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"s k i l l s talk" Skills Factory's Newsletter

12th Edition October 2007

www.skills-factory.co.za

"Leadership and Empowerment" Dear Reader One of the most important sets of skills required in a changing world is the skill of leadership.

This has become increasingly evident, as we have attempted to adapt to the escalating

changes in our society and workplaces over the past decade. As we try to take command of

our destiny and guide the destinies of our families, communities, organisations and our

country, the necessity of effective leadership ability has become increasingly obvious.

Effective leadership is one of the keys to our future success and survival in South Africa.

Regards Jean-Marié Gittens Marketing Consultant

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In this edition:

1. Empowerment towards Leadership 2. Leadership Skills 3. Change within formal structures 4. 90/10 Principles

1. EMPOWERMENT TOWARDS LEADERSHIP 1.1 WHAT IS EMPOWERMENT? An ongoing process of development and not a series of single events. A way of thinking and behaving rather than something, which is done to a person or an organisation. A slow process of shifting power. 1.2 WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF EMPOWERMENT? The purpose of empowerment is to create a committed work team with everyone whole-heartedly devoting their full energies and talents to the achievement of a common vision.

Most importantly Empowerment is a process,

which starts with self and is about exercising positive choices, openness, honesty,

sensitivity and fairness blended with personal competence.

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Leadership is……………… motivating,

not manipulating listening………

not talking nurturing……… not persuading.

WHAT DISEMPOWERS PEOPLE? WHAT EMPOWERS PEOPLE?

• lack of trust • not being listened to • not knowing whether you are succeeding • believing that you cannot make a

difference • being treated like a cog in a wheel • having problems solved for you • feeling alienated and not part of the

bigger picture

• being listened to empathetically • recognition for ideas and achievements • knowing that you are important to the

organisation • praise and positive feedback • activities that maintain or enhance self-

esteem

1.3 HOW DO WE DEFINE LEADERSHIP? In defining what effective "leadership" is, it is important to disti nguish between: A "leader"; "Leadership"; and "Leading." The position of "leader" is a role in a particular system. A person in the formal role of a leader may or may not possess leadership skills and be capable of leading.

"Leadership" is essentially related to a person's skills, abilities and degree of influence. A good deal of leadership can come from people who are not formal "leaders."

"Leading" is the result of using one's role and leadership ability to influence others in some way.

2. LEADERSHIP SKILLS 2.1 How to build your self-confidence WHAT IS SELF-CONFIDENCE? Self-confidence is the way you feel about yourself based upon your perception of how effectively you deal with the world. It is how you evaluate yourself. People with a great deal of confidence feel good about themselves and think that they are able to accomplish most tasks that confront them.

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Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.

Henry Ford, American industrialist (b. 1863)

PEOPLE WITH SELF-CONFIDENCE ARE: - Able to control their inner feelings, getting okay’s from within, rather than from other

people. - Being able to balance one's thinking, feeling, and acting. - Learning from mistakes and being able to say, "I made a mistake, I'm sorry." - Taking responsibility for one’s own feelings and reactions and not blame others. - Ability to listen to your inner-voice and to act upon this guidance. - Having self-respect, self-confidence, and self-acceptance. - Having awareness of one's strengths and weaknesses. - Aware of the areas that one has to improve upon and what needs to be accepted. - Growing and taking positive risks PEOPLE HELP BUILD SELF-CONFIDENCE IN EACH OTHER THROUGH:

Smiles

Hugs

Eye contact

Touching

Praise

Acceptance

2.2 Dealing with rejection and failure WHAT IS REJECTION AND FAILURE?

Inevitable events that happen in our daily lives It happens to all of us, but it doesn’t mean that we are personal

failures A mistake doesn’t mean failure Mistakes and failures are our stepping stones to the top of our profession However, rejection and mistakes have a way of shattering our self-confidence and we

associate them with personal failure They are simply the wrong choices, which often can be easily corrected Many people use their jobs to obtain their personal sense of worth A low level of success can also create feelings of low self-esteem and guilt or having your

success ignored and goes unrewarded

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2.3 Decision making WHAT IS DECISION MAKING? Decision-making is the process whereby a choice is made between alternatives. “Decision making is the process of drawing conclusions, after the problem analysis, in order to select an appropriate course of action” WHAT ARE COMMON DECISION-MAKING MISTAKES?

Relying too much on "expert" information. Overestimating the value of information received from others. Underestimating the value of information received from others. Only hearing what you want to hear or seeing what you want to see. Not listening to your feelings or gut reactions.

2.4 Problem identification, diagnosis and solving Problems come in all sizes, shapes, and colours. There is no single or Simple step-by-step process guaranteeing us we will solve every problem we encounter. Today we are faced instead with the requirement to put together or adapt our problem solving processes to fit the problem at hand.

THE DECISION MAKERS RESPONSIBILITY

IS NOT TO MAKE THE DECISION BUT….. TO ALLOW AND TO TEACH OTHERS TO MAKE

THE DECISION

When you have a choice of only one, it seems to be the right choice; but when you have a choice of many, your taste improves. There is even a Biblical passage relevant to this issue: "The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and examines him" (Proverbs 18:17).

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WHAT ARE THE STEPS IN PROBLEM SOLVING?

