Discussion: View Thread

Carter -- you bring up some very valid points.

The first is simply to define what leadership *(in a specific context) and at the same time to define what the outcomes are that one is seeking. If these can be defined then at least one has a fighting chance to develop some semblence of leadership that can be successful.

I believe that leadership is a skill, not unlike golf, or chess, or painting. Therefore, it seems to me that one of the missing components with respect to leadership training is developing a " simulator" (and you can define that in many ways and in several domains) that allows those wishing to improve their leadership skills to be able to practice in a safe environment.

In this light, it would seem to me that there are three components for the successful growth of leadership skills: First is the want to improve these skills by the individual; the second is the ability to practice these defined skills, and the third is the opportunity to have strong coaching. At this writing I am not sure that this kind of a continuum is offered.

cheers,
-rr
rustyrae@comcast.net

Rusty, you wrote:
"The first is simply to define what leadership *(in a specific context) and
at the same time to define what the outcomes are that one is seeking."

Good point!

And, as you'd probably agree, defining leadership does not have to be an
unending -- even useless -- philosophical blizzard of ideas as so often
happens. (We educators, researchers and writers often love the blizzard,
but our clients often hate it :-)

The field of general semantics gives great advice about how to effectively
define something. A good definition conveys: a) context, b) focus and c)
scope. We rarely provide that when defining leadership -- too often, we
take a universalist approach that "leadership" is the same with everybody,
everywhere all the time.

The result then is that many people -- people who are already very
passionate about the highly evocative term: "leadership" -- start suggesting
100s of admirable traits and 100s of aspects of intra- and interpersonal
relations.

Few people can directly dispute that any of the suggested traits and aspects
are not useful or not even admirable. So then the discussions about
leadership become the typical philosophical explorations that rarely have
any closure ... and everyone becomes an expert in leadership.

So, unless we can even generalize the context, focus and scope of leadership
in a leadership development effort, the term will "leadership" will
encompass everything -- and nothing.

If people are to plan a leadership development program -- and measure the
success of that program -- then they should clarify the application of
leadership to:
1. "Core" skills? -- these are skills that are necessary -- but not
sufficient! -- in various different applications, e.g., skills in decision
making, problem solving, system thinking, authenticity, etc.
2. Leading oneself? -- then also address skills in, e.g., reflection,
assertiveness, confidence, etc.
3. Leading other individuals? -- then also teach skills in, e.g., coaching,
delegating, work directing, mentoring, etc.
4. Leading groups? -- then also teach facilitation, team problem solving,
meeting managment, etc.
5. Leading organizations? -- then also teach organizational performance
management, alignment, managing change, etc.

A major problem with "leadership development" is that, far too often, people
focus only on the necessary "core skills," but act like those skills are
always sufficient for any other application. Not true -- and our clients
know that :-)

(Another problem with leadership development is that we treat leadership
like it is an end in itself, rather than as a tool to get something done,
which makes it even more difficult to measure the success of "leadership
development." But that's another discussion :-)

----------------------------------------------
Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD
Authenticity Consulting, LLC
www.authenticityconsulting.com
blogs: www.managementhelp.org/blogs
800-971-2250

Carter,
Excellent packaging. Thank you.
I suggest an item #0: Of What. Identifying the context and underlying problematic situation thereby the focus and challenge of leading.
In an orchestra a key leadership role is played by the rhythm section but best if they follow the conductor's lead.
On Mar 31, 2012, at 1:30 PM, Carter McNamara wrote:

