Tag: leadership

The Upstander Movement : why now? – by guest author Jessica Hickman

Linda

Today’s blog is written by Jessica Hickman and republished with permission of the author.
Jessica is an Australian leadership coach, speaker, educator, and author with a core focus on empowering others to own their ability with authentic confidence driving change and innovation. As the founder of Bullyology, Jessica leads the Upstander Movement creating cultural change in workplaces and communities. 
Jessica recently published The Upstander Leader : How to develop a speak-up culture 

Bullying is a serious epidemic that has left so many millions across the globe traumatised. It is behaviour that is encountered as early on in life as childhood– in childcare centres, in kindergarten, in prep school, and so on.

But bullying isn’t behaviour that’s only confined to school yard. It isn’t only seen in deliberately tripping the new kid as they walk past with their lunch tray, and it often isn’t as blatantly obvious as a bunch of school thugs emptying out the victim’s bag to look for lunch money.

Bullying doesn’t just end in school.

As children grow and enter the workforce, they continue to encounter bullies who will use subtler but no less humiliating tactics to destroy their targets. Workplace bullying can look like constant targeted belittlement, escalating to threats and intimidation. It can lead the victim to experience stress, anxiety, panic attacks, disrupted sleeping patterns, high blood pressure, ulcers, and a plethora of other health problems. The victim is plagued with self-doubt, their productivity suffers, their passion for their job is replaced with the fear and disgust they associate with their workplace bully.

Sadly, this is an issue that is extremely prevalent in Australia, which has been ranked 6th in workplace bullying, when compared to 34 other European countries.

Workplace bullying isn’t just a personal problem, though; it isn’t something that only affects the bully and his victim. It also costs companies in terms of time, resources, revenue, and productivity. In fact, it has been estimated that workplace bullying costs the Australian economy between $6 billion to $36 billion dollars, every year.

While bullying statistics do showcase the extent of bullying, I’ve come to understand that there’s more to the whole bullying epidemic than just numbers and percentages; behind every statistic is a real person, and respect.

Behind every statistic is a story that needs rectifying, and it needs to be rectified now.


That’s why the Upstander Movement matters.

It aims at helping us all grow into the part of ourselves that will call out injustice and abuse, the part of ourselves that rejects passivity and embraces purpose-driven change making.

That’s why the Upstander Movement is the Now.

Who is an Upstander, and Why Should You Be One?
An upstander, as the word suggests, is someone who stands up for something, against something they feel is morally wrong. An upstander is someone whose impact makes a positive difference.

Upstanders are in all of the great heroes we read about and remember. From Nelson Mandela, to Malala Yousafzai, an upstander is someone with the steely determination to always do what they believe is right, regardless of any extraneous factors standing in their way.

In the context of workplace bullying, an upstander is someone who stands up for the target of the bullying. An upstander is someone who notices the situation, speaks up against it, and is gracious in doing so.

The Upstander Effect means everyone comes to work and goes home safe. It leaves everyone feeling like they can do their best work, like they’re supported, seen, heard, and valued in the Workplace. It is a workplace where, ultimately, everyone can thrive.

It is all the more important to be an upstander now– when everyone is still silently battling the after-effects of a pandemic that has caused increased levels of isolation, loneliness, anxiety, suffering, and depression. It is all the more important to be the Upstander who can be the catalyst for collective support in the workplace, to eliminate bullying, discrimination, injustice and racism.


The Bystander Effect
“The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.” -Martin Luther King, Jr.

A bystander is essentially the opposite of an Upstander.

A Bystander is someone who will see an injustice happening, and look the other way. The Bystander Effect is when people will content themselves with just standing by and diffuse responsibility, because they “don’t want to get involved”.

As someone who experienced severe workplace bullying, I know the difference it might have made to me and my situation, had the business leaders chosen to be an Upstander and speak up against my perpetrator. Instead, they chose to be bystanders to my situation.

To be a passive bystander to bullying, is to be complicit in the bullying itself. This is why it is important to take action, to take initiative, to speak up.

As long as there is a single upstander, there will be a difference. As long as we have people who are willing to take that one step to make the difference, as long as we have people who are not afraid to “get involved”, workplace bullying can be fought.

Changing the world doesn’t have to be done in leaps and bounds, or from pedestals and podiums; sometimes, all it takes is speaking out against an unkind word to a colleague.

Why now?

As Charles Dickens wrote in the opening lines to what became one of his most celebrated works, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”

Although Mr Dickens was describing the last quarter of the 18th century, this statement holds true still for the times we live now.

We live in times where injustice is widespread. There are a plethora of issues we hear about in the news on the daily, from racism, to discrimination, to murder, to harassment. But as much as we hear about all these unethical and illegal activities, biases, and incidents, we also hear—and experience—revolutions that are organised to counter them. From the Black Lives Matter movement to the MeToo movement, people everywhere are coming together to share their experiences and stories, and to push back against archaic stereotypes and biases.

