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Transformational Leadership and You
By N. Susan Emeagwali
There are many kinds of leadership styles, but there is one thing that many leadership experts and researchers agree on: The transformational leader is especially effective in getting things done because of his/her vision, drive, morality and ability to get people behind the mission. The transformational leader seeks to transform the organization under his/her charge, but there is also an explicit or implicit promise to followers that they, too, can become transformed in some way, perhaps becoming like their leader, and this is a very effective motivator.
James MacGregor Burns (who was a presidential biographer and an authority on leadership studies) first introduced the concepts of transformational leadership in the 1970s in his descriptive research on political leaders; however, the term is now widely used within the context of organizational leadership. Burns noted that transformational leadership is a process in which "leaders and followers help each other to advance to a higher level of morale and motivation."
According to researcher Bernard M. Bass, who in the 80s built on the work of Burns, there are four different components of transformational leadership:
1. Intellectual Stimulation -- Transformational leaders challenge the status quo and encourage creativity among followers.
2. Individualized Consideration -- Transformational leaders keep the lines of communication open, offering support and encouragement to their followers. Followers feel free to share their ideas without fear.
3. Motivation Through Inspiration -- Transformational leaders have a clear vision that they are able to articulate to followers and are able to inspire enthusiasm for the mission.
4. Serving as a Role Model -- Followers trust and respect the leader so much that they want to be like him or her.
Being an association leader poses many challenges, especially during these very challenging times. Perhaps adopting the approach of the transformational leader is just the method to transcend these challenges and get behind you followers who will help make your association a success. A great book to get more information about transformational leadership is by Bernard Bass and B.J. Avolio, Improving Organizational Effectiveness Through Transformational Leadership. Please note that Bass has written or co-written several other publications on leadership that you might enjoy, such as the 2008 The Bass Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research and Managerial Applications.
Reaching Out to Your Members
By N. Susan Emeagwali
In the May issue of Associations Now Magazine, association CEO Martin Sirk notes that it is very important that associations reach out to their members in order to keep them involved. Members have competing priorities in their lives and, often, the association to which they belong isn't one of them. While association leaders invest a lot of time in their organizations, Sirk notes, the average member is not inclined to be very engaged, and an association leader must bear this in mind. So how does an association CEO or leader address this issue?
Sirk says, "Over the years, I have concluded that my association (the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) can never be more than a small segment of its members' lives. So we strive to make that slice of time as valuable, enriching and constructive as possible, but we don't try to dramatically increase the slice."
Instead, his association:
· dropped functions, products and events that were not central to its mission and strategies
· cut back on communications to make sure that each message sent out is needed and timely
· devoted more time, staff and money to ensure that the association's primary events are as engaging as possible
· designed a Web site that is easy to navigate
· encourages members to seek out other sources for things their association is unable to provide
Since ICCA's annual convention is its most important event for its members, Sirk says that this is the time the association strives to make the connections that will determine loyalty and retention rates.
DOL Launches Career Videos Challenge
The Department of Labor will be launching its Career Videos Challenge to help the workforce-development system boost its understanding of high-growth and in-demand occupations and increase the number of customers requesting training in these areas. The Career Video Challenge invites members of the public to produce short videos focusing on the daily activities, necessary knowledge, skills and abilities, and career pathways of one of 15 occupations.
The Video Challenge will consist of four phases.
- In Phase 1 (May 10- June 18, 2010), the general public, associations and/or employers can submit their occupational video for one of the 15 occupations to www.dolvideochallenge.ideascale.com.
- During Phase 2 (June 21- July 9, 2010), DOL will screen, review and identify the top three career videos in each occupational category and post these selected videos online for public review.
- During Phase 3 (July 12- August 6, 2010), the public will be able to recommend and comment on the top career video in each occupational category. Submitters of the winning videos will receive $1,000.
- During Phase 4 (August 9-19, 2010), DOL will share the top career videos with the workforce-development community and job seekers by posting an announcement of the top-ranking videos on key Web sites, such as [link to these] DOL.gov and CareerOneStop.org.
ETA (The Employment and Training Administration in the DOL) is encouraging the regional administrators to inform their respective states about the Challenge, as workforce-system participation is critical to the success of all four phases. Many states and local workforce areas have businesses that employ many of the targeted occupations; ETA encourages the workforce system to ask these employers to produce and enter their videos during Phase 1. During Phases 3, robust participation by the workforce system benefits both the system and job-seekers.
