The Leadership Report: State of the Union Address

The Leadership Report: State of the Union Address

According to NPR, President Obama will be delivering the State of the Union Address on January 27 to national audiences on major broadcast networks. The whole world (well, those who care) will be watching and waiting to see what President Obama has to say about the strides (and potential setbacks) his Administration has encountered over there past year.

Looking back at it all: Was this a successful year for the Obama Administration? In the beginning the Obama machine was roaring loud and clear, you could hear it coming a mile away. The Obama campaign was FULL of energy, charisma, and ethusiasm toting an ethusiastic message of change, but now it seems as if it is barely chugging along what with the wall street crises, big bonuses, foreclosures, high taxes, all the healthcare hulabaloo, unemployment ills and security snaffoos.

What happened to the passionate man behind the mic? The young up and coming leader with a vision for victory? The guy with the gift for generational gab? Has the leader lost its luster?  Instead of engaging the audience and his followers, the leader talks to US but does not include us. Somewhere a long the line, the messages from the Administration didn't deliever. The Obama train came into the station and parked... permanently, instead of canvassing more destinations, increasing participation and building on the energy it had.

The world is looking for a leader (especially in dire times) to keep the energy level up and inspire - that is what people NEED. A man who is going to stick to the script, set out a strategic plan, acknowledge strengths and build upon weaknesses. A leader to demonstrate empathy, assertiveness, passion, courage, great judgement, personality and when appropriate - humor. Speeches should be filled with life, body language should be stern yet not robotic-like. People like to know those around them are still human. It is okay to deviate from the speech and improvise. Sure, there are a variety of leadership styles, but is Obama's effective? Are the American people confident in his style?

In my opinion, you have to speak and think like a leader. In this address, I would like to see President Obama demonstrate:

• Charisma: Smile, go off script, tell a joke.. break the monotony of a dry speech
• Candor: Don't mask the setbacks; acknowledge they exist and outline a strategic plan to get us back on track (not just vague suggestions)
• Posture/Body language: Break free from the robotic-like movements
• Tone: Refrain from being monotone and develop flucuations in voice

Given the State of the Union address is one of the most professional and routine speeches, it may be difficult to implement all of these suggestions but it would be nice to see something different from President Obama. I hope somehow he bridges the "new Obama" with "old Obama" America saw emerging before the election. As we know, leaders come in different forms and fashions; but this time around Americans chose a leader they felt they could identify with... The only problem is: Where is he now? 

Servant leadership | National Catholic Reporter

Servant leadership National Catholic Reporter
Are you a servant leader?

After skimming through some articles in Google, I came across this peice written by Dennis Coday for the National Catholic Reporter. He asks, "What is servant leadership?" Does it only apply to those at the bishops and pastors? The congregation? Everyone in the church has some responsibility and leadership role, including those who attend. 

Taking this idea and moving away from the spiritual structure, is it possible to be a servant leader in an everyday setting?

A servant is defined as:

Main Entry: ser·vant


Function: noun

: a person who serves others: as a : an individual who performs duties about the person or home of a master or personal employer b : a person in the employ and subject to the direction or control of an individual or company —see also RESPONDEAT SUPERIOR —compare AGENT, MASTER Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
 
In my daily life, I try to fully understand the needs of others and help set a positive example by taking initative whether it is in a class project, or guiding a group of individuals for a volunteer activity. But what IS servant leadership to you? To me a servant leader is not like the standard leader or thought of as a "figurehead" but one who builds quality relationships by emphasizing trust, empathy and sympathy with his or her followers, not subordinates.
 
Great servant leaders are great followers, but is every great follower a leader?

Millenials, M.B.A's, & Management

Alternatives to the M.B.A. Becoming More Popular

By Diana Middleton
Published: December 15, 2009

In this article, Diana Middleton highlights the struggles facing millenials as they try to find the perfect pathway to career success. One asks - Should I go after the prestigious MBA degree or venture down another yellow brick road? Interestingly, with the influx of MBA students worldwide, there is a segment of students investigating specialized masters degrees to get ahead in their fields (i.e. finance, international management, etc.)

Most MBA programs require at least 3-5 years of business experience and with alternative MBAs, students (such as myself) can gain a more focused, accelerated approach to their field of choice by choosing the latter without having to have the required experience. In a world where every university (online and offline) is offering their own MBA, the market is becoming oversaturated and the degree is beginning to lose its luster (unless you graduated from a top 20 business program and can prove your worth).

What was once a unique bragging right, has become "Oh, you have an MBA too?" asked the 42 year old CEO to the 21 year old who was fresh out of business school. Honestly, it's a good thing young students are pursuing other masters programs to bring some fresh approaches and ideas to their fields having studied their art down to a T, verses learning an assortment of MBA practices that may not be entirely beneficial to their field. On the flip side, if one is too specialized they may have difficulty finding a job that caters to their specialization... or their worse night mare come true and they realize they SHOULD have went for that MBA in their first job interview.

Either way, I commend these students for pursuing their goals and rebuking the MBA. The MBA isn't for everyone and being unique in pedigree is a plus. You stand out. You provide a company increased value through specialized knowledge. You're not "just another MBA grad." You've demonstrated passion, perserverance, and faith by going a different route and trusting in your program. (And I hope it's worth it!)

As a recent graduate, I knew I wanted to work in Leadership/Management Development, but was not keen on going after the MBA (like most of my peers), I decided to aim for a Masters of Science in Organizational Development/Leadership; a theoretical approach but a beneficial one nontheless. So all non-MBA's stand up and unite in uniqueness, and stand tall! Relish in the moment and show the world what you'e truly made off!

The Leadership Debate: Who Leads Better - Men or Women?

Corner Office Carol Smith
No Doubts: Women Are Better Managers
Published: July 26, 2009 Women Are Better Managers?

Ah, the age old debate about who makes the better leader - men or women. In my own experience, each sex has its own strengthens and weaknesses; but it is unfair to declare one sex more capable of leading than the other. Ultimately, it depends on the leading style and personality of the manager versus whether or not the boss is male of female. I've encountered female bosses who were gossipy, insecure and unaware of how to utilize their position as a positive force in management.

At the same time, I have witnessed male bosses play favorites, become overtly emotional, or fail to lead at all. These traits are not immune to just one sex. In the article, Carol Smith mentioned "Men also, they’re definitely better on the “whatever” side. Things tend to roll off their back. We women take things very personally."

In certain cases, this may be true, but not always. Yes, women may be emotional, but there are quite a few of us who do not wear our emotions on our sleeve and embrace the mantra "it's not personal - it's just business." (Again, we are not all running to the bathroom teary-eyed after a less than stellar performance review...but I digress.) I do, however; give Ms. Smith kudos for breaking down the superiority wall and wanting to connect with her subordinates by sitting in the middle of the board room table and building honest relationship with clients and staff through meals. (You learn a lot through a meal.)

If anything, men and women can become great leaders by adopting great communication skills, exercising good judgement, integrity, time-management, and organization with a definite vision and strategic plan for producing results. Let's leave the emotions and power/ego trips at home and continue to learn on a personal and professional level together - both men AND women. The best results are produced when we strive to work collectively.

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