Leveraging Leadership for our Technology Teams

It is cliched to speak about how quickly our organizations, and industry, are changing. Higher education is still moving out of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as we continue to work to put things back together, we continue to work on how best to serve our own technology teams as we work to serve the campus. This presentation attempts to pull together a bunch of threads from a myriad of leadership topics to speak to how it can all be put together to help our technology teams to not just serve, but thrive in today’s environment.

Transcript

1. Serving our team to better serve our campus. Leveraging Leadership for our Technology Teams BOB MARTENS, PHD | TOMSON HALL 308 | GUSDAY 2023 | JUNE 8, 2023
2. About me
7. I will NOT talk about AI. Confession
8. Highly localized. Confession
9. I’m a huge leadership nerd. Confession
10. Pathway Setting the stage Serving our team Burnout, 6 Types of Working Genius, servant leadership, etc. Serving our campus Solving people problems with technology, governance changes, radiate intent, communication, etc. Closing Resources Questions?
11. Setting the stage
12. “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” John Maxwell
13. How are we doing?
27. Serving our team
28. • Bergen Burnout Inventory (BBI) presents three questions around three dimensions (9 total questions): • Exhaustion - I am snowed under with work. • Cynicism - I feel that I have gradually less to give. • Inadequacy - My expectations to my job and to my performance have reduced. Burnout
29. • W-I-D-G-E-T • Upstream (W-I-D) vs Downstream (G-E-T) • Responsive (W-D-E) vs Disruptive (I-G-T) • Intentionally con fi gure meetings • Team building exercises • Fitting people together 6 Types of Working Genius
30. • Based on energy levels • Can be quite different between people • Separate out the type and importance of the work based into each zone • At Your Best by Carey Nieuwhof Red - yellow - green zones
31. • Work with the team • Find what unique contribution you are able to do • Sometimes based on your role • Delegate as much of everything else you can Define your role
32. • A potent tool • NOT your meeting … their meeting • NOT for catching up on work (only) • Early warning system for issues • Keep notes and follow up • The Art of Leadership by Michael Lopp 1:1 meetings
33. • Proposed by Robert Greenleaf (AT&T) in the 1970s • Part of the neoclassical or human relations movement of organizational theories • Aspiration to serve fi rst … and then to lead Servant leadership
34. Servant leadership behaviors • 9 dimensions identi fi ed by Liden and others include: • emotional healing, showing concern for the concerns of others; • creating value for the community, concern for helping one’s community, • conceptual skills, possessing knowledge of the organization and required tasks so that the leader can support and assist others, • empowering, encouraging and facilitating others in identifying, solving, and prioritizing tasks; • helping subordinates grow and succeed, demonstrating concern, and showing support for career growth through providing support and mentoring, • putting subordinates fi rst, using actions and words to communicate that satisfying the work needs of followers is a priority; • behaving ethically, interacting in a fair, honest, and transparent manner; • relationships, making an effort to know, understand, and support others through building long-term relationships; and • servanthood, being known and self-categorizing as someone who looks to serve fi rst.
35. Servant Leadership Scale • 28-question survey instrument developed by Liden around the 9 dimensions • Narrowed down to 7 dimensions during validation (4 questions per dimension) • Conceptual skills • Empowering: our items • Helping subordinates grow and • Putting subordinates fi rst • Behaving ethically • Emotional healing • Creating value for the community • Servant Leadership Scale-7 (SL-7) includes a single question for each of the 7 dimensions
36. Leveraging servant leadership Increase in SL - 7 scores (servant leadership behaviors) correlated with decrease in BBI scores (burnout indicators)
37. Serving our campus
38. • Continually communicate … more … • From team TO campus (include why) • From campus TO team (include why) • The Motive by Patrick Lencioni • The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication by John Maxwell Chief Reminding Officer
39. • Technology is everyone’s work • Information security and data governance can often be a starting point • Often will require training • May require looking at changing governance • If you have ideas … PLEASE let me know (and come to the later session) Distribute responsibility
40. • Know and communicate why you make the choices you do • Take ownership of how you work and intentionally design the process • Make your work “seen” • Shape Up by Ryan Singer Know your why … and your how
41. • Get (and stay) involved with campus • Avoid technology solving people issues • Always ask questions • Good Leaders Ask Great Questions by John Maxwell • The In fi nite Game by Simon Sink Be curious
42. • Instead of “asking for forgiveness instead of permission” • “We intend …” • Communicate intentions widely, regularly, consistently, etc. • Invite feedback Radiate intent
43. Closing
45. Resources
46. Resources • Bergan Burnout Inventory (BBI and BBI - 9) • Servant Leadership Scale (SL-28 and SL-7) • Correlated Outcomes and Servant Leadership Behaviors in the Lutheran Parish by Robert Martens • The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni • The Motive by Patrick Lencioni • Shape Up by Ryan Singer • At Your Best by Carey Nieuwhof • Good Leaders Ask Great Questions by John Maxwell • The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication by John Maxwell • The In fi nite Game by Simon Sink • The Art of Leadership by Michael Lopp
47. Questions?
48. Bob Martens, PhD | 507 - 766 - 6741 | martenrt@mlc-wels.edu Thank you