Archive for the ‘Leadership’ Category

Do you have a coach?

August 4th, 2010

I saw a post by Randi Buckley, leadership, partnership and team coach, the other day on Facebook.  She shared a video in which Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, tells about the importance of a coach.  This video is one in series of videos that Fortune magazine put together about the best advice different CEO’s, billionaires, entrepreneurs, NBA stars, etc. have received during their careers. 

One day a board member came up to Eric Schmidt and said, “You need a coach.”  A little taken a-back, Eric replied, “I don’t need a coach!  I’m an established CEO, why would I need a coach? Is something wrong?”   “No,” said the board member, “Everyone needs a coach.”

 

 

Coaches are not just for athletes.  Coaches see what you are working towards and do their very best to help you reach that goal.  Coaches help you stay on track and can see the mistakes you cannot, because they are coming at your goal from another angle.  As Eric says in the video, “The one thing people are not good at is seeing themselves as others see them; a coach really helps with that.”

Do you have a coach?

Can’t view the video?  Click here to view it on the original website.

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What does a scarecrow, tin man and lion have to do with your rural community?

April 19th, 2010

I have to admit that it’s been a long time since I’ve watched the Wizard of Oz–a really long time.  But, when a board member mentioned the Wizard of Oz at our board meeting this month, it all came rushing back to me. 

The movie, as I’m sure you remember, involves a young girl named Dorothy who dreams she has landed in the Land of Oz, far from her Kansas home.  She travels down a yellow brick road to Emerald City after she is advised by the good witch of the east that the Wizard of Oz can return her to her home.  She meets all kinds of characters along the way, while trying to avoid the wicked witch of the west. 

Dorothy meets three characters as she travels down the yellow brick road-the scarecrow, tin man, and lion are on their way to visit the Wizard of Oz as well.  They are each seeking something they lack: the scarecrow needs a brain, the tin man a heart, and the lion needs courage. 

What does this have to do with reimagining rural? 

I have never analyzed the Wizard of Oz story line as a metaphor, but as I’ve thought about it lately, I think it shares an important lesson about leadership.  Our rural communities need leaders who have wisdom, heart and courage.  What’s best is, like the characters in the film, we have leaders who already possess these traits-it’s just a matter of discovering and nurturing them. 

I think it’s also provides an easy way we can look at team or committee building in our small towns.  For your next community project, look specifically for three (or more) people who have the wisdom, heart and courage it will take to get your particular project accomplished.  And, I would bet that if we look at previous successful projects, we’ll find that those three characteristics were all a part of making things happen. 

How can you find and energize your community’s scarecrows, tin men and lions?

 

Photo Credit: Brian Negin, Flickr

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You only see the tip

December 17th, 2009

When Neil Linschied told the audience at the Midwest Rural Assembly how he deals with “the stare,” I knew he had something good to say about how young people fit into a rural community.  (go here for more on “the stare.” ) 

Today, an article titled “Area leadership program winds down” in the Worthington Daily Globe convinced me that Neil has a lot more to share about leadership development in rural communities. 

The article highlights the Worthington Integrative Community Leadership Program, which was organized by University of Minnesota Extension’s Center for Community Vitality.  The program’s intent is to build broad based leadership.  Worthington, MN, for those who don’t know, is a rural community with a large Hispanic population.  As program facilitator Toby Spanier states in the article:

If Worthington is going to be successful, the leadership should mirror the community as much as possible.”  (source: “Area leadership program winds down,” Worthington Daily Globe. 12-16-09)  

Even though I don’t know Worthington first-hand, I couldn’t agree more.

Neil, also interviewed in the article, shared something about how we relate to newcomers to our communities that I had never thought of before. As the article states:

Linscheid presented a culture iceberg, saying only 10 percent of a person’s culture is accessible through first impressions and stereotypes. Things like food, dress and language are only the tip of the iceberg, while beliefs, attitudes, problems and emotions are “below water.”

Think about someone you meet and what you notice right away,” he said. “What are those things you can’t see? … The important thing to remember is this stuff is what makes people who they are.”

The stuff that we can’t see about someone else is really the stuff that makes the person who they are.  Yet, we make snap decisions about newcomers to our rural communities the moment they walk into the café.

It’s a good reminder for us as we think about how we can transform our community into places where young people want to live.  Judging others before they get a chance to become a part of the community is an easy way to drive them away.   

