entire family could see it – dad, mom and kids. To this day our children often remind us about the quote taped on the refrigerator and how we can each control our attitude. Please take a moment to reflect about what Chuck Swindoll said since it is so important to our daily decision about how we face life and work.

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes.

Chuck Swindoll

As Chuck has intimated, attitude is the one thing each of us can control and we each can have a lasting impact on others through the very attitude we use to approach our homes and work.

The following are some basic principles leaders can follow personally to promote a positive, healthy work environment.

Seven Ways to Develop a Winning Attitude

Be positive.
Be courteous.
Be genuine.
Listen first.
Be engaged.
Be flexible.
Be optimistic.

So, the question is, “If attitude is both foundational and fundamental to the overall ethos and culture of an organization, how do we as leaders promote and encourage positive attitudes?” The answer is fairly simple. It starts with each leader being deliberate to be positive and to promote a winning attitude. It also means that senior leaders need to place a high value on professional growth and learning. If there is a high value on professional growth and learning, the organization will make it a priority to incorporate periodic leadership training workshops to encourage leaders to keep growing.

Attitude is a foundational principle that needs to be role-modeled and promoted. The deliberate approach by senior leaders to promote positive attitudes can have a remarkable impact on the ethos and culture of an organization.

One closing thought. Sometimes leaders think in overly complex ways. Perhaps it is time to focus on the basics. Take time to promote growth and learning and one starting place is to build a workshop for leadership development around the theme – “Attitude is Everything”.

University Engagement in Real World Job Creation and Partnerships

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 10:32:00 -0400

Focusing Faculty on External Relationships

Most states are engaged in aggressive economic development and are looking for ways to stimulate partnerships between universities and business and industry. Chris Widener, state senator for Ohio, said “that the #1 priority for Ohio is job creation.” He also commented further about the significant role higher education must play to actively stimulate job growth through education and training.

As I have interacted with business leaders, they have emphasized that colleges and universities must be active partners in developing a trained workforce which has the skill set to solve problems not yet faced by the corporate world. As I listen to the needs of our corporate partners, it has become clear that higher education leaders need to transform the academy to be outward focused to play an active role in preparing a highly skilled workforce.

This deliberate attempt to move the faculty to an outward focus will produce the following benefits for the university and the economy:

A more relevant curriculum.
The development and delivery of needed education and training programs.
The creation of new jobs.

So my question is “how can higher education leaders redefine the role of faculty to engage the corporate and professional world?”

Four ways to engage faculty in external relationships:

Form advisory councils for various disciplines of the university populating them with active professionals from healthcare, business, industry, etc.

Develop agendas that foster the following:
- Forecast economic trends.
- Predict workforce needs.
- Learn future skill sets needed.
- Determine future professional training programs needed.
Form partnerships with business, industry and government leaders to promote collaboration, workforce planning, economic development, job creation, etc.

Establish partnership clusters to do the following:
- Identify professional training needs.
- Emphasize development of education programs and internship programs which create jobs and fuel economic growth.
- Focus on stimulating economic growth through incubator development.
Redefine position descriptions of academic leaders and faculty to allot time for external focus, involvement and collaboration.
- Be deliberate to carve out time for academic leaders and faculty to engage in real world job creation and research.
- Evaluations should be tied to outcomes showing job creation and economic growth.
- Incentives and salary increases should be given to reward external collaboration.
Promote faculty global engagement through a variety of international experiences involving teaching, partnering, and collaborating with universities and corporations in another culture.
- Find U.S. corporations with plants/offices in other countries to form global partnerships.
- Form partnerships including student and faculty exchanges with mission compatible universities in other countries.

There is an opportunity today for universities to have a more direct impact on the future improvement of our economy. The use of faculty experts as consultants to stimulate interaction between the academy and the corporate world is needed, but it will not happen in a major way unless university academic leaders take steps to position the academy to be engaged.

This opportunity is not just going to benefit our economy and business and industry, but will also make higher education more responsive and relevant through practical changes in curriculum and learning outcomes. Moves to enable faculty to be more engaged in external partnerships will only stimulate excellence and improvements in higher education.

The Focus Driven Leader

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 07:54:00 -0400

In difficult times, organizational leaders must be strong leaders. It takes courage and self-sacrifice with an enormous amount of dedication to drive organizations to reach their potential. As the economy continues to exhibit volatility and leaders have a hard time predicting new environmental threats, self-control and discipline become the operational norms for senior leaders.

Leaders who are really concerned about the well-being of the organization, don't spend a lot of time worrying about whether they are liked, but rather stay focused on the long-term viability and success of the organization.

Leaders today must be absorbed with setting and maintaining direction, keeping the organization focused, building a talented team, and being willing to stand alone if necessary to make tough decisions.

