WILLIAM PETERSON
Director, Utah State Extension Service
The following rather unusual presentation on leadership, part of a talk given adult leaders in Utah in 1935. The talk has the merit of being direct and specific and contains many valuable suggestions.
A LEADER SHOULD EARLY DEVELOP a definite philosophy of life. Life is not a problem—it is a task to be lived.
2. A leader must have definite standards of living. He will soon be known by those standards. If he is to be entrusted with the 4-H Club boys and girls, it must be known that his standards of living are going to contribute to the character and upbuilding of these young people.
3. A leader must be absolutely sincere. He cannot live a double life.
4. A successful leader must cultivate a love for his fellows. He will not be willing to give of his time and talent unless he has a feeling toward every other person of complete fellowship and interest.
5. A leader must establish a .confidence with all his associates, so much so that the populace has confidence that he will do as he agrees.
6. A leader must develop a clear vision. He must look ahead of the club.
7. A leader must be open to suggestion. An education is a lifetime effort.
8. A leader must maintain a scientific attitude. He should live today in the light of today, but if new facts develop tomorrow, he should be willing to adjust himself to the new truth.
9. A leader must be able to stimulate initiative and vision in others.
10. A leader must be willing to analyze and benefit by the experience of others.
11. A leader must be sympathetic and forgiving. He must not be vindictive, nor must he hold a grudge.
12. A leader should live the golden rule. He should be willing to accord to others that which he expects himself.
13. A leader must have an abundance of faith at all times.
14. A leader must have tact. There are many ways of doing many things.
15. A leader must manifest an ever good nature. Even in the face of accusation he cannot afford to be offended.
16. A leader must maintain a good sense of keen humor. Seeing the humorous side of the question many times lifts us out of the difficulty.
17. A leader must never be discouraged. The followers may become discouraged, but the leader must carry them on.
18. A leader must carry constant buoyancy. When you talk with him he should actually buoy you up to unusual effort, a more pleasant outlook, greater hope, and real vision.
19. A leader must have a lot of good common sense.
20. A leader must believe in things and see the good in them. No single person has ever been blessed with all the attributes of success. The weakest individuals have some unusual strength. To see this strength and apply it will make strong leadership.
21. A leader in the outset must be willing to give service—for the love of it.
22. A leader must be thrifty. By this I mean a leader must be known as a person honest and conscientious.
23. A leader must be dependable. He must keep his appointments.
24. A leader must be clean, moral, and wholesome.
25. A leader must not cheapen life. He must maintain a personal pride and develop a personality that young people will look upon as ideal.
26. A leader must develop a definite love of attainment. He must be able to stimulate this love of attainment in others.
27. A leader must establish a reputation for honesty and dependability.
28. A leader must at all times be resourceful. Many problems may come to him without a solution.
29. A leader must fight if necessary. This, however, should be a last resort.
30. A leader should develop good manners and pleasant ways.
31. A leader must always have a self-starter. If possible, he must be able to stimulate a self-starter in others.
32. A leader should maintain some pride in his appearance.
33. A leader should develop respect and regard for all effort. There is a feeling that doctors, teachers, lawyers, and preachers are in a higher stratum of society than the tradesmen and the farmers. A good builder is just as essential in a community as a good banker.
34. A leader should be courteous and respectful to all he meets.
35. When a leader has developed living standards and a philosophy of life, let him have courage enough to live them. Remember that leadership means the responsibility of directing many enterprises. All that we are may be classed in three elements: Inheritance, association, and effort. As leaders, be sure our association is what it should be to stimulate the best effort in ourselves and in those with whom we associate.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Release Your Inner Extrovert
From www.welchway.com, by Jack and Suzy Welch...
Q. My boss recently told me that I am very competent and have a clear vision for my team, but in order to get promoted, I need to show a stronger personality. As a naturally introverted person, what should I do?
A. First of all,...we would like to express our gratitude to you for sending in a question we've always wanted to answer, giving us (and our readers) a respite from thinking about the economy's recent upheaval. Amen to that.
And now, back to business and a question of our own. How do you feel about the prospect of putting on a perky face and a big voice and trying to chit-chat and "ho-ho-ho" your way into your team's heart?
Panicked? Depressed? A bit of both?
Or do you simply feel worried, knowing how much people generally dislike phonies? If so, we're with you. Competence and vision are all well and good—and congratulations on having those qualities—but the inescapable fact is that authenticity matters, too. And if you take your boss's recent advice, you'll no doubt be sacrificing in that department.
Except—and this is a big exception—you have no choice. Because your boss is trying to help you, and he's right. Over time, many introverts stagnate in large organizations. They can work hard and deliver to expectations or beyond, but they rarely get their due.
Note that we're talking about big companies. Almost anyone with a great idea can soar at a startup, and small companies often give more latitude, as long as the results are there. But in a big, bureaucratic enterprise, atmospheric conditions just give extroverts a marked advantage.
The reasons are myriad. Big companies are constantly looking for people to move across divisions or around the world, and extroverts, by rights or not, appear more prepared for such opportunities. With their charisma and superior verbal skills, they're thought to be more "out front," able to communicate powerfully and motivate their people, especially during tough times. Extroverts also tend to forge relationships with more ease, another boon in complex hierarchies. And finally, extroverts tend to outshine introverts because early on, their outsize personalities earn them chances to make presentations to higher-ups, always a good way to accelerate the career-changing process of getting out of the pile.
Indeed, big companies are so tilted towards extroverts that introverts within them often experience a dynamic not unlike the one faced by many women and minorities. They have to constantly overdeliver just to stay even.
