Perspectives on Leadership from Multiple Organizational LevelsCLAIRE BLECHMAN, DOUGLAS HEGLEY, ANDREA LEDESMA, AND MEAGHAN TONGEN

November 9, 2017

Today: Perspectives on Leadership

Our panel represents

• Emerging professional

• Museum staff

• Departmental manager

• Executive-level

2

from across the traditional hierarchy

Today: Perspectives on Leadership

Our panel represents

• Emerging professional

• Museum staff

• Departmental manager

• Executive-level

Goals Today:

• Explore & inform – real-life experiences

• Debate – no single answer (sorry)

• Practical information

3

from across the traditional hierarchy

Introductions

Roger Mayne, Untitled [two women shaking

hands], 1929-1999,Gelatin silver print, Gift of

Lora and Martin G. Weinstein, Minneapolis

Institute of Art, 93.70.64

Leadership

Douglas Hegley, Chief Digital Officer, Minneapolis Institute of Art @dhegley http://www.slideshare.net/dhegley

Image Source: https://i2.wp.com/davidgodot.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/elephant.jpg?resize=636%2C310

Maybe if we ignore it,

it will just go away

Umm …

6+ years, 20+ years in museums, 27 years in nonprofits

Claire Blechman @cblechman

MCN 201706

Digital Asset Manager,

Peabody Essex Museum

Art | History | Culture museum, founded

1799

Mid-level non-manager (no direct reports

but plenty of project management)

4 years at PEM, 8 years in publishing

I used to be the ropes course instructor at

Girl Scout camp Image Source: King of the Hill. © 20th Century Fox

Meaghan Tongen

MCN 201707

Digital Program Manager

Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) - founded in

1915 art museum with > 89,000 objects

Mid-level manager (leads small department +

cross-functional team leadership)

4 years at Mia, 7+ years in nonprofit/education

Certified Scrum Master, lover of post-it notes Image Source: http://cheezburger.com/6086374912

Andrea Ledesma

MCN 201708

Digital Content Coordinator,

The Field Museum

Natural history museum | Collections

established in 1893, over 30 million objects

(and growing!)

Entry level, non-manager

<1 year at the Field Museum. approx. 5 years

in museums

Image source: Warner Bros. Pictures

What is

Leadership?

Image Source: http://www.issues4life.org/images/visionstrategytactics.png

Productivity

High

Low

Leadership Involvement

None - Ignoring

Demanding without

understanding

Learning

Prioritizing and

Empowering

Controlling

Micro-managing

Hovering

What Constitutes Optimal Leadership?

Low High

What is a leader’s role?

MCN 2017011

Cy Wakeman’s Model

12

Role of a leader:

● Eliminate emotional waste

● Encourage good mental processes

Image source: https://people-equation.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Cy_pro-shot_2017-WorkHuman-8x-239-1024x683.jpg

Decision Making for Leaders

(DMFL)

13

Decide

Consult (individually)

Consult group)

Facilitate

Delegate

Image source: https://people-equation.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Cy_pro-shot_2017-WorkHuman-8x-239-1024x683.jpg

Servant Leadership / Host Leadership

● Initiate

● Invite

● Create space

● Define boundaries

● Build connections

● Co-participate

Adapted from: http://www.hrreview.co.uk/analysis/analysis-hr-news/mark-mckergow-and-helen-bailey-the-six-new-roles-of-engagement/54146

Image source: http://bit.ly/2xDVBbz

Host Leadership (continued)

Responsibilities of a Host Leader

● People (not “resources”)

● Radical autonomy (share power)

● Listen

● Clear obstacles

● Appreciate & give credit

● Block those executive torpedos

Image source: http://www.themalaysiantimes.com.my/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Manipulative.jpg

MCN 201716

Managing expectations

• Servant/host leadership

model

• Do more. Do less.

• “The person taking diligent

notes in the meeting almost

never makes the killer point.”

(Sandberg, Grant)

Illustration by Tara Jacoby. Image source: https://jezebel.com/women-at-work-were-doing-all-the-office-housework-too-1684271715

Gender & Leadership

MCN 2017017

What is the role of staff, of team members?

MCN 2017018

Host Leadership: The Team

● Accept the invitation

● Be present, as your best self

● Understand the “house rules”

● State fact, with tact

● Be accountable

● Find your agency

● Seize the opportunity

Leadership Models

Present and Future

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Traditional Organizational Management Models Persist

22

Look familiar?

23

Image Source: http://seapointcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Top-Down-Leaders-Pyramid.jpg

artsmia.org

Image Source: http://king6socialstudies.weebly.com/uploads/2/1/8/7/21875770/8409138_orig.jpg

Panelists: What is the structure at your organization?

● Pros?

● Cons?

MCN 2017025

26

Agile as Leadership Paradigm

MCN 2017027

Agile Leadership

28

What problems are we trying to solve?

Scrum

Roles:

Product “Initiative” Owner

Scrum Master

Team

Executive Sponsor

29

Conflict

When Leadership Concepts Clash

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Leadership conflict may:

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• Occur across the organizational hierarchy

• Flare up between departments

• Look quite different in separate organizations

• Involve the same words, with different meanings

• Arise when Mission and actual behavior don’t match

• Change over time

• Catch us by surprise

Resolving Conflict

From “stuck” to building forward momentum

MCN 2017032

Uh oh, we’ve gone off the rails ... Now what?

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• Realization - need to see it before you can start to fix it

• Managing up – is it possible? What is the difference between managing up and being manipulative?

• Context - where does your institution fall?

• “If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning.” Catherine Aird (1973)

Getting “unstuck” - working toward solutions

MCN 2017034

• Empathy and active listening

• Tap into staff passion – we all believe in the mission

• “Professionals give others the benefit of the doubt – they assume noble intent” Cy Wakeman (2017)

• Find your agencyWhere can you make a difference?

What would great look like?

The Future

What *could* leadership look like in our sector?

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The Future

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Image source: https://media.wired.com/photos/59325a8f4dc9b45ccec5d65d/master/w_1000,c_limit/Wired2.jpg

artsmia.org

Questions and Discussion (and here’s some suggested reading)

Thank you

MCN 2017038

Claire Blechman @cblechman

Douglas Hegley @dhegley

Andrea Ledesma @am_ledesma

Meaghan Tongen @mltongen