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TED Talk

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We have all changed someone's life -- usually without even realizing it. In this funny talk, Drew Dudley calls on all of us to celebrate leadership as the everyday act of improving each other's lives.

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Emotional Intelligence

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Educational Leadership - Summer 2018 - page49

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Educational Leadership is a magazine for educators by educators and includes among its readers principals, teachers, and administrators of every grade level and subject area. With a circulation of 175,000, EL is acknowledged throughout the world as an authoritative and readable forum of discussion about practices, policies, research, and trends affecting prekindergarten through higher education.

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In many of your Module One introductions, the leader-mentor who has inspired you demonstrated the qualities Simon Sinek explains in this short video.

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Talking to high school students about leadership and character is tricky. Most of what is said sounds cliche at best and patronizing at worst. So I turned to Ted Talks for a little help. Following is a list of talks that are brief - six minutes at most - and often funny. They approach the topics in new ways that engage students instead of turning them off to the ideas.

I found this one through a comment on my previous post about Ted Talks. Dudley, the speaker, gives insight into how we've falsely built leaders up as having to be extraordinary Earth-changing individuals. But in reality, we all do something that positively impacts others and makes us leaders as well. His example from his own life is hysterical and something students can relate to.

I use this in my school with every student sharing their "lollipop moment" for a collaborative bulletin board that shows the leadership in the school. You can see his talk here.

A volunteer firefighter humorously tells about how he was the second to arrive at a fire, so instead of saving the dog, he saved the shoes. He was bummed, but learned later that getting shoes for a woman who was having the worst day of her life was pretty important as well. Similar to the above talk, this one reminds students that small acts of kindness, courage, leadership, etc. can positively impact others just as much as the large ones.

In closing, he reminds the audience to "save the shoes." If presented with the opportunity to do something good or kind, do it. It may seem small but it's always worth it. You can see this talk here.

Change is overwhelming and at times seems impossible. Cutts, the speaker, made small changes in his life like biking to work, hiking, and even writing. He did them one at a time and for thirty days each. The results were amazing: increased confidence, healthier lifestyle, and a published novel! Okay, so the novel is terrible and is not published; but he can now say he's an author and he did it.

Cutts explains how 30 days is just the right amount of time to create, or eradicate, a habit. So after 30 days, as long as your change is small enough to be manageable, you're likely to keep doing it.

I use this with my students and encourage them to pick something that day that they will start to do and will continue to do for 30 days. We discuss what is manageable and the possible benefits. I love hearing my students comment on what they are still doing months later! Check out the talk by clicking here.

This speaker uses a movie to show a movement in creation. Hilariously, the movement is a dance party of sorts in a field. The message of the talk is spot-on for most of my students: you don't have to be a leader to impact a movement. Sivers, the speaker of this talk, explains the importance of the early followers who take the risk of being one of the first, and have the essential job of getting more followers and teaching them how to follow as well.

The video used to demonstrate the movement is great and the message co-insides with the other videos: you can make an impact. You can watch the talk here.

Okay, not exactly funny. But the speaker, Narayan, keeps it light given the bleak topic. Narayan's focus in on how a majority of the obituaries that are not paid for by the families are for people in the arts who positively impacted their communities.

It's a gentle reminder that if you want to be remembered when you're gone, be kind to others. I also love that this talk reiterates how you don't have to be an engineer or a lawyer to be successful. We overlook the importance and significance of the contributions from the artists of the world. You can watch this talk here.

Another talk from Sivers who points out some of the humorous miscommunications and understandings between different cultures. For example, doctors in some areas of China are only paid when their patients are healthy because it means the doctor is doing a good job. Makes sense!

Students have already heard that they should keep an open mind, but this talk helps them to remember to practice it as well. One example is when he shows a map flipped from the way we usually see it. When students say the map is upside down, it already shows they are set in thinking our perception of the map is more correct than someone else's even though it is actually of the same Earth. Very short but still impactful. You can watch this talk here.

These specific talks are perfect for class discussion and quick worksheet when you have 15 minutes or so to fill. Since the focus is on leadership and character, they can work in almost any classroom. They can also be combined to create a mini unit on leadership and character.

Short on time? I have my worksheets available here at my TeachersPayTeachers store.

