leadership with a new perspective day 1

Copyright © 2007-2008 College of the Extended University, Cal Poly Pomona

The Southern California Local Government Leadership Academy

Leadership with a New Perspective:“Do You Have the Will to Lead?”

Instructor: Raymond R. Patchett

Leadership with a New PerspectiveThe Southern California Local Government Leadership Academy – Raymond Patchett


Please introduce yourself.

Why are you enrolled in the So Cal Leadership Academy?

What person in history would you like to be?



“It appears that a community which organizes its activity so that it maximizes the number of healthy, intelligent, self-directing citizens, capable of viewingsituations from perspectives other than their own,of weighing alternatives and making decisions, of defining new goals and inventing ways of achieving them, is in fact a democratic community and is producing members who can sustain it against allmore pessimistic theories of human nature and thesocial order.” Foote and Cottrell

Citizens



Share some stories of leadership excellence? Identify characteristics or traits of excellence in

local government leaders.

If you could imagine and describe the “ideal” local government leader what attributes and capabilities would they possess?

Leadership Excellence



By Peter Koestenbaum PhD.



Leadership

Leadership is authentic self-expression that creates value (Cashman, p. 20).

A leader is an individual who significantly affects the thoughts, feelings, and/or behaviors of a significant number of individuals (Gardner, p.ix).

…leaders fashion stories –principally stories of identity (Gardner, p.ix).



Leadership

….leaders exercise their influence in two principal, though contrasting ways: through the stories or messages that they communicate, and through the traits that they embody (Gardner, p. 37).

Leadership is the willingness to initiate the world, to involve others in producing what did not exist before. This is the exercise of freedom, which means that leadership includes the task of confronting other people with their freedom. (Koestenbaum & Block p. 110).



The Leadership Diamond

A Philosophy of Leadership

A Language An Operating System A Prescription A Journey to Greatness



The LeadershipDiamond



The Languages of the Leadership Diamond

Free Will Inner Self-Awareness

Mind System’s Thinking

External World Matter

Courage Ethics

Reality Vision

Going Deeper Strive for Greatness Face the Shadow Manage Polarity

Being Translating History



WORK

#

SELF

#

FAMILY

#

EcologicalAccountability

#

SocialResponsibility

#

FinancialHealth

#

# #

THE ARENA RINGS OF LIFE

Copyright2001 by Peter Koestenbaum

All rights reserved.

Where are you strongest? Where are you least strong? Where would you like to be?

What stops you?



The Leadership Conversation

Leadership is more than what happens at work Leadership is found in every part of life Leadership is about making the decision to take

responsibility for preserving the values that you treasure

Leadership is about asking deeper questions about what it means to lead



Ethics(Service/Community)

Empathy/CaringPrinciple

Vision(Big Picture /

Space-time-complexity)CreativityStrategic/Systemic Thinking

Courage(Initiative, Motivation, Commitment)

Managing AnxietyAnalysis of ResistanceFree Will / Responsibility

(for choosing shadow or leadership)

Reality(Facts / Results)

HardnessBrand

Polarity(Opposites / Alternation)

Managing UncertaintyBeing Open-minded / DiversitySystems Integration & Process DesignEngagement vs. Reflection

Greatness(Significance / Grounding)

CredibilityStriving towards ExcellenceHighest Standards / PerfectionOvercoming the Stuck Point

Finding Your Root MetaphorEstablishing a World ViewPhilosophy of Life

The Leadership Diamond © Peter Koestenbaum PhD.



Ethics: “The Healer”

Ethics is Service People matter—You reach out Morality and integrity are important to you You treasure your character because you are

your character You know the power of love You act on wisdom You appreciate the personal enrichment that

comes from being of service



Ethics: “The Healer”You are interested in seeing the world from

another person’s perspective Mentoring is important to you You know that, as a boss, you have the

responsibility to train and develop others You know that, as a subordinate, you have an

obligation to train your boss You are conscious of the central role that ethics

& values play in making an organization effective.




Key tactics of Ethics: Teamwork – Understanding that effective

leadership involves accomplishing tasks through people working together

Meaning – There must be meaning in your work, and there must be meaning in the work you create for others In life, it is necessary to find something worthy to

which one can make an unconditional commitment




Why would a strong grasp of Ethics be important?

