ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES

AND LEADERSHIP Nadine J. Kaslow, PhD, ABPP

nkaslow@emory.edu Past-President, American Psychological Association

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other." – John F. Kennedy

“A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” – Rosalynn Carter

“There are 3 essentials to leadership” humility, clarity, and courage.” Fuchan Yuan

“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” Bill Gates

Reflects the leader’s personality traits and

capacity to effect change

Benefits the team and organization via example

Correlates with positive outcomes for individuals,

groups, and organizations

What do you think are the most important qualities

of effective leaders?

Assuming leadership role

Participating in leadership development programs ◦ Student

◦ Faculty

Observing effective leaders

Participating in coaching

Articulating a model of leadership

Learning from my mistakes

Division President ◦ 43 – Society of Family Psychology

◦ 12 – Society of Clinical Psychology

◦ 29 – Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy

President/Chair ◦ Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship

Centers (APPIC)

◦ American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP)

◦ American Psychological Association

Connecting with people with shared interests and

commitments

Expanding my horizons

Enjoying the challenges

Mentoring future generations of leaders

Giving back to the community

In the context of change, use an approach that

blends ◦ Collaborative Leadership

◦ Transformational Leadership

◦ Courageous Leadership

Helpful to me as President

Relevant to being a Division President

COLLABORATIVE

LEADERSHIP

Coercion:

No choice,

no voice, no

commitment

Participation

: I’m along

for the ride

Cooperation

: I’ll work

on your goal

Collaboration

: We’re

committed to

our goal

Process in which people with different views and

perspectives come together, set aside narrow self-

interests, and discuss issues openly and

supportively in an attempt to collaboratively find

ways of helping each other solve a larger problem

or achieve broader goals

Supportive and inclusive methods to ensure that

all people affected by a decision are part of the

change process

New notion of power...the more power we share,

the more power we have to use

Key Principles ◦ Assess environment for collaboration before acting ◦ Develop clarity through visioning and mobilizing

regarding defining shared values and engaging people in positive action

◦ Develop trust and create safe places for determining shared purpose and action

◦ Share power and influence and develop the synergy of people, organizations, and communities to accomplish more

◦ Develop people through mentoring and coaching to maximize learning experiences

◦ Self reflect on own leadership attributes and engage in Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)

Characteristics ◦ Cognizant of a personal motive for collaborating

◦ Develop in an ongoing way interpersonal skills, in

particular: empathy, patience, tenacity, holding difficult

conversations, and coalition building

◦ Actively manage the tension between focusing on

delivery and on building relationships

◦ Invest in strong personal relationships at all levels

◦ Inject energy, passion and drive into leadership style

Characteristics ◦ Simplify complex situations for partners

◦ Prepare for how to handle conflict well in advance

◦ Have the confidence to share the credit generously

◦ Recognize that there are some people or organizations

you just can't partner with

◦ Have the courage to act for the long term

TRANSFORMATIONAL

LEADERSHIP

Lead people in an inspirational manner such that

they aspire to help achieve a shared vision

Four key elements: ◦ Individualized consideration

◦ Intellectual stimulation

◦ Inspirational motivation

◦ Idealized influence

Individualized consideration ◦ Attend to each person’s concerns and needs

◦ Act as a mentor or coach

◦ Give empathy and support

◦ Keep communication open

◦ Challenge others and are open to being challenged

themselves

◦ Respect and celebrate individual contributions and

diverse perspectives

◦ Encourage intrinsic motivation and aspirations for self-

development

Intellectual stimulation ◦ Encourage others to be innovative and creative and

strive for that themselves

◦ Encourage and are receptive to new ideas from all

parties

◦ Avoid public criticism of others

◦ Focus on the ‘what’ of problems rather than blame

◦ Discard old practices if they are ineffective

Inspirational motivation ◦ Articulate a vision that is appealing and inspiring

◦ Challenge others to leave their comfort zones and are

receptive to similar challenges themselves

◦ Communicate optimism about future goals

◦ Provide meaning for tasks

◦ Bolster communication of vision through strong

communication skills

◦ Encourage energy through purpose and meaning

Idealized influence ◦ Embody the values that others should be embracing

◦ Give respect and encouragement

◦ Promote a consistent vision, mission, and set of values

◦ Communicate a vision such that other parties have

expectations for each interaction

◦ Are genuine

COURAGEOUS

LEADERSHIP

Courage to ◦ See the future

◦ Face obstacles

◦ Make tough decisions

◦ Change directions

◦ Take action

Standing up

Stepping in

Speaking out

Characteristics ◦ Confront reality head on

◦ Seek feedback and listen

◦ Say what needs to be said

◦ Encourage pushback

◦ Take action on performance issues

◦ Communicate openly and frequently

◦ Lead change

◦ Make decisions and move forward

◦ Give credit to others

◦ Hold people and themselves accountable

LESSONS LEARNED

Lessons Learned ◦ Communicating in a personal and genuine way

◦ Being guided by an approach to leadership

Collaborative

Transformational

◦ Engaging in acts reflective of courageous leadership

Positive consequences

Challenging consequences

◦ Winning some and losing some

◦ Feeling rejected

Lessons Learned ◦ Dealing with interpersonal conflicts at a high level

◦ Handling intense professional and personal demands

◦ Managing the change process

◦ Figuring out what to do when compromise isn’t possible

(e.g., creative alternatives)

◦ Making mistakes and learning from them

◦ Pursuing my dreams

◦ Sharing my passions

20 LEADERSHIP TIPS FOR DIVISION PRESIDENTS

Remember, you are the CEO of the organization for

the year you are President and responsible for

helping the organization function well

Figure out what kind of leader you are and use your

strengths to be the best leader you can be

Know your Division’s history

Familiarize yourself with your Division’s Policy and

Procedures Manual and Bylaws and have them

updated if need be

Know your membership

Select 1-2 initiatives maximum, about which you

care deeply

Rely on a team (3 presidents, executive committee)

Use your committees and other appointments

deliberately to bring about change (bring in

diversity in different forms)

Actively promote membership and involvement

Ask your friends, colleagues, current and former

students, etc. to help and volunteer

Grow future leaders

Facilitate collaboration

Build consensus

Figure out who the challenging people are and

develop strategies for using their strengths or

working around them

Learn the ABCs of APA

Ask for help from Division Services Office or other

APA offices

Represent your area of interest/specialty within the

organization

Partner with other divisions ◦ Interdivisional grants

◦ Interdivisional programming

Make friends

Enjoy the year

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