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ARIZONA ASSOCIATION OF

SCHOOL BUSINESS OFFICIALS

53RD ANNUAL CONFERENCE AND EXPOSITION

LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

John D. Musso, RSBA Executive Director

ASBO International

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

Survival of Public Education“We now face a very complex set of circumstances which must be addressed and are crucial to the continued success of our futures and the future of the public school systems in our nation. Any chance of arriving at some direction within our present environment will require leaders who possess the vision, intellectual capacity, spirit, and emotional stability to unite the collective talents and resources currently available within our education communities.”

John Musso

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

“Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible.”

General Colin Powell

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

We will require skills that few leadership theorists have written or talked about.

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

No longer can we simply replicate “canned”leadership theories

Draw upon past experiences and experiences of our mentors.

Bring experiences together to form our own lessons learned.

Develop a style unique to us and the situation at hand.

Recognize that management techniques are not magic mantras, but simple tools to be reached for at the right times.

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

Blink!

Malcolm Gladwell

Most of our decisions are based upon

- Instinct

- Intuition

Formed from our life-long experiences and the outcomes of those decisions we have made.

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

Drawing upon our past experiencesbecomes the basis for

most of our

decisions.

Positive Negative

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

Drawing upon our past experiences Positive Negative

Formulation of guiding principles to leadership

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP-1

“Best laid plans often fail.”

"Theories of management don’t much matter."

Organizations don’t accomplish anything…

…People do!

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Lesson 1

“Leadership is the ability to decide what has to be done, and then get people to want to do it.”

General Dwight Eisenhower

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LESSON 1

People are your most valuable assets

Too often managers forget this and focus on the latest management fads or organizational charts.

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LESSON 1

People are your most valuable assets

ADVISING THE BOSS ABOUT CHANGE

Would you have the same response?…

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LESSON 1January 21, 1829

To: President Andrew JacksonThe canal system of this country is being threatened by the spread of a new form of transportation known as “railroads” and the federal government must preserve the canals for the following reasons:

If canal boats are supplanted by “railroads,” serious unemployment will result. Captains, cooks, drivers, hostlers, repairmen, and lock tenders will be left without means of livelihood, not to mention the numerous farmers now employed growing hay for horses…

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LESSON 1January 21, 1829

To: President Andrew Jackson

Continued…

Canal boats are absolutely essential to the defense of the United States. In the event of the expected troubles with England, the Erie Canal should be the only means by which we could ever move the supplies so vital to waging a modern war…

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LESSON 1January 21, 1829

To: President Andrew JacksonContinued…

Don’t Change!!!!As you may well know, Mr. President, “railroad” carriages are pulled at the enormous speed of 15 miles per hour by “engines” which, in addition to endangering life and limb of passengers, roar and snort their way through the countryside, setting fire to crops, scaring the livestock and frightening women and children. The Almighty certainly never intended that people should travel at such breakneck speed.…Martin Van Buren, Governor of New York.

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LESSON 1

Those who immerse themselves in the goal of creating an environment where…

The best The brightest The most creative Are attracted, Retained

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LESSON 1

Those who immerse themselves in the goal of creating an environment where

The best The brightest The most creative Are attracted, Retained…and UNLEASHED are most successful

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LESSON 1

A MUST…

Train employees in the fundamentals of the organization.

Much harder to train someone to have integrity, judgment, energy, balance, and the drive to get things done.

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LESSON 1

Stack the deck

in your favor when

recruiting.

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LESSON 1

First Lesson in Leadership…

People

Surround yourself with the best and the brightest…people who take their work seriously--but not themselves; those who work hard and play hard.

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LESSON 2

“The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.”

General Colin Powell

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LESSON 2

Common thread for failed leadership is the attitude that…

…the very thought of someone lower in the hierarchy looking up to the leader for help is unheard of.

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LESSON 2

Effective leaders:

Show concern for the efforts and

challenges faced by their employees—

even as they demand high standards.

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Fostering an environment where asking for Fostering an environment where asking for help is defined as a weakness or failure…help is defined as a weakness or failure…

… … only makes people cover up their gaps only makes people cover up their gaps and the organization suffers accordingly.and the organization suffers accordingly.

