Processes & Outcomes III

Imitation Not Limitation
A leader usually does not have to re-invent the wheel as such, but must always be searching to learn and grow. One aspect of learning is imitation. Imitation, unfortunately can sometimes be viewed as a negative thing, but by imitating someone who is good at something, can enable a leader to learn at a quicker rate. Imitation takes humility and eagerness which are very inspiring attributes of a leader which people love to follow.
A leader that I respect as a great imitator is James Robbins. As a professional public speaker, James has spent a lot of time imitating other speakers, their mannerisms, their tone, their styles, which in turn helped him to develop his style. Seeing that James was eager to imitate and was very humble in his approach, enabled me and inspired me in so many ways. Not only would he imitate in his speaking but also in his leadership style. James would constantly search for leaders who were making a profound impact, then imitating their ways. It is very easy to learn from someone who leads like this. It gives me comfort, that I can imitate others who are good at things and eventually master them myself.

Processes and Outcomes II

Seeking To Understand

We are all so very different in our natures and this requires of a leader to be a person who seeks understanding.
Proverbs 20:5
5 The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.
This a very critical leadership process. Seeking to understand what your people are really thinking and why they are thinking this. The process includes asking a lot of questions and taking the time to evaluate and think about what and how things are getting done. Why your staff would approach things the way they do or respond in the way they have. Being able to draw people out, empowers them to believe in themselves and feel understood.
A leader to me that has demonstrated this process is Dr. David McAnulty. David, has the uncanny ability to ask just the right questions in a humble non threatening way. He never seems to assume anything and always tries to understand where you are coming to. It is hard to describe how great this makes one feel. To know that someone is not trying to pigeon hole you, but is trying to understand who you are is very, very empowering. It motivates you to do your best and to give wholeheartedly. Judgment would be the exact opposite to this.

Processes and Outcomes

To Change or not to Change

One of the greatest processes of a leader is the process of change. Are you willing to change, adapt as such to new situations, environments, changes in culture. Life is always changing, circumstances are always evolving and the ability to look at these changes or new situations and adapt to them is an important process for a leader.
When I think of adaptability, I think of our church administrator Manuel Francois St. Cyr. Manuel has had to demonstrate adaptability in many areas of his life and it draws many people to him and has made him a very effective leader. Manuel not only immigrated to Canada, but has been put into a variety of different and diverse environments. His willingness to look at each situation as unique and try to change or adapt even his thought processes to meet the needs at hand. One example, would be his move from Vancouver to Edmonton. Manuel wasted no time “adapting” to the Edmonton culture, he is even now an Edmonton Oilers fan!!! (Go Oilers Go) He is willing to look at new ways of thinking and see them as different, not better or worse.
This is a great process, as people then feel pulled in. It is easier for them to come close to you. But, if you are rigid and not wanting to change, then this can cause many problems.

Everyone Doing Their Part

Eph 4:16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.(NIV)
Being in a profession where traditionally twenty percent of the people do eighty percent of the work poses some very interesting problems. A very important characteristic for a leader in this type of environment is the ability to create buy in. That is helping everyone to realize that they are a part of things, in fact, a very important part of things. This requires a leader to be able to discern what gifts or talents people have and then being able to get them contributing those talents to the team as a whole. In order to do this, the people need to feel believed in and therefore empowered. This characteristic can be seen, when you go into an environment and see that everyone is involved, but not just involved but enjoying their involvement.I would say, that this is something that I really try to do. I really try to look at everyone and see their strengths. See the gifts and talents that they have and then help them to see how they can use their talents within our church. My belief is that everyone needs to participate, everyone needs to be involved. Everyone, has something to offer and when you get everyone involved and offering, it creates and very loving and happy family environment. People need to be needed, they want to know that they fit and that they are important. When we can enable people as leaders, when we can learn to see the attributes that they bring, incredible things happen.

Thinking Outside The Box

There are many characteristics which are important to effective leadership. One, that I would like to talk about could be best described as “thinking outside the box”. Every organization has a culture, or a way that things are done. An effective leader has the ability to meet the needs within this culture, but also, looks for ways to improve or perhaps just explore other ways of doing things. Tradition is a very strong pull for people, it can be a good thing, but it can also be a detriment to growth or change. A leader who thinks outside the box, is a leader who loves new ideas, outside input and is eager to learn.
I have had the privilege of working with such an individual. James Robbins who is also a minister and a professional speaker, is one of the most pure hearted leaders I know. His willingness to seek out solutions, ideas and input is unbelievable. I remember a time when our churches were getting stuck in a way of doing things and in a way of thinking and James reached outside of this and pulled in new thoughts, new relationships and new ideas. This, took a lot of humility and eagerness to just want to grow and do our best. The outcome of his leadership is still felt in our church and in my life. He taught me to explore outside my own thoughts and experiences. He also, demonstrated that through this type of reaching out, not only can new ideas be fostered, but great relationships can be formed. There are many, many effective people outside our organizations, who can offer us so much. We, as leaders just need to reach out and invite them in.

