Leadership in the Context of a Public Agency - Buffalomceer.buffalo.edu/education/Bridge_Speaker_Series/2009-2010... · Leadership in the Context of a Public Agency Harry A. Capers,

ARORA and ASSOCIATES. P.C.ARORA and ASSOCIATES. P.C.

Leadership in the Context of a Public Agency

Harry A. Capers, Jr. P.E., Vice President(Corporate Bridge Engineer)Arora and Associates, P.C.

Lawrenceville, New Jersey, U.S.A

CIE-579 “Bridge and Highway Infrastructure Management and Public Policy”

April 12, 2010


Disclaimer• These are my reflections on my own

experiences• My goal is to provide observations based on

35 years of experience in about 2 hours• I’m offering a buffet not a plated meal – it may

not look pretty but there will be a lot of it!• What I say will certainly reflect my own bias• Any similarities to real events or people is

strictly coincidental


Leadership


What Is Leadership?•The art of getting or inspiring people to do something.•Leadership is about vision. •Leadership is equally about creating a climate where the truth is heard and the brutal facts confronted.


A leader acts as a liaison between the individual staff member and the

organization. Leaders integrate the skills of staff members with the goals of the organization by integrating people

with tasks. Leaders transform potential into reality


Leadership Styles

• Leadership is situational. – Different situations call for different leadership. – The behavior must be appropriate for the situation. – one style of leadership is not necessarily better than

another.


Traditional Leadership Styles

• Autocratic

• Democratic

• Laissez-faire


–Tells others what to do

–Limits discussion on ideas and new ways of doing things

–No feeling of teamwork experienced by group

Autocratic


–Involves group members in planning and carrying out activities

–Asks before tells

–Promotes sense of teamwork

Democratic


–Gives little or no direction to group/individuals

–Opinion is offered only when requested

–A person does not seem to be in charge

Laissez-faire


WHAT IS COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP?

“Bringing the appropriate people together in constructive ways with good information, creating authentic visions

and strategies for addressing the shared concerns of the organization or

community.”


SERVANT LEADERSHIP

- Looks at leadership as a service- Incorporates the spiritual aspect

being a leader into style - Take care of others through their

style


Servant Leadership“The best test (of servant leadership)…is: Do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?And what is the effect on the least privileged in society; will they benefit, or at least, not be further deprived?”Robert Greenleaf, The Servant as Leader, 1972.


Traditional Boss v. Servant Leader

• Motivated to achieve

• Competitive

• Independent

• Gives orders

• Personal power

• Motivated to serve

• Collaborative

• Interdependent

• Listens deeply

• Power of the group


Qualities: Collaborative & Servant Leadership

• Leads the process; not the people• Promotes a sense of community • An attitude of service • Inspires honesty, courage, empathy, joyfulness, & love• Active listener; paying attention• Sees the “whole”• Caring vs. controlling (shared power)• Finding meaning• Uses personal vs. positional power


Practicing Collaborative Leadership

• Help set norms• Ensures everyone is

heard• Encourages & model

inclusiveness• Makes real connections• Helps identify and obtain

necessary resources• Creates mechanisms to

solicit input

• Mediates conflict / disputes

• Adheres to an open process

• Keeps focus on what’s best for the community/customer vs. individual self-interest

• Maintains collaborative problem-solving & decision-making


LEVELS OF GROUP DECISIONMAKING METHODS

• Autonomous/ UnilateralIndividual acts independently without consulting others prior to making the decision

• DelegationAn individual is asked or told that he or she has full authority to make thedecision and let others know what was decided

• ConsultiveAn individual makes the decision after getting advice or information from others

• DemocraticDecision making method occurs through voting and majority wins

• ConsensusDecision making is made by the group and evolves from shared information and ideas.

Source Material: NCJW Institute


• All members have been heard, fully, frankly & respectfully

• All views have been considered without prejudice• All relevant information has been shared• Members are willing to sacrifice personal goals for

the sake of the group• Members support the decision fully and implement

as if it was their own decision

CONSENSUS IS ACHIEVED WHEN…


Critical Questions for Leadership• Is the Organization’s Mission and Vision clear and

meaningful?

• Do our members know what is expected of them? What they can expect from us?

• Are we preparing the next generation of leaders?

• Does “being polite” prevent us from addressingthe issues that will help us grow?


Great Leaders…All of the great leaders have had one

characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront

unequivocally the major anxiety of their people

in their time. This, and not much else, is the

essence of leadership”-- John Kenneth Galbreath


Pertinent?

“ You don’t lead by pointing and telling people some place to go.

You lead by going to that place and making a case.”