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Quick Ted Talks to Develop Leadership and Character - Engaging and Effective Teaching

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Talking to high school students about leadership and character is tricky. Most of what is said sounds cliche at best and patronizing at worst. So I turned to Ted Talks for a little help. Following is a list of talks that are brief - six minutes at most - and often funny.

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Failure: The Secret to Success - A Honda Documentary

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10 guiding principles for leaders | TED Talks

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It never hurts to have a basic set of guiding principles. Let these insightful talks help shape, redefine and build out your own leadership goals. (Curated in partnership with SAP)

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7 Habits of Highly Effective Transformational Leaders

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7 Habits of Highly Effective Transformational Leaders

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Ten years ago, businesses were racing to understand and capitalize on concepts such as data mining, search technology, and virtual collaboration.

Today, digital transformation-which describes how digital technology is fundamentally changing the ways businesses operate and deliver value to customers-rules the roost and is disrupting companies everywhere, from their operating models to their infrastructures.

But that's only part of the equation. "Digital transformation is actually a human transformation," said Brian Solis, principal analyst at consulting and research company Altimeter. "We've learned that people have mistakenly overemphasized the role of technology in change. What this comes down to is leadership."

With that in mind, we spoke with nine executives and thought leaders about what makes good leaders great, the habits that inform success, and specific skills they must hone to realize this transformation.

1. Be Empathetic
Truly great digital transformation leaders understand how human dynamics-fear, politics, ego, sabotage, and safety-play into people's feelings about change. They don't assume their teams see the world their way. Rather, they see how others might perceive things, then "bridges between how they see it and what you're trying to do," Solis said.

"It's not about getting people to follow you. It's empowering people to lead their own initiatives and collaborate with you and others," he told CMO.com. "It's about unification of a bigger movement of getting people to bring about change because they want to-not because they have to."

Amid all that change, when products and processes are shifting, leaders are tasked with ensuring that they weave humanity into every touch point, said Leesa Wytock, senior director of experience at brand strategy and design firm Siegel+Gale. That's difficult to do without empathy.

"Empathy is what allows you to get the best work out of your team, it's what makes you a good partner to work with, and it's what makes your digital transformations successful," she told CMO.com. "A lot of user experience work deals with behavioral science and empathy. You need to put yourself in the user's shoes to get a product or process right."

2. Step Outside Your Box
According to Jeffrey Brandt, CIO at national law firm Jackson Kelly, seeking out connections, experiences, and information outside of your particular industry can help light on what other businesses are doing in their digital transformations.

"It's important to look at other industries and what's impacting and challenging them, how they're solving problems or implementing different techniques and workflows, and how all that may be applicable to what I'm doing," he said. "Sometimes you discover an approach to something that you never would have thought about."

Kathy Schneider, CMO at IT infrastructure company Sungard Availability Services, finds outside connections and opportunities at roundtable events.

"The dialogue and discussions are always immensely useful, and there's a great amount of peer learning," she said. "Talking with executives from other companies gives you perspective about what's working for them and what isn't, and how you might apply that where you are."

Equally important is finding these experiences and opportunities for your team, Wytock added. Siegel+Gale, for example, brings culture hackers or thought leaders into the office for Ted-Talk-style discussions.

"Bringing in outside influences helps shake people out of their day-to-day and inspires them," she said. "It's been great for everyone and has even resulted in new product ideas."

3. Hone Your Communication Skills
Communicating effectively-that is, knowing what to articulate, how, and in what context-is key to leading effectively, said Dominic Siano, digital marketing and transformation consultant at business and technology services company Cognizant. This means consciously reducing digital and technical jargon when you're presenting to business stakeholders or with customers.

"In all of your communications, you want your audience-whoever it may be-to feel like they're on your level and that they can participate in that conversation," he said. "Learning to convey complicated messages simply takes time and practice but pays dividends. Other leaders and employees will find you more approachable, easier to talk to, and fully understood, which is key in leading a digital transformation."

Another tip: Watch the room when others present or pitch ideas, Sungard Availability Services' Schneider said. Look for techniques that are well-received, and note which ones fall flat.

"Communication, especially during a digital transformation, is so, so important," she said. "It requires buy-in from executives and teams from across the organization, and knowing how to finesse your style and frame the argument for why you're doing this and why it's important is key to your success."