The Four Marks of the Focus Driven Leader

Higher Purpose
- Leads with a higher purpose in mind to fulfill organizational mission and vision.
- Leaders who are driven by a higher purpose are only satisfied if the organization achieves its profit goals and makes a difference in the lives of its employees and consumers. These selfless leaders are sacrificial and do not seek recognition or fanfare and are usually just as happy not being in the limelight. But you'll find they are fiercely competitive and loyal to their company.
Independent and Decisive
- Leads with wisdom, selflessness, courage and decisiveness.
- Leaders make decisions. Speed of decision-making and a willingness to make hard decisions are a basic pre-requisite for strong leadership. Empirical evidence, understanding the context, careful evaluation, input, and experience are some factors needed to make effective decisions. Effective leaders are willing to be decisive, do not pass the buck, and do not put off decisions. Establishing consensus has no place in how leadership teams practice effective decision-making. Good leaders need to periodically remind leadership teams that true leaders are not “democratic” but are willing to lead and make unpopular decisions. Good leaders listen, build a case for their decisions, and make decisions which will sustain the organization and will propel it forward to meet production and financial goals.
Team Builder
- Leads through selecting, building, and empowering a championship team.
- High performing teams win games. Talent is important but it is not everything. Having coached, I always enjoyed the challenge of taking a team with undeveloped and raw potential to motivate it to winning levels. Motivating people to perform at high levels in unselfish ways starts with leaders committed to professional growth, empowerment, and the development of a culture which genuinely values people, teamwork, and community.
Focus and Discipline
- Leads with passion, discipline and focus to accomplish organizational goals.
- Focus is a skill that has to be learned, repeated, and refined. Since most leaders are driven to accomplish things and like to see results, taking time to start with the “big picture” is not natural. In order to focus, a leader has to step back and weigh which moves will produce not only the greatest but the right results. Not all work is of equal weight. The ability to see future direction, select the right actions in the right sequence, and then the willingness to stay the course takes discipline and resolve. Practicing focus will pay dividends and the more leaders practice focus the more confident they will become as they see game changing results.

Most senior leaders get absorbed with accomplishing tasks and division goals. As time goes on, it is easy to be immersed in the daily grind and miss the big picture.

The focus-driven leader will take time to step back and view the terrain from the 30,000 foot level. Being disciplined to practice focus is energizing because the big things get completed in a timely manner and others benefit from the clear direction and record of accomplishment.

In today's tough economy, focus has become even more important to help leaders sustain growth and meet profit goals.

In summary, focus driven leaders lead with a higher purpose, are independent and decisive, are team builders and demonstrate focus and discipline.

Building A Dynamic Organization

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 08:04:00 -0400

Organizations are like sports teams. It takes patience and time to build a championship team. Building a dynamic organization also takes time.

Leaders need to think about the readiness of their organizations. Just as "winning teams" consist of good players with talent, organizations need to attract talented and experienced leaders. Leaders must focus on building a culture that attracts and retains top people. Does the culture provide upward mobility? Does it encourage and reward innovation? Does it offer employees a sense of belonging, connectedness, and community? Just as organizations do not operate in a vacuum, but instead compete for customers via products and services, organizations also compete for human talent. What are you doing to make your organization a desirable place to develop a career? Is it an organization that gets a lot of "buzz" among college career directors and recent college graduates?

Five Foundational Principles for Building a Dynamic Organization

Make a commitment to retain and attract top performers.
Make a commitment to reward and recognize game changers.
Make a commitment to channel talented performers to positions with growth opportunities.
Make a commitment to create a culture of innovation.
Make a commitment to foster authentic relationships and community.

We often think about the short-term and are aggressive about making changes to increase productivity and output. As leaders we can make the biggest impact by building a dynamic organization that will stand the test of time. If we are truly committed to long-term success for our organizations, we will spend valuable time developing and investing in people.

Just as some sports franchises have become dynasties with bigger than life reputations, we must seek to create organizational cultures that are dynamic and attractive to recruit and retain impact leaders.

Learning Leadership through Real Life Stories

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 09:45:00 -0400

We can attend workshops on leadership, we can read current books on leadership, or we can even get degrees in leadership; but the best way to learn leadership is by observing leaders in everyday life.

I will share five principles of leadership I have learned through personal experiences with other leaders during my career. I will share stories of leaders and will describe them with a first name only and then describe the principle I learned.