With all the technology that is available at out fingertips, with all the connections that are only one click away, we are being challenged every day to learn something new in someone else’s perspective; we are in the middle of an ideas revolution.

We are living in a day and age when perpetrators are finding it harder to hide their injustices, when perpetrators are called out and people are willing to rally around the victim to help make a difference. We are living in a day and age when upstanders are more in the making than ever before.   

So, the question is “If not now, then when?”

Because there has never been a better time than right now. 

The upstander leader : how to develop a speak-up culture / Hickman, Jessica
“An inspiring and informative guide for a new generation of leaders who are ready to speak up against toxic behaviour and bullying in the workplace. We’ve all heard of the Bystander Effect, where people see bad behaviour and they walk on by. Bystanders have been called out by the #MeToo Movement, Black Lives Matter and March4Justice, to name just three. It’s not OK to ignore bad behaviour and it never has been. In the workplace (even in the highest levels of Government) bullying and bad behaviour take place, causing toxic cultures and awful places to work. But with 35% of the workforce now from the Millennial generation, it is essential that workplaces change. The Millennials are the Upstander generation – and they are the ones who are driving the future of business – you need them on your team. It’s time to empower our leaders to be Upstander Leaders to attract the best talent and make their working lives safe and enjoyable places where they can thrive. This practical book offers a 5-step model to help them do just that. Award-winning thought leader Jessica Hickman was a victim of workplace bullying over a three-year period when she saw first-hand the Bystander Effect. It motivated her to write The Upstander Leader to encourage leaders to develop a speak-up culture in their organisations. The strategies explained in this book have been road-tested in a number of organisations where bullying is not tolerated, and it’s not just OK to call it out – it is encouraged”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)
 
Worksafe’s Bullying pages offers Tools and resources for businesses and workers to help guide you in preventing bullying in the workplace.

Other material on workplace bullying may be found in the Wellington City Library collection and includes :

Workplace bullying : a costly business phenomenon / Needham, Andrea W
“In this revitalised edition of Workplace Bullying by ground-breaking New Zealand human resource expert Andrea W. Needham, we take a hard look at a very dubious workplace practice. Corporate abuse. Mobbing. Workplace bullying. Call it what you will, the outcome is still the same – staff who become demoralised, and lose trust and confidence in your organisation; staff who leave.” (Catalogue)
 
 

Bullying in the workplace : causes, symptoms, and remedies
“Bullying in the workplace is a phenomenon that has recently intrigued researchers studying management and organizational issues, leading to such questions as why it occurs and what causes such harassment.” (Catalogue)

 
 
 
 

Bully blocking at work : a self-help guide for employees and managers / Field, Evelyn M
“No one goes to work to be humiliated, abused, ostracised, subjected to rumours, or assaulted. Yet this is the reality of a working day for more than one in six workers. Bullying causes billions of dollars in lost productivity, expensive mistakes, employee replacement costs, and health and welfare rehabilitation expenses. Most workplaces currently have few resources and systems to deal with the problem, leaving the victims to sink or swim, and the bullies to remain professionally incompetent. Few understand that bullying is not tough management or an aggressive personality trait to be suffered. Severe and unremitting bullying catapults the victim into such a damaging emotional state that it can lead to the breakdown of their very survival mechanisms. Bully Blocking at Work reveals for the first time the true evil nature of workplace bullying, helping the reader to understand its toxic, destructive impact on all employees – whether they are targets, bullies or onlookers – and provides advice for coping and confronting bullying, from both a personal and organisational perspective. The author has worked as a psychologist for over thirty years and has spent many hours listening to clients, conducting interviews, reading, speaking and writing about workplace bullying. Sprinkled liberally throughout the pages are quotes from the many sufferers of bullying that the author has personally worked with over many years.” (Catalogue)

Workplace bullying and harassment : a toolbox for managers and supervisors / Olsen, Hadyn
“Workplace bullying, harassment and occupational violence are not simple issues to deal with. If ignored or dealt with poorly, they can create a toxic workplace where high staff turnover, complaints and ongoing conflict are the norm. The second edition of this popular book provides information, advice, step-by-step processes and practical tips for managers and supervisors dealing with workplace bullying and harassment problems.” (Catalogue)

The well-spoken woman speaks out : how to use your voice to drive change / Jahnke, Christine K.
“Practical and inspiring, this book is a valuable asset for women seeking to drive change with #MeToo, March for our Lives, Time’s Up, Black Women Lead, Climate Action, She Should Run, Power to the Polls, and women’s marches. In her successful book The Well-Spoken Woman, top speech coach Christine K. Jahnke shared techniques to help women present their ideas effectively in any setting. This new follow-up is for women who are persisting, resisting, advocating, or running for office–and gives them the tools to be effective, persuasive, and powerful communicators. The Well-Spoken Woman Speaks Out will guide any woman who wants to state her case in the most compelling way, ensure that she is truly heard and understood, and seeks to impact and inspire others. It takes Jahnke’s direct experience working with women like Michelle Obama and the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton and pairs it with the recent surge of women nationwide who are speaking up to drive social and political change. Jahnke, who has spent twenty-five years helping women leaders, provides guidance and best practices so you can: rally support for a cause, make a persuasive pitch, campaign for public office, be a successful advocate, and motivate people to make positive change. She applies her expertise to many facets of communicating publicly, including using your voice in social media; participating in panels, meetings, and discussions; giving presentations; and speaking to the media”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