Photo Credit:  natalielucier - Flickr

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Big Problems can’t be solved by Big Solutions

December 14th, 2009

We’ve known for quite some time Dan and Chip Heath intended to include the story of the “Miner County Cash Flow Study“ project in their next book, Switch: How to Change Things when Change is Hard.  Chip interviewed Randy Parry about the project at Grassroots and Groundwork Conference in St. Paul, MN a couple years ago. 

Having the project, which kick started our development efforts in Miner County, SD, mentioned in Switch is pretty exciting for me.  I’m a huge fan of their first book, Made to Stick, and I regularly seek out their monthly column in FastCompany as the first article I read in the magazine. 

Yesterday, I stumbled across this blog post and learned a bit about how they intend to use the story of the cash flow study in Switch.  The author interviewed Dan and Chip, and wrote the following:

Another fascinating component of the conversation was the Heath’s belief that “big problems are only rarely solved by big solutions.” They argued that big changes must be shrunk into the smallest components possible and attacked bite by bite. Very thought-provoking for someone passionate about the importance of the follower! The illustration used here was that of some kids in a South Dakota small town economics class who managed to save their town simply by encouraging everyone in town to spend just 10% more of their money locally. And it worked!”  (Source:  “Chip/Dan Heath - Switch,” Hogshadows. 8-8-09)

Big problems can’t be solved by big solutions. That makes me think of Rosa Parks.  One lady, who refused to give up her seat on a bus, helped launch the Civil Rights movement.  Of course, her singular action - standing up to the injustice of segregation on Montgomery, AL buses — didn’t eliminate discrimination overnight, but her effort played a pivotal role in solving a problem many, at the time,  deemed insurmountable. 

It may be a bit presumptive to compare the herculean efforts of Rosa Parks and the civil rights activists who toppled segregation in the South to the efforts of Howard H.S. students who raised awareness about the importance of spending their money locally; but I think the Heaths are onto something important when they say the solutions to big problems must be attacked in smaller, more manageable bites. 

Of course, in the community development world, it means you also need sustained leadership.  The students who participated in the Miner County Cash Flow Study project addressed one issue - local spending - but it took a decade of sustained community development efforts to achieve success in Miner County. Rural decline is, after all, a pretty complex issue.

And do we ever really achieve success? Like fighting discrimination, transforming the economies of our small, rural communities will take constant vigilance.  It’s safe to say that something WILL go wrong in Miner County at some point in the future.  A business will struggle or a building will be destroyed by fire.  One never knows the challenges the future will bring.

But tackling big issues with small bites and developing sustained leadership makes a lot of sense as a foundation for creating change in our rural communities.  I look forward to what else the Heaths have to say on the subject in Switch. 

Note:  I’d encourage anyone interested in learning more about the study  to sign up for a free resource guide in the box found in the upper right column.

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Bob Sutton “gets” ReImagine Rural

September 5th, 2009

In our work at the Rural Learning Center, we’ve long recognized the importance of place. It is, after all the root of our work that began with our Howard H.S. students back in the 1990s.

The theme of place emerged several times Wednesday in the speeches presented at the Rural Learning Center groundbreaking ceremony. While all were excellent, I think Bob Sutton, President of the South Dakota Community Foundation best captured the power of place.

Seeking inspiration to write his speech, Bob actually drove to Howard, sat under the trees of the Miner County Courthouse lawn, and absorbed the essence of the place.

The result was incredible. Inspiring and insightful. All in just under 10 minutes. That’s how place can get under your skin. If you don’t believe me, watch his presentation for yourself.

A couple topics stood out for me in Bob’s talk, and I’d like to share them below.

The Ingredients of Success

First, whenever one talks about the future of rural places, the conversation often turns to job creation and financial investment. As Bob eloquently describes, money is not the only ingredient; “Resources such as time and talent, leadership skills, motivational conversation, and a rekindling of the spirit of hope is just as critical in places like Howard.”

How true.

People sometimes think that the recent positive developments in Miner County have occurred because we were lucky enough to receive a sizeable grant from the Northwest Area Foundation. While important, money alone would not have produced the same results.

