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IITA-HRSLEARNING SESSION

Echoes from the AWARD Women’s Leadership and

Management Course (WLMC) 2014

Lade Oke19 February 2015


To share with colleagues lessons learnt from the AWARD Women’s Leadership and Management Course, 2014;

To transfer knowledge and skills imparted in the course of the programme; and

To strengthen each other’s capacity in leading and managing.

LEARNING SESSION OBJECTIVES


Objective of the WLMC:

To reinforce the skills needed to enhance the leadership capacity and managerial effectiveness of women researchers and professionals who work in International Research Centres and other multi-national organizations.

Major skill areas in focus:• Sustaining team performance

• Managing conflict

• Building alliances to achieve research and business results

• Working with diversity


“Leadership is both complex and simple. The complexities of leadership are paradoxical: it is an

art and a science, it involves change and stability, it draws on personal attributes and requires

interpersonal relationships, it sets visions and results in actions, it honors the past and exists for the future, it manages things and leads people, it is

transformational and transactional, it serves employees and customers, it requires learning and

unlearning, it centres on values and is seen in behaviours.”

Dave Ulrich


“Tomorrow’s leaders recognize the significance of the lives of women and men who make up the

enterprise, the value of a workplace that nurtures the people whose performance is essential to furthering

the mission, and the necessity of a healthy community to the success of an organization.”

Frances Hesselbein, The Leader of the Future


Organizers: AWARD hosted by ICRAF. AWARD is African Women in Agricultural Research and Development

The WLMC is held annually. I attended the 27th edition of the course. It is an all women programme with an all women facilitators

Venue: Airlie Conference Centre, Warrenton, Virginia, USA

Date: October 5 – 11, 2014

Facilitators: Training Resources Group Inc. USA

Participants mix: scientists, administrators, HR professionals, lawyers, auditors, communication experts

Number of participants – 33: IITA (2); IFPRI (4); CIMMYT (6); IWMI (2); CIFOR (2); ICIMOD (2); CIP (1); ICRISAT (2); World Vegetable Centre (1); IRRI (2); FAO (6); & BMGF (3).

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAMME


“Understanding is living in a house where every room has a point of view.” – Noah benShea, Jacob the Baker

This means we should: Make room for differences in opinion.

Make decisions recognizing everyone’s views.

Know that a house is not complete without the other parts.

Recognize that it is one foundation, one roof for all the diverse parts of the house. It only makes sense to have one purpose.

Lessons in Diversity


We interact through three lenses that are closely linked: the social lens, the cultural lens and the cognitive-functional lens

Your social lens reflects who you are – race, gender, ethnicity, class, age, sexual orientation, physical/mental capabilities, all these combining to display differences in power, privileges and access

Your cultural lens is linked to your social identity and shapes your assumptions about leading and managing. Your cultural disposition influences your values and beliefs and your approaches to work, decision-making and problem-solving.

The cognitive-functional lens is about differences in learning styles, in professional discipline, and MBTI preferences

Lessons in Diversity (contd.)


You have to leverage diversity as a leader.

There will be similarities. There will also be differences.

What is important is: - Leaving room for expression. - Promoting inclusiveness - Understanding and tolerating individual differences

What we should do: - Change our mindset - Work towards developing a supportive work environment - Weave diversity into the fabric of the organization: structures, systems, processes and procedures - See diversity NOT as a problem to manage, but an asset and tool to be used and developed

Lessons in Diversity (contd.)


THE GALLERY OF DIVERSITY


THE GALLERY OF DIVERSITY - THIS IS ME


In most organizations:

Masculine behaviours (independence, individuality, rationality, aggressiveness) are seen as positive values

Feminine behaviours (interpersonal effectiveness, problemprevention, coordination/collaboration, attention to “the how”), on theother hand, are either not seen or undervalued

What makes women different? Research shows that:(1) There is a difference in the way men and women tend to think.

Women have a web-thinking pattern, integrating more details faster, taking a broader, more holistic, more contextual perspective of any issue. Men on the other hand are more likely to focus their attention on one thing at a time – thinking straight line.