LESSON 2

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LESSON 2

Second Lesson in Leadership

Accessibility--availability--concern for employees

Don’t focus on weakness but encourage critical questions.

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LESSON 3

Look below the surface.

Don’t shy away from doing so because

you might not like what you find.

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LESSON 3

“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it….”

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LESSON 3

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it…

…..status quo

……mediocrity

Slogan for the arrogant or the scared.

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LESSON 3

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Slogan for the arrogant or the scared. Excuse for inaction and not a call to arms. Mind set that today’s realities will continue

tomorrow in a tidy, linear, and predictable fashion.

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LESSON 3

In this culture, you won’t find people who proactively take steps to solve problems as they emerge.

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Third Lesson in Leadership

“If it ain’t broke, break it”

LESSON 3

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

A Validation

From Good to Great,

Jim Collins

Taking Good Companies and Making

Them Great

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

1. Communicate, communicate, communicate.

2. Leadership core to great organizations.

3. Good leaders fade in the background and let the organization come to the foreground.

4. Great = sustained performance.

5. Take risks and set clear expectations.

6. Get good people on the bus, get them in the right seats, and keep them on the bus.

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

SUMMARY

• Surround yourself with the best and the brightest. Get them on the bus, get them in the right seats, and keep them on the bus.

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP???

Message: Some peopleAre better than others.

Some people are Some people are a hellu va lota hellu va lot better betterthan other people.than other people.

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

1. Surround yourself with the best and the brightest. Get them on the bus, get them in the right seats, and keep them on the bus.

2. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Know your people, understand them, value them, and show your concern for them.

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

1. Surround yourself with the best and the brightest. Get them on the bus, get them in the right seats, and keep them on the bus.

2. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Know your people, understand them, value them, and show your concern for them.

3. Be a risk taker. Great organizations exhibit sustained performance. Don’t settle for the status quo. If it ain’t broke, break it.

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

Jim Collins in Good to Great talks about Level 5 Leaders who can subordinate their ego to the good of the organization.

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant

“I’m just a plow-hand from Arkansas, but I have learned how to hold a team together. How to lift some men up, how to calm down the others, until finally they’ve got one heartbeat together, a team. There’s just three things I’d ever say: If anything goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semi-good, then we did it. If anything goes real good, then you did it. That’s all it takes to get people to win football games for you.”

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”

John F. Kennedy

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

“You must Be

the change you

wish

to see in the world.”

Gandhi

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

Pope John XXIII

“It often happens that I wake at night and begin to think about a serious problem and decide I must tell the Pope about it.

Then I wake up completely and remember that I am the Pope…”

You are not alone with leadership problems…

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

Take the best of the best and move forward with courage, confidence, and ethical behavior….

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP“ Conquering others requires force. Conquering

oneself requires strength.” Lao Tze

Health and Fitness Trends

SMOKING IS AT AN ALL TIME LOW IN AMERICAN SOCIETY. PERCENT OVER HEALTHY WEIGHT KEEPS CLIMBING. CHOLESTEROL LEVELS ARE STUBBORNLY HIGH. INCIPIENT HEART DISEASE DETECTED IN 1 OF 5 AMERICANS. NEED FOR STRESS MANAGEMENT IS GROWING.

(Trends found in a sample of male and female adults between the ages of 40 and 52)

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP“You have to manage yourself before you

can lead others.’’

You MUST find the balanceProfession

YOU

Family

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

Of all the lessons in leadership, this may be the toughest and most overlooked, and you do it every day…

The ability to laugh at events and yourself even in the most difficult circumstances.

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP “QUIZ TIME”1. Who manages more things at once?2. Who puts more effort into their appearance?3. Who usually takes care of the details?4. Who finds it easier to meet new people?5. Who asks more questions in a conversation?6. Who is a better listener?7. Who has better intuition?8. Who works with a longer “to do list”?9. Who enjoys a recap of the day’s events?10. Who is better at keeping in touch with others?11. Who doesn’t hesitate to stop and ask for directions?12. Who has more interest in communication skills?13. Who is more inclined to get involved?14. Who encourages harmony and agreement?15. Who made me include this slide in my presentation?

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Make a difference in the life of a child

every day.