-- Ken Kesey


Managing Change


Managing Change vs. Leading Change

Produces a degree

of predictability and order and has

the potential to consistently

produce short-term results.

Management:


What Does a Leader of Change Do?

1. The LeaderEstablishes DirectionAligns PeopleMotivates and Inspires

2. Always Evaluates

3. Creates an Action Plan



Develops a

vision of the future and strategies

for producing the changes needed

to achieve that vision.

Establishes Direction:



Communicates direction

to all those whose cooperation is needed

and influences the creation of teams

that understand and accept the validity

of the vision and strategies.

Aligns People:



Energizes

people to overcome barriers by

satisfying basic human needs.

Motivates and Inspires:



“Am I doing the right thing? Am

I dealing with priorities

(mine or my organizations)?”

Always Evaluates:


Five Phases of the Change Process

1. Communicate the change.

2. Admit that you have felt the same way.

3. Demonstrate that you have made a change.


Five Phases of the Change Process

4. Encourage and promote change.

5. Build skills to handle resistance.


The Duties of Government

SafetySecurityServiceJustice


The Organization


Agency Background

• Authorizing Legislation• Authorities granted organization• Mission• Vision• Objectives


History of Jurisdiction and Agency

• Origin• History• Accomplishments• Noted Leaders• Current events


The ORG Chart

• Who's in charge?• Who are the key players?• Chain of command/authority• Organizational Relationships• Organizational Authorities/Responsibilities


Look Familiar??Typical Hierarchy

Executive Director

Board


Know The Organizational Tempo

• Organizations generally operate in a repetitive tempo.– Planning cycle– Budget Cycle– Legislative cycle– Election cycle– Weather cycle– HR cycle– “Press” cycle


Know the Rules

• What Legislation governs your job• What Rules govern your position?• What are the agencies Policies and

Procedures?• What other guidance governs your work?• Are there forms?• Are there Reports?


Examine Your Agency’s Unspoken “Rules”

• How are decisions made?

• Is the process clear to all members?

• What is done to orient new members so they feel comfortable enough to participate?

• How are unwritten rules shared?

• What other rituals should you know?


Tips:1. Assign a mentor to all new members to help ease

their transition into the group and to articulate unwritten rules.

2. Reach out to individuals who may serve as intermediaries with specific groups in the organization.

3. Create a feedback system that allows anyone who perceives or experiences exclusion to make it known to the organization; make sure the organization responds to all feedback.


Organizational Relationships

• Who is the leadership team in the organization?

• Who sets the agenda?

• How are decisions made?


Who has the bigger desk!


Building Relationships with Care

• Make sure you convey the message that you respect the other person’s position and judgment

• Avoid questions that begin with the words “How do people from your group feel about…”. Use we a lot! Everyone is a member of the team…

• Check out a question by first asking it of yourself.


Training• Provides a means of relaying all types of information

to a broad audience.• Training insures QA/QC targets are met• Training insures staff and leadership development • Forms of training:

– Opportunity training– exercises– Agency training– Contract training– Certification programs– Conferences– University programs


Amplify Staff Strengths And Reinforce Their Weaknesses

• Define The unit and staff responsibilities

• Identify needs and assets of each of each staff member

• Examine current performance, comfort zone and environment of each staff member

• Identify strengths - what each member “brings to the table”

• Identify weaknesses – “the pitch they can’t hit!”

• Develop action plan for utilizing strengths and reinforcing weaknesses where possible


Project Team Management • Organize the team• Provide the vision to the team• Clearly state the expected outcomes• Provide checkpoints and milestones as

required• Resource the team• Check in and support the team• Celebrate it’s success• DO NOT MICRO Manage the team!


Civil Service

• Hiring• Job scope• Pay ranges• Promotions• KSA – Knowledge, Skills and Abilities• EEO• ADA


Recruiting • Formal recruiting usually performed by

agency– Civil service announcements– College fairs– Promotional announcements– Temporary appointments

• Informal recruiting – Referrals– Inter or intradepartmental transfer requests– Personal contact by staff or yourself


Promotions• Systems vary across agencies and title

series– Education and Experience– Promotional Exam

• Oral exam• Written exam• Combination

Get to know the system and it’s quirks


Discipline

• Make sure rules are clearly understood by all• Again, early intervention – Counseling• Retraining• Use Progressive discipline– Verbal reprimand– written reprimand– Suspension– Dismissal

• Don’t ignore a problem – that affects all in the organization!


Diversity

• We serve all citizens living or doing business within our jurisdiction

• How do we do that without knowing about them?


