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Leadership with a Little “L”
PRESIDENTS’ PERSPECTIVES President’s Page
Leadership with a Little “L” This article is reprinted from the August 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (2011;111(8):1109).
M
ORE THAN A DECADE ago, as a member of the ADA House of Delegates (HOD), I listened with great interest to a presentation to the HOD by former President (and then ADA Foundation Chair) Polly A. Fitz, MA, RD. Fitz is a recognized authority— then as now—on leadership. Years later, I recall that she encouraged House members to take a more active role in leadership development, both in ourselves and in others. Her fascinating discussion drew in part on the writings of John P. Kotter, PhD, the Konosuke Matsushita Professor Emeritus of Leadership at Harvard Business School. “Leadership in a modest sense—i.e., leadership with a lower-case (little) ‘l’—is far more prevalent and far more important than most people realize,” writes Kotter. “Not flashy or dramatic, it rarely attracts much attention, and often goes unnoticed. But it can be found in all leadership stories. A person steps into the situation, figures out which direction things need to move, communicates that successfully to a few other people whose help is needed, and then energizes himself/herself and the others to make something happen under difficult conditions.”1 I have never forgotten how Polly Fitz weaved that concept—“leadership with a little l”—into her talk. Leadership is not just big acts by individuals with big titles, she said; everyone has some leadership capacity and can lead and contribute in many ways.
this power and fulfill our responsibility is up to each of us. Leadership capabilities are closely tied into aspects of emotional intelligence—self-awareness, self-confidence, optimism, adaptability, and many others—that play such a central role in our lives and personal development. “Recognizing, understanding, and choosing how we think, feel, and act . (shapes) our interactions with others and our understanding of ourselves.”2 Thus, having emotional intelligence unquestionably affects our leadership abilities and our career success. While there are people who are “born leaders,” leaders can also be “made.” Over the years in working with hundreds of dietetics practitioners to develop their leadership capabilities, I have noted the most effective leadership traits as:
being committed to being the best; encouraging input from others; being open-minded; not micromanaging others; being a “calculated risk” taker; having futuristic thinking; and keeping the whole picture in mind, not just your own sphere of influence.
Leadership, in other words, is a skill that can be learned and then put into action. How? Behaviors recur again and again in outstanding leaders: They set goals and strategies. They motivate themselves and those around them. They encourage input from others, knowing that the most important resource in any setting is simple: the people.
LEADERS ARE BORN AND MADE
FIND YOUR CAREER NICHE
The reason, she said, is that there is not just one “Leader.” The focus of leadership has changed from being the responsibility of one individual to a shared responsibility of groups and organizations. Each of us, therefore, has within us the power and the responsibility of leadership. How we use
Experience shows me that leadership opportunities arise when you are doing what you were meant to do, especially when you are passionate about it. So ask yourself: “What am I passionate about? Am I in the right place—physically, emotionally—to fulfill my personal passion?”
S6
JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS
Sylvia A. Escott-Stump
Try to step back occasionally and ask: “Is this job the right fit for me? Am I in the best environment for me personally?” When leaders find their niche, in the words of our 2011 Leadership Institute Keynote Speaker Simon T. Bailey, they are able to “find their brilliance.”3 ADA’s annual Leadership Institute is just one great example of how ADA promotes “member-leader” skills. The hundreds of members who have attended the Leadership Institute can attest to its value through mastery of change in both personal and professional environments. Our eighth Leadership Institute was held in June. Information about next year’s Leadership Institute will be available in the spring. Go for it! Attend and bring out that “little ‘l’ leader” in you—find your brilliance! Sylvia A. Escott-Stump, MA, RD, LDN http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2014.02.020
References 1.
Kotter JP. Force for Change: How Leadership Differs from Management. New York, NY: Free Press; 1990.
2.
Jensen AL, Rideout MC, Freedman PE, Freedman JM. Handle With Care: Emotional Intelligence Activity Book. San Mateo, CA: Six Seconds; 1998.
3.
Bailey ST. Release Your Brilliance: The 4 Steps to Transforming Your Life and Revealing Your Genius to the World. New York, NY: HarperBusiness; 2007.