4. Ask 'Why?'
At the core of every transformation should be an "insatiable" curiosity-"whether it's about a new technology, the results you're seeing, or understanding what people are struggling with," according to Chris Hall, VP and GM of customer experience at Adobe (CMO.com's parent company).

"As leaders, we're presented with a lot of information about the 'what' when we really need to understand the 'why?'" she said. "For example, being told we fell short of our goal is not enough. We need to understand why did we miss? Are other markets experiencing something similar? What are the factors that are impacting it? If the answer is, "That's the way we've always done it,' then ... you need to challenge the norm."

Transformation, she added, can be "big and messy," accompanied by plenty of fatigue. "The faster you can arrive at a hypothesis and test for the 'why,' the more you can focus on the thing that really matters," she said. "Curiosity and focus are two things that differentiate most leaders. These need to be pervasive. Anchoring around curiosity and focus will get you beyond the 'what' to understand the 'why.'''

5. Tune Out The Noise
A digital detox might seem like a counterintuitive move for digital transformation leaders, but doing so has helped Jeff Pundyk, chief strategy officer at Techonomy, find more time to focus on strategy, innovation, and big-picture thinking.

"I cut my social media to a bare minimum and removed Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter from my phone. For me, these are all very low-value, high-time applications that, over the past 12 months, have sucked up an enormous amount of time and energy," he told CMO.com.

That's not to say social media doesn't have value; understanding these technologies is important for any successful digital leader, he said. It's important, however, to acknowledge and act when they-and other time-sucks-become too consuming.

"You have to be disciplined," he said. "Not only does it take up time when you're using it, but it takes up headspace when you're not. In the moments when you could be thinking big thoughts, you're on social media. Those are missed opportunities."

6. Develop Emotional Intelligence
While it may be a trendy buzz-phrase in business today, emotional intelligence-the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others-sets leaders apart, said Michael Heiser, IT director for the Wyndham Hotel Group.

The term was coined in 1990 in a research paper by two psychology professors, and later put in business context by Rutgers University psychologist Daniel Goleman: "The most effective leaders are all alike in one crucial way: They all have a high degree in what has come to be known as emotional intelligence. It's not that IQ and technical skills are irrelevant. They do matter, but ... they are the entry-level requirements for executive positions," he wrote.

Heiser, who started his career as an engineer, said that honing his emotional intelligence has helped him develop and fortify his relationships with his engineers.

"They don't respect leaders who can't understand the technology that they're dealing with," he told CMO.com. "You need to know the right things and the wrong things to say in certain situations. You need that emotional intelligence to be a competent leader."

Empathy, mentioned earlier, also plays a role. Digital leaders need to identify with others' feelings-while also understanding their own-and use that information as a guide when making business decisions.

7. Think Like A Futurist
Because the future is anything but certain, digital transformation leaders need to stop ruminating about what may or may not happen as an absolute, said Jacob Morgan, author of " The Future of Work."

"When it comes to digital transformation, business leaders need to remember to think in terms of different scenarios and time horizons instead of thinking in terms of one outcome during one time period," he told CMO.com.

Focusing on the "transformation" piece of digital transformation and what businesses should do to prepare limits thinking, Morgan added. Instead, digital transformation leaders need to think about what they can do to build the future of work they want to see.

"This ... allows digital transformation leaders to go from being passive participants to being active creators," he said. "Everything we do is about choice. It's a chess match where each move we make can lead down a different path."

Keeping that in mind will ensure that business leaders are prepared for any uncertainty that comes their way, Morgan added. "We no longer work for factories," he said. "We work for laboratories, and those who can run the most experiments the most often will win."

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The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective Transformation Leaders

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Taking a business on its digital transformation journey requires great leaders. We spoke with nine executives and thought leaders about what makes good leaders great, the habits that inform success, and specific skills they must hone to realize this transformation.

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4 Ways to Develop Leadership Skills in Everyday Life

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4 Ways to Develop Leadership Skills in Everyday Life

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When you're aspiring to a leadership role but perhaps not yet in one, developing the skills you need to be successful can seem like a Catch-22: How do you become a great leader when you haven't yet had the opportunity to lead?

And developing leadership talent matters. A February 2018 DDI study found that organizations that develop high-potential talent below senior levels are 4.2 times more likely to financially outperform organizations that don't based on a matrix of factors. Developing leaders can have a widespread effect throughout the organization.