Permission to speak : how to change what power sounds like, starting with you / Bay, Samara
“Find your voice and use it to lead us to a better future, with this game-changing blueprint for redefining what power and authority sound like–from a Hollywood communication expert. Anyone who has ever been told “You should speak up!” during a meeting at the office, a group project at school, or even a conversation among friends can attest to the misunderstanding at the heart of that demand. For those of us–including women, people of color, immigrants, and queer folks–who find it hard to speak up, the issue is not just about willpower. Many of us have internalized the same messages since birth: that because of the pitch of our voice, the accent we possess, or the slang we use, we will not be taken seriously. Power, we’re told, sounds like the mostly white, straight, wealthy men who wield it. Samara Bay–one of the most in-demand speech and dialect coaches in Hollywood–has made it her mission to change that, and with Permission to Speak she presents a fun and practical road map for making big cultural change while embracing our natural strengths. Drawing on her experience plus the latest research in public speaking, linguistics, and social science, she identifies tools for unlocking the potential in each of our voices–whether you’re an entrepreneur, a new political candidate, a creative type with a bold vision, or a mom going back to work. Giving yourself permission means more than landing your message–it’s about showing up when you show up and finding joy in speaking to your public. With simple tools, big ideas, and a whole lot of heart, Permission to Speak offers a revolutionary take on public speaking and a new definition of what power sounds like. Namely, you”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

Jerks at work : toxic coworkers and what to do about them / West, Tessa V.
Ever watched a coworker charm the pants off management while showing a competitive, Machiavellian side to the lower ranks? West profiles classic workplace archetypes, and gives advice to anyone who has ever cried in a bathroom stall at the office. Digging into the inner workings of each bad apple, she explores their motivations and insecurities, and offers clever strategies for stopping each type of jerk in their tracks. This is the playbook that you wish you didn’t need! — adapted from publisher info” (Adapted from Catalogue)

If you need more information please contact the Prosearch team at the library.  We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources.  All enquiries are treated in confidence.

Let’s talk about trust – by guest author Brenda James

Linda

The blog piece below has been republished with kind permission of  author Brenda James.  Brenda is a Leadership and Career Development Specialist with 20 years’ experience in recruitment, coaching and HR.

Chapter on Trust in Brenda James’ book Believe.

With all of us facing a tidal wave of change right now and the requirement to be more agile than ever, trust is high on the list of competencies needed in our leaders. It is the one thing that changes everything. Trust is like a rising tide; it lifts every boat. It makes every other thing we are trying to do better.

It doesn’t matter how capable or talented your people are, they may never reach their full potential if trust isn’t present. But with trust, teams can accomplish everything they set out to do… and more.

DISTRUST IS CONTAGIOUS, BUT THANKFULLY, SO IS TRUST

In its 2016 global CEO survey, PwC reported that 55% of CEOs think that a lack of trust is a threat to their organisation’s growth. But many have done little to increase trust, mainly because they aren’t sure where to start.

Stephen Covey, author of The Speed of Trust says, “trust is the new currency”. He is talking about trust in teams and being trusted as a leader. We are often reminding leaders that to be trusted, one must be trustworthy.

As Harold Macmillan said, “A man who trusts nobody is apt to be the kind of man nobody trusts.”

TRUST LEADS TO HEALTHY CONFLICT

The absence of trust occurs when team members are reluctant to be vulnerable with one another, and are often unwilling to admit their mistakes, acknowledge their weaknesses or ask for help. Trust is critical because without it, teams are unlikely to engage in unfiltered, passionate debate about key issues.

In our work with leaders in the architectural industry, we see avoidance of healthy conflict within teams frequently, yet it’s been proven that innovation and creativity flourishes when there is a collision of differences in an environment of trust. We won’t innovate when we are not willing to take a risk. Where there is high trust, it encourages high risk taking and trust is the agent that makes synergy happen.

So, how can you be the catalyst to bring an upward spiral of trust in your team?

LEAD BY EXAMPLE

If you want to build trust within your team, then lead by example and show your people that you trust others. This means trusting your team, your colleagues, and your boss. Never forget that your team members are always watching and taking cues from you – take the opportunity to show them what trust in others really looks like.

DON’T PLACE BLAME

When people work together, honest mistakes and disappointments happen, and it’s easy to outwardly place blame. However, when everyone starts pointing fingers, an unpleasant atmosphere can quickly develop. This lowers morale, undermines trust, and is ultimately unproductive.