Synopsis of Background and Interest in IT Leadership

As you may or may not already know, my name is Raymond Nadon and unlike most in my cohort, I am not currently in the field of education. I currently am a minister in a local Christian church and am very active working with youth both in the church and the community.

I have always been interested in teaching, though life got in the way and steered me down many different pathways. I have been in banking, construction, retail and a variety of other fields before returning back to school to further my education. I have had extensive experience in leadership roles within a variety of formats. I owned my own construction business and retail outlet, which put me in the “boss” position, which taught me many, many things about leadership and in particular, what leadership is not. From there, I was in a leadership position in an alternate school for at risk youth. My responsibilities included pioneering educational software and curriculum for the students and leading the technology thrust. It was at this time in my life that I decided to go back to school to do my masters, but it was also the time that I was asked to go into the ministry. While being a minister, I have learned more about people and leadership than anywhere else in life. I have attended many conferences and had extensive training in counseling and life planning. Being in a leadership “position” for the past several years has been extremely educational. The expectations upon leadership are great and diverse. The differing leadership styles is also very intriguing. I personally, would rather not be a leader, however, I have the attitude that I need to be involved and I need to do my part, therefore, this often pushes me into these types of positions. In my leadership position now, I am responsible for both the adult and youth programs of our church as well as overseeing the finances. I am also the North Western youth “expert” specializing in youth program development and curriculum development. This includes things like conference design and summer camps (which is my favorite). I love working with youth and in particular at risk youth. That is why I am in this program. I have a deep desire to provide more resources and programs for special needs children. I feel there is a great need to provide more technological support for these children. Our church is currently making a partnership with Prince Charles Elementary school to help them meet some of their needs. I will be providing technological support in the sense of working with the youth there and encouraging them in their skill development.

As for my technological background, let’s just say it is diverse. My original degree was in the direction of math and computing science. In the 1980’s and early 90’s I spent a fair bit of time programming and assembling computers. In the mid 1990’s, I ventured into the world of networking and set up a few different networks with NT server. At this time, I also acted as a network administrator for the program I was working in. After, this and into the new millennium, I redirected my efforts towards more video editing and data base management. I love working with computers, I love teaching youth about computers and I love the challenge of change that comes with computers. For example, at our summer camp, we have several video editing suites which the youth use to develop videos while at camp. By the end of camp, they have a DVD to take home with them. I would love to learn more about wireless, though, I find my time limited.

Finally, as for education, I was a teacher for three years in an alternative program in BC. This program consisted of all youth who were court ordered to the program. My responsibility was to get them “up to speed” in math and science. I loved working with these youth and helping them believe that they could learn. I believe education is much more than just in the classroom, it is life. I try to instill in everyone I work with the attitude of a student, the attitude to learn. We always have things we can learn. Every situation has learning potential.

Anyway, that’s me in a rather large nutshell.

Characterisics and Outcomes

“The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.” (Theodore Roosevelt, American President)

“People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” (John C. Maxwell)

There are countless quotes and countless books on leadership and leadership qualities. These various qualities are consistent across all fields, whether that be educational leadership or IT leadership. A characteristic which is totally invaluable is that of relationship building. The strongest and most influential and effective leaders, were men and women who knew how to build, form, strengthen and encourage relationship. One such leader is Ron Petter who was a minister in Vancouver. Ron is amazing, his ability to help people grab on to and believe in Christianity, not in a non-committed, traditional way, but in a committed and progressive way. He was able to take volunteers and get the very most out of them. Helping them to believe in themselves and see all that they had to offer to the world. The results were astounding. The church grew and people were maturing in many ways in their lives. Needs were met and you knew that when you came into our fellowship, that you would be taken care of. He was able to help people embrace change because trust was established through relationship. His first questions are always, how are you? How is your family? He cares deeply and people know it and are therefore motivated to be involved, to participate, to do their part and then some.