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A Leadership Learning Journey 1

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Running Head: A LEADERSHIP LEARNINGJOURNEY

A LeadershipLearningJourney

E. Aspen Walker

EmporiaStateUniversity, Schoolof Library& InformationManagement

LI863

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ProfessorFortier


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ABSTRACT

This paper looks at the development of written communication skills,

using emotionallyintelligent training exercises, through the lens of one

Colorado public librarys internal leadership program (Leadership

Journey).


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INTRODUCTION

InSeptemberof 2008,I will teacha short classabout communication

to acohortof ten studentsof publiclibrary leadership.After surveying

the group,I have learnedtheywouldlike tospendour time together

workingon their written communicationskills. While I have spent a great

dealof timeimmersedin the practiceof writing, I have little experience

teachingothers, andplentytolearnstill about the art of written

communication.This

will

be

a

big

learning

opportunity

for

me,

too.

I dontwant this classto be a flash in the pan for anyof us; I hope

we all genuinelygrowfromthe experience.As afellowstudentof

leadership,I am intriguedbyBoyatzisTheoryofSelfDirectedLearning

andtheideathat emotionallyintelligenttrainingresonatesdeeplywith

students, takesfirm holdinthe limbic regionof the brain,andeffects

long lastingchangein leadershipstyle. I hopeI can helpeachstudent

launchalongtermwriting practicethat resultsin improvedwritten

communicationsand an appreciationfor the benefits of lifelong,self

directedandemotionallyintelligent learning. Ialsohope to improvemy

own leadershipskills and style throughthe handson practiceand

feedbackandtheclassaffords.


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This paper looksat myapproachand planas I readyfor the class.I

will discussthe LeadershipJourneyprogram;turn next to the philosophy

of emotionallyintelligentlearning;andconcludeby describingthe lesson

planI have selectedfor the class.

THE LEADERSHIP JOURNEY

DouglasCountyLibraries (an independentpubliclibrary districtin

DouglasCounty, Colorado)initiatedthe LeadershipJourneyprogramin

2008,in

order

to

develop

and

promote

library

leaders

from

within

the

organization.Tenstudentswereselectedto participatein thetwo year

training program.LeadershipJourneyalso aimsto further developthe

organizations current leadership,by askingmanagersandadministrators

to teachthe classesandmentorthe students.All participantswill traverse

a learningcoursedesignedto developtheinsights, skills, andtools

neededtosuccessfullyleadthemselvesandothersin the library

communityandbeyond(DouglasCountyLibraries, 2008).

Year one focusesonpersonalleadershipandselfdevelopment;or as

the LeadershipJourneysyllabusdeclares,Beforeyou leadothers, you

mustfirst learnto leadyourself (DouglasCountyLibraries, 2008).First

year activities includeongoingcoaching and mentorship, reading and

homework assignments, regular postings to learning blogs, monthly classes


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taught by DCL leaders, and outside training courses. Monthly class topics

include: emotional intelligence; self awareness and

social/communication/personality styles; change management; systems thinking

and organizational theory; and communication skills. Outside training includes

the development of a personal mission and vision statement with a certified

coach; EQ evaluation; a Social Styles workshop;a twoday course in meeting

facilitation; a twoday presentation skills clinic; and classes in business

writing, grammar, editing, technology, time management, and supervision.

Meanwhile, class instructors must stretch and grow as well. We must

learn how to embrace the visionary, coaching and democratic leadership styles

(Goleman, 2004, p. 55), in order to inspire and mentor the students, and receive

feedback abouttheir experience. We must remember that teachers are students

too, do our research, and think long and hard on the subjects of leadership and

education. We must revitalize and employ our presentation and communication

skills to craft a learning experience that resonates with the students. We must

be willing to hear others, respondto feedback, and keep growing.

Together, we are designing a collaborative approach to building a

learning community comprised of many, who continually improve as both

leadersand

participants.

In

order

for

this

to

work,

we

must

all

be

invested

in

the successof Leadership Journey.In my experience, I find I am motivated to

make the most of the classes, partly because I have been asked to be part of the

team. I have heard others express a similar sentiment: we are excited to be a


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part of this creative, learning process. Leadership Journey is a true

collaboration; it belongs to no single heroor genius. We can all benefit fromthe

process, take pride in our contributions, and effect positive change at Douglas

County Libraries. This team pride and collaborative spirit reminds me of Olson

and Singers Third Change Principle: Rely on the groupas the primary unit of

workremember to avoid hero worship on projects and instead focus on

harnessing, appreciating, and rewarding the work of all members of the group

(2004, 41).