But whether your company has thorough development programs or takes a more laissez-faire approach, the reality is that every day, you have opportunities to hone your leadership abilities, says Libby Gill, founder of leadership coaching firm Libby Gill & Company and author of The Hope-Driven Leader: Harness the Power of Positivity at Work. Often overlooked, these simple practices in your everyday life can help you on the job as well.

Make More Intentional Decisions

One simple practice Gill advocates is to begin being more intentional about your decisions. Whether it's your relationships, finances, health, or other areas that matter in your life, be more thoughtful about what you're doing and whether you're making the best choices, she says. As you cultivate more mindfulness in decisions and actions you may be taking for granted or dismissing, the practice will help you develop a stronger sense of self and identity, which will also help you in the workplace, she says.

"You've got to be a leader in your own life and that sounds obvious, but some of us just sort of float along, while others who are the real leaders make specific and intentional decisions that serve not only our best interests, but those of the peoples in our lives,

Cultivate A Diverse Network

Recent Boston Consulting Group research found that companies reporting above-average diversity on their management teams enjoyed innovation revenue that was 19% higher than those with below-average diversity (45% versus 26%).

Just as there are benefits to cultivating diverse teams, there are benefits to having people with varied backgrounds and life experiences in your life, says social scientist, speaker and coach Frank Niles, PhD. Make cultivating a diverse network a goal in your personal life. Getting involved in your community and becoming acquainted with different people will lead to surprising outcomes, often professionally, he says.

Get involved in community organizations, a church, or other groups where you're likely to meet people who have different experiences and backgrounds. Being around people who have varied experiences can expand your thinking and teach more about yourself, he says.

Listen And Communicate-Even When It's Tough

How often do you tune out certain people in your personal life? Yet listening is an essential skill if you're going to be a leader, Gill says. Who better to help you perfect that skill than the people who may challenge your listening ability sometimes?

"Put your gadgets away, look them in the eye, nod, listen, reflect what they have to say so they know, not only that you've heard them, but that you've understood them," she says.

Additionally, while many of us take great pains to communicate clearly at the office, we may slack off a bit when we get home. Niles says that in working with leaders across a broad range of organizations, one of the things that most often derails careers is not technical performance, but the way in which they relate to other people, he says. There is often a code of conduct in the office that defines expectations in the way people communicate. Without that "safety net," personal relationships offer an opportunity to improve how we receive, process, and relay information for the best outcome, he says. And with better listening and communication, we may also find that our relationships improve, too.

Take The Lead

Get involved with a cause you care about and raise your hand when a leadership opportunity arises, Niles says. When he was in graduate school, he volunteered in a local faith community. He had the opportunity to take on a leadership role with another person, and he got a crash course in strategic planning. "All of a sudden I'm here with another individual, we're setting strategy for the next year. We're vetting volunteers, so we're doing interviews and writing the descriptions. We're coming up with procedures and processes around how to do background checks and all the rest," he says.

While the role had a lot of responsibility, the stakes were lower than if he was doing these things on behalf of an employer. Niles says the education was invaluable.

"We often talk about leaders leading from behind, and that's absolutely correct. Leaders create the conditions for people to flourish," he says. By using the many opportunities in your daily life to improve and strengthen the skills to help your own leadership skills flourish, you can hone those critical skills, even outside of a formal training program.

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4 Ways To Develop Leadership Skills In Your Everyday Life

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When you're aspiring to a leadership role but perhaps not yet in one, developing the skills you need to be successful can seem like a Catch-22: How do you become a great leader when you haven't yet had the opportunity to lead? And developing leadership talent matters.

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Be Leaderly

John C. Maxwell

Daniel Goleman

The Leadership Challenge

Jim Kouzes (Twitter)

Patrick Lencioni (Twitter)

Brene Brown (Twitter)

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Brendon Burchard talks about what great leaders actually do.  This video is packed with great information for all leaders, whether in K-12, higher education, or any other sector, professionally or personally.

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I'm passionate about helping other female lawyers flourish in the legal profession and one of the most powerful ways that women can support each other is to serve as mentors to other females in their chosen industries.

I am proud and happy to be 'mentor-rich'. My array of mentors include trial attorney mentors, networking mentors, style mentors, judicial mentors, and rainmaking mentors. These women and men have been instrumental in guiding me through the first nine years of practice, allowing me to land in the wonderful place I am today. Some of my mentors have played small but important roles in my life, and others have changed its direction completely.

