Professor Eric Sampson Transport Operations Research Group€¦ · Professor Eric Sampson Transport Operations Research Group 25 May 2011 . Anglo-Swedish PhD meeting May 2011 No 2

Leadership in action: chairing meetings Professor Eric Sampson

Transport Operations Research Group

25 May 2011

Anglo-Swedish PhD meeting May 2011 No 2

A The ability of an individual to influence, motivate and enable others to contribute towards the effectiveness and success of the Organisation of which they are all members

B It‟s indefinable but recognisable as the consequences of something changing because someone did something

Lee Iacocca − Don‟t just stand and watch; do something

C Getting people to do things • that they had not thought of doing • that did not want to do • that they thought could not be done • in ways that they thought would not work

3 answers to what is “Leadership” ?


Leadership Management 1

Question the choice of task Focus on doing the task well

Form an opinion then consult Consult then form an opinion

Accept and manage risk Avoid or minimise risk

Seek rapid if uneven progress Accept steady progress

Focus on the tasks Focus on people doing the tasks

Celebrate what’s been done Worry about what’s not done

Devise and “sell” a journey Build and follow a plan

Persuade to your viewpoint Suppress your own thinking

Communicate excitement Communicate calm

Regularly surprise Be predictable

Aspects of leadership Aspects of management


Leadership Management 2

Innovate Administer

Ask “Why ?” and “What ?” Ask “How ?” and “When ?”

Focus on people Focus on processes

Look at the horizon Look at the bottom line

Live with the status quo Challenge the status quo

Maintain Develop

Create Copy

Think long-term Think short-term

Do the right things Do things right

Leaders Managers


Formal / protocol

Types of Meeting

Obama meets Queen

Brief Neal for a mtg

Ministerial Statement

PhD Scrutiny Cttee

Brainstorm Agree wording of a bid

University Council mtg ITS Sweden Council

Inform Upwards

Downwards

Decide

Debate

Humphrey Lyttleton

Calendar

Combination


Leadership/Chairing roles in meetings

Open minded

Positive goal

Negative goal

Steer / Focus

Dominate

Irritate / smart-arse

Outcome Method


Chairman‟s brief

Documents in advance

Document labelling

Seating Plan

Procedures Voting

Legal

Use the agenda

Use the Secretary

Timing, minuting

Steer; Nudge; Shove

Logistics


Rigging the agenda

Early items

Late items

Time and place

Summarising

First, second, third speaker

Bio-Breaks, Refreshment Breaks

Whispering and shouting

Kick for touch

Seizing control

Tricks of the Trade


Time keeping

Dissent

The monopolist

Parallelism

Heckling / mischief-making

Dealing with Trouble

Don‟t just stand and watch; do something


How to get your own way as a Committee

Member


10 Commandments for influence Attend regularly and be visible in the margins

Be perceived as part of the community and a problem-solver: UK very well-regarded as neutral “fixer”

Know your stuff: “Elder Statesmen” of ‟58 & „98 Agreements

Build bilateral relationships

Involve and respect the Secretariat and vice versa

Help other MSs eg correcting English

Understand the Secretariat‟s views / problems

Know the rules of procedure

Get your draft proposal in first

Be clear what you want; what others want


Critical Success Factors

Establish a reputation for wise counsel – become the Committee‟s Oracle

Remember that with selected input a small body can steer and influence a larger one



Let the Committee wonder why you didn‟t speak rather than why you did

Expect a long haul rather than overnight success



Keep continuity of the experienced players while introducing the new team

Aim to have your key issues proposed by others so that you can support them enthusiastically

Leadership − chairing meetings 17 November No 15

If you fail

to prepare . . .

Preparation, preparation, preparation

You‟d better

prepare to fail


Dennis Skinner (Lab Bolsover):

To ask the Minister for the

Civil Service, at the latest

date how many Civil Servants

are (a) Men or (b) Women ?

Hansard 12 February 1992

Tim Renton: All of them

When Chairing don‟t ask a question

unless you already know the answer or

don‟t care what it is

And finally . . . .


Establish your authority early on

Use the agenda and the Secretary

Watch the timekeeping

Don‟t call a vote unless you are totally certain about the outcome – or don‟t care

Don‟t ask a question unless you already know the answer or don‟t care what it is

If you fail to prepare then you‟d better be prepared to fail

Make sure you actually lead the meeting !

In summary . . . .


Getting people to do things

• that they had not thought of doing • that did not want to do • that they thought could not be done • in ways that they thought would not work

Final word on “Leadership”

and getting them to think that it was their idea