Posts by carolinemporter:
- “[Transformational leaders] change the world by generating enduring enthusiasm for a common cause…they don’t just generate followers: their followers themselves become leaders.”
- “Successful leaders communicate very differently from the traditional, abstract approach to communication. In all kinds of settings, they communicate by following a hidden pattern: first, they get attention. Then, they stimulate desire, and only then do they reinforce with reasons…”
- “The task here…[is] about enabling the people in the audience to see possibilities that they have hitherto missed. It means creating the capability in the audience to see for themselves the world and their relations with others in a new and more truthful light.”
- “Conversation is person-to-person—not role-to-role. Conversation is conducted on the same level, one human being to another, not people acting out roles, saying what they’ve been told to say or what’s expected of them…”
- “The way for leaders to continue and accelerate enthusiastic implementation and deepen the relationship is by having regular, ongoing conversations with the people they are leading, about the things going on in their context and how they can address emerging threats or opportunities.”
Above is a video of Stephen Denning talking about leadership and narrative communication. What do you think of his communication style? Does he get your attention, stimulate the desire to create change, and then reinforce it with reasons (his three communication principles)?
- Organization develops strong leadership skills. The Petersiks write the blog, edit their own posts, respond to comments, shoot/edit videos, and are even writing a book all while raising a baby girl and a chihuahua! They’ve got a lot on their plate, but because they stay organized, they’re able to establish a certain posting and commenting schedule and stay accessible to their readers.
- Leaders learn and lead by trial and error. One of the biggest reasons I think this blog is popular in this niche is that the authors are so open about their triumphs and mistakes. When one of their ideas works, they share step-by-step how they installed their own dishwasher or how they successfully remodeled their kitchen. Then, if one of their ideas fails, they share those details, too. Their forthcoming attitude is not only endearing, but also honest and truly helpful.
- Communication and a sense of community can do wonders! People look to this couple to answer their own home improvement/DIY/interior design questions because they know they’ll be honest with them and because they’re accessible. The comment section on their blog is its own mini-online community and their Facebook page is a place where ideas can be exchanged in a free and safe way.
- “Simplify! Simplify! Simplify!” I’ve always struggled with simplifying, and Denning reminds us of the mantra “less is more.” Slides that try to include everything you know about a topic are overwhelming and far too complex for an audience to digest quickly.
- “Add striking, relevant images.” I think we all did a great job of this this week after discussing it with Dr. Bill last week. Denning says that the image shouldn’t be general or vague, but rather should fit your message and enhance it. He adds that “every drop of ink on the slide needs to be justified.” An interesting thought, and maybe I should ask myself: can I justify the use of this slide, this image, and this word choice?
- “Add color to clarify the meaning.” The background should be neutral enough that your chosen text colors can pop out and emphasize your key points. Interestingly, Denning suggests using textures and gradients to engage the audience, rather than sticking to flat colors that will make your content seem like a part of the background.
More leadership advice
April 28th, 2012I sent out several emails to some of my role models in the broadcast industry, particularly in the Phoenix market, for our leadership styles analysis paper. Some are still getting back to me, and a couple of days ago one of my biggest Valley role models responded.
I actually Facebooked Kristin Anderson, one of the anchors and reporters for KSAZ Fox 10 Arizona Morning. She has a heavy social media presence, both on Facebook and Twitter, and I knew I would be able to best reach her this way. When I interned at Fox 10 last spring, she was a friendly presence both in the newsroom and in the field, and I was lucky to shadow her in the field many times. She was a willing leader, and stepped into the role of mentor easily. Kristin had nothing but encouraging and positive words of advice, and thanks to social media I’ve been able to keep in touch with her as she continues to establish herself in Phoenix (she arrived to Arizona Morning in Fall 2010).
My questions for the journalism leaders I interviewed included:
-Who were some of your earliest role models in the industry and out of it?
-How do you define leadership in this industry?
-And what leadership roles have you taken on in the community and in the newsroom?
Kristin is a good example of both a journalism and community leader, and I think I look to her because I am able to relate to her in a variety of ways. Her response to my first question was similar to what mine would have been. She said her dad was her earliest role model, because growing up he made her feel like she could do anything she wanted to do and let her know that she was capable of it, as well. My dad provided this encouragement for me, as well, and as a journalism leader in his own right, showed me that it was possible to go as far as I wanted to when I set my mind to it. These thoughts, in my mind, mirror much of what our goal was in the Legacy Project. We set out to become role models in a way with this project, and I believe we have created something extraordinary that will set the tone for next year’s project, too.
