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1. HOW TO BE A GOOD LEADER
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In all Student Chapters, you will be working with volunteers. As a student leader, you don't have any authority or
defined power over people to get them to do what you want. Learning how to win people over, getting them to believe
in you and your cause, will be your greatest challenge. If you learn anything at all in running your Student Chapter,
it will be how to motivate people to achieve your organization's goals. This is probably one of the most valuable
skills that you can ever develop - whatever your career path!
Just about anyone can become a competent leader... once they know how.
Leadership …
…is the art of influencing others to maximize their level of performance in the aim of accomplishing any task, objective or project.
One individual's leadership skills can make all the difference between a project's success or failure.
…has to do with getting things accomplished by acting through others, which may be the only way to reach the more demanding goals.
…has nothing to do with providing great package-deals or pleasant working conditions. The ability to motivate people to perform to
their best ability is independent of these factors.
SIX WAYS TO BE A LEADER
- Be willing to take certain risks to succeed.
- Be innovative: There is always some other way.
- Take charge: Things don't always go as planned, sometimes you have to "get a grip, and go for it!"
- Have high expectations: Research shows that the higher you set your goals, the more you are likely to achieve.
- Maintain a positive attitude: Attitude is everything; if you are negative or apathetic, it will be reflected in your group's actions.
- Get out in front: You must lead by pulling, not pushing.
SEVEN WAYS TO ATTRACT FOLLOWERS
- Make others feel important.
- Promote your vision: You must have a clear idea of where you want to take the group, then you must promote it to the group and convince its members that the goal is worthwhile.
- Treat others as you would expect to be treated yourself.
- Take responsibility for your actions and for those of your group: Admit your mistakes; you are responsible for everything that the members of your group do or fail to do. To foist this responsibility off on others is to relinquish your position as leader. You may delegate authority, but you are ultimately the responsible party.
- Praise in public and criticize in private: "Catch them doing something right," as the One Minute Manager suggests.
- Take the time to see and be seen: You've really got to be around to know what's going on, to fix what's wrong and to capitalize on what's right.
- Use competition as a positive motivating force.
HOW TO LEAD ANYONE: THE FOUR BASIC INFLUENCING STRATEGIES
- Persuasion: Use this strategy when your authority is limited and others have similar or more power in the situation
than you. In this case, give others a reason to follow you, emphasize your personal need and the worthiness of your goals or
objectives.
- Negotiation: Use this strategy when the perceived benefits of those you want to lead are limited and their power
is about equal to yours. Offer something explicitly in exchange for their fellowship.
- Involvement: This is a very powerful motivator; therefore, use it as a strategy whenever you can. Give those you
lead some ownership in your ideas, goals and objectives.
Share all the information that you have, enable group members to assist you in the conception of your project and cooperate
with them. Sometimes it is better to get people involved in a project, no matter how small their contribution. A job as
light as putting up posters, can be helpful and make new members feel committed to the Student Chapter.
- Direction: Use this strategy when time is too limited for the other strategies. Keep in mind that you must have
more power than those you lead in order to use direction effectively. Since you will be working with fellow students,
professors and industry contracts, barking out orders is not recommended. It is guaranteed to backfire! Even in the most
tense of crisis situations, make it a point to take the time necessary to explain why you need someone to help you.
SELECTING AN INFLUENCING STRATEGY
There is an appropriate time for the use of each influencing strategy. You have to use your judgement as to when to apply which, when to combine them, or when to use them successively.
Your selection will depend on:
- the personality of the person
- your personality
- the mood of the person
- your own frame of mind
- your goals or objectives
- the bond between you and those you lead
- the time-frame that you are working in
- the type of commitment you need to complete the task at hand
- rules and code-of-ethics
THE THREE MANIPULATION STRATEGIES
a) Seduction: Use this strategy when your authority is informal, rather than formal. You do not want those you lead
to know where they are being led. Little children have made an art of this strategy.
b) Redirection: Use redirection when you do not want to reveal the real reason for the action you want taken.
c) Repudiation: Repudiation is the technique of disclaiming your ability to get something done. For instance, to get
someone to design a poster, you would claim that person to be much better at it than you are and ask if they would
kindly help you.