Gateway President Receives International Leadership Award
Gateway Technical College President Bryan Albrecht was presented the 2010 International Exemplary Leaders Award on March 17 at the 19th Annual International Chair Academy Leadership Conference in Minneapolis. Albrecht was cited for bringing an innovative spirit to the Gateway community. Specifically, the awards committee recognized his leadership in developing business partnerships and his work with the U.S. Department of Education's international education initiatives.
"It is an honor to receive this award because I know it is a reflection of all the work that everyone at Gateway provides for our community every day," said Albrecht. "Our college has many exceptional leaders."
The Chair Academy is an organization dedicated to supporting community colleges in exemplifying the best practices of organizational leadership worldwide. Recipients are nominated by their colleagues in recognition of their leadership, their demonstrated best leadership practices and their commitment to their institutions and the students they serve. Gateway Technical College collaborates with communities in Kenosha, Racine and Walworth (Wisconsin) counties to ensure economic growth and viability by providing education, training, leadership and technological resources to meet the changing needs of students, employers and communities.
Spread the Word About the Institute for 21st Century Leadership
Leadership matters. As one of the country's leading CTE institutions, you know and understand the value of having and developing high-quality leaders. One challenge is how do you train, inform and engage the current or emerging leaders within your institution for the changing educational marketplace?
Spread the word to stakeholders in your community that we want to make them aware of a unique opportunity to collaborate and develop leadership capacity with like-minded colleagues through the Institute for 21st Century Leadership, created in partnership between the ACTE, the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE) and the Successful Practices Network.
The Instituteseeks to develop a new vision of schools guided by leaders who embrace the realities of today's globally competitive and technologically driven world, with an understanding of the convergence of core academics and CTE that is rigorous and relevant.
Membership in the Institute includes:
- An orientation session, leadership pre-conference and networking with Institutemembers at the International Center's Model Schools Conference in Orlando, June 14-17.
- A separate Institute program at the ACTE Annual Convention in Las Vegas this December 2-4.
- A separate Instituteprogram at the International Center's Leadership Academy in January 2011.
The cost to join the Institute is $1,400 per person and includes registration to all three conferences listed above (which alone would cost more than $1,500), as well as dedicated content at the events and throughout the year. To ensure the quality of the Institute experience, enrollment is limited. This is a great opportunity to enhance your leadership capacity and engage the up-and-coming leaders within your institution, as well as to bring other stakeholders in your community into the Institute. To learn more about the Institute for 21st Century Leadership, please visit www.21leader.com or check out the brochure. For specific questions or to register, please contact Lindsay Kaufman at 518-723-2064 or Lindsay@LeaderEd.com.
Board Election
2011 Board of Directors Election: Nominations are now being accepted for the 2011 Board of Directors election. Positions open for election are president-elect, Region I vice president, Marketing Education Division vice president, Adult Workforce Development Division vice president-elect, Guidance and Career Development Division vice president-elect and Health Science Education Division vice president-elect. For more information, including applications, please check the election Web site.
Write for Techniques Magazine
Techniques has just completed another successful year of publishing. We will be back in September with more in-depth coverage of best practices, innovation and other news in CTE. Note that we will be working on the magazine over the summer, so get a head start on your ideas now. If you would like to write for Techniques, please go online to review the editorial calendar.
Note that, before an article can be submitted, a proposal of 250 words or less is required. This proposal is a synopsis of the article to be written and should begin with an introduction highlighting the issue/concern and the areas on which you intend to focus, and should close with the results you want to disseminate (if that is also part of the story). If you are highlighting a program, you want to introduce the program with some brief history and why the program should be highlighted (how it is making a difference, i.e., outcomes). Provide as many details as you can concisely. It is also helpful to give a brief bio of the author (three or four sentences).
This proposal, also known as a query, can be submitted to the managing editor, N. Susan Emeagwali, in Word format as an attachment one month before the deadline for submissions. The proposal will then be reviewed and prospective contributors contacted by the managing editor. If the article is accepted to be placed in Techniques, the managing editor will give further details. To submit a query, contact semeagwali@acteonline.org and note "Query" in the subject line.
Fellowship Coordinator Position
ACTE is looking for an organized, personable, driven leader with strong communication skills to lead the Fellowship Program for the next two years. For more information, please check the Fellowship Program Web site.
Meetings Schedule
June 23-25
Region III Conference
Kansas City, Missouri
July 12-15
Texas Career Education Conference
Dallas, Texas
July 26-29
Missouri ACTE Summer Conference and Trade Show
Springfield, Missouri
August 8 -11
Washington ACTE Summer Conference
Spokane, Washington
Editor's Quote
"The life of many a person could probably be changed if someone would only make him feel important."
-- Dale Carnegie | 
