Leadership Insights Summer 2018

ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

leadership i n s i g h ts

SUMMER 2018

Dr. Nathan Hartman

LEADERSHIP EDUCATION & DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH UPDATE

Your recent research on leadership education appears to raise some serious concerns regarding leadership education. What are your major concerns?

I have two basic concerns with leadership education as it occurs in university settings.

First, learning about leadership and leaders inherently expands a student’s understanding of leadership, but often also expands Knowing-Doing Gaps—gaps that encourage increased knowledge without partnered actions. As a result, a student’s knowledge about the actual behavior of doing leadership occurs at a much slower rate than her knowledge about leadership theories. For example, becoming an eloquent conversationalist about leadership becomes a substitute for her taking action as a leader of a group project.

Unfortunately, this “knowing-doing” gap can create a type of confidence that allows novices to perceive that once they decide to take action or are given an opportunity to take action, quality results will easily follow, because they do not have much information about how well they perform in organizational settings.

Instructors and mentors must work diligently to aid students by encouraging them to participate, engage, and reflect on how what they knew related to what they did.

Second, leadership education through theory alone fails to connect students to an actionable purpose. The energy of young

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LEADERSHIP VIEWS This issue: Kris Lutt

Kris Lutt is President, Sweeteners and Starches, in Archer Daniels Midland Company’s corn processing business unit. Kris holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Nebraska and an MBA from Illinois State University. Kris is a member of the College of Business Advisory Council at Illinois State University.

As you reflect on your leadership roles and experiences, what events were critical in your development as a leader? In other words, how did you learn to be a leader?

I feel very fortunate that growing up, my family environment encouraged behaviors and helped develop skills that ultimately increased my leadership capacity. From an early age, making decisions based on logic and understanding potential outcomes from those decisions was encouraged. My parents both took on leadership roles in the community and at work. I also had the opportunity to participate in programs like the Boy Scouts. The opportunities to see leadership at work were substantial, even while growing up in a very small city in northeast Nebraska.

As my career started, I was fortunate to work for a smaller company with a few hundred employees, where individuals could easily stand out. I then transitioned into a large multinational company where the landscape for personal growth was much more substantial.

Who did you learn from? That is, did you model your leadership after others? How?

One of the things I treasure at home is a crazy quilt that has been in my family since 1900. The quilt has many hundreds of different pieces of fabric in various sizes, colors and types of fabric. Quilts like this take an extraordinary amount of time to sew. Throughout my career, I have had dozens of different supervisors, bosses, mentors, leaders, detractors, supporters and competitors. I think from each of those experiences you take away some things that you want to emulate, and some things you want to ensure you don’t repeat. All of these experiences combine to create a quilt-like framework of your leadership style and attributes.

What makes a great leader?

I think a great leader needs to be able to inspire and motivate while leading by example. It’s important to be able to operate at the 50,000 foot level and then come down to ground level for short periods of time as well when needed. And at the end of the day, great leaders need to be able to produce the right results, the right way at all times.

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LEADERSHIP VIEWS (continued from page 1) What are the most important “things” a leader does that contributes to the success of an organization?

I believe effectively allocating resources within the organization is one of the most important jobs of a leader. How leaders allocate time, talent and the treasures of an organization has a significant impact. Questions such as, is time being spent on things that really matter, are employees in jobs that best fit their talents, are the limited amount of funds being invested in the best areas for returns, are all important to consider and address.

What can organizations do to help develop future leaders?

Joint development plans between employees and leaders are critical in terms of developing future leaders. It’s also important to focus on creating opportunities for employees with leadership potential. Organizations that understand the interests and desires of the employees and that have individuals in the best spot for their and the company’s success and growth are in the best position to have strong leaders now as well as in the future.

What are organizations not doing now (or enough of) that they should be doing more of?

One area to watch will be how companies react to the overall influence of 3-G Capital in the work environment. Will the amount of time and resources spent on programs like skills training and development remain the same or be under pressure from a cost cutting perspective. It’s always challenging for companies to balance short-term financial gains with long-term investments.

Companies that walk that line well tend to be more successful in the long run.

What were some of the mistakes you made in leadership roles? What did you, or others, do to help you overcome and learn from those mistakes?