HOW TO DEVELOP SELF-CONFIDENCE IN YOUR LEADERSHIP ABILITY
- Seek out leadership opportunities and volunteer to be leader when you can.
- Be an unselfish teacher and helper of others. Share your knowledge.
- Develop your expertise. Expertise is a source of leadership power.
- Use positive mental imagery.
HOW TO DEVELOP TEAMWORK
- Develop pride in group membership.
- Convince your group that they are the best.
- Give recognition whenever possible.
- Encourage the use of organizational mottos, names, symbols and slogans.
- Establish your group's worth by examining and promoting its history and values.
- Focus on the common purpose.
- Encourage your organization to participate in activities together outside of work.
HOW TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN HIGH MORALE (ESPRIT DE CORP)
- Let others participate in the ownership of your ideas, goals and objectives.
- Be cheerful in everything you do.
- Know what's going on and take action to fix or capitalize on it.
- Lead by personal example whenever possible.
- Maintain high personal integrity.
- Build mutual confidence by caring about people.
- Focus on contribution and not personal gain; encourage everyone in your organization to do the same.
2. HOW TO MAKE YOUR MEETINGS WORK
The effectiveness of a meeting will directly affect how individuals feel about the group, how committed they are to decisions
and how well they work both as a team and individually.
Most organizations use Roberts Rules of Order (or parliamentary procedure). This is fine for a formal debate, but it is not
suitable for solving problems more informally, collaborating, working together to reach an agreement and coping with complex
issues. An interactive method is better.
Ingredients to an Effective Meeting:
- A common focus on content: the agenda
- A facilitator must be held responsible for:
- maintaining an open and balanced flow of conversation (like a traffic cop).
- protecting individuals from personal attack
- the duration of the meeting, everyone's roles and responsibilities must be clearly defined and agreed upon.
Members of a Committee:
- The facilitator should be neutral and non-evaluating. The facilitator must protect all members of the group from
attack and make sure that everyone has a chance to participate.
- The recorder is also a neutral and non-evaluating party. The recorder writes down all the basic ideas mentioned on
large sheets of paper, in front of group members (or on a blackboard). He/she does not edit or paraphrase, but uses the words
of the speaker. He/she must capture enough so that ideas can be preserved, without writing every word spoken.
- The group member is an active participant at the meeting. Group members must contribute to the facilitator's role
in keeping the conversation flow as neutral as possible and, they must ensure that ideas are recorded accurately.
- The chairperson sets the agenda, urges group members to accept tasks and deadlines, represents the group with
other groups and sets time constraints. The facilitator can also do this role, but he/she must remain neutral and cannot
express his/her point of view.
How to Get Everyone to Talk:
The facilitator should make sure that all member have a chance to give their opinion at least once on each issue. Shy people
can be addressed directly: "John, what do you think?"
Rules for Brainstorming:
- All ideas are listened to, no matter how ridiculous... Often the craziest ideas lead to the greatest solutions.
- Everyone must have a chance to speak on every issue; do not interrupt. The facilitator should try to solicit opinions from all group members.
- Don't evaluate ideas until they have all been recorded. Often one idea can be piggy-backed to another to form a super idea.
Problem People at Meetings and How to Deal with Them:
- Latecomers - After the meeting, ask them why they are late for the meeting so frequently. Maybe ask them to be the facilitator or recorder for the next meeting. Always start your meetings on time. Focus the meeting away from the door. Don't stop the meeting to review, let the latecomer read the notes.
- Early Leavers - Find out why this disruptive behaviour continues. Are your meetings too long or too loose? At the beginning of the meeting, check to see if everyone can stay to the end.
- Broken Records - keep bringing up the same points over and over again: Use the group record to acknowledge that the point is important and has been heard and recorded.
- Doubting Thomas - constantly putting ideas down: Get the group to agree not to evaluate ideas for a certain period of time and use this agreement to correct anyone who violates it.
