leadership part ii: effective application kelvin k. droegemeier university of oklahoma ncar...
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LeadershipPart II: Effective Application
Kelvin K. DroegemeierUniversity of Oklahoma
NCAR Undergraduate Leadership Workshop11 June 2012
Some of Today’s Leadership Challenges…
¨ Global climate change¨ The economy¨ Health care¨ Terrorism¨ Proliferation of nuclear weapons (e.g.,
North Korea and Iran)¨ Same-sex marriage¨ Abortion
Challenges You Mentioned
¨ Climate change/warming of Arctic¨ Unusually severe weather events¨ Aerosols/anthropogenic effects on
weather and climate¨ Hurricanes¨ Paleoclimate¨ Teleconnections¨ The warning system (human behavior)
Climate Change: A Classic Leadership Challenge?¨ Two pathways:
– Technical/technological solutions – Adaptive Change
¨ Technological solutions– Develop and implement technical fixes, e.g., scrubbers for coal
fired plants, alternative energy vehicles, non-fossil fuel energy sources (wind, solar, geothermal, nuclear)
¨ Adaptation involves modifying behavior to changing circumstances and norms (research, technology, human behavior, proper role of government)– Adaptive work is needed when
• Deeply held beliefs are challenged• Legitimate yet competing views emerge
A Classic Leadership Challenge¨ Adaptive work consists of
– The learning required to address conflicts in the values people hold, or to diminish the gap between the values they stand for and the reality they face
¨ Adaptive work requires a change in values, beliefs, or behavior
¨ It does not mean passively “giving in” to the circumstances or compromising moral stands
¨ It does require that one clarify what matters most in balance with trade-offs– People want clean air but also the economic benefits
of heavy industry
Applying Leadership¨ Step 1: Get on the balcony and see the big picture,
from all sides¨ Step 2: Identify the challenge: technical fix or
adaptive¨ Step 3: Sequence and pace the work, regulating
distress and providing direction/orientation¨ Step 4: Ask tough questions and challenge traditional
thinking – expose contradictions¨ Step 5: Give the work back to the people involved; get
advice from those on the front lines. This is part of the buy-in
¨ Step 6: Protect the voices of everyone and provide cover to all sides