When I asked Kristin about what it means to be a leader in journalism, she responded with the following: “…someone who sets a positive standard professionally and interpersonally. A leader is someone with fresh ideas and continually evolving, always getting better.” This made me think of our setting examples at various events, including the Farm Days event, where we set out to set a positive standard and create a good experience for the children we were volunteering for and with. I agree, too, that a leader is someone with “fresh ideas,” and this brought me back to our Films Presentations, where many groups presented their films in an original way. I particularly think of the School of Rock group, who were well organized and prepared to lead us through their film and its meaning to our particular context.
Lastly, Kristin said that she is fortunate enough to hold a number of leadership roles in the community, but that her favorite is being a mentor to women in the television industry. Having worked with her, I can safely say that she is passionate about her mentorship role, and I think a lot of what I learned about leadership in the newsroom came from working with Kristin and the other strong females in the Fox 10 Arizona Morning newsroom. Likewise, I think this is an important role we can all play in one way or another having taken this class. We learned a lot about leadership from each other and from our own experiences in the Legacy Project and our volunteer projects. These lessons are vital, in my opinion, to our sense of self and our leadership styles.
So I pose the above questions to all of you: what does a journalism leader look like, both in and outside of the newsroom? And what do you think was the most valuable leadership lesson you learned this semester?
It’s been a privilege working with all of you! Thank you for a fantastic semester!
Sources:
Facebook interview with Kristin Anderson. 26 April 2012.
My leadership styles: an ongoing journey
April 25th, 2012During my time in the Humphrey Seminar, I learned about myriad leadership styles, some of which resonated with me, and others that did not. I found overall that most of the styles that most struck me fell under the umbrella of servant leadership, which was also our overarching theme this semester.
Per Lewin’s leadership styles, I find myself to be walking the line between the authoritative and participative leadership styles. During our various group efforts this semester, both the films presentations and the Legacy Project, I found I walked more on the side of the authoritative style. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, in my opinion, especially when I had to serve as one of the content managers in the Legacy Project. However, as we got deeper into the project, I tried to work more on my participative leadership skills…this is not always easy, though, and the style I plan to work on the most.
As I previously said, though, so much of what I learned about leadership this semester and so much of what I know from my own life experience falls under the category of “servant leadership.” I became particularly aware of this while serving with the Fellows and attachés at various projects this semester, in particular the orange picking and farm days events that I was able to attend. At the latter event, we served children in need, who would not have been able to experience the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and all around farm experience without us. This, to me, is the true definition of servant leadership, and one that I feel ties in well with the purpose of journalism, as well. We must always strive to “give voice to the voiceless,” and serve others in a humble and genuine way. Perhaps it is my 12 plus years of Catholic education, or my dad’s example, but I find that in serving others in one way or another, we become natural leaders by filling a void.
I mentioned my dad’s theory on leadership, both in journalism and in general, in my presentation, and I want to reiterate it here. One of the questions I asked my journalism leaders was, “How do you define leadership in the industry and in your own life?” My dad responded that a leader is “any individual who strives for excellence, but more importantly is also concerned with making a difference in their community and across the nation.” I think this is a good definition of leadership to live by. It is good to have styles of leadership to follow and live up to, but ultimately we cannot study leadership and must learn it through our own actions, by trial and error.
Sources:
Sansom, Graham. “Leadership Style.” Powerpoint Presentation. 19 April 2012. http://www.clg.uts.edu.au/pdfs/LGAQLeadershipStyle.pdf
Email interview with Patrick Porter.
Staying Motivated!
April 21st, 2012As we near the end of the semester and the end of our Legacy Project journey, I want share with you some thoughts on motivation and motivational leadership. So much of the last leg of any semester, but especially this one for our graduating seniors (and my capstone/last semester-bound self), is about staying motivated and finishing strong. Once spring break hits, all bets are off, and it’s all about finding what will keep you moving.
The American Management Association has a great article about motivational leadership. Their article states that, “One key characteristic of leaders is that they set high standards of accountability for themselves and for their behaviors.” I think this is especially key in our Legacy Project and has been so far, as the different leaders of each branch of the project work to stay motivated themselves and thus to set a high standard of work and timeliness for the rest of the group. However, no matter how good an example a leader tries to set, there will inevitably be setbacks in any project or situation. The key at this point is how you deal with them.
