863 Leadership Paper Fortier E Aspen Walker8.8.08

A Leadership Learning Journey ‐1‐

Running Head: A LEADERSHIP LEARNING JOURNEY

A Leadership Learning Journey

E. Aspen Walker

Emporia State University, School of Library & Information Management

LI 863 XI

Professor Fortier

E. Aspen Walker Summer 2008, LI 863 XI, Fortier


ABSTRACT

This paper looks at the development of written communication skills,

using emotionally‐intelligent training exercises, through the lens of one

Colorado public library’s internal leadership program (“Leadership

Journey”).



INTRODUCTION

In September of 2008, I will teach a short class about communication

to a cohort of ten students of public library leadership. After surveying

the group, I have learned they would like to spend our time together

working on their written communication skills. While I have spent a great

deal of time immersed in the practice of writing, I have little experience

teaching others, and plenty to learn still about the art of written

communication. This will be a big learning opportunity for me, too.

I don’t want this class to be a flash in the pan for any of us; I hope

we all genuinely grow from the experience. As a fellow student of

leadership, I am intrigued by Boyatzis’ Theory of Self‐Directed Learning

and the idea that emotionally intelligent training resonates deeply with

students, takes firm hold in the limbic region of the brain, and effects

long‐lasting change in leadership style. I hope I can help each student

launch a long‐term writing practice that results in improved written

communications and an appreciation for the benefits of lifelong, self‐

directed and emotionally‐intelligent learning. I also hope to improve my

own leadership skills and style through the hands‐on practice and

feedback and the class affords.



This paper looks at my approach and plan as I ready for the class. I

will discuss the Leadership Journey program; turn next to the philosophy

of emotionally intelligent learning; and conclude by describing the lesson

plan I have selected for the class.

THE LEADERSHIP JOURNEY

Douglas County Libraries (an independent public library district in

Douglas County, Colorado) initiated the Leadership Journey program in

2008, in order to develop and promote library leaders from within the

organization. Ten students were selected to participate in the two‐year

training program. Leadership Journey also aims to further develop the

organization’s current leadership, by asking managers and administrators

to teach the classes and mentor the students. All participants will traverse

a learning course designed to “develop the insights, skills, and tools

needed to successfully lead themselves and others in the library

community and beyond” (Douglas County Libraries, 2008).

Year one focuses on personal leadership and self‐development; or as

the Leadership Journey syllabus declares, “Before you lead others, you

must first learn to lead yourself ” (Douglas County Libraries, 2008). First

year activities include ongoing coaching and mentorship, reading and

homework assignments, regular postings to learning blogs, monthly classes



taught by DCL leaders, and outside training courses. Monthly class topics

include: emotional intelligence; self‐awareness and

social/communication/personality styles; change management; systems thinking

and organizational theory; and communication skills. Outside training includes

the development of a personal mission and vision statement with a certified

coach; EQ evaluation; a Social Styles workshop; a two‐day course in meeting

facilitation; a two‐day presentation skills clinic; and classes in business

writing, grammar, editing, technology, time management, and supervision.

Meanwhile, class instructors must stretch and grow as well. We must

learn how to embrace the visionary, coaching and democratic leadership styles

(Goleman, 2004, p. 55), in order to inspire and mentor the students, and receive

feedback about their experience. We must remember that teachers are students

too, do our research, and think long and hard on the subjects of leadership and

education. We must revitalize and employ our presentation and communication

skills to craft a learning experience that resonates with the students. We must

be willing to hear others, respond to feedback, and keep growing.

Together, we are designing a collaborative approach to building a

learning community comprised of many, who continually improve as both

leaders and participants. In order for this to work, we must all be invested in

the success of Leadership Journey. In my experience, I find I am motivated to

make the most of the classes, partly because I have been asked to be part of the

team. I have heard others express a similar sentiment: we are excited to be a



part of this creative, learning process. Leadership Journey is a true

collaboration; it belongs to no single hero or genius. We can all benefit from the

process, take pride in our contributions, and effect positive change at Douglas

County Libraries. This team pride and collaborative spirit reminds me of Olson

and Singer’s Third Change Principle: “Rely on the group as the primary unit of

work…remember to avoid hero worship on projects and instead focus on

harnessing, appreciating, and rewarding the work of all members of the group”

(2004, 41).

