Calling a New Generation of Leaders

Yesterday I read an interesting article in Addiction Professional: Calling a New Generation of Leaders. It's a good article on committing oneself to the field and gives you questions to answer:

Do I feel in my heart that service to this field is what I am personally destined to do with my life? I feel that counseling is and that I seem to do well in addiction counseling and issues related to addiction, such as trauma, co-dependency, etc.
Do I feel there are better ways to respond to the needs of the new generation of clients entering addiction treatment? Absolutely. I think as the field progresses we will be better able to identify what are the needs of clients and what are the underlying dynamics of addiction. I also think needs change with generations in terms of what constitutes health. What stresses a particular generation also changes as our cultures change.
Am I willing to committ myself to the future of this field at a level that transcends particular job roles and organizational affiliations? Yes, I already do this in my job roles. I have taken my position beyond the mere clinician/counselor to include program development, data and outcome tracking/reporting, advocacy, community education, etc.
What core values and core service technologies of the treatment field need to be protected from future dilution, corruption, or abandonment? Intensive and comprehensive case management for the indigent to include services beyond just addiction treatment: vocational services, housing services, transportation and childcare services to overcome obstacles to treatment, treatment in prison/jails or treatment in place of jail for misdemeaners and first time drug offenders, medicated assisted therapy, and more I just can't think of right now.
What unmet needs must the field address in the future? More comprehensive services for co-occurring MH/SA and awareness of MR/SA and the need for more specific treatment programs for MR with addiction.
How can the field best reach the next generation of clients entering addiction treatment? Through increased advocacy, education and training of professionals, and medicaid and other insurance billing.
What unique assets do I possess that can nurture the field's future development? Specialized training in alternative modalities (art therapy, auricular acupuncture, and spiritually based counseling) that have shown to be an asset in counseling. Experience in monitoring and developing specialized programs for specific cultures and environments.
What issues and activities energize me at the highest level? Developing new programs, working on new issues, solving treatment or advocacy problems, and outreaching new people/organizations.
What major contributions or lasting legacy would I like to leave in the field? Innovative programing and successful advocacy.

The article suggests reading about leaders and leadership outside of the field itself: Abraham Lincoln, Cesar Chavez, Frederick Douglass, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandala, Tatanka Yotanka.

more to follow

The Enneagram System

Today I finished Bringing Out the Best in Yourself at Work: How to Use the Enneagram System for Success. Very interesting. I find that I am probably a 4, with 5 and 2's as wings. Though I can certainly do most of them at different times. In terms of personality characteristics, I am also a 9 who narcotizes and avoids conflict. I can also see how being a 4, who views conflict as a storm is not particularly effective in a current situation.
It's also interesting to think about where my attention goes in situations, especially at work. What do I prioritize and when do I allow myself to be distracted. Because at times I can get apathetic when I feel helpless about projects, situations, or conflicts. In terms of stress, I can move to being a 2 or during positive stress, becoming a 7. I also self-reference a lot, very much as this analysis says, and can see how it detours conflict resolution.
Interesting book, Thanks Wayde! If it's not on the Blackboard list, I'm going to post it.
Posted my ILDP.

Supervision

Today finished ILDP. So I'm set with goals and now to do them successfully.
1. Improve personal conflict management style.
2. Improve external awareness and political savvy.
3. Improve oral and written communication for project presentation and report writing.
4. Financial Management.

Next up, start working on project plan. We have already decided to use my marketing/education plan and tool kit for the SA council. I can work on all of these goals in that project and in relationships at work.

DSS Meeting

Today I went to DSS to talk to the new benefits staff about my program and how to refer. I gave them the positive statistics about how our clients have gotten a "raise" over the last quarter, on average making 56 cents more an hour; how a couple more are receiving benefits, how a couple more have finished their GED's. They seemed so uninterested in our clients reaching not only their personal goals but goals set forth by the state. It seems they continue to be negative about our program and clients with addictive disorders, despite it's successes. How to get our client's benefits managers more enthused about what we do for our clients and recognize even small successes as significant for TANF recipients in general. Maybe a more interactive presentation instead of the usual power point. Maybe bringing in some of the clients who have graduated. Oh, maybe doing something during Recovery Month at the DSS building!! A lunch and learn for the staff with speakers. Hmmmm.

SA Council Workgroup Meeting

Today Wayde comes to sit in on my hosting the SA Council Workgroup planning meeting. It was interesting as usual. I presented my art book idea to give to the legislators and they approved it. It looks like SAARA may fund it and perhaps DMHMRSAS will contribute. I got each of them to agree to contribute a short commentary for the newsletter on their agency's committment to advocacy for SA funding and enhancing services. A lot of work for me. I guess I am Newsletter Editor, meeting host and organizer. What a good experience this will be.
I met with Wayde after, who clued me in on the hierarchy (which I totally missed) and who is who. The art project looks like it will be my Leadership project.

Presenting in a State Meeting

I got tasked to be part of a workgroup to get a grant for a new medicated-assisted therapy - buprenorphine. It was fascinating to attend the meeting and presentation. I got told when I got there that I was presenting a small part of the application. So nervous but once I go through my part, I felt at ease and was able to contribute to the meeting from then on. I also got a chance to interact with our Executive Director as he sat beside me. I decided to practice "Power of Person" style from my Leadership Course readings and focused on networking with others and forming connections.