I dontwish to foolthe studentsor myself.Weve allgot alongroad

aheadof us. Theywill not perfecttheir writing skills ina fewhours.I

will not craftaquickpresentationthat delvesinto the deepestdepthsof

written communication.Buttheycanlaunchandsustaina writing

practicethatimprovestheir written communication,while embracingthe

benefits of selfdirectedlearning.I can help, bycraftingemotionally

intelligent exercisesthataim toengageandresonatewith the students,

andencouragethemtoadoptacourseofselfdirectedlearning.And we

canall rememberwe are a groupof travelcompanions,in the midst ofa

leadershiplearning

journey.

EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENTLEARNING

I think that the Leadership Journey offers a shared learning opportunity

that can work to effect positive change well beyond the honeymoon effect


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(Goleman, 2004, p. 98) by employing emotionally intelligent learning strategies.

This includes l imbic stimulation, Boyatzis Theory of SelfDirected Learning,

and Kolbs Learning Styles.

In Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intell igence, we

discover that training/learning that triggers the emotional l imbic region of the

braincan have a long lasting effect on the student, if it incorporates

motivation,extendedpracticeandfeedback(Goleman,2004,p. 102). It

is my hope thatI can drawon what I havelearnedin our Emporia

Leadershipclass, and accomplishthe kindofresonant,emotionally

intelligent training, and sustainableandselfdirectedlearningthat

Goleman,BoyatzisandMcKeeadvocatein Primal Leadership (2004,pp. 99

112).

Withthis

in

mind,

my

lesson

plan

and

approach

(discussed

more

pointedlybelow)includestheselimbicfriendlyandemotionally

intelligent components:

Motivationthe studentsarewillinglyparticipating, in order todevelopas leaders. I havealsoasked them to

choose the class topic. Hopefully this will increase

the likelihood that they are invested in and

motivatedby the class.

Extended practice I will share a little about thebenefits of ongoing, selfdirected learning; encourage


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students to commence a longterm writing practice,

take advantage of the continuing education and

collections Leadership Journey and Douglas County

Librariesoffer;

and

remind

them

that

every

time

they

write (for work,on their LeadershipJourneyblog, or

elsewhere) they can remember they are practicing

writing and selfdirected learning, and opt touse the

experienceas an opportunityto learnandimprove.

Feedback students can opt to share their work inclass,

share

their

opinions

and

contribute

to

class

discussion, ask their mentors to coach their writing

practice, and help me improve by sharing their

comments.

I alsohave attemptedto designlessonplanthat makesthe mostof

the LeadershipJourneyformatandthe Five Discoveriesof Boyatzis

Theoryof SelfDirectedLearning:

My ideal self WhodoI want to be? My realself WhoAm I? Whatare my strengthsand weaknesses?

My learning agendaHow can I build on my strength,

while

reducing

my

gaps?

Experimenting with and practicing newbehaviors, thoughts, and feelings to the point

of mastery.

Developing trusting relationships that help,


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support, and encourage each step in the

process.

(Goleman,2004,

p.

102)

LeadershipJourneyasksit studentstospendagreat dealoftime

thinkingabout their ideal andrealselves,especiallyin the first year,when

the curricularthemecan besummedup simply:knowthyself . Theylookto

the

ideal

by

crafting

mission

and

vision

statements;

they

focus

on

the

real

byexaminingtheir personalitytraits, emotionalintelligence,socialstyles

andleadershipstrengths. Parenthetically, it is of notethattheprocessof

preparingfor, andteachinga LeadershipJourneyclasshas a verysimilar

influenceon the teacher. The sheer contrastbetweenmy idealandreal

selveshas

become

very

apparent

as

Iwork

to

craft

a

lesson

that

meets

my

idealisticvision, within the frameworkof myactualskills andlimitations.

Inlookingat their idealandreal selvesthesepast months, the

LeadershipJourneystudentshavespottedmanyoftheir strengthsand

gapsin leadershipskills andlearning.Thisis anopportunetime to

developa learning agenda for their selfdirectedlearningpractice.In this

particularcase,the studentshaveindicatedthat theywouldliketo learn

more about written communication,sotheleaningagendaincludestime


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andlearnfromothers. The class will encouragestudentstoenterasocial

feedbackloop, bysharinganddiscussingtheir writing with their fellow

students.

We dontall learn best the same way. Emotionally intelligent

training remembersthatpeopleactuallylearnbest whenthey using

[learning]modesthat suit them(Goleman,2004, p. 150).The class is

madeupof learnerswith differentstyles, so my lessonplanwill

incorporateKolbs

work

in

learning

styles.

As

youll

soon

see,

Iwill

use

training exercisesthatappeal tothe learningmodesKolbfoundto be

mosteffectivefor most people:

Concrete experience : Having an experiencethat allowsthem tosee andfeel what it is like.