Instead, encourage everyone in your team to think about the mistake in a constructive way. What can you all do to fix what happened, and move forward together? And how can you make sure that this mistake doesn’t happen again? Focus on lessons learned, not who to blame.

KNOW EACH OTHER PERSONALLY

One fast way to build trust is to encourage your team members to see their colleagues as people. Think about creating situations that help them to share personal stories and to bond. It is amazing how little some team members know about one another, and how just a small amount of information begins to break down barriers.

Here is an exercise we have teams do, found in Patrick Lencioni’s book, The Advantage. Note: Use your own best judgment when asking team members or colleagues personal questions – don’t invade their privacy.

Personal History Exercise

This low-risk exercise requires nothing more than going around the table during a meeting and having team members answer a short list of questions about themselves.

Questions

Where were you born?

How many siblings do you have?

What is one challenging event from your childhood?

Alternatively, you could ask about

Favourite hobbies

First job

Worst job

By describing these relatively innocent attributes or experiences, team members begin to relate to one another on a more personal basis and see one another as human beings with life stories and interesting backgrounds.

This encourages greater empathy and understanding and discourages unfair and inaccurate behavioural attributions.

FINAL WORD

Trust changes everything, not in small incremental ways, but in profound ways, so it is worth every piece of energy you invest into developing trust within your team.

As a leader, it’s important that you set an example. Show your team members how critical trust is to you by demonstrating your trust in them, as well as in your colleagues.

It is well worth your time investment to pause, check-in, and think about what you are doing to build trust within your own team. It is the one thing that changes everything.

Believe : how new leaders step up and into their full potential / James, Brenda
“Why should others believe in your leadership if you don’t believe in yourself? No matter where or when you start to experience a dent in your self-belief, once it is triggered and activated, your outlook changes. You see everything through blurred lenses. You constantly look for evidence that you are not quick enough, deserving enough or smart enough. And, of course, you always find it. But what happens if your uncertainty is so high that it’s impacting your performance? Or your team’s culture and output? Or worse, your relationship with yourself? Believing in yourself is the remedy. But how do you tangibly develop this? Ask yourself: Is now your time to move from a place of insignificance and struggle? Is now your time to thrive and fulfil your potential? Is now your time to make an impact? In Believe, author Brenda James guides you to take a deep but safe dive inward. Chapter by chapter, through a method of introspection, you are encouraged to take simple action steps and embrace tools to help illuminate all the reasons why you should believe in yourself as a leader. Embrace the process and let its wisdom equip you with one of the key fundamentals of leadership – self-belief. Come on an inspiring journey that will fill your heart with possibility. Immediately – and forever.” – back cover” (Catalogue)

Other resources on the subject of Trust and leadership within the Wellington City Libraries collection include :

The trusted leader : bringing out the best in your people and your company / Galford, Robert M.
“Based on highly specific research and experience that covers a wide spectrum of managers and organizations, The Trusted Leader identifies the three critical types of trust that leaders need to master: strategic trust, organizational trust, and personal trust. It introduces a practical and effective formula for building organizational confidence, and provides a unique analysis of the obstacles to trust and the sources of resistance to the building of trust inside organizations. Through a series of interactive exercises, executives will learn how to determine where trust is missing and how it can be supplemented in people, departments, and even whole companies. Perhaps most timely are the book’s series of diagnostic tools and skills that help executives rebuild trust that has been broken or betrayed.”–BOOK JACKET.” (Catalogue)

The agile culture : leading through trust and ownership / Pixton, Pollyanna
“Many books talk about the importance of culture to agile success. The Agile Culture shows the reader how to make the specific culture changes needed for agile success. The authors provide proven tools and models for moving from “date-driven, internally-focused” cultures to “value-driven, customer-focused” cultures where agile can thrive and flourish. They offer clear rationales for using each tool, demonstrate it at work, present relevant case studies and examples, define expected outcomes, and show how to measure success. Using these techniques, students will learn to achieve the results promised by agile: a culture of continuous innovation, transparency, and trust.” (Catalogue)

Breaking the trust barrier : how leaders close the gaps for high performance / Venable, JV
“For former US Airforce Thunderbirds’ commander and demonstration leader JV Venable, inspiring teamwork was literally a matter of life and death. On maneuvers the distance between jets was just 18 inches. Closing the gaps to sustain that kind of separation requires the highest levels of trust. On the ground or in the air, from line supervisor to CEO, we all face the same challenge. Our job is to entice those we lead to close the gaps that slow the whole team down – gaps in commitment, loyalty, and trust. Every bit of closure requires your people to let go of biases and mental safeguards that hold them back. The process the Thunderbirds use to break that barrier and craft the highest levels of trust on a team with an annual turnover of 50% is nothing short of phenomenal. That process is packaged in this book with tips and compelling stories that will help you build the team of a lifetime.” (Catalogue)