Be a caring leader.
Debbie was the Director of Admissions at a university in the Midwest. Debbie was very personable and had been with the university for fifteen years. Her family and grandchildren were a big part of her life. I met Debbie when I was interviewing for a Vice President position; and learned she would be reporting to me if I was offered the position. During my two day interview bonanza with administrators, faculty and staff, I still remember one question Debbie asked me. She asked, "Are you willing to be a leader who cares about people and their personal lives, beyond the work day?" I will never forget that question. As a result, I frequently return to the memory of that question and realize people are much more than we see between 8 and 5 each day. They have cares and burdens that go beyond their responsibilities at work. Therefore, as leaders, we need to go out of our way to find out how employees are doing and let them know we care. I will always remember what Debbie was really asking: will I be a caring leader?
Respect your boss.
Hank…I can still remember the night Hank called me at home, angry over a newspaper advertisement I had placed in the local paper to market our college. He was the regional vice president for our community college campus. I took the call and quickly realized he was extremely agitated; and he began to verbally assault me in ways I wasn't expecting. It was obvious he had been drinking. After his call, I was still reeling and in shock. I had a choice to make. I could act like it never happened, I could express my dissatisfaction the next day, or I could determine to forgive him and show him respect and double up my efforts to make him successful. I chose the positive route and went out of my way to be kind and to help make him successful. After he had apologized several times the next day, we went on to build a mutually supportive relationship. When I left this position, Hank threw a big banquet to honor my work. The principle I learned was to respect my boss, no matter how he or she behaved. I determined it was my duty and responsibility to respect my boss.
Be a good listener.
Joe was the president of a large, private university with over 16,000 students. As vice president, I met with Joe on a weekly basis. Joe was kind, caring, and interested in my on-going development as a leader. He was a strong and decisive leader with a very calming style. He was very careful to listen to all of my ideas and updates. Through his example, I learned the importance of listening first, then speaking. Joe encouraged young leaders while in meetings to spend more time listening and to spend less time talking. I learned that good leaders are good listeners.
Be a confident leader.
Shorty was my little league baseball coach. I remember him as kind and considerate, a good coach and a family man. I'll never forget the evening he called me at home and asked me if I would be his shortstop for the coming season. He said each coach could pick one player and the remainder of each team's roster would be filled through a draft. As you can imagine, this was quite a surprise and was a real boost to my confidence level. As a ten year old, I was lacking confidence. Knowing that my coach wanted me as his shortstop did more for me than he'll ever know. The principle Shorty gave me was confidence and I have learned over and over again throughout my career that people desire confident leaders.
Be an inspirational leader.
This story is about my son, Jonathan. It was our ritual to warm up in the front yard before each little league baseball game. We had just finished batting practice and fielding grounders when I unexpectedly blurted out, "If you hit a homerun tonight, I'll get you that Louisville Slugger bat you've always wanted."

Well, I didn't think any more about it. My wife and I went to the game and sat in the stands and watched as Jonathan came up to bat. He hit a line drive past the center fielder. Jonathan turned first, then rounded second and headed for third. The third base coach held up his arms high over his head to motion "stop" at third, but Jonathan turned third and sped for home. The centerfielder threw to the cutoff man and he threw to the catcher just as Jonathan slid into the plate. The umpire yelled "safe" and we cheered.

After the game, I ran up to Jonathan and blurted out "Why did you keep going when the coach motioned for you to stop?" And, he said "Simple dad, I wanted the bat."

I learned, accidentally, the power of words to motivate. Words given at the right time can inspire people to reach new heights.

Five Principles I've learned.

Be a caring leader.
Respect your boss.
Be a good listener.
Be a confident leader.
Be an inspirational leader.

We learn leadership through observing leaders in real life. I have appreciated those leaders who have invested in me and have taken the time to share "nuggets" of wisdom. I have truly benefitted from the experiences of other leaders I have worked with throughout my career. I do believe we learn best through observation and practice. The principles listed above are a testament to the good work of others who taught me so much about what it means to be a good leader.

Renewing Your Passion for Leadership

Tue, 29 May 2012 11:25:00 -0400

There are times in my leadership life when I sense I am nearing the edge. My spirit is screaming out stop, slow down, “take a break.” In fact when I become overwhelmed with the serious challenges our organization is facing, I begin to lose my joy, confidence, and peace. When I get tired, I don’t think as well and I begin to lose the optimism I usually carry. It is at these moments I know I need to take time to renew my passion for leadership.

But, how do you renew your passion for leadership when you face day-to-day demands? I propose four simple ways to experience renewal which will ultimately lead to a new level of invigoration about the future success of your organization.

Four Ways to Renew Your Passion for Leadership

Listen to encouraging words from others.
- People will encourage you if you listen. Take time to thank them for their kind words. The act of thanking a colleague or friend who has offered encouragement acknowledges the person and allows you to feel “thanked and recognized.”
- People will give you signals about your giftedness if you listen. Hearing someone affirm one of your gifts is encouraging, but it is also a reminder to us that we “do not do have to do everything” but we must learn to stick to what we do best.
- Take time after a busy day to reflect about encouraging words you have received from others that affirm your gifts and strengths.
Set aside uninterrupted time for reflection.
- Commit time in your calendar for times of reflection.
- Find your own “quiet place” where you can “get away” and be disconnected from the hustle and bustle and busy pace of life.

3. Re-commit to lead from your strength zone.

In times of challenges and heavy workload it is an easy and natural inclination to simply “work harder” which really means you’ll be less effective and will eventually wear out.
Take time to focus on your giftedness and strengths. Look for ways to apply your strengths in various situations.
Performance will actually improve when you operate in your strength zone.

4. Remember, it’s not about you.

It is easy to think that the “entire burden” rests on you as a leader, when in reality each of us has a distinctive role to play as a part of a greater team.
Remember that your unique gifts and talents are a complement to a total team effort.
It is important to view your leadership from a place of humility recognizing all things urgent and challenging do not fail or succeed based on your abilities. Others can solve problems and win the day.
If you are truly operating in your strength zone, you’ll realize it takes a diverse group of individuals with a wide range of gifts to accomplish a great mission and vision.