WSS 2014 Leadership SummitLeading in Times of Change
March 25, 2014
www.publicconsultinggroup.com
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AgendaI. Introductions, Objectives, Observations
II. Sources Examined
III. Adaptive Leadership Principles
IV. Two Things to Ponder
V. Reflection and Q&A / Discussion
VI.Wrap Up
Public Consulting Group
Management Consulting Firm
• Established in 1986 & headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts
• 1,300+ employees, offices in 43 states throughout the U.S. and in Canada, the U.K. & Poland, including Asheville, Charlotte, and Raleigh
• Focused exclusively on public agencies and their private contractors/partners
• In NC since 1994, on WSS since 2011
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Presenter
Robin O’Brien
• Associate Manager in PCG’s Human Services Practice Area
• 20 years experience in project/program management across public, not-for-profit, and for-profit sectors
• 10 years experience helping public human services agencies continuously improve their performance, capacity, and results
• Co-Creator of APHSA’s Organizational Effectiveness practice built and refined through 75+ projects in 30 states
• Facilitated WSS planning in 2011 and monitoring/annual planning each year since
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Observations
WSS county and state leadership has been stable and resilient from 2011 to now.
NC FAST has blotted out the sun.
You’ve kept tacking toward your ultimate goals, and have made a lot of progress.
State-county relationships are strained, and you need to get back to “we” to stay on target and keep good people from leaving.
If you keep putting one foot in front of the other, you’ll look back in 3/5/10 years and be amazed at what you’ve accomplished.
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Objectives
1. Introduce concepts and tools for leading in times of change.
2. Help you begin to:
a. See a path from surviving to thriving; and
b. Plan ways to get on that path.
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Reflective Thinking Questions
1. What do we do well as an organization? What do I do well as a leader?
2. Where do we need to improve as an organization? Where do I need to improve as a leader?
3. Where can I get support when things get rough? How can I support others when things get rough for them?
4. What do I want my legacy to be?
5. What 2-3 concrete things can I do when I get back to my county/team?
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Sources Examined
Overcoming Trauma
Adaptive Leadership literature
Tools from practitioners
Direct experience in leadership, management, consulting
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Selected Sources - Literature
Overcoming Trauma
Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a Culture of Change. San Francisco, CA. Jossey-Bass.
Heifetz, R. and Linsky, M. (2002). Leadership on the Line – Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Leading. Harvard Business School Press.
Heifetz, R., Linsky, M., and Grashow, A. (2009). Practice of Adaptive Leadership. Harvard Business School Press.
http://www.aphsa.org/content/dam/aphsa/pdfs/Innovation%20Center/2012-06-Art-of-Possible-Adaptive-Leadership-PolicyPractice.pdf
http://innovationcenter.aphsa.org/content/dam/aphsa/pdfs/Innovation%20Center/2013-04-Pursuit-of-Adaptive-Leaders-in-All-Levels-PolicyPractice.pdf
http://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2012/11/09/leadership-2-0-are-you-an-adaptive-leader/
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Selected Sources - Practitioners
Overcoming Trauma
American Public Human Services Association. (2009). Positioning Public Child Welfare Guidance: Leadership Guidance. Retrieved from http://www.ppcwg.org/.
APHSA Adaptive Leadership Toolkit (DRAFT 1-13-2014)
APHSA Organizational Effectiveness Handbook, 4th Edition.
