Leadership - you have a role
On Oct. 21 managers, supervisors, and other informal leaders at the Iowa DOT will come together for a day-long event focused on developing their leadership skills. During the Leadership Development Conference attendees will have the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and identify issues and barriers related to leadership, strategic planning, performance management, culture, and communication and propose possible solutions to overcome barriers and become more successful as an organization in each of these five areas.
But attendees of the conference are not the only ones responsible for improving our agency. Everyone has the ability to make improvements that help the Iowa DOT become smarter, simpler and customer driven. Even small changes in how you approach your day-to-day work can make a big impact on the way we operate as a team. The purpose of this blog is to give an introduction to each of these focus areas (Leadership, Strategic Planning, Performance Management, Culture, and Communications) and suggest ways you can work to make improvements.
Today’s topic is leadership.
What is it?
Leadership is something people know when they see it, but have a hard time defining. Leadership is often described by traits people see in others they look to as leaders. Because everyone is different, the list of traits can be very long and diverse.
Leaders are not recognized simply by position or title, but by the impact they have on others. Leadership involves understanding, supporting, and helping your work unit function better and improve.
With this definition, leadership can be practiced at all levels. Leadership isn’t reserved for supervisors and managers. Leadership has been identified as one of the department’s core values. It is something each and every one of us should work on.
Why is it important?
There has been a lot of focus on change within the Iowa DOT. It is a given the world around us is changing. How we react to that change will be important – especially if we are to continue to provide outstanding service. Our ultimate goal is improvement – which is simply change in the right direction.
So what does change have to do with leadership? Leaders are not afraid to try new things, to look for and take advantage of opportunities to improve, and to encourage those around them to do the same and support them when they try.
Leaders help identify what needs to be done and support those who have to figure out how to get it done. The department needs employees at all levels to: create supportive environments they work (culture), continue to maintain high levels of performance, and be open to finding ways of making things better.
What can I do to enhance my leadership skills?
Even if you aren’t a formal leader like a manager or supervisor, remember anyone can exhibit leadership skills. It starts by understanding. Strive to better understand the work you do and why you do it. Look beyond your particular work unit and understand how your work fits into your office, bureau, division, and the Iowa DOT as a whole. Understand those around you and why they make the decisions they do or act in a particular manner.
Once you have a better understanding of the environment in which you are operating, try new ideas. Support someone who wants to come at a problem from a different or new angle. Encourage others to think about things from alternate perspectives. Communicate so everyone has the same base of knowledge to work from. Take ownership and responsibility for the work you do. Everyone makes mistakes once in a while. Think of them as learning opportunities. As long as you were trying to work towards the good of the team, generally the risk of a mistake is pretty low.
One of the keys to leadership is realizing that our work is generally better if we approach it as a team. No one person has the perfect answer or can do all the work by themselves. By building up the skills of everyone we can be much better overall.
Look for more information in future blog posts about what was discussed during the Leadership Development Session.