INTERESTING GENDER DIMENSIONS


What makes women different? Research shows that:The capacity for web thinking has to do with the female brain having more nerve cables connecting the two brain hemispheres, while the male brain is more compartmentalized, operating more independently.

(2) Women’s brain’s capacity for web thinking allows them to demonstrate mental flexibility – having higher ratings on adaptability (in emotional intelligence), being able to see different worlds/possibilities

(3) Women also have executive social skills, can read complex emotions in faces and hear slight changes in tone of voice. Women leaders are typically described as more friendly, pleasant and socially sensitive, demonstrating more concern for others.

(4) Women have remarkable facilities to networking, collaboration, empathy, inclusion and sharing power. Men view power as rank and status.

INTERESTING GENDER DIMENSIONS (contd.)


• Management is coping with complexity. Leadership, by contrast, is about coping with change. - John Kotter

• Leadership and management compliment each other

• While leadership qualities are desirable, we cannot ignore the benefits of strong management

• Leadership is normally about:- establishing direction- aligning people- motivating and inspiring

• Management focuses on: - planning and budgeting- organizing and staffing- controlling and problem-solving

LESSONS IN EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT


• Leadership produces adaptive change and moves people to where they and the organization are genuinely better off

• Management keeps complex organization accurate on time and budget

• Women leaders need to be smart – don’t’ be blind to politics or you suffer the consequences

• Know when to take front and rear positions as a leader• Gain credibility outside to also establish your credibility inside• The qualities that make a leader, according to Daniel Goleman are

“soft” and unbusinesslike.• Truly effective leaders are not only distinguished by intelligence,

toughness, determination and vision, but also by a high degree of emotional intelligence which includes self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skill.

• Emotional intelligence can be learned. It also increases with age.

LESSONS IN EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT (contd.)


1. “Leaders are usually people of vision, effective communicators, effective decision maker, …”

11. “The ability to “artfully listen” and use what you have heard in a facilitative manner is the mark of an effective leader.”

12. Two core communication skills include (i) facilitating productive conversations and (ii) providing feedback.

13. Four very important facilitation skills are: (i) Questioning; (ii) Paraphrasing; (iii) Summarizing; and (iv) Encouraging.

14. In providing feedback, remember BIC (Behaviour-Impact-Consequences) – giving someone information about their behaviour and its impact on you (or the team) – both negative and positive – and the consequences.

15. Understand feedback as a gift having the intent to help and not hurt you and receive it with thanks

SOME KEY LEADERSHIP SKILLS - Facilitation


• I experienced a different approach to administering and analyzing the MBTI, a tool assists organizations to: solve people problems, manage and resolve conflict, communicate more effectively, improve teamwork through improved understanding of ourselves and others.

• Extended time was spent on an overview of the two broad natural preferences – extroversion and introversion (E/I)

• There were lessons and role plays on:- Approaches to gathering and generating information (S/N)- Approaches to decision-making (T/F) - Approaches to tasks and deadlines (J/P)

• The two MBTI extremes were noted to be ESTJ and INFP.

ANOTHER DIMENSION OF MBTI – Understanding Ourselves & Others


• Done as a pre-course work, the results were presented during the training – very revealing for many of us.

• Some took the constructive feedback graciously. Others felt uncomfortable about some of the assessment

• I sincerely appreciate colleagues who completed the report on my behalf. One supervisor, 2 peers and 4 direct reports comp, making 8 responses including my self-assessment.

• We were assessed in 6 critical areas of leadership performance and attributes, namely (i) Setting direction and aligning others; (ii) Motivating and inspiring; (iii) Managing performance; (iv) Interpersonal competence and communication; (v) Problem-solving and decision-making; and (vi) Influencing others.

Receiving Feedback - 360 Degrees Feedback


For me the summary was:

• (i) Setting direction and aligning others – 85% score;

• (ii) Motivating and inspiring – 90% (apparently my strongest point);

• (iii) Managing performance – 78%;

• (iv) Interpersonal competence and communication – 75%;

• (v) Problem-solving and decision-making – 82%;

• (vi) Influencing others – 78%

Write-in responses (comments) were also very helpful for me. It helped tosee clearly areas of strength to reinforce and areas where I need to makechanges to improve my effectiveness.