> Rusty, you wrote:
> "The first is simply to define what leadership *(in a specific context) and at the same time to define what the outcomes are that one is seeking."
>
> Good point!
>
> And, as you'd probably agree, defining leadership does not have to be an unending -- even useless -- philosophical blizzard of ideas as so often happens. (We educators, researchers and writers often love the blizzard, but our clients often hate it :-)
>
> The field of general semantics gives great advice about how to effectively define something. A good definition conveys: a) context, b) focus and c) scope. We rarely provide that when defining leadership -- too often, we take a universalist approach that "leadership" is the same with everybody, everywhere all the time.
>
> The result then is that many people -- people who are already very passionate about the highly evocative term: "leadership" -- start suggesting 100s of admirable traits and 100s of aspects of intra- and interpersonal relations.
>
> Few people can directly dispute that any of the suggested traits and aspects are not useful or not even admirable. So then the discussions about leadership become the typical philosophical explorations that rarely have any closure ... and everyone becomes an expert in leadership.
>
> So, unless we can even generalize the context, focus and scope of leadership in a leadership development effort, the term will "leadership" will encompass everything -- and nothing.
>
> If people are to plan a leadership development program -- and measure the success of that program -- then they should clarify the application of leadership to:
> 1. "Core" skills? -- these are skills that are necessary -- but not sufficient! -- in various different applications, e.g., skills in decision making, problem solving, system thinking, authenticity, etc.
> 2. Leading oneself? -- then also address skills in, e.g., reflection, assertiveness, confidence, etc.
> 3. Leading other individuals? -- then also teach skills in, e.g., coaching, delegating, work directing, mentoring, etc.
> 4. Leading groups? -- then also teach facilitation, team problem solving, meeting managment, etc.
> 5. Leading organizations? -- then also teach organizational performance management, alignment, managing change, etc.
>
> A major problem with "leadership development" is that, far too often, people focus only on the necessary "core skills," but act like those skills are always sufficient for any other application. Not true -- and our clients know that :-)
>
> (Another problem with leadership development is that we treat leadership like it is an end in itself, rather than as a tool to get something done, which makes it even more difficult to measure the success of "leadership development." But that's another discussion :-)
>
> ----------------------------------------------
> Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD
> Authenticity Consulting, LLC
> www.authenticityconsulting.com
> blogs: www.managementhelp.org/blogs
> 800-971-2250
>

Interesting discussion! I took notice of the suggestion that what is missing
is a simulator that allows users to practice skills related to leadership in
a safe environment. Actually, I would suggest there is such a simulator -
it's called vLeader and was developed by SimuLearn awhile ago for exactly
that purpose. It is used in academic and corporate settings (as well as the
US military) for leadership training and development.

I believe vLeader achieves the three goals mentioned in the previous
message: 1) to improve leadership-related skills, 2) to practice these
skills in an effective and comfortable context, and 3) to provide strong
coaching. The last component is achieved in 3 ways: 1) through extensive
feedback provided by the simulator, 2) through exercises and reflective
assignments in the accompanying book, and 3) through interaction with the
trainer/instructor. vLeader helps the user align decision making and
behaviors with strategic goals. It also improves the user's ability to
understand, monitor, direct and influence people and situations.

vLeader consists of 5 scenarios which increase in complexity. The user is
"Corey", a new mid-level manager at a company called Nortic. As Corey, the
user interacts with individuals above and below her/him in the
organizational hierarchy and attempts to achieve a set of goals.

I should note that I am the author of the series of books that accompany
vLeader (there are 3 different varieties of the simulator, for different
levels of users and training needs). The books that I have written to go
along with the simulator are intended to help bridge between the skill-based
focus of vLeader and the theories/concepts taught in most leadership and OB
courses. In this way, students are able to not only practice leadership-
oriented skills (verbal/nonverbal communication, moderation of tension,
building alliances, developing informal power, crisis
leadership, etc.), but also increase their understanding of how the theories
and concepts discussed in their courses apply to these skills.

I use vLeader in undergraduate and graduate level courses and the response
from my students has been overwhelmingly positive. I hope this info is
useful to you! Feel free to contact me about vLeader (standirl@uwec.edu) or
Pierre Thiault at pierre.thiault@simulearn.net.

Rhetta,
I'm pleased to read that you've been following our discussions. Not a lot
of people do that. They tend to read the original post and then add their
piece.

So your vLeader, what application of leadership does it apply to?
- Core skills?
- Leading yourself?
- Leading another individual?
- Leading a group?
- Leading an organization?
Are the leadeship skills the same?

