Circles of InfluenceDeveloping Leadership Circles to extend impact and influence change

Jane Savidge UHMLG Annual Conference 18 June 2015

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Outline• The University of Southampton, the Library and me

• Understanding the culture: “Two Tribes”

• The development of Leadership Circles

• Nancy Kline’s Thinking environment ©

• Approaches and themes

• Impact

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Leadership essentials 1

With permission © Carolyne Kramar and Judy Horacek

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Leadership essentials 2

© Alice Farrar

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University of Southampton• 23,000 students & 5,000 staff

• Russell Group University with 8 Faculties and 16+ Professional Services, including the University Library

• Multiple partnerships NERC, NHS, Lloyds Register

• Strong research profile

• Student satisfaction on an upward trend

• Change of VC, change of government, sector market forces & strategic reshaping.

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National Oceanography Centre

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Hartley Library

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University Library• Libraries in Southampton and Winchester and

developments for international campuses

• £9.5 million budget (£4 million spend on information & content)

• 168 library staff

• 2,000 study seats

• 2.5 million volumes

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Established and emerging services

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Cultural assets and the arts

Archives & Special Collections

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Leadership Circles• Small groups meeting regularly to explore

leadership challenges.

• Bringing academics and professional staff together

• A safe space and the conditions to encourage deep thinking to explore, develop and refine ideas about leadership

• Developing understanding and cohesion by creating and strengthening meaningful, supportive peer networks

• Exploring a range of tools and techniques

Time to think: Nancy Kline’s “Thinking Environment©”• “The quality of everything we do depends on the

quality of the thinking we do first"

• “If our thinking is good, our decisions are good, our actions are good, our outcomes are good”

• Circle participants promote the conditions for effective thinking

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Time to think: Nancy Kline’s “Thinking Environment©” Ten components

• Attention: Listening with respect and without interruption

• Equality: treating each other as thinking peers, equality of attention and keeping agreements and boundaries

• Appreciation: offering genuine acknowledgement of the qualities you appreciate in others. Do this sincerely, succinctly and specifically.

• Information: give relevant facts and data; avoid withholding unnecessarily (power play); avoid wilful blindness (denying facts that don’t fit)

• Incisive questions: remove the assumptions that limit our ability to think for ourselves clearly and creatively

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Time to think: Nancy Kline’s “Thinking Environment©” • Ease: Freedom from rush & urgency.

• Encouragement: Be genuinely curious to see where thinking takes us unworried about forcing the pace of one’s own argument.

• Feelings: We think rationally and emotionally, cognitively and intuitively. Don't deny emotions or feelings. Acknowledge these feelings.

• Diversity: Welcome divergent thinking and diverse group identities.

• Place: Create a physical environment that sets a tone and indicates ‘you matter'.

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Early discussions• Ground rules

• Presence in the room

• Rounds

• Interruption as assault

• Incisive questions

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Themes for second stage of circles

1. Understanding

self

3. Understandi

ng the organisation

2. Leading others

1. Knowing and understanding myself

Self- awareness/ mindfulness/metacognitionPersonality type

Authentic leadership

2. Understanding & leading others

Leadership stylesLeading & managing

changeCourageous

conversationsUnderstanding & removing blocks

3. Understanding the organisation

Culture & lifecycleSystems thinking

The fifth discipline

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Knowing Myself - Johari Window(the size of the window may vary)

OPEN AREAKnown to self

Known to others

BLIND AREAKnown to othersUnknown to self

HIDDEN AREAKnown to self

Unknown to others

UNKNOWN AREAUnknown to self

Unknown to others

1 2

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Covey’s Circles: from Habit 1 Being Proactive (1)

Circle of Influence

Circle of Concern

Circle of Influence

Circle of

Concern

Stephen Covey, S: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

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Covey’s Circles:from Habit 1 Being Proactive (2)

Stephen Covey: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Circle of Influence

Circle of Concern

Circle of Concern

Circle of Influence

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Conclusions from our involvement• Inevitably starts with those enthusiastic for change

• Useful exploration of boundaries and issues

• Library staff involvement leading to visibility of our work

• Support networks

• Advantages of cascade approach and critical mass

• Changes in the culture

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The Conscious Competence model

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2

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Incompetent Competent

Conscious

Unconscious

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Bibliography• Collins, J. (2001) Good to Great. London: Random House• Covey, S. (2004) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

London: Simon & Schuster UK Ltd• Kahneman, D. (2011) Thinking Fast and Slow. London: Allen

Lane• Kline, N. (1999) Time To Think: Listening to ignite the human

mind. London: Cassell Illustrated• Kline, N. (2009) More Time To Think: a way of being in the

world. Pool-in-Wharfedale: Fisher King Publishing• Kotter, J. (2006) Our Iceberg Is Melting: changing and

succeeding under any conditions. London: Macmillan

Questions?

J.C.Savidge@soton.ac.uk

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