There are, of course, exceptions. Everyone knows of a reserved, shy, or awkward individual who has risen through the ranks to run something big. But in every such case we can think of, the introvert has something special going on, such as a brilliant, anticipatory mind for technology and its trends, uncommon insights into emerging markets, or a unique ability to critique deals. These "savant" introverts become so indispensable to their companies that they advance—their value virtually demands it. Indeed, that's why many introverts who end up in senior management are often the brains of their organizations, while someone else runs operations.
Now, it could very well be that you are one of those rare introverts whose special competency will carry the day while you keep acting naturally. If that's not the case, we're back where we started. But if you want to take charge of your career, you've already got both your marching orders and some sound mentoring advice. So get out there, mix, speak more often, and connect with both your team and others, deploying all the energy and personality you can muster.
Will your people notice and recoil? Possibly. Our suggestion, though, is to go right ahead and explain what you're doing, which is simply bringing more of your "inner self" to the office so you can all work together more effectively. You might even ask for their help and feedback. Ultimately, any and all candor you can bring to your public transformation will hold you in good stead.
And you may find that being more outgoing is a reward in itself.
This question and answer originally appeared in Business Week magazine on November 26, 2008.
Q. My boss recently told me that I am very competent and have a clear vision for my team, but in order to get promoted, I need to show a stronger personality. As a naturally introverted person, what should I do?
A. First of all,...we would like to express our gratitude to you for sending in a question we've always wanted to answer, giving us (and our readers) a respite from thinking about the economy's recent upheaval. Amen to that.
And now, back to business and a question of our own. How do you feel about the prospect of putting on a perky face and a big voice and trying to chit-chat and "ho-ho-ho" your way into your team's heart?
Panicked? Depressed? A bit of both?
Or do you simply feel worried, knowing how much people generally dislike phonies? If so, we're with you. Competence and vision are all well and good—and congratulations on having those qualities—but the inescapable fact is that authenticity matters, too. And if you take your boss's recent advice, you'll no doubt be sacrificing in that department.
Except—and this is a big exception—you have no choice. Because your boss is trying to help you, and he's right. Over time, many introverts stagnate in large organizations. They can work hard and deliver to expectations or beyond, but they rarely get their due.
Note that we're talking about big companies. Almost anyone with a great idea can soar at a startup, and small companies often give more latitude, as long as the results are there. But in a big, bureaucratic enterprise, atmospheric conditions just give extroverts a marked advantage.
The reasons are myriad. Big companies are constantly looking for people to move across divisions or around the world, and extroverts, by rights or not, appear more prepared for such opportunities. With their charisma and superior verbal skills, they're thought to be more "out front," able to communicate powerfully and motivate their people, especially during tough times. Extroverts also tend to forge relationships with more ease, another boon in complex hierarchies. And finally, extroverts tend to outshine introverts because early on, their outsize personalities earn them chances to make presentations to higher-ups, always a good way to accelerate the career-changing process of getting out of the pile.
Indeed, big companies are so tilted towards extroverts that introverts within them often experience a dynamic not unlike the one faced by many women and minorities. They have to constantly overdeliver just to stay even.
There are, of course, exceptions. Everyone knows of a reserved, shy, or awkward individual who has risen through the ranks to run something big. But in every such case we can think of, the introvert has something special going on, such as a brilliant, anticipatory mind for technology and its trends, uncommon insights into emerging markets, or a unique ability to critique deals. These "savant" introverts become so indispensable to their companies that they advance—their value virtually demands it. Indeed, that's why many introverts who end up in senior management are often the brains of their organizations, while someone else runs operations.
Now, it could very well be that you are one of those rare introverts whose special competency will carry the day while you keep acting naturally. If that's not the case, we're back where we started. But if you want to take charge of your career, you've already got both your marching orders and some sound mentoring advice. So get out there, mix, speak more often, and connect with both your team and others, deploying all the energy and personality you can muster.
Will your people notice and recoil? Possibly. Our suggestion, though, is to go right ahead and explain what you're doing, which is simply bringing more of your "inner self" to the office so you can all work together more effectively. You might even ask for their help and feedback. Ultimately, any and all candor you can bring to your public transformation will hold you in good stead.
And you may find that being more outgoing is a reward in itself.
This question and answer originally appeared in Business Week magazine on November 26, 2008.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
"Webinar" draws a crowd
Today's webinar (exclusive to ACF) Understanding and Reaching Family Forest Owners - Lessons from Social Marketing Research attracted about 33 ACF members from across the nation. About half of those participating in the evaluation survey indicated it was their first webinar.
The speakers were Brett Butler, PhD - Research Forester - NE Research Station - USDA Forest Service and Mary Tyrrell - Executive Director - Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry - School of Forestry and Environmental Studies - Yale University.
Here's what two participants had to say about it:
“Thanks and...please pass along that this session was well worth the time.”
--Sam Carlton, ACF
“I was impressed and hope we do more of these. They will eventually strengthen membership, I think.”
--Ron Stuntzner, ACF
If you missed it, a recording of the webinar is available at http://www.forestrywebinars.net/. It lasts about one hour.
The speakers were Brett Butler, PhD - Research Forester - NE Research Station - USDA Forest Service and Mary Tyrrell - Executive Director - Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry - School of Forestry and Environmental Studies - Yale University.
Here's what two participants had to say about it:
“Thanks and...please pass along that this session was well worth the time.”
--Sam Carlton, ACF
“I was impressed and hope we do more of these. They will eventually strengthen membership, I think.”
--Ron Stuntzner, ACF
If you missed it, a recording of the webinar is available at http://www.forestrywebinars.net/. It lasts about one hour.
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