I’ve learned that while you should rely on the expertise of your team in certain areas, it’s also important to make sure you understand the material yourself and can push back when needed. I’ve also learned to do a very thorough review of work proposals and written summaries. Every word on a proposal should have a purpose, and you have to think through and review how things are described and the rationale behind everything that is included in summaries. I try to lead by example and focus on thoroughness and attention to detail in my work so that the team see the value and how important it is to me and that will carry throughout all of our work.

What are the biggest mistakes people make that “derail” them in their leadership roles?

I think one of the most notable ways people get derailed is by simply changing their behavior from the things that had made them successful initially.

You can’t become complacent, let the quality of work deteriorate and delegate everything. You have to stick with the processes and methods that got you to where you are today.

What mistakes do people make that keep them from being noticed as “potential leaders” earlier in their careers?

Not taking advantage of the opportunities that present themselves is one of the most common pitfalls I see take place. It’s a huge miss to turn down the opportunity to meet the CEO at a lunch event or to avoid speaking up meetings with leadership. Everyone should have a prepared elevator speech on what their team is doing and how they are contributing individually – you never know when you will have a moment to share that information with a key leader.

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How

Lead will you

the leadership certificate program at illinois state university

The Leadership Certificate Program is a rigorous fivesession series that will provide opportunities to not only explore the roles of leaders in contemporary organizations but also provide participants with significant opportunities to enhance and develop their own leadership skill set. Each session in the program will engage participants in learning and developmental activities related to leadership. Content in each session will be in-depth and will require participants to engage fully in order to benefit from the program.

All sessions in the program will be held in State Farm Hall on the campus of Illinois State University. In addition, all sessions will be facilitated by full-time faculty of the College of Business. Each session will begin at 8:00am and end at 4:30pm (except for session five; see details to the right).

Sessions 1-4 will include a continental breakfast (beginning at 7:30am) and lunch.

Registration is open to anyone with an interest in understanding leadership more fully and in developing his/ her leadership skills. However, participants with at least 3-5 years of managerial/supervisory experience will likely benefit most from this program. The ideal candidate would be in early middle-management roles with a focus on developing more advanced leadership competencies.

TO REGISTER, OR FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Dr. Rick Ringer, Director - Organizational Leadership Institute Illinois State University | College of Business | Campus Box 5580 Normal, Illinois 61790-5580

(309) 438-3333 | Email: LeadershipInstitute@ilstu.edu OR VISIT: Business.IllinoisState.edu/OLI/Certificate

LEADERSHIP RESERCH UPDATE

adults if directed toward innovative or transformative issues creates a traction that can be used to improve their own and others quality of life.

Students working in a cancer center, for example, are not just learning about biology. They act on the overarching goal of curing or treating cancer, while also pursuing a degree.

Research on purpose-driven organizations shows that the mobilization of resources and employees energy toward a goal attains much better results than organizations striving to manage employees and resources to attain a profit. Purpose-driven organizations also more frequently seek and are sought by top talent.

The application seems clear: Education about leadership for the attainment of knowledge in itself does not mobilize learners toward a meaningful purpose because college students of all majors individually acquire knowledge to acquire a degree. However, purpose-driven environments can enhance students’ competencies within a major as the pursuit of a collective purpose requires them to collaborate, prioritize tasks, and engage in leadership.

For me, this connection to purpose within a leadership major is an ideal training ground for helping students attain leadership competencies while working together. When educators or institutions simply fail to take the time to identify a purpose to mobilize students around, they also fail to fully engage students in what society hopes future leaders will achieve.

Much of your research focuses on leadership education at universities, that is, helping students develop leadership competencies. Do you think that organizations really care very much whether students have leadership development opportunities while attending a university? Is there really a measurable benefit to organizations?

Yes, organizations do value those students that have developed leadership competencies while in college more highly. Research on resumes and recruiter recommendations suggested both the number of extracurricular activities and experiences of demonstrated leadership ability increased the employability ratings of a students. Leadership activities improved students’ chances of receiving an invitation to an interview over other student applicants with comparable work

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experiences and academic majors.

For example, college graduates that held multiple leadership positions in multiple organizations tended to be viewed more positively than those with leadership experience in just one organization or no leadership roles. Also, being involved in career-related extracurricular activities was more highly rated than just social-focused activities.