Step 1: Identify the problems Step 2: Clarify the facts and the goals Step 3: Generate the alternatives through creative thinking Step 4: Choose the best solution Step 5: Formulate and implement the action plan Step 6: Monitor and evaluate the plan 2.5 Communication HOW DO WE DEFINE COMMUNICATION? Communication is the exchange of information and understanding from person to person. It can only be successful if … - Your message is clear and specific - Your message is understood - You receive and understand the message sent to you - The message is acted on COMMUNICATION IS THE PROCESS OF SHARING:

FACTS FEELINGS IDEAS ATTITUDES

WITH EACH OTHER IN COMMONLY UNDERSTOOD WAYS

There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four contacts: what we do, how we look, what we say, and how we say it. ~ Dale Carnegie ~

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2.6 Conflict Resolution DEFINITION OF CONFLICT Conflict is where two or more persons, perceive that what each one wants is incompatible with the other’s wishes. WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF CONFLICT?

Poor Communication Difficult Personalities Problems in Relationships Unmet Expectations Conflicts over Rights or Power Hierarchical or Undemocratic Organizations Lack of Clarity in Roles and Responsibilities Contradictory Self-Interests Scarce Resources Externalisation of Internal Conflicts

WHAT ARE THE STEPS IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION?

Create an effective atmosphere Define the problem Express facts and feelings regarding the problem List possible solutions Develop "Do-ables" Evaluate each proposed solution individually Decide on a mutually acceptable soluti on Make specific plans to implement the solution Evaluate the solution

3. CHANGE WITHIN FORMAL STRUCTURES

3.1 Working in teams WHY WORK IN TEAMS? A team is “a high-performing task group whose members are interdependent and share a common performance objective.” Francis & Young

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WHAT IS A TEAM? An energetic group of people who are committed to achieving common objectives, who work well together and enjoy doing so, and who produce quality results. TEAMS VS. GROUPS - WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE? A work group’s most important function is to share information and help each member perform within their area of responsibility. A work team: The individual efforts of a group result in a performance that is greater than the sum of the individual inputs. HOW DOES A TEAM DEVELOP? TUCKMAN’S MODEL: KEY ROLES IN A TEAM

Initiator / Contributor Information Seeker Opinion seeker Information giver Opinion giver Elaborator Co-ordinator Orientator Evaluator / Critic Energiser Procedural Technician Recorder

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Strategic planning is necessary because --

“IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING

YOU MAY VERY WELL END UP SOMEWHERE ELSE

(AND NOT EVEN KNOW IT)”

3.2 Strategic Planning WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF STRATEGIC PLANNING? In short, strategic planning is a disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an organisation is, what it does, and why it does it, with a focus on the future. THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS STEP 1: Where are we now? STEP 2: Where do we want to go? STEP 3: Which route will we take? STEP 4: How will we travel there? STEP 5: How will we know we have arrived? STEP 6: Monitoring and evaluation

4. 90/10 PRINCIPLES It will change your life (at least the way you react to situations).

What is this principle? 10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react. What does this mean? We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic. We have no control over this 10%. The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%. How? ………. By your reaction. You cannot control a red light. But you can control your reaction. Don't let people fool you; YOU can control how you react. Let's use an example. You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just happened. What happens next will be determined by how you react. You curse. You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup

Discover the 90/10 Principle. Author: Stephen Covey

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over. She bre aks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus. Your spouse must leave immediately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit. After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 traffic fine away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase. Your day has started te rrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. You look forward to coming home. When you arrive home, you find small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter. Why? …. Because of how you reacted in the morning. Why did you have a bad day? A) Did the coffee cause it? B) Did your daughter cause it? C) Did the policeman cause it? D) Did you cause it? The answer is “D". You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day. Here is what could have and should have happened. Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, "Its ok honey, you just need to be more careful next time". Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good the day you are having. Notice the difference? Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different. Why? Because of how you REACTED. You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% was determined by your reaction. Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 principle. If someone says something negative about you, don't be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. You don't have to let the negative comment affect you! React properly and it will not ruin your day. A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, getting stressed out etc. How do you react if someone cuts you off in traffic? Do you lose your temper? Pound on the steering wheel? A friend of mine had the steering wheel fall off. Do you curse? Does your blood pressure skyrocket? Do you try and bump them? WHO CARES if you arrive ten seconds later at

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work? Why let the cars ruin your drive? Remember the 90/10 principle, and do not worry about it. You are told you lost your job. Why lose sleep and get irritated? It will work out. Use your worrying energy and time into finding another job. The plane is late; it is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take outpour frustration on the flight attendant? She has no control over what is going on. Use your time to study, get to know the other passenger. Why get stressed out? It will just make things worse. Now you know the 90-10 principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. You will lose nothing if you try it. The 90-10 principle is incredible. Very few know and apply this principle. The result? Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems and heartache. We all must understand and apply the 90/10 principle. It CAN change your life!!! Enjoy….

5. OUR NEXT NEWSLETTER s k i l l s talk – NOVEMBER 2007: HIV AND AIDS AWARENESS

This is the reality of HIV and AIDS. We live everyday amongst people who are HIV positive. Do we really know them and do we really care about them? We would rather not deal with them because of our ignorance of the facts about HIV and AIDS. Maybe it is time to go back to the basics so that we can realize that there is no need to discriminate against these people.

Until our next newsletter

Jean-Marié and the Skills Factory-team

“When I was diagnosed with HIV I was angry, and for the first time in my life I thought of suicide. I thought maybe if I died, things would be better for my son. After a few weeks, I realised I was making a big mistake because my two older daughters also needed me. So I decided it was better to live and teach people how to live with AIDS. I started seeing social workers to help me get through this”.

These are the words of Valencia Mofokeng, age 35 who was diagnosed with HIV in February 1998.