Developing the fields capacity for leadership now and in the future'

1
Developing the fields capacity for leadership
now and in the future.

• NASDDDS Spring Directors Forum
• Rapid City, SD
• May 10, 2007

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Background

• Crisis looming in the field
• gt50 of CEOs of DD agencies within a decade of
  retirement age/retirement
• Government managers same per GAO
• Existing leadership training programs are focused
  on
• Clinical leaders in health and education for
  children
• General management but not field specific

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Partners

• Center for Disability Studies Lead Agency
• American Association on Intellectual and
  Developmental Disabilities (Formerly AAMR)
• ANCOR Foundation Leading provider organization
• Council on Quality and Leadership
• Human Services Research Institute
• The Learning Community for Essential Lifestyle
  Planning
• National Association of State Directors of
  Developmental Disabilities Services
• National Association of Councils on DD

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Consortium has 5 components

• 1 Short-term, intensive leadership program for
  new and emerging leaders, on campus 2-3 times a
  year

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Consortium has 5 components

• 2 Graduate program, both a traditional two-year
  on campus format and a non-traditional format
  with intensive summer and mid year sessions,
  combined with extensive independent study and
  on-line learning

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Center has 5 components

• BA completers degree, focused on people who
  never completed their degree but, after working
  in the field, found a place where they want to
  spend their working career.

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Center has 5 components
4. Leadership website focused on articles
and practices used by innovative leaders in
multiple disciplines, tailored to the
leaders in Developmental Disabilities
Discussion groups, sharing of best practices
and a job-search function would be incorporated.
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Center has 5 components

• 5 Research on leadership in developmental
  disabilities, in conjunction with existing
  on-campus programs in leadership, policy,
  management and individual and family studies,
  the research would focus on best practices and
  innovative approaches to leadership development

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Sources of new leaders Different training and
development challenges

• Through the ranks
• From related fields such as education or health
  care
• Mid-career career changers
• Senior clinicians
• Long-term board members
• Family Leaders
• Finance professionals from within organizations
• Whoever the Governors office wants

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Exploratory Research on Leadership in the
Disabilities Field

• Research Questions
• What are executive and emerging leaders
  perceptions of the strengths, challenges, and
  issues facing leaders in the disabilities field?
• What educational and experiential training will
  foster the development of new and emerging
  leaders in the field?
• Qualitative online surveys administered to
  executive and emerging leaders in field
• Participants 30 executive leaders, 32 emerging
  leaders from disabilities orgs (N 62)

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Authentic leadership

• Encompasses authentic relations with followers
  and associates which are characterized by a)
  transparency, openness, and trust, b) guidance
  toward worthy objectives, and c) an emphasis on
  follower development (Gardner, et al., 2005, p.
  345).
• A process whereby leaders acquire personal
  insight, self-regulation, and positive behaviors,
  while at the same time shaping the development of
  authenticity in followers (Avolio Gardner,
  2005 Gardner et al., 2005 Luthans Avolio,
  2003) and emerging leaders.

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Authentic leadership, cont.

• Components of authentic leadership
• (Illies et al., 2005)
• Self-awareness (trust in ones own values and
  motives)
• Unbiased processing (providing accurate accounts
  of knowledge and experiences)
• Authentic behavior/acting (acting in accord with
  ones own values and preferences)
• Authentic relational orientation (achieving trust
  and openness in relationships).

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Fostering authentic leadership in the
disabilities field

• Executive and emerging leaders discussed how to
• Define
• Develop and
• Sustain authentic leadership as senior staff
  transition into CEO/Director/Bureau Director
  positions in the developmental disabilities field

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Defining authentic leadership in the disabilities
field

• Authentic Leadership Values
• Passion for mission and people served integrity
  honesty respect for diverse individuals and
  views compassion ethics
• Dedication to organizational mission
• to provide supports for persons with
  developmental disabilities leading to
  achievement of independence, self sufficiency
  and full inclusion in their communities.
• Passion for serving individuals with
  disabilities
• Putting the person before the disability

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Defining authentic leadership in the disabilities
field

• Authentic Leadership Skills
• Communication people skills/relationship-building
  financial developing and management team
  development adaptability conflict resolution
  envisioning and planning for the future
  creativity ability to influence others/charisma

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Defining authentic leadership in the disabilities
field

• Clear communication between leaders and entire
  staff is important
• We have spent a great deal of time drilling our
  mission, vision, and values into the entire
  organization for the past year. All of the full
  time staff get it as witnessed on the
  satisfaction surveys. We are still only as good
  as the third shift on Saturday night in the DSP
  (Direct Support Professional) workforce.