Motivational leading has at its core five key principles:
1. Vision: According to the article, this is the key principle separating motivational leaders from followers. They say that the best motivation you can have for yourself and your team members is “Be your best!” We cannot simply accept what is better than others, or try to create a website that was “better” than the last one. Rather, we must strive to be the best in our respective groups and to create the best product available.
2. Integrity: The American Management Association describes this as “complete, unflinching honesty,” and ties this back into doing your best. This means when someone asks at the end of the day or the end of the project, “Did you try your hardest?” you will honestly be able to answer them yes or no, without being ashamed of either answer. Truth and communication are key in this principle.
3. Courage: I think it’s safe to say a lot of the effort in the last leg of a semester and in the last stretch of the Legacy Project is the courage to forge onward, despite setbacks or frustrations. This means resisting the urge to “get going by going along,” and adhering to your principles to maintain your integrity. So many of these principles are intertwined, but I personally think courage is at the heart of each of them.
4. Realism: The American Management Association says realism is “a form of intellectual honesty.” This has also been a key factor in the Legacy Project and I know as I organize my final days of the semester, for me as well. You have to be realistic about what you can get done in the amount of time you have, and sometimes this involves sacrificing time in one arena in favor of getting something done in another.
5. Responsibility: They say this is the hardest principle to “obey,” and I am inclined to agree. This involves taking full responsibility for your actions, including what you got done and what you were not able to get done. Sometimes, for me, responsibility is all that motivates me at the end of a semester!
The combination of all these principles allows us to remember what is most important. It is not just a matter of getting it all done, but getting it done with your best effort and being able to say, at the end of the day, that you gave it your full and most honest, courageous effort.
I pose the following questions to everyone: what keeps you motivated in the last stretch of a project or a semester? Is it the end goal? Or is it just the desire to get it done?
Women as Leaders
March 10th, 2012Given that March is Women’s History Month, and based on recent blog posts on various leadership blogs, I thought it might be interesting this week to reflect upon the female leaders in our lives. One blog in particular, Lip-Sticking, focuses on women’s issues and women’s roles in society, particularly as leaders and businesswomen. I enjoy it because it often makes me reflect upon how I can be a strong, female leader in my generation and an example for younger generations, especially if I am fortunate enough to one day have a daughter.
One question I have for all of you this week is: what woman in your life do you perceive to be a leader? Do they lead out loud, or in a more silent, powerful manner? I fondly recall one of my high school English professors, a woman named Dr. Conway, who lead in a silent but very powerful way. She was quite the feminist and ever the intellectual, and really spurred my passion for literature into action. She left my sophomore English class with many words of wisdom, including the insight to never feel limited by the roles people saw for us. If men or even other women perceived us a certain way, she dared us to break that mold and show that we were more than what they thought. I always appreciate that one of the ways she saw for us to do this was education, and that she lead by example with a Ph.D in English Literature!
Speaking of perceptions, there was an interesting article posted on Lip-Sticking on March 2 entitled “Copping Out of Opting Out.” It addresses the idea that many women choose to “opt out” of the workplace still in favor of raising children and focusing on family, or taking on other ventures, and that other women often opt out of the professional areas they have come to dominate. This latter category includes women such as Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey, both of whom recently chose to break out of their comfortable roles in daytime TV, in which they were prominent leaders, to try something new. The author of the article, Yvonne DiVita, goes against what many critics are saying about them now and asserts that just because “their new endeavors are not yet wildly successful, is not to say they don’t still deserve our admiration.”
These women and other powerhouses like them are enduring struggles just as they first did when they entered their original professions. Just because they chose to break out of the roles in which we are comfortable seeing them does not mean we should write them off as failures. Rather, we (men and women alike) should all be so brave to break outside of the mold and past our comfort zone to become leaders in a new field. Even if we fail, we can still lead by example and pick ourselves up again, learning from our mistakes and becoming better people and leaders for it.
So I pose the following questions to the class this week: what women leaders make or made a difference in your life? What kind of leaders are/were they? And what role, if any, do you think you need to or want to break out of in your personal/professional lives? I still sometimes find myself arguing with my mother and grandmother about the concept of “having it all”–a family and a successful professional life, and I’m working to find a balance of both.
Image courtesy www.oprah.com
The Secret Language of Leadership by Stephen Denning
February 29th, 2012For the book report portion of our seminar, I chose to read The Secret Language of Leadership: How Leaders Inspire Action through Narrative by Stephen Denning. As I stated briefly during class yesterday, one of the reasons I chose this book is because it revolves so much around the power of narrative. I am extremely passionate about English literature and, as such, consider the impact of narrative structure and tone on how the reader (or “audience”) perceives the story. Both of these make a huge difference in the type of message delivered through a novel.