There are other benefits for students who engage in leadership-development activities. Organizations who are sensitive to these types of activities are also organizations that tend to provide higher pay and more training; in addition, these organizations tend to have performance appraisal systems that are much more merit-based than other firms. A hiring manager in this type of organization prefers students possessing indicators of the potential (i.e., participation in activities for leader development) to become productive and creative employees.

Ultimately, the calculation and capturing an actual return on investment of a leadership development opportunity can often be difficult. However, managers know by hiring students with some developmental experiences they will have an employee that at a minimum has an interest in leadership and that the organization might enjoy increased returns when it provides additional leadership development to the students in at work setting.

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LEADERSHIP RESERCH UPDATE (continued from page 3) If helping students develop leadership skills while at a university matters, what should universities be doing to facilitate that development?

Universities house some of the best and brightest young minds available, but simply providing them a space to learn is not enough. Failing to use this talent to make progress toward solving real-world issues, like data security, climate change, refugee crisis, gun violence, or lack of political freedom worldwide is a mind-boggling waste of potential. By adopting fixable problems to be addressed by its students in a particular major or by a university population as a whole administrators would go a long way toward facilitating leader development.

If helping students develop leadership while at university is important, do we then “require” all students to engage in leadership development activities?

Essentially, it would be unfair to let students believe that leadership is something that could be acquired without practice. Therefore, yes, students should be required to engage in a leadership development activity. As we know talking about leadership and then talking more about leadership can be a powerful tool to generate students’ interest in leadership, but cultivating future leaders means the pairing of interest with action or activity.

Where, do you think, corporate leadership development programs fall short?

Taking part in leadership training usually only requires the participant to attend a workshop or a seminar. These environments like classrooms at a university are great for learning more about leadership and practicing a few skills.

Yet, when the employee returns to work using leadership knowledge becomes more difficult. In many instances, employees feel frustrated as they attempt to fill any learning gaps by self-teaching leadership through a trial by fire approach.

In general, I feel corporate leadership development programs fail to take into account the amount of followup training sessions—formal and informal—that will be required for each participant. Providing follow-up sessions, informal conversations, and mentorship for employees in their work environment after workshops or seminars are essential components of a development program designed to develop leaders.

What advice would you give to corporate or organizational Training and Development professionals as it relates to the design and delivery of leadership development?

Emotional intelligence is an important development area in leader development. Trainees can vary substantially in emotional intelligence and this variation is an important consideration during the delivery of leadership development. Prior to or early in any program, the emotional intelligence of participants should be assessed—this would allow the design of more individualized development experiences. Those with similar scores could be paired/grouped in a cohort as specific topics can be covered in a way that has the most impact on their development.

In my experience participants needing to develop empathy or self-management should be in the same session and the program participants with higher scores in emotional intelligence should be in different sessions.

High scoring participants often become frustrated by being asked to participate in sessions with novices, particularly when the novices have lower scores on emotional intelligence.

Additionally, I would recommend that development programs use small cohorts (e.g., 5-15 participants). The evidence is clear that smaller cohorts are more likely to create more supportive peer relationship and enhance personal development.

What’s the future of leadership development?

The prevalence of computers, big data, social media, and other integrated technologies continue to make adaptive learning a real possibility. Adaptive learning uses computer gaming like scenarios to adapt to choices and decisions made by individuals. Students will soon receive a personalized learning module where the teaching approach used is adapted with the assistance of a computer. In other words, the results of a module with generate suggestions catered to help the student based on results from previous students with similar needs, personality, age, and experience.

Nathan S. Hartman is an Associate Professor of Management and Quantitative Methods at Illinois State University. He teaches in Human Resource Management and Management. He received his Ph.D. in Management from Virginia Commonwealth University with a concentration in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management.

LEADERSHIP VIEWS (continued from page 2) With Kris Lutt - President, Sweeteners and Starches, Archer Daniels Midland Company’s corn processing business unit.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out—assuming he/she wants to have leadership responsibilities at some point?

Volunteer for opportunities that come along to let others know that you are interested in taking on new challenges.

And of course, work hard. Most leaders I know would say there is a correlation between luck and hard work.

What advice would you give to someone who is already in a leadership role, but wants to continue to move up?