What are some of the shortcomings of an excessive attachment to Ethics?



Courage – “The Warrior”

The willingness to initiate the worldA self-starterUses anxiety constructively

Tolerates significant amounts of anxiety Manages anxiety and guilt – this is not denial

Takes charge of his/her our own life Conquer yourself first



Courage – “The Warrior”

Has the willingness to be alone Understands that everyone has Free Will

Everyone makes choices Living with choices

Has personal autonomy and independent thought

Willing to risk Confronts his/her own freedom



Courage: “The Warrior”

Why is courage important?What are some of the shortcomings of an

excessive attachment to Courage?



Reality – “The Merchant”

In touch with: the market the facts the “Truth”

You do not lie to yourself or exist in a state of self-deception

You think rather than feel You are:

objective rational competent




You are in command of the facts You are connected to the economy You are connected to the laws of the land You cope with the “realities” of your chosen

business You focus on what is right not what is convenient Realism also means being in touch with people

You are conscious of how others perceive you Others’ perception of you also limits you




Reality also means being in touch with your internal realities Your ideas Your values Your feelings Your attitudes

You are in touch with all aspects of the real world



Reality – “The Merchant” Realism includes existing comfortably at the

interface between your inner and your outer world

Perception

Outer

World

Inner

World

Volition

Mind

Free Will

Philosophy




Instead of complaining you find solutions You have no illusions Realism means meticulous attention to practical

details Realism is the source of quality Reality stands for detachment, research, facts

and calculations Reality is sharply focused attention on survival Reality is results orientation




Why would a strong grasp of Reality be important?

What are some of the shortcomings of an excessive attachment to Reality?



Vision – “The Seer”

See the “Big Picture” Open to different ways of viewing the world System thinking (sees the connections between

events, people, things), strategic thinking Skilled at making logical connections (abstract

reasoning) Creativity, innovation, lateral thinking Aware of possibilities




Vision includes an understanding of Time: “The sense of time is produced by the

anticipation of death” “The greatest source of time pressure is

bureaucracy.”Time as an element effective decisions:

What time scale do you use for decision making?

Effects this minute, hour, day, week, month, year, lifetime, seven generations?




Why is a bold vision important?What are some of the shortcomings of an

excessive attachment to Vision?



The Shadow Diamond

Each Leadership Diamond point has a shadow…



Depersonalization(Greed)

Insensitive, EnvyUnscrupulous, Evil

Blinders On(Narrow-Minded, Careless)

Dullard, MyopicUndisciplinedUnimaginative

Timid(Passive)

Security at all costsVictim Mentality

Illusion(Lies, Fantasy)

Wishful ThinkingNarcissistic

Monolithic(Rigid Mindset)

OverwhelmedIndifferent to CommunityDevalues DiversityParalyzedNaïve about the Future

Unambitious

Lethargic, PowerlessInfantilized, SuperficialSelf Deception, DenialUnaware

The Shadow Diamond © Peter Koestenbaum PhD.



The Leadership Environment:Polarities—Opposites—Dilemma’s

Is the Yin-Yang principle: that everything has its opposite, its counterpart, that nothing is either black or white.

Most of us feel compelled to choose between opposites. That may sometimes be appropriate. But just as often it means we are stuck in a rut.

To live in a world of opposites is a transformative step upward, a new way of perceiving an old reality. We do not need to choose.

We can be big enough to live in paradoxes.



“The leadership mind can hold opposing ideas and contradictory feelings at one and the same time. It can achieve comfort with the tensions of ambiguity, polarity, and uncertainty”

Black

Objective

Life

Right

Good

Outer World

White

Subjective

Death

Wrong

Evil

Inner World

“How we act, how we respond to those polarities – that is where we separate greatness from mediocrity”

Koestenbaum



Perception

Science and religion may not be compatible, nor can we say that one is right and the other is wrong. Both reflect reality with different emphasis. Rather than argue that one is right and the other wrong, it is often possible to realize that they represent different perceptions of a single reality. The perceptions differ because the values we wish to extract from reality may differ. This is known as the pragmatic theory of truth. Peter Koestenbaum



CHOICE

We are all free to choose our attitude

Managing Polarity teaches us that there are no solutions – there are only changes of attitude

Koestenbaum



Attitudes I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me

and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes.