- Headshakers - non-verbally disagree: The first strategy is to ignore them. The second strategy is to ask them to share their reactions with the group.
- Dropouts - They retract at the back of the room and say nothing. Sometimes, walking up near the dropout is enough to wake him/her up. During the break, ask why the lack of participation.
- Whisperers - Try walking up close to the whisperers, or try to get chronic whisperers to sit apart. Or as a break, ask them what's going on.
- Loudmouths - talk too much, too loud and dominate the entire meeting: Try walking closer and closer to loudmouths while they are talking and maintain eye contact until you are standing right in front of them. Then immediately shift focus and call on someone else. Get them to serve as recorder. Take them aside and point out that they are dominating the meeting. If nothing else works, confront them during the meeting.
- Attackers - launch personal attacks on other members: Try to interrupt by physically moving between them. Remind them that the meeting is to work on a specific task. Get everyone to focus on the notes and ideas.
- Interpreters - Jump in quickly and say "Hold on a minute, let him speak for himself."
- Gossipers - introduce gossip to the meeting: When potentially important information is introduced, check it out immediately. Then, either defer the issue until the information is obtained, or take a break and make a telephone call or look up the information, or invite an expert to your next meeting.
- Know-It-Alls - Acknowledge their expertise, but emphasize why the issue is being considered by the group. Or try, "That's your opinion, but there may be other equally valid points of view."
- Backseat Drivers - keep telling you what you should be doing: If they make a suggestion, check it out with the group and act on it straight away. In extreme cases, offer for him to facilitate.
- Busybodies - are always ducking in and out of the meeting, constantly receiving messages or rushing to deal with a crisis. Talk to them before or after the meeting. If the person is crucial to the meeting, recess or adjourn the meeting.
- Interrupters - The facilitator should deal with the interrupter immediately. Between meetings, point out to the chronic interrupter how irritating his behaviour is to the group and suggest that he bring a pad of paper to write down ideas. Or make the interrupter the recorder.
How to be a Good Recorder:
- Listen for key words
- Try to capture basic ideas, "the essence"
- Don't write down every word
- Write legibly; print or write an inch high
- Don't be afraid to misspell
- Abbreviate words
- Circle key ideas, statements or decisions
- Vary colours to highlight or divide ideas
- Underline, use stars, arrows, numbers,…
- Number all the sheets
- Ask for help, or draw a diagram if the ideas are flowing too fast
The Agenda Should Include:
- Name of group
- Title of meeting
- "Meeting called by:..." (i.e.: who to contact with changes to the agenda)
- Date, starting time, place, and scheduled ending time
- Meeting type: problem-solving, planning, reporting, reacting
- Desired outcomes
- Background materials
- "Please bring"
- Chairman, facilitator, recorder and group members' names
- Observers and resource persons' names
- Special notes: Comment about importance of meeting...
- Order of agenda items, persons responsible, time to be allocated to each point
The agenda is the strongest planning tool that a group has to hold effective, efficient and fun meetings. It also gives the
facilitator control and enables meeting members to prepare for the meeting.
Room Set-up:
The seating arrangement should be in a semi-circle, facing the flip chart or blackboard where the notes are being recorded.
A circular set-up is ideal for small meetings with intense face-to-face exchange.
Steps Towards a Better Meeting:
- Before the meeting:
- Plan the meeting carefully: who, what, when, where, why and how many.
- Prepare and send out an agenda in advance.
- Come early and set up the meeting room.
- At the meeting:
- Start on time.
- Get new participants to introduce themselves.
- Clearly define roles (recorder, facilitator).
- Review, revise and order the agenda.
- Set clear time limits.
- Review action items from the previous meeting.
- Focus on one problem at a time.
- Establish action items: who, what, when.
- Review the notes.
- Set the date and place of the next meeting and develop a preliminary agenda.
- Evaluate the meeting.
- Close the meeting crisply and positively.
- After the meeting:
- Clean up and arrange the room.