Please help me understand?

I'm not being discourteous or unkind. I just want to understand.

Thank you!

----------------------------------------------
Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD
Authenticity Consulting, LLC
www.authenticityconsulting.com
blogs: www.managementhelp.org/blogs
800-971-2250
----------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rhetta Standifer" <standirl@UWEC.EDU>
To: <MG-ED-DV@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU>
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2012 11:05 AM
Subject: Re: Leadership Book - LMX Chapter


Interesting discussion! I took notice of the suggestion that what is missing
is a simulator that allows users to practice skills related to leadership in
a safe environment. Actually, I would suggest there is such a simulator -
it's called vLeader and was developed by SimuLearn awhile ago for exactly
that purpose. It is used in academic and corporate settings (as well as the
US military) for leadership training and development.

I believe vLeader achieves the three goals mentioned in the previous
message: 1) to improve leadership-related skills, 2) to practice these
skills in an effective and comfortable context, and 3) to provide strong
coaching. The last component is achieved in 3 ways: 1) through extensive
feedback provided by the simulator, 2) through exercises and reflective
assignments in the accompanying book, and 3) through interaction with the
trainer/instructor. vLeader helps the user align decision making and
behaviors with strategic goals. It also improves the user's ability to
understand, monitor, direct and influence people and situations.

vLeader consists of 5 scenarios which increase in complexity. The user is
"Corey", a new mid-level manager at a company called Nortic. As Corey, the
user interacts with individuals above and below her/him in the
organizational hierarchy and attempts to achieve a set of goals.

I should note that I am the author of the series of books that accompany
vLeader (there are 3 different varieties of the simulator, for different
levels of users and training needs). The books that I have written to go
along with the simulator are intended to help bridge between the skill-based
focus of vLeader and the theories/concepts taught in most leadership and OB
courses. In this way, students are able to not only practice leadership-
oriented skills (verbal/nonverbal communication, moderation of tension,
building alliances, developing informal power, crisis
leadership, etc.), but also increase their understanding of how the theories
and concepts discussed in their courses apply to these skills.

I use vLeader in undergraduate and graduate level courses and the response
from my students has been overwhelmingly positive. I hope this info is
useful to you! Feel free to contact me about vLeader (standirl@uwec.edu) or
Pierre Thiault at pierre.thiault@simulearn.net.

Carter,

I'll let Rhetta go into more detail, but I have gone through the simulation
and it isn't bad at all, considering that it is a computer "game." The
scenarios allow for "interaction" with "others" in both a one-on-one
situation as well as in groups, and the scenarios are with both peers,
subordinates, and superiors. I was evaluating it for use with the
certification process for the Institute of Certified Professional Managers,
as well as in my own programs. Pricing is reasonable, but when combined
with the other stuff that I was looking to incorporate it into, it starting
making the costs a bit too high for marketability. I haven't seen Rhetta's
books that go along with it, so I can't comment on them, but they might help
make the simulation a bit more robust. In my opinion, it isn't a
stand-alone solution, and it needs more work done around it with
participants.

I think it would definitely appeal to a younger generation that has grown up
on computer games, while a slightly older generation might not like it so
well. I've been working with computers since high school in the 70's, but
I'm not a "gamer," and it took me awhile to get the hang of making it do
what I wanted it to do. But by the end of the sessions I was doing fine.
On the other hand, there were some basic concepts that it was trying to
teach that I'm not entirely bought into. In fact, it seems to teach the
same basics as most management courses do, and according to my research, a
lot of that stuff isn't what drives exceptional performance in
organizations. Based on this, I decided not to pursue it for what I'm
trying to do with my clients and took a different approach.

However, all in all, if you are looking for a computer simulation program
for managers to supplement other course work, then it is very much worth
taking a look at to see what it can do.

Make a Great Day!
 