I don’t wish to fool the students or myself. We’ve all got a long road

ahead of us. They will not perfect their writing skills in a few hours. I

will not craft a quick presentation that delves into the deepest depths of

written communication. But they can launch and sustain a writing

practice that improves their written communication, while embracing the

benefits of self‐directed learning. I can help, by crafting emotionally‐

intelligent exercises that aim to engage and resonate with the students,

and encourage them to adopt a course of self‐directed learning. And we

can all remember we are a group of travel companions, in the midst of a

leadership learning journey.

EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT LEARNING

I think that the Leadership Journey offers a shared learning opportunity

that can work to effect positive change well “beyond the honeymoon effect”



(Goleman, 2004, p. 98) by employing emotionally‐intelligent learning strategies.

This includes limbic stimulation, Boyatzis’ Theory of Self‐Directed Learning,

and Kolb’s Learning Styles.

In Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence, we

discover that training/learning that triggers the emotional limbic region of the

brain can have a long‐lasting effect on the student, if it incorporates

“motivation, extended practice and feedback” (Goleman, 2004, p. 102). It

is my hope that I can draw on what I have learned in our Emporia

Leadership class, and accomplish the kind of resonant, emotionally‐

intelligent training, and sustainable and self‐directed learning that

Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee advocate in Primal Leadership (2004, pp. 99‐

112).

With this in mind, my lesson plan and approach (discussed more

pointedly below) includes these limbic‐friendly and emotionally‐

intelligent components:

Motivation‐the students are willingly participating, in

order to develop as leaders. I have also asked them to

choose the class topic. Hopefully this will increase

the likelihood that they are invested in ‐and

motivated by‐ the class.

Extended practice‐ I will share a little about the

benefits of ongoing, self‐directed learning; encourage



students to commence a long‐term writing practice,

take advantage of the continuing education and

collections Leadership Journey and Douglas County

Libraries offer; and remind them that every time they

write (for work, on their Leadership Journey blog, or

elsewhere) they can remember they are practicing

writing and self‐directed learning, and opt to use the

experience as an opportunity to learn and improve.

Feedback‐ students can opt to share their work in

class, share their opinions and contribute to class

discussion, ask their mentors to coach their writing

practice, and help me improve by sharing their

comments.

I also have attempted to design lesson plan that makes the most of

the Leadership Journey format and the Five Discoveries of Boyatzis’

Theory of Self‐Directed Learning:

My ideal self—Who do I want to be?

My real self—Who Am I? What are my strengths

and weaknesses?

My learning agenda—How can I build on my

strength, while reducing my gaps?

Experimenting with and practicing new

behaviors, thoughts, and feelings to the point

of mastery.

Developing trusting relationships that help,



support, and encourage each step in the

process.

(Goleman, 2004, p. 102)

Leadership Journey asks it students to spend a great deal of time

thinking about their ideal and real selves, especially in the first year, when

the curricular theme can be summed up simply: know thyself. They look to

the ideal by crafting mission and vision statements; they focus on the real

by examining their personality traits, emotional intelligence, social styles

and leadership strengths. Parenthetically, it is of note that the process of

preparing for, and teaching a Leadership Journey class has a very similar

influence on the teacher. The sheer contrast between my ideal and real

selves has become very apparent as I work to craft a lesson that meets my

idealistic vision, within the framework of my actual skills and limitations.

In looking at their ideal and real selves these past months, the

Leadership Journey students have spotted many of their strengths and

gaps in leadership skills and learning. This is an opportune time to

develop a learning agenda for their self‐directed learning practice. In this

particular case, the students have indicated that they would like to learn

more about written communication, so the leaning agenda includes time



for students to reflect on their writing strengths and weaknesses. I hope

that this experience and example will motivate the students to consciously

craft learning agendas throughout their lifelong learning journey.

As discussed above, the extended practice of any leadership skill

(including writing practice) helps us form the long‐lasting limbic

connections we need to change our habits and grow as leaders. Extended

practice is intimately related to the fourth discovery of self‐directed

learning: experimenting with and practicing new behaviors, thoughts, and

feelings to the point of mastery. Writing offers a perfect chance to

experiment and practice over time: we do it almost every day. You can bet

I will encourage the students to remember their learning agenda and

intentionally practice the art of writing, each time they employ the written

word.