The Power of ReImagining Rural

Second, there’s a power in reimagining the future of rural communities. Having experienced 50-80 years of economic decline, rural residents in our part of the country have a tendency to look backwards and develop a feeling of hopelessness. That hopelessness causes us to doubt the success of projects like the Maroney Rural Learning Center - like one reader of the Argus Leader’s story wrote in their forum - even before the project has gets off the ground.

And that’s why celebrations like this groundbreaking were so important.

Why Groundbreakings?

Yesterday, I had an opportunity to interview Dan Scott, a lawyer from St. Paul, MN. Dan grew up in Howard where his dad was the long-time superintendent. (His dad is the guy who hired me to come to Howard back in 1996.)

Even though Dan lives 6 hours away from Howard, he made the trip back to Howard for the groundbreaking ceremony. This prompted me to ask “Why?” His response is below.

That’s right. We do need to pause, reflect, and celebrate. And through this reflection and celebration we can begin to dream of the possibilities for our future.

A big thanks to Bob Sutton for his remarkable remarks on Wednesday. He is someone who is helping communities in South Dakota to “reimagine rural.”

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But what tools do I use?

August 14th, 2009

During our “Building a e-network using social media” presentation at the Midwest Rural Assembly, one of the participants asked a great question.  It went something like this, “I like the idea of all this social media stuff, but how do you know what tools to use?” It was such a great question that I’d like to expand on our answers and share it with others.

Lindsey and I responded with several short answers:

First, start by identifying your goals, and then make sure your goals match to the appropriate technology.

Second, figure out what tools your intended audience is already using. No sense in using a tool that doesn’t connect with them.

Third, invest some time in learning the strengths and weaknesses of each type of social media tool.

I then recommended Marketing in the Groundswell, as a good resource for learning about the strengths and weaknesses of social media tools.  For instance, from the book I learned that:

Viral Videos are a great tool when you have an awareness problem. (Tip:  Creating videos is pretty easy today.  Creating quality videos that can go viral is much, much more difficult.)

Social networks (like Facebook) work well when trying to create word of mouth campaigns.

Blogs are the best tools for dealing with complex issues.

Community building tools (like Ning) should be used when you are focused on listening to each other rather than listening to you.   (p. 80-81)

Leaving the session, however, I felt our answers were incomplete. So I hopped online and researched the subject further.  Here’s what I found.

Initially, I liked the classifications used on slide 8 of this presentation titled “How to Market your Event using Social Media.”  It identified the following 4 categories.  

Community Builders:  Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter

Content Creators: Blogs, Video, Twitter

Distribution Channels: Webinars,  Twitter

Linking: Digg, Stumbleupon, Reddit, Twitter

Although I think they over-emphasized the value of Twitter by placing it in all four categories, I like the categories because they point out the usefulness of each tool.  Community Builders help create communities; Content Creators enable individuals to develop content; Distribution channels help share content; and Linking tools make it easier to pass along web links. 

The further I dug into the subject, however, the more it became apparent that there is no real agreement on the classifications of the tools.   One expert says Facebook is only good for networking with friends, while another says that it best at creating communities.   I sort of knew that these disagreements existed before I started my search.  But my desire to find an easy answer caused me to forget it. 

So, what does this mean for rural leaders seeking to use social media tools?  My response is to go back to the answers Lindsey and I provided during our session, and then dig in. There really are no easy answers. 

Each individual seeking to use social media needs to take the advice of the experts, and adapt it to the specifics of their situation.  This means there will probably be some trial and error.  But in the end, it will make your efforts more successful. 

 

Other resources to consider:

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Energize Clinton County props the RLC

August 7th, 2009

I’ve been overcommitted lately and just haven’t had much time to write.  Near the top of my writing “to do” list has been to pass along what I learned from a conversation I had last week with Mark Rembert of Energize Clinton County.  So when Energize CC propped the Rural Learning Center yesterday on their blog and Facebook page, I felt the need to make time for a post.

As readers may know, Energize Clinton County is a grassroots movement focused on reinventing the economy of Clinton County, Ohio aroundsustainable principles.  The effort is being led by two young guys, Mark Rembert and Taylor Stuckert. 

What impressed me most during my phone conversation with Mark last week was his belief that they are making an impact on how young people view their community.  Mark, who is in his mid-twenties, explained people of his generation (Gen Y) are entrepreneurial and want to be a part of something special.  Research backs that up. 