Reflection :

Thinking

about

their

own

and

others

experiences.

Modelbuilding : Comingupwith atheorythat makessense ofwhat theyobserve.

Trialanderrorlearning : tryingsomethingout byactivelyexperimentingwith a newapproach.

(Goleman,2004,pp. 1501).

THE LESSON PLAN

LessonI. PreclassHomework.The LeadershipJourneyclasses

always includepreclasshomework,sothe studentsare alreadythinking


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with severalaspectsof emotionallyintelligent learning.In makingtheir

selections,theywill spendsometime in reflection, and comefacetoface

with their real and ideal selves.Theywill also facethe sometimesscary

ideaof feedback and trusting relationship. More follows belowabout the

exercisesthat will put thesepersonalwriting samplesto use.

LessonII. EmotionallyIntelligentLearning

I want the skeletonandunderlyingphilosophyof the lessonplanto

bevery

transparent

to

the

students.

Ihope

that

the

intentional

inclusion

of emotionallyintelligent strategiesinthe classesstructure will be

motivating for the students, and that theyllfeelthere is apurposeto

everythingwe doin the class.

I will beginbyprovidingabriefoverviewof the information

coveredinthe secondpart of this paper(EmotionallyIntelligent

Learningabove).We will discussthe limbicbrain, and the longterm

benefits of learningthat incorporatesmotivation,extendedpracticeand

feedback.We will lookat Boyatzis Theoryof SelfDirected Learning

(AppendixA)and discussits cyclicalprocessof discoveries.We will also

touchbriefly on Kolbs learningmodes.We will discussa few final points:

Howcan writing practicehelpyou practiceselfdirectedlearning,and

changeyour badhabits over time?Isit possiblethatone learning


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experience(likethe developmentof written communicationskills) can

teachyou how to be alifelonglearner?How doesa selfdirectedlearning

agendacontributetothe purposeand themeof LeadershipJourneyYear

One (KnowThyself)? In additionto motivation, this exerciseaimsto

harnessseveralotheremotionallyintelligent learningtools: feedback,

relationship, reflectionandmodelbuilding.

LessonIII. Written Communication& Leadership

Atthis

point,

Iwill

ask

the

students

to

break

into

three

groups

to

explore this question:Whatstheconnectionbetweenwritten

communicationandleadership?After 15minutesofbrainstorming, each

groupwill collectivelypresenttheir ideastothe class,andwe will

discuss.This lessonincorporatesfeedback, the ideal self, relationship,

reflectionand model building .

LessonIV.Get Your Point Across Simply

Giventhe proliferationof informationwe all faceat work,and

elsewhere, the contemporaryart ofwritten communicationultimately

meansthe ability togetyour point across, simply, quickly, andin astyle

that resonateswith thereader. I willsharefour short documentswith the

classthatexplorethis topic:GettingReadyto Write: Purpose,Point &

Person,(Danziger, 2001);RedFlags&PhrasestoAvoid(Kranz, 2007,


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p. 60);AListof WordSavers(BriefingsPublishingGroup, 1997);and No

Bulls 26PhrasesYou ShouldNeverUse inBusinessWriting (2008).We

will readoverthe writing tipsas aclass, anddiscuss. Thisexerciseis

designedtointegrateawarenessof the real and ideal selves, feedback, and

reflection.

LessonV.HandsonWriting Practice

The handsonwritingexercisesI have selectedrelate to LessonIV,

byoffering

students

a

chance

to

experiment

with

written

clarity

and

textual simplification.The exerciseswill incorporatethe concrete

experience learningmode,and ask the studentsto experiment andpractice

with written communicationby employingtrialanderror. Thestudents

will encounteraspectsof their realand ideal selves, anddiscover

opportunitiesto establish a learning agenda for their future practice.The

two exercisesI will usecome fromBozeks 50OneMinuteTipsto Better

Communication (Simplify&ClarifyYour Document/TheBureauof

Proverbs,pp. 7677, and To Simplifythe Language,AsktheBig

Question,pp. 7879).

LessonVI: Efficiency& Revision

I will askthe studentsto takeBozeksquickwriting efficiencyquiz

(HowEfficientlyDo you Write?, p. 4346).In myexperience,many


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peoplelike takingquizzesthat revealinformationabouttheir own

personalstyle andcompetencies.I hopethat this affinityfor self

awarenesswill serveas motivation to learn. The exerciseis alsodesigned

to encompassfeedback, the realand ideal selves, a learning agenda,

opportunitiesfor experimentation and practice, and reflection.