Personality

Functional Level/ Classification

Geographic Location

Age

WorkLocation Seniority

Division/Department

WorkContent/

Field

UnionAffiliation

ManagementStatus

MaritalStatus

ParentalStatus

Appearance

EducationalBackground

WorkExperience

Race

Income

PersonalHabits

Religion

RecreationalHabitsEthnicity

Physical Ability

Gender

The Four Layers of Diversity

2

SexualOrientation


Practical Action Steps• Intentionally identify and address issues

relevant to the particular groups of people with whom you are working (e.g., history, language, learning style, communication, gender roles, value systems)

• Intentionally recruit, retain, and develop diverse staff

Alliance for Nonprofit Management’s Cultural Competence Initiative web page


Succession Planning• Plan your departure the first day you begin the

job• Identify potential candidates for your job• Act as a mentor for subordinate leaders• Train them to do your job and let them practice • Don’t be afraid you can be replaced – you can

be!• Have a departure plan for yourself.• Go out on top and with dignity!


Consultant and Contractors• Low bid is not the same as lowest

responsible bid• Consultants and contractors are not non-

profits– Don’t ask for work not in their contracts– Give clear and timely guidance– Partner! If you create an uncertain environment

your costs will go up!Economic viability of state depends on profitability of businesses in the state


What Does It Mean to Think Strategically?

• You have a strategy for what you do with goals and purpose

• You work toward outcomes• You are results-oriented• You are future-oriented


Critical Success Factors in Strategic Thinking

• Move Out of Your Comfort Zone• Differentiate Between Ends (what) and Means

(how)• Develop Audacious Objectives• Use an Ideal Vision• Define “Need” as a Gap in Results


Develop Audacious Objectives: If our objectives are fuzzy, then…We allow for misinterpretation of the desired resultsWe create barriers to shared meaning and useful resultsWe make it difficult to assess progress and determine successWe could choose costly and ineffective means and methodsWe create misunderstandings about what results are intendedWe may respond too late to be effective with new realitiesWe avoid taking responsibilities for measurable results


Develop an Ideal Vision: If we proceed without this, then…

We become victims of short-term thinking and risk the futureWe leave the impact in the long term to luckWe seem to not care about the next generationWe increase the risk of early failureWe limit ourselves to results within the present, without creating opportunities for the next generationWe choose familiarity over better or more useful optionsWe become reactive instead of proactive


Define Needs as Gaps in Results: If we fail to do this, then…

We increase the risk of racing for new means and methods before agreeing on what is to be achievedWe waste resources without gaining measurable improvementWe confuse “wants” with true needsWe make it difficult to set and justify priorities for the real needsWe define the wrong problems and waste time and resources fixing themWe choose process over consequences.


Ethical Issue or Challenges

• Mission Drift• Dishonest about organizational agenda/bottom

lines• Making decisions for a partner or customer (not

with) • Lack of financial responsibility• Not following agreed upon roles• Not supporting agreed upon decisions• Collaboration on paper, only


Ethics

• A General Test!– Is it Legal– Is it Moral– Could you look yourself in the mirror in the

morning


Ethical Leadership

Ethics is not an option…It’s a Ground Rule.

Ethics is not about the way things are…It is about the way they ought to be

©2006 Josephson Institute


Data

• Critical to setting goals and tracking performance

• Know what data is available• Realize that data is expensive• Quality data is essential – unpopular

conclusions from data will be quickly challenged


Incident Management

• Wargame what could happen before it does including branches and sequels

• Prepare contingency plans and resource them

• Brief your plan, conduct tabletop exercises and if possible conduct a field exercise


Dealing with the Press

• Know the agency rules• Review the issues before the interview• Be accurate • Be timely• Be positive• If possible be proactive


“Bumper Sticker”Personal Leadership Tips


• Recognize the existence and necessity for Political Engineering

• Have your own professional development plan

• Set Goals or someone else will set them for you!

• Have a vision that you can clearly articulate to all…and do it often


• Be clear when giving direction or commenting to staff, vendors or for that matter…anyone!

• Do not use unnecessary inflammatory words

• Be a good confidant when looked to be• Beware of e-mail, it’s forever. • It’s still OK to use the telephone or even

have a face to face discussion!


• Be approachable• Keep your commitments• Expect and work with change – wisely• Be consistent• Loyalty works in all directions• Have priorities but not too many• Don’t expect what you don’t inspect!


• Your experience may equalize your skill set reflecting older technology – use your experience

• Beware of a sense of personal self importance – be confident but not arrogant

• People respect your position – be aware and prepared for that when you leave

• Begin your departure when you take over – transition & mentoring

• Have the willingness to leave


Questions?

Documents

Leadership in the Context of a Public Agency - Buffalomceer.buffalo.edu/education/Bridge_Speaker_Series/2009-2010... · Leadership in the Context of a Public Agency Harry A. Capers,