http://www.lifelongfaith.com/uploads/5/1/6/4/5164069/becoming_an_adaptive_leader.pdf
http://artsfwd.org/how-is-the-coachs-stance-valuable-in-adaptive-leadership/
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Selected Sources – Experience
Overcoming Trauma
Direct consulting experience with 25+ OE clients
Consultation with HHS leaders (e.g., 2010 Human Services Advisory Board of 20+ state and local HHS CEOs, former IN family court judge and state child welfare director Judge Jim Payne)
Experience helping to create national guidance (e.g., National Workgroup on Integration, PPCWG)
Experience profiling HHS promising practices (e.g., through APHSA’s Raise the Local Voice initiative)
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How Adults Learn
Overcoming Trauma
Adapted from David Kolb
(www.infed.org/mobi/david-a-kolb-on-experiential-learning)
Observation and
Reflection (2)
Forming Abstract Concepts
(3)
Testing in New
Situations (4)
Concrete Experience
(1)
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Adaptive Leadership
Principles
Overcoming Trauma
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What Works
Overcoming Trauma
1. Know the organization
2. Project into the future (assess trends and the environment)
3. Break down barriers
4. Be disruptive
5. Be agile to get to the goal
6. Empower the organization
7. Sense and respond
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Know the Organization
Overcoming Trauma
Its history … of change, relationships, structure
Its people … staff, clients, other stakeholders
Its community … culture, politics, values
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Project Into the Future
Overcoming Trauma
Environmental trends in client demographics, funding, regulation
Long-term impact of decisions
Potentially revolutionary impact of evolutionary changes
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Break Down Barriers
Overcoming Trauma
Collaborate with others who impact your clients’ success
Build trust between individuals and teams within your organization
Find common interests with traditional adversaries – build something together, “break bread” together
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Be Disruptive
Overcoming Trauma
Work back from what clients need
Challenge organizational norms, “sacred cows”
Find ways to comply that drive toward the desired future
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Be Agile to Get to the Goal
Overcoming Trauma
Regularly update organizational plans due to:o Lessons learned from implementationo New opportunities
Keep moving forward in a systematic wayo Stay true to core practice principles and valueso Pilot, monitor, and continuously improve
innovations vs chasing “shiny things” React to crisis and exit crisis mode asap Explain changes as steps forward toward
meeting client needs
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Empower the Organization
Overcoming Trauma
Engage staff, clients, and stakeholders as partners in identifying, analyzing, and implementing change -- user groups, task forces, surveys/focus groups
Flatten the organization by deemphasizing hierarchy, silos
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Sense and Respond
Overcoming Trauma
Know yourself – your strengths, gaps, tendencies – and model continuous learning
Communicate to the hearts, minds, and guts of your peopleo Acknowledge feelings of loss, celebrate small
victories o Meet people where they are, and help them to
move forward Recognize and understand sources of
resistance and engage with them head on
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Examples from Other States
Overcoming Trauma
Virginia (e.g., Albemarle County, Hampton)
Minnesota (e.g., Dakota and Olmsted Counties)
Colorado (e.g., Jefferson County)
California (e.g., San Diego County)
Idaho WSS
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Two Things to Ponder
Overcoming Trauma
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Individual Coaching vs. Adaptive Leadership
Overcoming Trauma
Individual coaching and adaptive leadership can be seen as parallel processes:
1. Works to inspire the coachee and helps him/her see a vision of what is possible
2. Listens and asks questions
3. Gets to know the coachee as a person
4. Helps the coachee come up with solutions (but doesn’t problem-solve for them)
5. Leads open and honest conversations about the coachee’s performance and behavior
6. Sees coaching as a process that takes time
7. Knows and takes care of themselves
From recent PCG training in Coaching for Performance Management, adapted from literature/practice/experience review and refined by trainees
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Resilience from Trauma as a Potential Source of Leadership Strength
Overcoming Trauma
Drivers of resilience and drivers of leadership capacity are similar:
1. Social supports and role models
2. Optimism balanced by realism
3. Faith in something larger than one’s self
4. A sense of meaning, morality and ethics
5. Reframing circumstances and events as constructive and instructive
6. Problem-solving skills
7. Forgiveness
8. Facing and overcoming fears
9. A sense of humor
10.Brain fitness
11. Physical fitness and stress management
From recent joint APHSA-PCG OE Tool Development Work
Reflective Thinking Questions
1. What do we do well as an organization? What do I do well as a leader?
2. Where do we need to improve as an organization? Where do I need to improve as a leader?
3. Where can I get support when things get rough? How can I support others when things get rough for them?
4. What do I want my legacy to be?
5. What 2-3 concrete things can I do when I get back to my county/team?
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Reactions? Questions?
Overcoming Trauma
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For More Information
Robin O’Brien
Associate Manager
(617) 426-1366
Erin Henderlight
Senior Consultant
(828) 214-3614
Overcoming Trauma
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Public Consulting Group, Inc.148 State Street, Tenth Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02109
(617) 426-2026, www.publicconsultinggroup.com