- Review and make corrections to the minutes.
- Follow-up on action items and begin to plan the next meeting.
REF: "How to Make Meetings Work," by Michael Doyle and David Straus, Berkeley Publishing Group/Jove Publications, Inc., 1982.
3. HOW TO NETWORK
Overcome abiding "rules" and self-doubts including
- Don't talk to strangers.
- Wait to be properly introduced.
- Good things come to those who wait.
- Better safe than sorry.
- I have trouble meeting people, I'm shy.
- I don't have anything interesting to say.
- Why would anyone want to listen to me?
Narrow down your definition of what is a "stranger" and visualize yourself mingling with the professionals in your field,
confidently participating in conversation.
Practice a self-introduction. You need to have planned and practiced self-introduction so that it is clear, interesting
and well-delivered. It should be tailored to the event and there is no need for it to be lengthy...8-10 seconds will
suffice. Offer your listeners essential information: Your name, school and what you do/are interested in, your purpose
at the event.
Move from the role of "guest" to the role of "host." Guests want to be offered a drink, introduced around the room; hosts
begin conversations and introduce people to one another.
The fear of rejection is a self-fulfilling prophesy! - "GO FOR IT," and everything will turn out okay.
To work a room you should always have a purpose. Ask yourself what you wish to accomplish, both on a professional level and a
personal level.
Networking allows you to build a resource pool of people, ideas and advice.
Show "Active Listening" through:
- Eye contact, nodding, smiling and/or laughing
- Asking relevant questions, making statements
that reflect similar situations
- Body language that is open and receptive
Good Questions to Ask at Industry-Student Mixers:
- What type of work do you do? What is your latest project?
- How did you end up in metallurgy? materials science?
- What is it like to work for _____________ company?
- I'm interested in -----field-----, have you done any work in that area?
- Do you know anyone that has?
To Leave a Negative Impression:
- Use "put-down" humour.
- Have one drink too many.
- Monopolize people's time.
- Wear inappropriate attire (low-cut dress, T-shirts...).
- Overload your plate, overload on cigarettes or cigars.
- Size people up by their titles.
- Exhibit loudness.
- Use a hard-sell approach.
- Complain (about the room, food, other people...).
- Isolate yourself with your friends - you are missing opportunities!
To Leave a Positive Impression:
- Adopt a positive attitude.
- Focus on the purpose of the meeting.
- Use a pre-planned self-introduction.
- Think of small talk in advance; "A bore is someone who has no small talk... Silence is not golden - it is the kiss of death."
- Be a good conversationalist. This includes being a good listener; encourage people to talk about themselves and listen with both your ears and your face.
- If you have business cards, bring them along!
- Make eye contact. Eye contact is critical, but try not to stare. In North America the comfort range for eye contact is seven seconds, followed by looking away for the same time span. Different cultural groups have different standards.
- Practice your handshake.
Techniques to Getting Introduced:
- The Buddy System: Introduce your crowd to their crowd.
- The White-Knuckle Drinkers Technique: Look for someone who is alone, say hello and strike up a conversation. Often these people are more uncomfortable than you are and are delighted with practically anything that you have to say.
- Nametags: Use the nametag information to start your conversation. Sometimes nametags are coded (member, non-member) so that you can make yourself an unofficial greeter of guests and new members.
- Opening lines: The best opening line is "Hi" or "Hello." Some other good ideas are to comment on: the room, the food, the organization, the traffic, the guest of honour, the weather. You can make an upbeat statement, ask an open-ended question, or make a positive self-disclosure.
- "Break and Enter": This takes chutzpah (gutsiness) and sensitivity.
- Avoid approaching two people who are in an intense conversation.
- Approach groups of three or more, give facial feedback to the conversation, and once you feel yourself included, join into the conversation
- Be open to others who "want in."
- Moving on: You should spend no more than ten minutes with any one person, the idea is to mingle. When you wish to leave, simply say "Excuse me, it has been nice meeting you."
REF: "How to Work a Room," by Susan Roane, Warner Books 1988.
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