However, I had never considered the impact that narrative structure can have in daily life! We each have our own narrative methods–the way we tell stories to our friends and family, the way we present ourselves and our ideas to our bosses and co-workers, and even the way we deal with children to whom we want to convey a certain message. Denning presents many interesting ideas about how we can add to and/or alter our own narrative structures to make our points much clearer and more impactful.
Most of the book focuses on Denning’s ideas of storytelling and story listening. He states that in order to understand an audience, we first need to study them: their likes, dislikes, and what’s at the forefront of their thoughts. We need to ask the question: what is most impacting them right now? Then we need to ask: how can I work that into my narrative for the time when they’re my audience? Denning says that by telling stories the right way and grabbing the audience’s attention, the speaker can deliver their message in such a way that the audience will come to picture themselves as part of the change being spoken about. They come to see themselves as the protagonists of the story and the previous research of the speaker means that the audience can see some of their most relevant and pressing worries as the antagonist.
What I liked most about this book was its accessibility. The language and diction were clear and constructed in such a way that it felt less like he was commanding you to take his advice, and more like he was having a friendly conversation with you. This was especially appropriate given the fact that Denning places such importance on conversation, which he defines as a two-way street, not a one-way alley. Listed below are the fridge quotes I picked out, in order from the book:
How blogs make us leaders
February 24th, 2012I’d like to write and talk to all of you this week about a topic that I think about fairly often, particularly as I read my favorite blogs and then again when we have discussions about leadership. The main point here being, how do blogs make leaders out of ordinary people in unexpected ways?
I read several blogs, typically about interior design and travel, two of my biggest interests. I’ve noticed that some of the blogs I read reference back to others fairly frequently, citing ordinary people as leaders in a particular niche or field. What’s so fascinating to me is that just a few years ago, a lot of the people that write blogs like this one, Young House Love, were actually employed in other fields and have since made blogging their full-time job, devoting much of their time and resources to it.
I realize that the blogs I’m pinpointing here aren’t exactly journalistic or heavy in any way. However, they are well organized, well-written, and, most importantly, extremely impactful in a certain field. The authors of Young House Love used to work in advertising as a copy writer and account executive respectively. When they moved to Virginia from New York City and the wife started working from home, their blog started gaining momentum as she had more time to devote to it and build a community among their readers.
After being featured on a wide variety of other significant home improvement, do-it-yourself, and interior design blogs (like this one), Young House Love became a hub of knowledge on home improvement and the husband quit his own, secure full-time position at an ad agency to work full-time alongside his wife on the blog!
I think we can learn a lot from this blog and others like it. Here are a few key points that I’ve gleaned from reading their blog for the past two years:
I think it’s vital to recognize the power of the Internet and blogging to build community and create leaders out of all of us. Sometimes leaders come from the most unexpected places and don’t expect to become leaders. When they do, though, and fully embrace their new role, then they can have a real and lasting impact in whatever community, niche, or organization they find themselves. Here’s one example of how they “lead” their readers–DIY home videos with their personalities shown throughout! I think it’s just another of the reasons people trust them so much.
So here’s a question for all of you: are there any blogs you read daily in which the authors are recognized as leaders in their field? Are they the same kind of unexpected bloggers as the Petersiks? Blogging can lead to some truly fascinating jobs/leadership roles!
“Basic Principles of PowerPoint”
February 15th, 2012While reading The Secret Language of Leadership by Stephen Denning for our book report project, I came across a section on what Denning called the “basics” of PowerPoint. Given our recent emphasis in class on how best to utilize PowerPoint, I thought it might be interesting to share what Denning recommends, versus how we have used PowerPoint throughout our academic careers.
As such, I start with a question for everyone: how have you used PowerPoint in the past? Or similar software, like Prezi? I’ve typically used it for class presentations, all the way from junior high to college, and occassionally for work-related projects in the Honors College office downtown. I’ve usually overloaded slides with text, or tried to alternate between text and pictures, so I was curious how Denning believed my PowerPoint style fit in with my leadership style, and what my PowerPoints were conveying about my intended message.
The general idea behind his book, The Secret Language of Leadership, is to analyze how storytelling can enable better leadership and audience engagement. For the sake of space, I’ll only list a couple of the principles he outlines on his site, but I encourage everyone to look at it. It made me think twice about how something as simple as slide color can change my message!