We cannot change our past. We can not change the fact that people act in a certain way. We can not change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.

Quotes from Charles Swindoll Charles Swindoll is an ordained pastor, the author of a number of books, and the founder of Insight for Living.



Principal Dualities within Being

Among these dualities you make a choice, take a decision – free and defining – on which way to go, and under what circumstances.

•Reason•Thought•Conceptual•Engagement•Part•Apart•Analysis•Subject•Here•Then•Stability•Mind•Aware•Functional

•Emotion•Feelings•Experiential•Reflection•Whole•Connected•Intuition•Object•There•Now•Change•Matter•Unaware•Dysfunctional



Greatness (Effectiveness)

Greatness centers on character—that is, human authenticity and depth, the fully developed mind.

Emphasize results=Effectiveness Leadership is an attitude, a mindset and a

pattern of behaviors. A definite direction to the mind

New awareness. New expanded consciousness with respect to human potential and to cultures

Lead by teaching—teach by learning E = A x D x S (Empowering = Fostering Autonomy, Providing Direction, Lending Support)



Greatness(continued) Have faith – Leadership can be learned and

taught Arena’s: Family, self, social responsibility, work,

& financial health Live from the “outside in” (reason and models)

and the “inside out” (intuition and instincts) Honor life by striving for depth and for perfection

and by devoting yourself to what is worthy and noble. Have standards for their own sake.



Greatness(continued)

Stand up to death and evil.Be humble. Be open-minded. Understand

the magnitude of self-deception, and identify our resistances to authenticity.

Appreciate the mystery and miracle of being.



Greatness (Character)

Greatness is an intrinsic value, an inherent good, a pure virtue.

It is good in and of itself. It is to be sought for its own sake.



Is There Room for Greatness?

Vision

Courage

Reality Ethics

Vision

Courage

Reality Ethics



Leadership Means. . .

Greatness in all you do. Authentic self expression that creates value. An attitude, a mindset, a pattern of behaviors. A new state of awareness and consciousness. Holistic. The Arena Rings of life.



Philosophers of the Leadership Diamond

Polarity Rene Descartes – Systematic and universal doubt

(Extreme doubt is the way to certainty)

Greatness Friedrich Nietzsche – Elevating the person to supreme

status in the universe

Freedom Jean-Paul Sartre – Free will and total responsibility

Anxiety Dane Soren Kierkegaard – The dominance of anxiety



Philosophers of the Leadership Diamond Love, intimacy, empathy, dialogue, relationship

Martin Buber

Ethics Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Baruch Spinoza, Immanuel

Kant

Vision Plato – Comprehensive view of human beings, world

and cosmos

Self-Discovery Socrates – Discovery of self through the Socratic

method



Thank You

• What has shifted in your thinking—attitudes:

• Work• Life

• What concrete “actions” are you willing to take to address these leadership obligations?



Leadership Diamond Applications Work Professional Family News Media



Life’s Paradoxical JourneyThinking about Thinking



Under heaven all can see beauty as beauty only because there is ugliness.All can know good as good only because there is evil.

Therefore having and not having arise together.Difficult and easy complement each other.Long and short contrast each other;High and low rest upon each other;Voice and sound harmonize each other’Front and back follow one another.

Therefore the sage goes about doing nothing, teaching no-talking.The ten thousand things rise and fall without cease,Creating, yet not possessing,Working, yet not taking credit.Work is done, then forgotten.Therefore it lasts forever. Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching

TWO



TWO illustrates the Paradoxical nature of life, human existence and organization life.

Our Constant task as Leaders, as human beings, is to confront the choice facing us, to make the choice, and live with the consequences.

Paradoxical



Polarities & Leadership Dilemmas

Definition:• Polarities: The Possession or manifestation of two opposing

attributes, tendencies or principles.• Opposites: Directly contrary in nature or kind. Antithetical• Duality: The quality or state of being twofold.• Dilemma: A situation that requires a choice between two

evenly balanced alternatives.Examples

Individual-TeamGrowth-No Growth

Socio-Technical



The Breathing Polarity

L + R +

L - R -

Solution?

Get fresh Oxygen

Too much carbon dioxide

INHALE

Clean out Carbon Dioxide

EXHALE

Problem?