Power of Ideas Person (Blackboard)

I would say that most of the time I am a Power of Ideas person. I am definately a less political person and feel uncomfortable having to "play the political games." I perfer to see power as coming from performance, innovation, work, research, etc. With my clients at RBHA, I look toward making the best program for them as I can and broadcast my goals to the team to engender support and help if needed. I continually trust that my work, my ideas, creativity and intuition will be enough to "reward me", promote me, get me raises, get me new projects. I remain continually amazed that it does not always happen that way and that Power of Person people will get promoted over me despite the fact that they do not do as well a job or put as much effort into a project. But I can see how having a better grasp of the political field and the willingness to foster a relationship over job/project competance will get people further. A former supervisor told me, when I complained about this very thing, that expectations about job performance were higher for people like me and so I had a higher level to reach to be considered as "excellent or working above requirement" and that other people had lower expectations for job performance and so therefore could easily exceed expectations because of networking ability and personality and who stay within view of the power people in the agency. I have been told that my personality and work ethic is, in fact, irritating to people who perfer to broker their performance and achieve power through relationships.
So I suppose the risks of being too much a Power of Ideas person is that, these people may end up with more of the actual work and be left out of promotions, advances, credit, etc. At least, that is my experience.
So a balance of being a Power of Ideas person to get projects going and being a Power of Person individual to better market self and product.

Vision into Reality (Blackboard)

Share 4 things you as a leader can do to translate your vision into reality in your organization? What kinds of things should you as a leader do on a daily basis to manage the transition from the "old culture" to the "new vision."
1. Maintain a strong understanding of the population we serve, the community in which our population resides and the changing needs of both.
2. Foster positive relationships with peers/team mates within the organization and with community organizations that partner with us to facilitate creating/changing programs.
3. Research my ideas to provide evidence of success in other areas and encourage faith in making change.
4. Be flexible, motivated, speak with clarity, and be excited about my ideas to promote good faith and generate collaboration.

Vision (Blackboard)

1. What is vision and why it is important to an organization and the success or failure of its leader.
An organization cannot grow, maintain effectiveness, attend to it's mission, or provide an exciting atmosphere for employees to work in without vision and the implementation of vision. Vision is the ability to evolve and change with the pace and ahead of the pace of it's consumers, audience, partners, recipients, etc. It is the anticipation of what is needed next, of what will improve services or innovate a better product. A leader succeeds who has vision for his/her field/organziation. A leader with vision motivates employees/partners to work harder to implement the ideas/changes that are presented. A leader with vision inspires confidence, excitement, solidarity, and committment from employees/partners.
2. Develop a short Vision Statement for your organization or area of the organization. If your organization already has one, pretend as if it does not and you have been tasked with developing one. What do you feel the vision should be? In developing your vision, you should ask your self the five questions listed in Part II: Developing the Vision.
The vision for a BHA/CSB needs to primarily consider both the needs of the community as a whole and the needs of it's individual members. The value of a BHA/CSB to the community is the provision of mental health, substance abuse, mental retardation, and crisis services to the indigent. The role of a BHA/CSB is often as a middle-man or mediater between the individuals it serves and the larger community in which the individual resides and works. The larger community may not want to or is able to provide the safe housing, adequate employment, or appropriate health care that indigent consumers need. The BHA/CSB plays many roles (services provider, lobbyist, politician, researcher) in navigating stigma, lack of funding, lack of resources, lack of jobs, lack of transportation, violence in the communities, poor educational opportunities, and poor health care in the efforts to serve the needs of it's consumers. A BHA/CSB must have a strong sense of the needs of it's individual consumers and the needs of the larger community along with the vision to anticipate and implement the future needs of both.

Risk (Blackboard)

Feeling emboldened when I returned, I tried to address what I have viewed as disrupted communication with a manager. I had felt that our relationship had been deteriorating over the last month. The issues revolved around communication, or lack thereof, body language, and reduced interactions that resulted in my feeling less a part of my unit. I don't think I presented my issues with as much dignity as I would have liked, but I got my point across. However, I did not feel particularly "heard" or taken seriously. My risk was in laying it out there, all that I was feeling, what my perceptions of her behavior and communications were, and saying directly that I was unhappy in my job. I'm still here, and communication continues with ups and downs. I do feel better for bringing up my issues, although it may not actually change anything.

Partnering and Creativity & Innovation (Blackboard)

I think one important area in Leadership are to have skills in partnering with other agencies, providers, consumer groups, etc. For agencies, such as CSB's, who serve a large portion of their areas, interacting with other agencies is part of their program. The ability to work with other agencies, seek out partners to join resources to serve consumers, and join resources to maximize funding is essential.
Along with this is the need to create and innovate one's services. The needs of consumers change as the economy changes, as federal regualtions change, as health care provider services change, and as the dynamics of the community changes. One needs to have a vision of what consumers need in the present and also to envision what consumers will need in the future. Along with this vision to create and innovate is to keep an awareness of what other providers are offering, how they are changing their services and structures, and how all this will impact your organization and your consumers.

In looking back at my jobs, I can see the difference in how I maintained interest in my job as influenced by a leader's communication style. Certainly when I have felt listened to and have understood communications from leaders, I have performed better. I have felt discouraged and de-motivated when a leader exhibits poor communication skills and poor interpersonal skills. I can also see how I can influence better responses from people I lead when I take time to make myself understood and communicate positively and with interest.

In my choosing creativity and innovation, comes the need for vision. A leader cannot direct progress without having the vision to see the future needs and how to create and implement such needs. This often takes making unusual choices and thinking outside of the box.
And so political savy goes hand in hand with vision, creativity and partnering. A leader of any agnecy or program needs to be able to navigate the different arenas of influence on his/her organization. Influences that range from impoverished consumers to lobbyists and politicians