ª 2014 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Leadership with a Little “L” This article is reprinted from the August 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (2011;111(8):1109).
M
ORE THAN A DECADE ago, as a member of the ADA House of Delegates (HOD), I listened with great interest to a presentation to the HOD by former President (and then ADA Foundation Chair) Polly A. Fitz, MA, RD. Fitz is a recognized authority— then as now—on leadership. Years later, I recall that she encouraged House members to take a more active role in leadership development, both in ourselves and in others. Her fascinating discussion drew in part on the writings of John P. Kotter, PhD, the Konosuke Matsushita Professor Emeritus of Leadership at Harvard Business School. “Leadership in a modest sense—i.e., leadership with a lower-case (little) ‘l’—is far more prevalent and far more important than most people realize,” writes Kotter. “Not flashy or dramatic, it rarely attracts much attention, and often goes unnoticed. But it can be found in all leadership stories. A person steps into the situation, figures out which direction things need to move, communicates that successfully to a few other people whose help is needed, and then energizes himself/herself and the others to make something happen under difficult conditions.”1 I have never forgotten how Polly Fitz weaved that concept—“leadership with a little l”—into her talk. Leadership is not just big acts by individuals with big titles, she said; everyone has some leadership capacity and can lead and contribute in many ways.
this power and fulfill our responsibility is up to each of us. Leadership capabilities are closely tied into aspects of emotional intelligence—self-awareness, self-confidence, optimism, adaptability, and many others—that play such a central role in our lives and personal development. “Recognizing, understanding, and choosing how we think, feel, and act . (shapes) our interactions with others and our understanding of ourselves.”2 Thus, having emotional intelligence unquestionably affects our leadership abilities and our career success. While there are people who are “born leaders,” leaders can also be “made.” Over the years in working with hundreds of dietetics practitioners to develop their leadership capabilities, I have noted the most effective leadership traits as:
being committed to being the best; encouraging input from others; being open-minded; not micromanaging others; being a “calculated risk” taker; having futuristic thinking; and keeping the whole picture in mind, not just your own sphere of influence.
Leadership, in other words, is a skill that can be learned and then put into action. How? Behaviors recur again and again in outstanding leaders: They set goals and strategies. They motivate themselves and those around them. They encourage input from others, knowing that the most important resource in any setting is simple: the people.
LEADERS ARE BORN AND MADE
FIND YOUR CAREER NICHE
The reason, she said, is that there is not just one “Leader.” The focus of leadership has changed from being the responsibility of one individual to a shared responsibility of groups and organizations. Each of us, therefore, has within us the power and the responsibility of leadership. How we use
Experience shows me that leadership opportunities arise when you are doing what you were meant to do, especially when you are passionate about it. So ask yourself: “What am I passionate about? Am I in the right place—physically, emotionally—to fulfill my personal passion?”
S6
JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS
Sylvia A. Escott-Stump
Try to step back occasionally and ask: “Is this job the right fit for me? Am I in the best environment for me personally?” When leaders find their niche, in the words of our 2011 Leadership Institute Keynote Speaker Simon T. Bailey, they are able to “find their brilliance.”3 ADA’s annual Leadership Institute is just one great example of how ADA promotes “member-leader” skills. The hundreds of members who have attended the Leadership Institute can attest to its value through mastery of change in both personal and professional environments. Our eighth Leadership Institute was held in June. Information about next year’s Leadership Institute will be available in the spring. Go for it! Attend and bring out that “little ‘l’ leader” in you—find your brilliance! Sylvia A. Escott-Stump, MA, RD, LDN http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2014.02.020
References 1.
Kotter JP. Force for Change: How Leadership Differs from Management. New York, NY: Free Press; 1990.
2.
Jensen AL, Rideout MC, Freedman PE, Freedman JM. Handle With Care: Emotional Intelligence Activity Book. San Mateo, CA: Six Seconds; 1998.
3.
Bailey ST. Release Your Brilliance: The 4 Steps to Transforming Your Life and Revealing Your Genius to the World. New York, NY: HarperBusiness; 2007.
ª 2014 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.