Mark went on to say that they are beginning to see the benefits of this attitudinal change — young people are coming back.  He didn’t offer any statistics to support this claim, and he really tried not to over-hype it.  But I sensed that Mark sincerely felt they have established a beachhead in the on-going battle against young people moving away from rural communities.

So what’s leading young people to change their attitudes about Clinton County if the county isn’t flush with jobs? 

I think there are two reasons:

First, guys like Mark and Taylor are out there talking to their friends about opportunities.  Opportunities to be involved in Energize CC, and opportunities to create their own businesses.  This is significant because Gen Y listens more to buzz generated by their friends than they do promotional websites. 

Second, they are communicating using tools and language that young people connect with. Yes, Mark and Taylor have a knack for being cool, and they are using social media to spread their message to people who live outside of Clinton County.  If rural communities want to keep their young people, they need learn this language and use these tools. 

This is where I think rural communities and organizations in our part of the Midwest need to stand up and pay attention to Energize Clinton County.  It’s also why I feel “the props” should really be going to them.

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Midwest Rural Assembly: Real people talking about real issues

July 29th, 2009

Anyone who is passionate about the rural Midwest should plan on attending the Midwest Rural Assembly.  The event is being hosted in Sioux Falls on August 10-11, 2009. 

The goal of the event is to build a network of regional rural leaders committed to identifying the policy changes needed to help rural places prosper.

From the Assembly’s website we learn attendees will have an opportunity to:

I’m attending because it is an opportunity for me to be a part of the conversation about the future of rural places.  As regular readers know, we believe conversation - both in person and on-line - is key to developing a vision for the future of rural.  We don’t enter the policy debate very often because our focus is on community development practices.

If you want to learn more about the goings on of the assembly, I would invite you to check out the Midwest Rural Assembly website.  You can register on the site as well.

A schedule of events and speakers can be found here. 

And you can check out what people are saying about the Assembly on this Facebook page. 

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New Wine in Old Vessels?

July 23rd, 2009

During a conversation with Terry O’Keefe, founder of Web EG, he commented on how he perceived that large organizations (i.e. banks, auto manufacturers, etc.) are “coming apart at the seams” and we are struggling to “put them back together.”  It started me thinking about many of our long standing organizations in small rural towns.

Metaphorically speaking, many of our clubs and organizations have “come apart at the seams.”  We are struggling to recapture or restore their former vitality.

Are we attempting to revitalize and restore old structures/organizations that no longer work?  Can we or should we be attempting to “put them back together?”

My thoughts are it’s really not about organizations and structures.  It is about relationships and community connectedness. If we refocus our thinking and actions, perhaps our rural communities can become a model to move this great country of ours forward.

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design:SD — More on the Boards

April 2nd, 2009

Design:SD is a lot of fun because we don’t focus on financing - or more specifically, the lack of it.  Instead, the team and community spend  a lot of time brainstorming and imagining creative projects.   Unfortunately, what sometimes happens next is that the design team leaves, and community members are left wondering, “Where is the money going to come from?”

In Deuel, the design team didn’t even get out of town before the question was asked.  In response, the team created a board with a list of funding opportunities to address the question.  (see slide below)

 

The point behind the board was that lots of funding opportunities exist:  so the task becomes matching the funding source with the type of project being developed. 

After the board was done, team members began identifying opportunities not listed and we added a couple more ideas (see DOT Enhancement Grant and HOME Funds).  We could have added many others (like USDA Rural Development programs) as well, but decided the board wasn’t big enough.  In any case, the list is far from complete.

 

A bit of further advice

As I reflect on the slide, I can’t help but offer some further advice. 

People often worry about funding way too early in a project’s lifespan.  Rather than focus on money, community members should begin by prioritizing the community’s needs and developing a ranked list of projects that meet those needs. 

Once complete the community can take the first few projects off the list and begin developing them, including their cost estimates.  It is at this point that attention should be focused on both local resources and outside funding opportunities like those described on the board. 

At that point, projects either acquire the necessary funding or they don’t.  If they don’t, projects may have to go back on the list and wait.  The list may also need to be reprioritized.  It has been my experience, however, that if the project has merit, the support of the community, and is well thought out, the project will find its funding.   

I am offering this advice because it seems that if too much attention is directed at funding at the start, projects appear unrealistic and nothing ever gets started.   But if the energy goes into developing a good project that meets the community’s needs, the funding will eventually materialize.

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