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Developing authentic leadership in the
disabilities field

• Balancing leadership skills and values with
  business skills and competencies
• How to become a leader and to continue to be a
  leader while maintaining the focus of business
  operations on the provision of services. This is
  an extremely difficult balance for true leaders
  to maintain. Too much of either perspective can
  be difficult when operating a business that
  provides services to people.
• understanding the difference between leadership
  and management and understanding which situations
  require which discipline.

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Developing authentic leadership in the
disabilities field

• Fostering quality staff and leadership
  development
• Leaders should be developing knowledge and
  skills in the functional area of their
  profession. Managerial and people skills are
  necessary parts of leadership development.

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Developing authentic leadership in the
disabilities field

• Provide developing leaders with opportunities for
  continuing their education, gaining professional
  development, and networking within the field.
• Mentoring authentic leaders
• We have a curriculum for leadership development.
  Senior coaches are assigned to emerging leaders.
  Curriculum includes both professional and
  personal development.
• Providing emerging leaders with senior coaches,
  those who are or have been CEOs, over an
  extended period of time has been successful in
  our organization.
• Some leadership skills are innate. Others can
  be learned. Frankly, I think that mentoring and
  tutoring from a really talented exec in the many
  skills that a great exec needs would be the
  preferred way to bring along next-generation
  leaders.

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Sustaining authentic leadership in the
disabilities field

• Importance of adapting to advancements in
  technology
• Our communication and data systems are
  antiquated. In a geographically dispersed service
  area we have great difficulty providing timely
  and accurate information to employees and
  consumers.

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Sustaining the Organization

• Succession plans
• 43 of participants did not have succession plans
  in their agencies
• Hesitation due to stress, time demands,
  satisfaction with current position, and dislike
  for the types of responsibilities at executive
  level
• I am torn. I would like to move to a higher
  leadership position and believe I would be an
  excellent leader. Our current leader is very
  political. Politics is his forte and he has made
  this almost a sole function of his position. This
  aspect of the job does not appeal to me.
• Concerns due to low resources and lack of
  replacements for positions
• We recognize a need to identify and mentor new,
  emerging leaders but do not see many potential
  candidates for new leadership. We need help
  planning their succession.

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Sustaining the Organization

• Can succession planning be done in state
  government?
• When positions are protected?
• When positions are patronage?
• Or do we need a different strategy?

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Program Startup

• First Leadership Institute July, 2006
• 40 Applicants 2 government
• Second Leadership Institute Jan. 2007
• 50 Applicants -2 government
• Third Leadership Institute July, 2007
• 60 Applicants 3-4 government
• P.S. Thank you for lending Nancy Thaler as
  faculty

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Next Steps

• M.P.A. with Specialization in Disability Services
  Leadership and Management
• Program approved to start September, 2007

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Next Steps

• On-Line Certificate in Disability Leadership
• Working partnership developed concept, Fall, 2006
• First Courses to start in Fall, 2007

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Next Steps

• State specific training programs across sectors
• Regional training for State and Sub-State
  Entities
• National meeting on progressive Supports,
  Baltimore, June, 2007
• Intensive short term boot camp
• For new CEOs
• For new state DD Directors

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Next Steps

• Other ideas?

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Development of the next generation of leaders is
too important to leave to chance.

• Too much is at stake.
• Most systems are at crucial points in
  transformation from program driven to
  individually driven models to leave it to the
  uninformed and uninitiated
• Leaders in our field are fungible in private
  agency today, sub-state entity and/or state
  government tomorrow
• Advocacy organization next year
• A sector specific approach is important

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The National Leadership Consortium on
Developmental Disabilities

• Steven Eidelman sme_at_udel.edu
• Co-Director
• Nancy Weiss nweiss_at_udel.edu
• Co-Director
• C/O Center for Disabilities Studies
• 461 Wyoming Road
• Newark, DE 19711
• 302-831-2574