A Message from Ujima Donalson, POD Director
Can you believe it—we won! The Strategic Leadership Program received a prestigious award at the LEAD2016 conference, placing first among internal leadership development programs and besting some pretty formidable competition. This is a big win for the UW and recognizes the commitment the University has shown to leadership development by centrally funding this program for more than fifteen years. It’s also a big win for POD because we develop the content, curriculum, and materials for SLP, administer all aspects of the program, and facilitate the four-day workshop using our in-house talent. In celebration, we’re dedicating this special edition of The Leading Edge to all things LEAD. I hope our highlights and takeaways from the conference will provide a fresh perspective on the importance of leadership that inspires and engages.
I attended LEAD2016 with my colleague Susan Templeton, who facilitates SLP with me, and I was quite pleased with the quality of the presenters as well as the abundance of inspirational yet practical ideas. The first day featured TED Talk–style speakers, and the second day included roundtable discussions with our fellow attendees, the majority of whom were executive-level leaders from businesses and organizations nominated for various LEAD awards.
Perhaps the speaker who engaged me the most was Devin C. Hughes. Although Devin didn’t present groundbreaking theories, he provided good reminders of what every leader should do. His humor and charisma were refreshing, and his delivery was so effective that since returning from Nashville I’ve routinely practiced the kind of positive leadership he spoke about.
Devin shared with us that he was motivated at an early age by a teacher who told him that he could “find a way or he could find an excuse.” She simultaneously called him on his poor habits, such as procrastination and absenteeism, and let him know that she had noticed and that she cared. In other words, in holding him accountable she showed that she valued him and that he should value himself more.
A focal point of Devin’s talk was encouraging leaders to routinely scan their workplaces for good. As Devin explained it, there is a Tetris effect: once you devote time and attention to looking for positives, the more you’ll start to notice everything around you that works well and everyone around you who contributes to the overall good. The more you see, and respond to, the pattern of positives, the more you can generate positives around you.
The next step is telling people that they’re awesome. It’s important to pause and recognize that we all really do have excellent people working with us, and it makes such a difference to actually say it! Reaffirming what others are doing encourages them to keep doing it—which in turn increases positivity and productivity. Devin helped remind me to be fully present at work, mindful of others’ contributions, and expressive with my gratitude.
Speaking of gratitude, as part of the nomination process for the LEAD award, we asked those of you who are SLP alumni to complete a short online survey rating the effectiveness and impact of the program. I’m confident we would not have placed first without your participation and positive feedback, so please know that all of us in POD are truly grateful for your support!
