After day one
of the three day program, a co-worker who is also a coach at KLC, asked me what
I thought of the program. I realized later that what I told him was a canned
response. Comments like, “It was great!,” “Everyone was friendly,” and “I
enjoyed it.” Later, the more I thought about it, I realized a few things.
My main goal
for participating in the program was to gain an understanding of the terms used
by the KLC staff. I didn’t volunteer for a three day “program” so I could
change the way I do things. Who would do that? I wanted to understand the terms
like “raise the heat” and “get on the balcony.” The first article we were
assigned to read labeled it as “KLC-ese.” That was my goal; to understand it. I
didn’t know that I would be challenged to apply it to the work that I do.
In the last few years I became familiar with the language KLC uses. In my previous position at CCSR I typed notes from leadership meetings, copied handouts and assembled folders for various leadership projects the CCSR staff led around the state in conjunction with the KLC principles.
As I look back, I was antsy when our facilitator, Ron Alexander, was leading us though a session, Case In Point. I was uncomfortable until I realized what was happening was the lesson, and that he was purposely letting us learn from his leadership or lack of it. I observed that another participant was ‘on the balcony’ during the session. In a sense, he stepped away, removing himself from the discussion. He later admitted that he understood what was happening, and decided not to participate, but sit back and observe.
The session
showed us the difference between authority and leadership. We agreed that
leadership was an activity, not a position, and discussed the difference between
the two. I came away with an understanding that people in authority don’t
always exercise leadership or use it as an activity to help people make changes.
What I learned
after one day was more than just a bunch of definitions, but the beginnings of
a way to use my strengths and interests to influence and make changes in the
work that I do. To name a few specific applications, I can sort challenges into
technical and adaptive ones. From that I can access how to begin to tackle the
adaptive challenges. By being aware of the temperature in the room I can better
evaluate how to influence discussions. And finally, I can identify and diagram the
factions in my work to help me take the next steps with the initiative I am
working on.
I think that
anyone who wants to better influence their community can benefit from KLCs
‘Your Leadership Edge’ program. For example, our group included a writer,
a superintendent, a pastor, a professor and several community advocates, who live and
work in at least six different communities in Kansas.
Now, it’s
time to head back for the last two sessions.