360 Degrees Feedback (contd.)


• Key leadership functions and qualities needed for effective teams have been emphasized

• Also essential are the team member’s actions/attitudes

• Such team member’s core competencies include:- Openness – promoting open exchange of ideas, willing to deal

with problems- Supportiveness – desire and willingness to help others succeed,

putting the team’s goal above any individual agenda- Action orientation – making a deliberate effort to make

something happen- Positive personal style – energetic, optimistic, enthusiastic, and

fun to work withWe had some team building activities to practice and learn these.They include: Helium Pole, Kaizen and Crater Game

The Sine Qua Non of Effective Teams


• Make powerful connections• Use your power bases effectively. The power bases include:

Authority, Reward, Discipline (these are positional, provided by the organization); and Information, Expertise, and Goodwill (these are personal, developed by the leader)

• Act assertively, not aggressively or submissively. To be assertive, be self-aware, self-regulated, empathetic and work effectively with others (remembers the components of EQ)

• In being assertive, differentiate between what is relevant and what is irrelevant; be honest about what is not negotiable and stick to your bottom line. Negotiate as equals

• Assertiveness can’t guarantee that you’ll get what you want, but gives you the chance of getting it.

• Be honest with yourself and others. Peter Drucker says, “ A leader without integrity is a menace.”

SOME KEY LEADERSHIP SKILLS – Being Assertive


• Use strong alliances. Identify your allies, your bedfellows, your opponents, your adversaries and the fence-sitters.

• Your allies will be high on agreement and high in trust (you can depend on them to flow with you)

• Your bedfellows will be high on agreement, but low on trust. They may have hidden agenda, and may not fully commit to the cause.

• Your opponent may be low in agreement, but high on trust. Your opponent most times actually brings out the best in you because they will give you honest opinions. You can bring them to your side by building support and through dialogue.

• Your adversaries are clearly low on agreement and low on trust. Don’t confuse them with opponents.

• The fence-sitters never commit. You may never know where they stand.

SOME KEY LEADERSHIP SKILLS – Influencing Others


• Understand the circle of influence – that is, areas where you have direct control, indirect control and no control.

• DIRECT CONTROL – You must be able to change yourself and then proceed to inspire others, motivate others and influence them through loving feedback (INDIRECT CONTROL)

• NO CONTROL – here is the space of unchangeable realities. You don’t have influence over them, e.g. hierarchy, authority, etc.

SOME KEY LEADERSHIP SKILLS – Influencing Others


• Conflict is often a result of misplaced assumptions. It arises when two people have different wishes, needs, ideas and opinions.

• Conflict is neither good nor bad in itself. The outcome is either positive or negative based on how it is managed.

• Know that it is all about perceptions – no right or wrong. Just different

• Keep your emotions• Watch your voice, tone• Watch your body language• Know when your energy is being wasted and when you need to walk

away.• Good conflict management will ensure that (i) conversation between

parties move towards resolution; (ii) issues are dealt with; (iii) minimum of negative feelings are generated; (iv) agreements are meant and parties do what they say

SOME KEY LEADERSHIP SKILLS – Managing Conflict


• Leading and managing

• Facilitating

• Identifying preferences

• Working with diversity

• Working with emotional intelligence

• Learning assertiveness

• Conflict management

• Influencing others

SUMMARY OF LEADERSHIP SKILLS LEARNT


Can women leaders excel?

http://agilelion.com/drupal-terrace/what-should-we-do-be-successful-women-project-managers

YES, WE CAN!


PHOTORAMA


I appreciate the HHR who nominated me for the course.

I am grateful to the DDG-CS who sponsored me (providing the funds).

I appreciate my colleagues who contributed to identifying my strong

and weak points.

I also acknowledge Sylvia Oyinlola who also attended the course, making two

of us from IITA on the programme.


It is a privilege to share the beautiful

experience with you. I count on your support on my improvement

journey.

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