Lack of oxygen

1 3

2 4



L+ R+

Dimension Dimension

L- R-

Polarity Topic

Polarity Map



L + R +

L - R -

Individual Initiative

Individual Creativity

Entrepreneurial Spirit

Meetings: Fewer-Short

Individual Freedom

Addressing Personal Needs

Cohesive Unit

Common Direction

Synergistic Effect

Team Support

Personal Sacrifice

Isolated

No Common Direction

Only Rewarded

“Home Runs”

No Synergistic Effect

No Team Support

Selfish “Me” Talk

Too Much Conformity

Bland Sameness

Meetings: Too Many –

“Too Long”

Least Common Denominator

Team Building

Neglect of Personal Needs

Individual Team

Individual/Team Polarity



L + R +

L - R -

Decisive

Efficient (short term)

Clear Responsibilities

Support for Decisions

Group wisdom used

Synergy

Enthusiasm

Indecisive

Inefficient (short term)

Unclear responsibilities

Autocratic Participatory

Autocratic/Participatory

Lack of Support for Decisions

Lack group wisdom

Lack of synergy

Lack of enthusiasm



Reconciliation with Ambiguity as fact.Co-creation and Networking – Results

through others.Subjective Perspective – Diversity.Prediction – Cycles, S Curves and

Pendulum.

Polarity Alteration & Integration



Black White

Life Death

Right Wrong

Good Evil

Perfect Imperfect

“How we act, how we respond to those polarities – that is where we separate greatness from mediocrity”

Peter Koestenbaum

“The leadership mind can hold opposing ideas and contradictory feelings at one and the same time. It can achieve comfort with the

tensions of ambiguity, polarity, and uncertainty” Koestenbaum



CHOICE

We are all free to choose our attitude

Managing Polarity teaches us that there are no solutions – there are only changes

of attitude. Koestenbaum



I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes.

We cannot change our past. We can not change the fact that people act in a certain way. We can not change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.

Quotes from Charles Swindoll Charles Swindoll is an ordained pastor, the author of a number of books, and the founder of Insight for Living.

Attitudes



1. How can we harness the best of both opposites?2. How does polarity help us understand resistance?3. How does polarity help us understand other

perspectives?4. What are the implications of Polarity for decision-

making?5. What if you get stuck in one of the poles?6. How do we as a Community, Organization or Individual

manage the dynamic Rhythm of Life’s polarities?

Discussion Questions



Science and religion may not be compatible, nor can we say that one is right and the other is wrong. Both reflect reality with different emphasis. Rather than argue that one is right and the other wrong, it is often possible to realize that they represent different perceptions of a single reality. The perceptions differ because the values we wish to extract from reality may differ. This is known as the pragmatic theory of truth. Peter Koestenbaum

Perception



Among these dualities you make a choice, take a decision – free and defining – on which way to go, and under what

circumstances.

•Reason•Thought•Conceptual•Engagement•Part•Apart•Analysis•Subject•Here•Then•Stability•Mind

•Emotion•Feelings•Experiential•Reflection•Whole•Connected•Intuition•Object•There•Now•Change•Matter

Principal Dualities within Being



Under heaven nothing is more soft and yielding than water.Yet for attacking the solid and strong, nothing is better.It has no equal.The weak can overcome the strong;The supple can overcome the stiff.Under heaven everyone knows this, Yet no one puts it into practice.Therefore the sage says:

He who takes upon himself the sadness of the people is fit to rule them.He who takes upon himself the country’s disasters

deserves to be king of the universe.The truth often sounds paradoxical.

Tao Te Ching, # 78

Prescription for a Leader



•A Team Development Process•Characteristics of High Performance Teams•Stages of Team Development



Characteristics of High Performance Organizations

Clear on mission Define outcomes and focus on results Empower employees Motivate and inspire people to succeed Flexible and adjust nimbly to new conditions Competitive in terms of performance Work processes meet customer needs Maintain communication with stakeholders

….Popovich 1998



The Essentials of a Successful Team

A Small Number of People Commitment to Common Purpose and Performance Goals Mutual Accountability Complementary skills

Interpersonal Technical/Functional Rational

• Situation Analysis & Evaluation• Problem-Solving• Plus-Side Thinking & Planning• Goal-setting• Decision-making



