Just last night I found myself worrying about the Advance Leadership initiative.  I was second guessing myself on the material, my approach.  Is the material to “advanced” for the participants?  Our my expectations too high?

Then I come in this morning and get this email from one our Advance participants.  I thought you would like to know that I’m sticking with the plan and moving forward.  This is too important for our industry, OPRA, our employees and ultimately the individuals we serve.  Yes the material is at a high level (Some of the reading material is a Master’s level quality) and yes the whole point is to challenge folks to learn more about themselves and how they interact with others.
I know I will loose some, but Leadership after all starts with one.

I thought you would like to hear from one person about your OPRA Advance program.

Jamie

Begin forwarded message:

From: Lisa Reed <lreed@rhdd.org<mailto:lreed@rhdd.org>>
Subject: RE: Update!
Date: June 20, 2014 at 9:29:02 AM EDT
To: 'Jamie Steele' <jamie.steele@ovrs.org<mailto:jamie.steele@ovrs.org>>

I want to tell you that this Program has already been such an amazing
experience.  I am flying though the reading material, finding myself wishing
there was more.  My favorite so far is Primal Leadership.  Reading though
that book and seeing that things I already had an instinct for was a
scientific theory was SO validating.  I spend a lot of time "reading" people
and deciphering their body language as we communicate then reacting
accordingly.  I thought it was my weird brain though.  I didn't know there
was a whole BOOK about it.  I have read that book cover to cover and find it
positively fascinating.

I must admit to you that I have plagiarized a few things from you and share
with my staff.  Every week I send out a mass email that I call Weekly
Announcements.  It brings everyone onto the same page with key information
and sometimes it's merely a platform to inspire, in some small way.  This
week I challenged everyone to explore what their Deep Down To DO list is.  I
attached the file so you can hear it.  I took your To Do list and made it
mine.  I carry it with me now so I can see it every day as a reminder of
what my real purpose is to this agency.

Thank you Jamie.  Thank you for showing me in such a brief time that there
is so much more to leadership that ticking off items from a To Do list.
Those things are menial. How we inspire people to their fullest potential is
the real measure of leadership.

THANK YOU!  Can't wait for the July Meeting!

-----Original Message-----
From: Jamie Steele [mailto:jamie.steele@ovrs.org]
Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2014 10:05 AM
To: Danielle Isham; Lisa Reed; Kim Bartell; Kim Larson-Phillips; Tina Todd;
Sara Clemson; Jennifer Manos; Jeffrey Sloat; Julie Knapke; Tammy Honkala;
Susan Berneike; Angie Willetts; Shawn Shelton; Susan Baker; Clint Ash; Fred
Strelbicki; Nicole Sturk; Vanessa Moore; Bethany Toledo; Liz Linder; Rachel
Hayes; Melinda Delfratte; Shelly Wharton; Timothy Neville; Linda Topping;
Kim Vournazos; Tobi Eitel; Becky Sharp; Robert Sukel; Sheryl Sklare;
Abdullah Mbai
Cc: Jeff Davis; Teri Derry
Subject: Update!

Hi Everyone,

I hope all of you are enjoying your summer so far.  In addition,  I hope you
have had a chance to tackle one or both of the books that we will be
covering at our July 24th session.

As I stated in my last email, I gave you one book, Primal Leadership, which
is the "bible" of leadership theory.  All of the books we will read
throughout the year, are based on the research by the authors of this book.
It's a difficult read, I know.  Do your best to muddle through, because the
information that this book provides will prove to be invaluable to you as
you move throughout your career.  EI, Emotional Intelligence, is the key.

The other book, The truth about Leadership, is a much easier read.  It
reflects more of the how-to and why of leadership.  These authors, also are
thought of as the masters of Leadership theory.

If you are struggling.  If you are thinking, "Why do I have to read all of
this material"?   The reason for the reading material, is that Leadership is
not an easy task.  For most of our careers we have been followers.  Think
about it.  For many of us, we follow a prescriptive routine that is set up
and reinforced by others.  To be a leader, one must master the art of
leading with intelligence.  This isn't learned without understanding
contemplating various leadership styles and theory.  We learn the art, from
the artist of the industry.

At our next session we have an exciting panel coming to visit us.  These are
the leaders of the DD industry and they will share with us the history and
lessons they have learned about leadership in our field of work.  The
pitfalls, the successes, the worries about our future.  This will be good, I
promise.   In the afternoon, we will tackle the key concepts of the two
books we are currently reading now.   Come with many hard questions for this
panel.  Questions about the emotional toll it takes on someone in a
leadership position in our ever-changing industry.

Remember to challenge yourself to learn new things, new approaches.
Challenge yourself on your preconceived ideas of what makes a good leader.

Key concepts from Strengthfinders:  A very large survey was completed on
what followers believe make good leaders.  The four top themes became
apparent.  Followers see leadership as those that can instill Hope, Trust,
Compassion and Stability in the workplace.  Attached is a sign I have above
my office door.  I look at it and think about it several times per day.
Challenge yourself to be a leader that attempts to instill Hope, Trust,
Compassion and Stability in your workplace, by looking at the decisions you
make and the culture of your workforce and compare it to these Four
principles that followers desire.

See ya next month!

Jamie[cid:140E533D-A485-4963-9E8A-DFCC47615762]