Notes from David Ratcliffe's webcast on empowering leaders

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Empowering IT Leaders
David Ratcliffe webcast, 2013-06-27 @ 1pm ET
webcast: https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/534/78901
slides, notes: http://public.brighttalk.com/resource/core/16767/david-ratcliffe---adding-value-to-your-itsm-organization_25229.pdf
@pinkerdavid

Audience:
In IT or software
You want to do something positive for your employer

Leader: We usually think of someone who is in change and provides direction to others. This is the "designated leader".

But, remember, leadership != management

Most importantly, leadership focuses on the future, innovation and attitudes. Management focuses on the present, metrics and processes.

Both clear vision and strong leadership are necessary for an organization to thrive.

Leadership is about influencing people to do the right things. A "self-empowered leader" is someone who does that regardless of whether they have a formal mandate to do so or not.

Some qualities of a leader: Clarity, optimistic, honest, caring, vision, confident, trust-worthy, thoughtful, positive, do what's right, communicates well, inspiring, good at prioritizing, doesn't rely on authority to execute, empowering... (see slides for more)
You shouldn't expect to be strong at all of these. But you should understand your strengths and weaknesses, and find ways to demonstrate your strengths at work.

On not abusing power:
* “Being powerful is like being a lady.  If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.” -- Thatcher 
* “Organization charts and fancy titles count for next to nothing.” -- Colin Powell

Anyone can influence others and be a good leader. *You don't have to be in a position of authority to do so*.

Develop your qualities:
* Think about how others demonstrates these qualities. What did they do to do so?
* Review the list of leadership qualities you admire and
** find ways to demonstrate those that you're strong at
** find ways to improve on your weaknesses
* Read about leadership!

Being a better leader at work:
* If you don't understand your context, you'll focus on the wrong things and won't prioritize the important things. Understand your business. What is the vision? what are the goals? what strategies are we using? 
* Understand your team goals, culture, approach, processes (MC note: not just the team you manage, but your first-team too)
** Question them if they don't make sense!
** But listen first to why things are the way they are
* Assess your relationships:
** Who do you need to work with to achieve your goals?
** Think about ways to improve those relationships.
* Make decisions
** Get on with it! Don't keep putting them off while you collect more data
** Even when it's wrong, you can adapt later.
* Share your knowledge, your experiences

“Leadership is all about getting the most out of people. It’s about *creating a sense of purpose and conditions of trust*  while displaying moral and physical courage.” -- Colin Powell


Q&A:
* Can you elaborate on management vs. leadership?
** Management tasks tend to be the "squeeky" problems. 
** They demand our attention.
** Being focused on management means you are being reactive rather than proactive.