As an undergraduate student, I was involved in the planning of an Alumni Law Day. One of the guests was an esteemed Chicago trademark attorney and I was tasked to pick her up from the airport. I was mildly irritated at this prospect being that it cut into my...um...studying time, but I shouldered through the 90-minute drive to the airport to escort our prized speaker back to campus.

I was prepared to be miserable and suffer through dry, forced conversation until she was safely tucked away at the campus inn. I could not have been more wrong. To say the very least, we hit it off straight away. We chatted the entire time about my aspirations to be a lawyer, her experiences in the practice of law, including being in one of the first classes of women to graduate from her law school and many other subjects.

The next day we met again for lunch and at the end, my new mentor asked me if I had considered applying to her law school alma mater, Chicago- Kent. I had not but the next thing I knew I was in Chicago, staying with my mentor and visiting my future law school. This wasn't the only way that my mentor changed my life - although recently retired, she continues to share her experiences as a practitioner, advice on how to handle tricky situations and support when I need a cheerleader. Despite being one of the busiest attorneys I have ever met, this woman dedicated time and energy to me - a young woman from Ohio that she did not have any reason to help - and consequently changed my life.
We don't have to be at the beginning of our careers to have a mentor and we don't have to be at or near the end to serve as one.
At all stages of our careers, we can use the support of another woman who shares our experience and love of our chosen career. Nor does mentorship have to be a time-consuming endeavor- some of my mentors and I have quick phone calls, emails or coffee when time permits, but I know they are there and I know they support me. In turn, I have hired four female associates during my years in leadership of my law firm. I have served as a mentor to a woman through the Women's Bar Association of Illinois and I regularly accept coffee invitations from law students or attorneys looking to connect. Although I know I am doing something good for the mentee, I also benefit from these exchanges because they invigorate me in my practice and remind me of why I started out on this path to begin with - because I wanted to make a difference.

In this digital age where most human contact involves looking at a 'newsfeed,' it's understandable that most people feel disengaged and isolated. Therefore, it's important that we do not allow the community that we have built to fall prey to separation. Women must continue to foster relationships that provide support, hope and transfer our knowledge and power so that the presence of women in leadership of law firms matches our presence in the legal field. We are much more likely to succeed as friends than as detached individuals or worse yet, foes.
So in closing, I challenge you - whether you are a graduate or CEO - to reach out to two people - one that you would like to mentor and one that you would like to mentor you.

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The Importance of Mentoring: How Strong is Your Network?

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I'm passionate about helping other female lawyers flourish in the legal profession and one of the most powerful ways that women can support each other is to serve as mentors to other females in their chosen industries. I am proud and happy to be 'mentor-rich'.

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Hey, this is Mrs. Lane...Great video (short) to remind all of us what leadership entails - not necessarily the "academic" side of leadership, but more importantly the "why we do what we do" side of leadership. Take a look! ALWAYS remember the "who" in what we do...remember who we are serving every day and how we can make a difference in the lives of the little people! Oh happy day!

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Hey, this is Mrs. Lane...Great video (short) to remind all of us what leadership entails - not necessarily the "academic" side of leadership, but more importantly the "why we do what we do" side of leadership. Take a look! ALWAYS remember the "who" in what we do...remember who we are serving every day and how we can make a difference in the lives of the little people! Oh happy day!

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This is the book I'm reading right now.  So far, it's great!

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Book Review: 'The Five (5) Levels of Leadership'. peagama reviews

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In his book, The 5 Levels of Leadership, John C. Maxwell unfolds leadership as a step-by-step process with discernable and definable stages. He noted from the beginning that this concept of leadership was developed about 5 years ago. To him leadership is influence, if people can increase their influence on others, they can lead more...

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emotional intelligence: the key to successful leadership #infographic

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visualistan: emotional intelligence: the key to successful leadership #infographic

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Emotional Intelligence: The Key To Successful Leadership #Infographic

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Conventional wisdom holds that business success is a simple product of hard skills, clear thinking and bold risk taking. Recent research suggests that emotional intelligence - sometimes derided as "soft" - is a key ingredient in a leader's effectiveness and the success of a project or business.

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Why Delegating is Vital for Your Success

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The 4 reasons that counter ANY argument/excuse you have for not delegating to your team...