Gary Lear
President & CEO

Best Selling Author of Leadership Lessons From the Medicine Wheel: The Seven
Elements of High Performance

Contributing Author: 180 Ways to Walk the Customer Service Talk
An Inscape Certified DiSC® Trainer
 
Resource Development Systems LLC
Managing the Human Side of Business (sm)
 
934 Falling Creek Dr.                                       478-254-3155
Macon, GA  31220                                           888-909-6194
 
gelear@rds-net.com   www.ResourceDevelopmentSystems.com

Actually, I'd have to respectfully disagree with Gary's assessment. Before I
do so, however, I should point out that I am not an employee of SimuLearn
and was not involved in the software's creation in any way. I was only
contracted to write accompanying books for the existing program. As far as
pricing goes, I'm not a salesperson, but I believe the cost is reasonable,
especially with the books being available as part of it now. I use vLeader
with the book in stand-alone electives for both undergrads and graduate
students and find the materials sufficient.

That said, vLeader is not a computer game. In fact, one of the first things
I explain to students when I use vLeader is that they can not approach the
simulation as a game. The programming is written so that the characters the
user encounters will not act exactly the same way when the same scenario is
practiced multiple times - that way, the user is forced to think on their
feet and respond in real-time. (So it's not just a matter of figuring out
which buttons to click to "win" on a given scenario.)I like to think of
vLeader more like learning a musical instrument - the more you practice, the
better you become at the skills it is teaching.

Of course, I'm not going to be the most objective person to speak to the
"robustness" of the books since I wrote them. However, I humbly suggest that
the books (and the instructor materials that go along with them) do increase
the benefits to the user and to the instructor. I took great effort to
include theories and concepts typically found in OB and leadership courses
and to explain those theories and concepts in a textbook-like format. In
fact, at least one of the books (vLeader Pro Comprehensive) was written so
that it could be used as a replacement text for an OB course. In addition,
there are also reflective assignments and exercises that may be done
individually or in a class format that help link the theoretical concepts to
the skills being developed in the simulator. In addition, for each scenario
the user practices, there is a guided set of exercises to be completed while
practicing. These exercises represent a scaffolded approach intended to
guide the student to deeper levels of understanding.

I don't know which concepts you didn't buy into Gary, so I can't speak to
that. However, I believe that the skills being developed in vLeader such as
building informal power, learning to build alliances, dealing with crises
and conflict, supporting collaboration and the generation of ideas from
others, and learning how to effectively moderate tension are all useful
leadership-oriented skills. I also think the benchmark approach the
simulation uses for feedback teaches students the importance of considering
not only financial results, but also customer satisfaction and employee
morale.

One interesting last note: I've actually found that my older students
sometimes do better than the younger ones precisely because they aren't as
inclined to approach the simulation as a "game".

Thanks for the feedback, however - I will pass it along to the SimuLearn
folks! :)

Rhetta Standifer

Carter:
No disrespect taken - I appreciate the question! The reply I just submitted
to Gary's comments might answer some of your questions, but here's some more
info just in case:

Your question about application is an interesting one! What I think vLeader
does is teach you how to strategically interact with others to bring about
the results you wish to achieve. In that respect, it's primarily about
leading other individuals or perhaps groups. I would not say it's about
leading whole organizations - the scenarios have you practice interactions
about specific ideas with 1-4 people. It doesn't really speak to leading
large groups, although the ideas being discussed in the scenario are
sometimes strategic in their vision. Also, the exercises in the book forces
you to practice interacting in vLeader using a variety of leadership styles
in different contexts. Because of that, the student may learn what is their
natural inclination in terms of leadership styles, but also how to analyze a
situation, select the best leadership style for that situation, and how to
apply that style effectively.

I have also found it to be a useful tool for learning self-awareness and
discipline with regard to how you interact with others. For someone (like
me!) who is prone to speak first and think about the impact of those words
later, vLeader has been a tremendously useful tool. I have learned to be
more strategic in my interactions, to be more adept at collaborating and
building informal power for myself, and to be more effective at moderating
tension and getting others to generate ideas.

Hope that helps!
Rhetta Standifer