Simple truths of leadership : 52 ways to be a servant leader and build trust / Blanchard, Kenneth H
“Leadership legend Ken Blanchard teams up with Randy Conley to share the most essential lessons on servant leadership and building trust from the heart of his leadership model. Effective leadership comes down to implementing everyday, commonsense practices to help organizations thrive-and yet so many leaders are still missing these fundamental principles from their personal and professional lives. Renowned business experts Ken Blanchard and Randy Conley disclose the simple truths about leadership they have gathered over their long and distinguished careers to help bring common sense into common practice. Featuring two sections -servant leadership and building trust -this book is a collection of Blanchard’s greatest hits. It is chock-full of profound and memorable (and in some cases counterintuitive) leadership wisdom, such as: Create autonomy through boundaries; People who plan the battle rarely battle the plan; A relationship with no trust is like a cell phone with no internet;. All you can do is play games; The most important part of leadership is what happens when you’re not there. This book will help readers incorporate these integral practices into their leadership style, build trust through servant leadership, and make a difference in their own life and the lives of those they influence”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

If you need more information please contact the Prosearch team at the library.  We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources.  All enquiries are treated in confidence.

The future of work: Why we’re setting ourselves up to fail by guest author Alicia McKay

Linda

“The future is already here — it’s just not evenly distributed.”
William Gibson

When ATMs came on the scene, economists, politicians and the media panicked. With people no longer required to give the correct change and stamp deposit slips, we were experiencing the early stages of the robot revolution. Automation was to rob bank tellers of their jobs!

The reality, however, was far more nuanced. In fact, there are more bank tellers now than ever. Rather than widespread job loss, the automation of routine tasks has allowed tellers to shift their focus to higher value tasks like customer and relationship management, financial services and sales.

The world has changed
Examples like this are playing out across all industries and organisations. As the nature of work changes, new technology is introduced and social norms evolve, we need a different set of skills from our people and leaders. The pandemic abruptly accelerated this process, as we sprang into action learning to work remotely, manage business interruption and adapt to virtual environment.

The challenge for ambitious professionals and learning and development managers is working out what to focus to equip our leaders for all this change. What skills should we be teaching and learning? How do we make sure we aren’t being left behind?

The answer lies in reframing the question.

Asking better questions
For decades, we’ve followed a classic trajectory for leadership development: we teach people to be operational experts, then we give them some management training and, if they’re lucky, some personal development stuff to work out their Myers-Briggs or what bird they are.

But it’s not working anymore. The half-life of a skill has dropped to less than five years – which means that while your typing skills may have served you for life 20 years ago, that new coding skillset will be out of date in little more time than it takes to do a degree.

A 2019 World Economic Forum report revealed that less than half of chief HR officers were confident that their workforce strategy prepared them for the future. Deloitte’s Readiness Report, from the same year, revealed that only one in four business leaders were highly confident their workforce has the skill sets needed for the future – and this was all before we’d heard the word ‘coronavirus’.



Our development pathways are lagging behind, resulting in leadership teams full of experts in their field, who know how to balance a budget but are battling with the stuff people really need from them. Things like… how to respond well to change when things are uncertain and volatile. How to make good decisions in a complex environment. How to create smarter systems for complicated organisations, and how to maximise performance when people are overwhelmed. How to connect meaningfully and get people on board with change, when the way forward is unclear and their jobs feel under threat.

Strategy is the future of work
All of these skills are strategic skills.

Rather than trying to predict the technical and operational capabilities we need the most, we should be thinking about how to tackle our strategic capabilities, so that we’re OK even when our operational demands change.



The strategic capacity of our leaders is the most important determinant of personal and organisational success. When we prioritise quality thinking, big-picture perspective and insightful questions, we create a culture that bends and flexes to uncertainty, we build powerful organisations and equip people with what they need to succeed regardless of what’s happening around us.

The five untaught skills of a strategic leader
Strategic leadership is all about context. Strategic leaders ask questions like: “what’s going on?” “what does that mean?” “what should we be thinking differently about?” and “what are we not seeing?”.

Strategic leaders have mastered five critical skills.
1. Flexibility
To lead through complexity, we need to be OK with change. Flexible leaders know that leadership isn’t about getting things done in spite of their environment, but because of it. They have the awareness, agency and resilience to withstand pandemics, natural disasters and technological disruption, because they stay flexible to the world around them.

2. Decisions
Making good decisions is a learned skill. Decisive leaders know it’s not what they think, but how they think that matters, focusing on providing direction that drives action. They know that no cost-benefit analysis will save them, without the skills to capture diverse input and build in tolerance for change.

3. Systems
Strategic leaders think in systems, because they know that suc¬cessful organisations dismantle siloes and work out how things fit together. Systems leaders don’t settle for what’s in front of them, focusing instead on the messy stuff – context, relationships and dependencies. They stop finger-pointing and problem-solving, to pull levers and dis¬solve issues before they take hold.