We will alsolookat No Bulls TheSecrettoBetter Business

Writing Revision(2008)anddiscussthe articles tips for revision. This

exercisewill

address

the

real

and

ideal

selves,

feedback,

and

reflection.

At this point, I will ask the studentsto select one of their shortest

writing samples,and reworkit, usingthe tips andskills we learnedin

lessonsIVI. Thisapproachembracesthe concreteexperience learning

mode,experimentation, practice andtrialanderror, the realand ideal selves,

andpointstoa learning agenda for future practice.

LessonVII: EditingOthersWork

Studentswill takea lookat sectionsfromGraziansarticle, Heres a

Guideto HelpYouWriteand Edit Better and Fasterthat addressthe

three functionsof editing and howto edit otherscopy(Briefings

PublishingGroup,1997,p. 1516).Then I will ask studentstoexchange

their freshlyrevised writing sample,sothat theycan edit eachothers

work.This exerciseis designedtocomprisefeedback, the real and ideal


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selves, the learning agenda, practice and experimentation, trusting relationship,

concrete experience, reflectionand trialanderror. I appreciatethat this

exercisealsoincorporatesboththe personaland socialcompetenciesof

GolemansEmotionalIntelligenceDomains(2004,p. 39).

LessonVIII: Strengths, Weaknesses & That FirstStep

The final part of mylessonplancomesfromMaisels20

Communication Tipsthat Work (2001,pp. 111113)I will ask the studentsto

createa

two

part

list

that

inventories

their

writing

strengths

and

weaknesses,andthenthinkof at leastone stepor actionthat will move

themtowardsa positivechangeintheir writing skills. This exercise

closelyfollows thephasesof BoyatzisTheoryof SelfDirectedLearning.

Thestudentsmustlookat their ideal and real selves, determinetheir

strengthsand gaps, comeupwith a learning agenda, sothey can experiment

andpractice with new behavior thatwill move themcloser to their ideal

self. The exercisealsomakesthe mostof motivation, concrete experience,

reflection, andtrialanderror.

IX. PleaseFillOut thoseFeedbackForms!

LeadershipJourneyisntjust aboutthe students.Its about

developingthe library managersandadministratorswho designand teach

the classes.I am lookingforwardtohearingaboutmy performancefrom


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the students.Iwill benefit fromthemotivation to improve, feedback,the

contrast betweenthe real and ideal selves, trusting relationships and

reflection. Additionally, by preparingfor andteachingthe class,I will

have enjoyedthe benefits of extended practice, the learning agenda,

experimentation, concreteexperience, model building andtrialanderror.

CONCLUSION

This paper and processfindsme in the midstof a leadership

learning journey

that

weaves

between

my

formal

schooling,

work

in

public libraries, andnetworkof fellowlearners. Iam continually

remindedof stealth learning, inwhich the Trickis to learn while doing

other things, astrategy that might be thoughtof as stealth learningand

that can be usefulfor improvingemotionalintelligenceabilities,

particularlyleadershipskills(Goleman,2004,p. 159).I am tryingto

learn andgrowas I go, by weddingwhat Iam learningwith what I can

share andteach.When I picturethisstealth, selfdirectedlearningprocess

I see avast feedbackloopthatcontinuallyinformsall of the players,who

all participateandserveas bothlearnersand teachers. I hopethat we all

comeawaywith skills in writing, leadership,andlearningthat will stick

with us for agoodtime tocome.I hope weallremember that everything

we doisan opportunityto learnand grow. Wish us luck.


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REFERENCES

(1997).5Minuteworkshopsforeffectivecommunication.Alexandria:BriefingsPublishing

Group.

(2008).Writing.RetrievedAugust4,2008,fromNoBullBusinessBlogWebsite:

http://pbp.typepad.com/nobull/writing/ .

Bozek,P.,(1997).50oneminutetipstobettercommunication:awealthofbusiness

communicationIdeas.MenloPark:CrispPublications.

Danziger,E.,(2001).Gettothepoint.NewYork:ThreeRiversPress.

DouglasCountyLibraries.(2008).Leadershipjourneycurriculum.CastleRock,CO:

Goleman,D.,Boyatzis,R.,&Mckee,A.(2002).Primalleadership.Boston:Harvard

BusinessSchoolPress.

Kranz,G.,(2007).Communicatingeffectively.London:Collins.

Maisel,E.,(2001).20Communicationtipsatwork.Novato:NewWorldLibrary.

Olson,C.,&Singer,P.(2004).Winningwithlibraryleadership.Chicago:AmericanLibrary

Association.

Walker,A.(2008).Emailintelligence.RetrievedAugust8,2008,fromEmailIntelligence

Web

site:

http://email

intelligence.blogspot.com/

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