Center on Purpose Understanding the role and importance of

Purpose in team performance Discussion to clarify and reach consensus (or

concordance) on Purpose Establishing mutually understood Task/Work

context



Establishing the Process for Decision-making Understand decision making options and choose which

will be used when Understand extent of team’s authorities

Understand Group Dynamics Understand and anticipate the phases of group

development and group decision-making Understand task versus process tensions and need for

attention to both



Defining Performance Indicators/Feedback Mechanisms Task track measures Process track measures Individual Performance

Understand and Appreciate the Positive Power of Differences Behavioral preferences Conflict styles

Experience Camaraderie & Build Trust Teamwork focused experiential learning opportunities



Articulate Team Norms/Behavioral Expectations Build on members’ past positive experiences Address the question, “How will we work successfully

together?

Clarify Member Roles & Responsibilities and Assure Team Sufficiency Divisions of labor Who is not here, who should be? Communications: who, what, how?



1. Members understand and support the team’s Purpose, its Driving Force.

2. Members accept and are clear on the team’s goals and the directions the team is taking to realize them.

3. Members have clearly defined roles, responsibility and authorities.

4. There is an effective planning system.

5. There is an effective decision-making system.

15 Characteristics of High Performance Teams



6. There is an effective feedback system on team and individual performance to support rewards, recognition and continuing improvement.

7. There is flexibility in the organization and procedures to accommodate change when needed.

8. Team members communicate effectively.

9. Team meetings are effective.

10. Leadership is shared based upon the situation.



11. Members actively contribute to the group and support one another.

12. Members accept and respect different perspectives and opinions.

13. Members handle conflict in a direct and productive fashion.

14. The team has the right mix of technical knowledge and skill to accomplish its Purpose.

15. The team has the right mix of styles and interpersonal skills to do the job.



Poor Aver. Good

A Are Clear on our mission 1 2 3 4 5

B Define Outcomes 1 2 3 4 5

C Focus on results that matter 1 2 3 4 5

D Empower employees 1 2 3 4 5

E Motivate and inspire 1 2 3 4 5

F Are flexible and adjust to changing conditions 1 2 3 4 5

G Are competitive in terms of performance 1 2 3 4 5

H Restructure work processes to meet customer needs

1 2 3 4 5

I Maintain communications with stakeholders 1 2 3 4 5

This survey asks you and your colleagues to assess where our organizations currently stands on this scale.

1. How well do you think our organization is doing right now on these characteristics? WE…

2. What ideas do you have for making changes that could help improve your effectiveness and the performance of our organization?

3. What next steps do you think you can help us take to achieve those goals? What role would you be willing to play?



Can’t Say Never Always Contributions are additive 0 1 2 3 4 5 There is a sense of Team Spirit 0 1 2 3 4 5 Decisions are made by consensus 0 1 2 3 4 5 Commitment to decisions is strong 0 1 2 3 4 5 Team continually evaluates itself 0 1 2 3 4 5 Team is clear about its goals 0 1 2 3 4 5 Conflict is dealt with openly 0 1 2 3 4 5 Alternative solutions are generated 0 1 2 3 4 5 Leadership goes to the best qualified 0 1 2 3 4 5 Feelings are dealt with openly 0 1 2 3 4 5

From Chris Argyris as reported in The Team Trainer, Gorden et al. 1996



FormingOptimistic

Excited

Proud

StormingFrustration

Stalled Feeling

Boredom

Discomfort

NormingRenewed Optimism

Common Purpose

Sense of Belonging

Satisfaction

Sense of Accomplishment

Camaraderie

Organizi

ng & P

relim

inary

Plannin

g/Tra

inin

g

Initial Progress is slow

Meet

Resistance

to new

proposals Early

Ach

ieve

men

ts

Sign

ifica

nt p

ositiv

e ch

ange

begi

ns

Set-

back

s

Performing



Know Your Leaderships Strengths:Discover Your Power



Adjourn Day 1

What has shifted in your attitudes and thinking toward:

• Work?• Life?

leadership with a new perspective day 1

Business

managing polarity teaches

members accept

peter koestenbaum

pragmatic theory

ordained pastor

founder ofinsight

arena rings

short term