4. Performance
True performance isn’t operational excellence or time management – it’s focus. Strategic leaders understand that their most valuable resource is their attention, optimising their environments and teams to invest in the factors that make a real difference. They know that once they eliminate distraction and insist on value, quality and accountability, there’s nowhere left to hide.

5. Influence
Influential leaders know that political savvy isn’t slimy; it’s non-negotiable for impact at scale. They know that their integrity, reputation and relationships are what makes the difference. As our environment continues to shift, it will be the leaders who can bring others with them whose ideas will take hold.

Lessons that count

In the knowledge economy, we’ve got access to all the technical information and instruction in the world at the touch of a button. If you need finance knowledge, watch a video and get your head around it in 15 minutes. If you need marketing expertise, Google for a freelancer and book the job in online.

But if you need to understand how best to adapt to your environment, how to make quality decisions that capture the big picture, how to drive focus and how to take people along on the journey… well, it’s time for strategic leadership. Let’s shift the dial.

Alicia McKay, author of ‘You Don’t Need An MBA: Leadership Lessons that Cut Through the Crap’ is a Wellington strategic leadership expert and founder of the NaMBA programme – a game-changing alternative to traditional leadership education. Alicia works with leaders and teams to spark strategic shifts in the way they think, work and lead. For more information about how Alicia can help your team visit www.aliciamckay.co.nz

 Copies of Alicia’s books are available in different formats in Wellington City Libraries’ collection.  If you want to know more check out these :

You don’t need an MBA : leadership lessons that cut through the crap / McKay, Alicia
“The 21 lessons in You Don’t Need an MBA are practical rather than academic. They are meant for the fast-paced, new world of leadership and for leaders who are looking for practical solutions to everyday challenges. Alicia McKay’s writing is engaging and direct. Readers immediately have confidence that her approach works – no further post-grad studies required. Leadership expert, Alicia McKay believes that leaders are made, not born. But they are not made in the lecture halls and seminar rooms; you don’t need an MBA to be an effective leader. The ability of next-generation leaders to cope with constant change has never been more important or more poorly understood. The world keeps throwing curveballs, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. It’s not that we don’t know we need to change. The gap isn’t knowing, it’s doing. The leaders of tomorrow need to change today. They need to get smart, be strategic about the next step and expand their range, to face a complex and uncertain future. They need paradox: clear values and open minds, high performance and meaningful space, dedication to detail and big picture perspective. They need to ask different questions, design different options and most of all, they need to do that with others on the same journey. You Don’t Need an MBA demystifies the skills leaders of the future need and epitomises the brave new world of leadership; united leadership that focuses on real outcomes, not quick-fixes. Alicia McKay draws on the latest global thinking on leadership and outlines a way forward, in plain English and with actionable steps.” (Catalogue)
Also available as an e-book

From strategy to action : a guide to getting shit done in the public sector / McKay, Alicia
“Lack of clarity on purpose, vision and priorities plague all levels of the public sector, with short-termism and reactive management crowding out opportunities to develop genuine strategic capability.Operating in this environment without pushback is no longer enough, for public managers tired of late, unfinished and failed initiatives. Nor is it enough for a jaded public, who rightfully expect value from their contribution to the social contract. From Strategy to Action provides a framework to shift the needle and make progress on the big picture. Using the tools and advice compiled in this book, public managers who are ready to seize agency and do things differently will be pleasantly surprised at the impact they can have on their teams, organisations and communities”–https://aliciamckay.co.nz.” (Catalogue)

Talking about Leadership with Rachel Esson, General Manager, National Library

Linda

Strong/strength

A guide

Able to assess risks

Has vision

Empowers others ….

These are the words I got back when I asked my network what ‘Leadership’ meant to them.  All readily apply to Rachel Esson, Te Pouhuaki, National Librarian and General Manager of the National Library.

Photo credit: Mark Beattie, National Library. Licensed CC by 4.0

In our latest video interview I talked to Rachel about what qualities she thinks make a leader, the role of mentoring, developing leadership skills, the importance of trust and the challenges of remote leadership.

Of leadership qualities Rachel says :
“You need the ability to plan for multiple scenarios, to plan for now and the future … to build relationships”

Watch here to hear more about Rachels’ journey to leading the National Library and her observations of leadership.

In summary Rachel offers up these words of advice :

The key thing to being in a leadership role is you need to be prepared to be uncomfortable … Because that is how you learn”

Wellington City Libraries has a number of new additions on leadership in both e-book and hard copy formats.

Whether you are already a leader or aspire to be one, you will find something of interest in these recent books.