Keep doing what you have been doing to get this far. Look for tweaks, but don’t reinvent the key skill sets you have.

Instead, think in broader terms about how your background, expertise and skills could be used. Sometimes, the best move is a lateral move to broaden your perspective and skills.

Some of the readers will be college students. What advice would you give them (not necessarily related to leadership)?

Your life partner (or lack of) and company that you choose to start your career with both have the potential of great reward and heartache. Make sure and do enough due diligence before making a commitment either way. Remember when you are interviewing for your first job that you are interviewing the company too to make sure that it is a good fit.

Looking forward, how might the roles and responsibilities of leaders change?

I don’t think the roles and responsibilities will change significantly, but I think that the way they work and interact will be significant. The implications of new technology in our daily work, and how we use big data will be game changers. How to maintain clarity with the onslaught of constant data chatter will become an essential differentiator.

The time demands on leaders is significant—especially as one takes on more and broader organizational responsibilities. But, are leaders always using their time well? That is, are leaders spending too much time on issues where the marginal gain is quite small? How should they be spending their time?

The word “always” makes this question a bit tricky. Certainly there are times where leaders get pulled into areas of marginal gain or everyday headaches. They key is to make sure the balance stays appropriate and you keep your focus on strategy and execution. A healthy paranoia around what is going on in the marketplace can go a long way in helping maintain the right focus.

We hear a lot, and we talk a lot at the University, about the importance of interpersonal and communication skills in leadership roles. Could you share your insights about how and why those are—or are not—critical to successful leadership?

It would be very difficult to be a successful leader with poor interpersonal and communication skills. In some rare circumstances, other skills are so extraordinary that this fault can be overcome, but that doesn’t happen very often.

The conveyance of ideas, the development of teamwork, and the instilling of trust and confidence are all essential parts of a leadership role, and those are all reliant on interpersonal and communication skills.

A tough question: Can everyone be a leader? Are there some of us that just don’t’ have the skills? Are there some of us that just don’t have the “inclination”?

I think the best analogy I can offer is the game of golf. Anyone that wants to golf can be a golfer. Depending on how much you practice, you can improve upon your game. With a significant amount of practice, you can stand out from the rest of the players. Like golf, it helps if you start out young. And similarly, there are some people that have no interest in golf, and are still very content. For some it will come more easily than others, but everyone can play if they choose.

What is the best piece of advice you can give to a current and/or potential leader?

Be: yourself, use your talents and skills to the best of your ability Know: as much as possible, be the most informed person at the meeting Do: be action oriented, people that get stuff done tend to do well Care: for those around you at work and at home, as a leader it is your responsibility

EADERSHIP VIEW

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What you might have missed...

7 Leadership Lessons from Working Mothers

forbes.com/sites/moiraforbes/2017/05/12/7-leadership-lessons-you-can-learn-from-working-mothers/#5f87b10746ed

6 Great Things Leaders Do Differently

forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2016/01/13/6-things-great-leaders-do-differently/#3eb33ebe156d

Seven Business Leadership Lessons from Dwight Eisenhower.

forbes.com/sites/forbesleadershipforum/2017/01/31/seven-business-leadership-lessons-from-dwight-eisenhower/#626623bc43b1

An Introvert’s Guide To Leadership.

forbes.com/sites/chrismyers/2016/08/14/an-introverts-guide-to-leadership/#7276312f6d8b

A Leadership Challenge: Keeping Meetings to Five Minutes

wsj.com/articles/can-you-keep-your-meeting-to-five-minutes-1510069931

Ten Authentic Leadership Practices.

forbes.com/sites/kevincashman/2017/04/24/ten-authentic-leadership-practices/#2d864e714e0a

The Difference Between Working Long Hours and Being A Workaholic.

hbr.org/2018/03/how-being-a-workaholic-differs-from-working-long-hours-and-why-that-mattersfor-your-health Note from the editor at Leadership Insights. The two links below are both critical of what they view as a societal “obsession” with leadership. While we might disagree, both articles offer significant insights and are well work a read.

Shut Up and Sit Down

newyorker.com/magazine/2016/02/29/our-dangerous-leadership-obsession

Not Leadership Material? Good. The World Needs Followers

nytimes.com/2017/03/24/opinion/sunday/not-leadership-material-good-the-world-needs-followers.html

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