These are just a few of Denning’s points, but three of the ones that I feel I need to work on the most. What do you feel are your PowerPoint strengths or weaknesses? Do you think Denning is right in suggesting that content is best presented in short form and/or story form?
Many Ways of Leading
February 10th, 2012I was particularly interested this week in what Stephen Buckley had to say about his own leadership styles. He was open about the way he leads, which I think is a true sign of people who are comfortable and secure in the knowledge that they are responsible for many people, as well as the (inevitable–we’re human!) mistakes of others.
Stephen said that he leads by serving, something we’ve all come to know as “servant leadership.” Instead of commanding people and delegating with force, Stephen “listens when they want to be listened to” and lets his employees drive along their own creative paths. As I reflect upon leadership styles while watching Star Wars, I wanted to talk more about Stephen’s style of leadership and into which of the categories I’ve been researching it fits.
I believe Stephen is a “participative leader.” By definition, this makes him someone who believes in a leadership style that leads to “mutual benefit.” People learn from him and he learns from them everyday. Rather than being a purely authoritarian leader, though Stephen obviously holds authority with his employees, he chooses to participate in learning experiences, decision-making, and other ventures with his staff. According to the aforementioned/linked website above, Stephen’s leadership style is “a sign of strength that your employees will respect,” rather than one in which people walk all over him or in which he is an intimidating figurehead.
I also enjoyed Stephen’s answer to my question: has this leadership style ever backfired on you? Rather than outright saying,”Yes, it has,” Stephen illustrated that every leadership style will have its moments and points of “weakness.” He mentioned that, as people get to know his style, the conflict often lessens. More importantly, though, especially because this is a point on which I have much work to do, he said that he budgets time for people. He hosts his own “open office hours” and makes himself available to his employees, rather than locking himself up all day in a fancy office.
Hearing about Stephen Buckley’s leadership tactics made me realize that I need to be mindful of my own and ask myself some important questions. What is my leadership style? How have I led groups before, and how can I more efficiently lead them again?
I leave you all with a question: what do you believe to be your leadership style at this point in time? I’d like to think I lead with the quiet dignity of Stephen’s style, but the truth is I currently lean more toward the authoritarian style.
-Caroline Porter
Expatriates in the Global Workforce
February 4th, 2012
This is where the importance of multicultural workforces come into play. As Schermerhorn, et. al. write, “The truly global organization operates with a total world view and does not have allegiance to any one national ‘home.’” (49) By taking such a view, a corporation increases its “‘size, importance, and political power…in the global game.’” (49) When companies become multinational corporations, their impact increases along with their benefit to the rest of the world. This is part of what intrigues me so much about becoming an expatriate. I would be bringing my skills from my school, internship, and work experiences in the United States to another part of the world and sharing my knowledge with the people there. At the same time, the people in said country would be broadening my worldview, which I personally believe would increase tolerance and decrease the nationalistic attitudes that can be so damaging to our society.
I’m not sure when, where, or how I would become an expatriate. Regardless of whether my fiancé or I were the one being transferred, I think an international assignment would do wonders for our worldview. This reading was an eye-opener in terms of what we would experience living abroad, especially in regards to the “tourist stage,” “disillusionment stage,” and “culture shock,” in addition to the period in which we would have to get used to being at “home” once again. I would like to end on an interesting thought, as well: the reading states that, “While abroad, the expatriate has often functioned with a great degree of independence–something that may or may not be possible at home.” (52) For my fellow U.S. students–do you think we function with this degree of independence here? And for the Humphrey fellows–Do you find you have more, less, or maybe even equal independence living in the United States?
As an afterthought- here’s the link to a fun blog I read about a woman and her husband who are living abroad as expatriates in Amsterdam via Portland, OR. An interesting perspective for anyone considering the same change!
-Caroline Porter
Photos courtesy: http://acalleru.blogspot.com/2010/03/expatriate-assignments-and-overseas.html, http://www.amikaufman.com/2009/07/should-expats-be-quiet/
Caroline Porter- Elevator Pitch
February 3rd, 2012
I am Caroline Porter and I am a multimedia reporter with a broadcast focus. I shoot, write, and edit my own stories using some of the latest equipment, including Final Cut Pro and Sony HD Cameras. I am also proficient in web design using Adobe Software and web writing, as well. My field experience includes internships with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Fox 10, as an in-game broadcast intern and morning show intern respectively. I will graduate in December 2012 with my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees and plan to move to a new television market and be a reporter on a morning news show, one of my passions. My ultimate goal is to be an anchor on a television morning news program.
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