The art of caring leadership : how leading with heart uplifts teams and organizations / Younger, Heather R.
“If your people know you care about them, they will move mountains. Employee engagement and loyalty expert Heather R. Younger outlines nine ways to manifest the radical power of caring support in the workplace”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

 

10 leadership virtues for disruptive times : coaching your team through immense change and challenge /Tom Ziglar. / Ziglar, Tom
“Tom Ziglar, CEO of Zig Ziglar Corp, shares ten leadership virtues that are essential for coaching employees through immense change and creating an environment of maximum potential and productivity. With the world changing so rapidly, many leaders are struggling to find new ways to make a significant and positive impact on their team. The key, says Tom Ziglar, is to consistently bring out the best in everyone by focusing on ten core virtues: kindness, humility, respect, persistence, selflessness, encouragement, positive expectations, self-control, firmness, and hope. Delivering cutting-edge new research, wisdom gleaned from experience, and poignant insights from his work at Zig Ziglar Corp, Tom Ziglar identifies the communication styles that will keep everyone on the same page, regardless of their working environment. He also emphasizes the importance of closing the “empathy gap” between management and staff in order to create a more connected team that operates to its fullest potential–and how developing each team member’s unique dreams, goals, and abilities sets up the company for success. In 10 Leadership Virtues for Disruptive Times, Ziglar shows why “coach leadership,” instead of management leadership, is the best way to lead through immense change and challenge. It is essential guidance for leaders who want to coach their teams through inevitable periods of disruption with the goal of helping them thrive at home and at work.” –Publisher.” (Catalogue)

Simple truths of leadership : 52 ways to be a servant leader and build trust / Blanchard, Kenneth H
“Leadership legend and bestselling author Ken Blanchard and trust expert and thought leader Randy Conley present this carefully curated collection of fifty-two essential leadership principles that are easy to implement and practice. Effective leadership is an influence process where leaders implement everyday, commonsense approaches that help people and organizations thrive. Yet somehow, many of these fundamental principles are still missing from most workplaces. In Simple Truths of Leadership, legendary servant leadership expert Ken Blanchard, whose books have sold millions of copies worldwide, and his colleague Randy Conley, known and recognized for his many years of thought leadership and expertise in the field of trust, share fifty-two Simple Truths about leadership that will help leaders everywhere make commonsense leadership common practice. Readers will discover profound, memorable, and in some cases counterintuitive leadership wisdom such as * Who should make the first move to extend trust * What role a successful apology plays in building trust * When to use different strokes (leadership styles) for different folks–and for the same folks * Where the most important part of leadership happens * How to create autonomy through boundaries * Why the key to developing people is catching them doing something right A fun, easy read that will make a positive difference in leadership and organizational success, Simple Truths of Leadership will show readers how to incorporate simple but essential practices into their leadership style, build trust through servant leadership, and enhance their own lives and the lives of everyone around them.” (Catalogue)

Balancing act : teach, coach, mentor, inspire / Temte, Andrew
“”Success without balance is often more disastrous than failure with balance.” So begins Dr. Andrew Temte’s collection of candid observations on the challenges facing business leaders today. From top student to high school dropout, from aspiring rock star to successful business leader, Temte shares lessons learned on the importance of balance in all aspects of life and work. Balancing Act explores the characteristics required of a new generation of leaders who must find balance between strength and vulnerability; confidence and selflessness; passion and measure; single mindedness and inclusivity; determination and curiosity; and leadership and followership. He stresses that balance is a journey, not a destination. In Balancing Act, readers will learn: How to identify and curtail organizational entropyHow leaders can facilitate a culture of trustHow to realize the benefits of a diverse organization by fostering a culture that encourages everyone to bring their ‘whole self’ to work. How embarking on a continuous improvement journey can result in more balanced individuals, teams and organizations. We are all seeking opportunity, joy, and purpose; the commitment to “teach, coach, mentor, and inspire,” is a contribution we can all make as we seek balance in our workplace and home life.” (Catalogue)

Within the e-book collection the following are downloadable with a library registration :

Leadership.
“The practical e-guide that gives you all the skills you need to succeed as a leader. Discover how to improve your leadership skills by establishing a vision, inspiring others, and championing high performance. Learn how to focus your energy, build relationships, and develop strategies for success – as well as the best ways to lead in difficult situations, such as through a period of business change. Essential Managers: Leadership gives you a practical “how-to” approach with step-by-step instructions, tips, checklists, and “ask yourself” features showing you how to focus your energy, influence and build strong networks, and make an impact. Whether you want to develop new leadership tools or enhance your existing skills, this is the e-guide for you.” (Catalogue)

Be exceptional : master the five traits that set extraordinary people apart / Navarro, Joe
“Behavior expert and business consultant Joe Navarro reveals the five unequalled qualities that set exceptional individuals and great leaders apart, and how you can use these principles to stand out and distinguish yourself. Including case studies from business and history, compelling stories from Joe’s life and career, and cutting-edge science, this book empowers you to change how you see yourself, influence how others see you, and prepare, should the opportunity arise, to be not just ready to lead, but worthy to lead.” (Catalogue)

If you need more information please contact the Prosearch team at the library.  We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources.  All enquiries are treated in confidence.

Building trust – in business and the workplace

Linda

The Oxford Learners Dictionaries define Trust as :
1 : to have confidence in somebody; to believe that somebody is good, sincere, honest, etc.
2 : to believe that something is true or correct or that you can rely on it 

“Trust” is a hot topic in the management and business literature at the moment.  Trust in leadership, trust in business, trust in teams .  What all agree on is that trust is an extremely important component in a workplace.

Some recent quick reads on Trust include :
In leaders we trust : how to build and inspire trust in 2022
Good leadership is about trust. Trust is the essential factor for success and is foundational for an organization to evolve, flex, pivot, adapt, and ultimately thrive in times of continuous change.

In the HBR’s How business can build and maintain trust author Tim Ryan,  U.S. chair of PwC and founder of the Trust Leadership Institute, writes that … “trust is fragile and businesses must manage it as carefully as they do their balance sheets… He details where consumers and business leaders agree on which actions drive trust and offers three takeaways for the business community: 1) It’s time for business to galvanize around trust and transparency; 2) To build trust, leaders must communicate the why behind their decisions; and 3) Leaders need to act with integrity, courage, and vulnerability.”

Leadership behaviors that diminish trust outlines “… four leadership behaviors that diminish trust and what to do instead.”

For longer reads, check out the following in the WCL book collection :

The trusted leader : bringing out the best in your people and your company / Galford, Robert M.
“Based on highly specific research and experience that covers a wide spectrum of managers and organizations, The Trusted Leader identifies the three critical types of trust that leaders need to master: strategic trust, organizational trust, and personal trust. It introduces a practical and effective formula for building organizational confidence, and provides a unique analysis of the obstacles to trust and the sources of resistance to the building of trust inside organizations. Through a series of interactive exercises, executives will learn how to determine where trust is missing and how it can be supplemented in people, departments, and even whole companies. Perhaps most timely are the book’s series of diagnostic tools and skills that help executives rebuild trust that has been broken or betrayed.”–BOOK JACKET.” (Catalogue)

Breaking the trust barrier : how leaders close the gaps for high performance / Venable, JV
“For former US Airforce Thunderbirds’ commander and demonstration leader JV Venable, inspiring teamwork was literally a matter of life and death. On maneuvers the distance between jets was just 18 inches. Closing the gaps to sustain that kind of separation requires the highest levels of trust. On the ground or in the air, from line supervisor to CEO, we all face the same challenge. Our job is to entice those we lead to close the gaps that slow the whole team down – gaps in commitment, loyalty, and trust. Every bit of closure requires your people to let go of biases and mental safeguards that hold them back. The process the Thunderbirds use to break that barrier and craft the highest levels of trust on a team with an annual turnover of 50% is nothing short of phenomenal. That process is packaged in this book with tips and compelling stories that will help you build the team of a lifetime.” (Catalogue)

Principled : 10 leadership practices for building trust / Browning, Paul
“When trust is destroyed in the workplace, how do you restore it? In the era of #metoo, ‘fake news’ and ‘alternative facts’ few would dispute that we face a global crisis around trust in the workplace and more broadly in society. When the CSIRO released its Australian National Outlook 2019, it identified trust as one of the future key challenges the nation faces in relation to governments, business, non-government organisations and the media. It is less likely that a company will be able to innovate and remain competitive if trust is low or absent. Prominent Australian educator Paul Browning faced this situation when the school he led became embroiled in The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Principled draws on Browning’s first-hand experience of navigating an organisation through this highly public ethical crisis and outlines the challenges he faced as a leader. Bringing together evidence-based research and over 20 years of management experience, Paul Browning offers timely advice on the 10 key practices that can help executives build and develop skills to become more trustworthy leaders.” (Catalogue)

Digital body language : how to build trust & connection, no matter the distance / Dhawan, Erica
“From Erica Dhawan, co-author of Get Big Things Done, the definitive guide to communicating and connecting wherever you are. Email replies that show up a week later. Video chats full of ‘oops sorry no you go’ and ‘can you hear me?!’ Ambiguous text-messages. Weird punctuation you can’t make heads or tails of. Is it any wonder communication takes us so much time and effort to figure out? How did we lose our innate capacity to understand each other? Humans rely on body language to connect and build trust, but with most of our communication happening from behind a screen, traditional body language signals are no longer visible — or are they? In Digital Body Language, Erica Dhawan, a go-to thought leader on collaboration and a passionate communication junkie, combines cutting edge research with engaging storytelling to decode the new signals and cues that have replaced traditional body language across genders, generations, and culture. In real life, we lean in, uncross our arms, smile, nod and make eye contact to show we listen and care. Online, reading carefully is the new listening. Writing clearly is the new empathy. And a phone or video call is worth a thousand emails. Digital Body Language will turn your daily misunderstandings into a set of collectively understood laws that foster connection, no matter the distance. Dhawan investigates a wide array of exchanges–from large conferences and video meetings to daily emails, texts, IMs, and conference calls–and offers insights and solutions to build trust and clarity to anyone in our ever changing world”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

If you need more information please contact the Prosearch team at the library.  We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources.  All enquiries are treated in confidence.