Boyatzi’s Fifth Discovery is the importance of relationship, feedback

and support. Leadership Journey, by design, creates a network of peers

and mentors that the students can turn to. I will remind the students that

the competencies of emotional intelligence are comprised of two

categories: the self/personal and social/relationship, and point out that

Leadership Journey encompasses both. The students are getting to know

their own strengths and weaknesses, and learning how to play well with



and learn from others. The class will encourage students to enter a social

feedback loop, by sharing and discussing their writing with their fellow

students.

We don’t all learn best the same way. Emotionally‐intelligent

training remembers that “people actually learn best when they using

[learning] modes that suit them” (Goleman, 2004, p. 150). The class is

made up of learners with different styles, so my lesson plan will

incorporate Kolb’s work in learning styles. As you’ll soon see, I will use

training exercises that appeal to the learning modes Kolb found to be

most effective for most people:

Concrete experience: Having an experience that allows

them to see and feel what it is like.

Reflection: Thinking about their own and others’

experiences.

Model building: Coming up with a theory that makes

sense of what they observe.

Trial‐and‐error learning: trying something out by

actively experimenting with a new approach.

(Goleman, 2004, pp. 150‐1).

THE LESSON PLAN

Lesson I. Pre‐class Homework. The Leadership Journey classes

always include pre‐class homework, so the students are already thinking



about the topic when they get to class. The library district’s training

manager tells me the students can really use instruction in the art of

writing email, since this is the kind of writing they all do most frequently.

I will ask the students to read the “Email Intelligence” blog and

presentation (Walker, 2008) I created for our Emporia leadership class. I

will ask them to participate in the online “Collaboration Time” exercises

at Email‐Intelligence.blogspot.com. The blog –and this homework

assignment‐ are designed to capture several aspects of emotionally‐

intelligent training. I know that students write a lot of emails; hopefully

they will be motivated by the topic. The collaborative sections make use of

feedback, relationship, and reflection. A quiz on the blog (“Are you a rude

emailer?”) asks students to look at their real self. The tips for crafting

excellent emails speak to the students’ ideal self; call for a learning agenda

of extended practice and experimentation; and incorporate model building.

I will also ask the students spend some time looking at their most

recent writing. I will ask them to bring in 3‐4 samples to share with a few

classmates. The samples can include emails, letters, reports, book reviews,

instructions, library program descriptions, or any other kind of writing

the students do on a regular basis at Douglas County Libraries. The initial

project of gathering the writing samples will require the students to work



with several aspects of emotionally‐intelligent learning. In making their

selections, they will spend some time in reflection, and come face‐to‐face

with their real and ideal selves. They will also face the sometimes scary

idea of feedback and trusting relationship. More follows below about the

exercises that will put these personal writing samples to use.

Lesson II. Emotionally Intelligent Learning

I want the skeleton and underlying philosophy of the lesson plan to

be very transparent to the students. I hope that the intentional inclusion

of emotionally‐intelligent strategies in the classes’ structure will be

motivating for the students, and that they’ll feel there is a purpose to

everything we do in the class.

I will begin by providing a brief overview of the information

covered in the second part of this paper (“Emotionally Intelligent

Learning” above). We will discuss the limbic brain, and the long‐term

benefits of learning that incorporates motivation, extended practice and

feedback. We will look at Boyatzi’s Theory of Self‐Directed Learning

(Appendix A) and discuss its cyclical process of discoveries. We will also

touch briefly on Kolb’s learning modes. We will discuss a few final points:

How can writing practice help you practice self‐directed learning, and

change your bad habits over time? Is it possible that one learning



experience (like the development of written communication skills) can

teach you how to be a lifelong learner? How does a self‐directed learning

agenda contribute to the purpose and theme of Leadership Journey Year

One (“Know Thyself ”)? In addition to motivation, this exercise aims to

harness several other emotionally‐intelligent learning tools: feedback,

relationship, reflection and model‐building.

Lesson III. Written Communication & Leadership

At this point, I will ask the students to break into three groups to

explore this question: What’s the connection between written

communication and leadership? After 15 minutes of brainstorming, each

group will collectively present their ideas to the class, and we will

discuss. This lesson incorporates feedback, the ideal self, relationship,

reflection and model building.

Lesson IV. Get Your Point Across‐ Simply

Given the proliferation of information we all face at work, and

elsewhere, the contemporary art of written communication ultimately

means the ability to get your point across, simply, quickly, and in a style

that resonates with the reader. I will share four short documents with the

class that explore this topic: “Getting Ready to Write: Purpose, Point &

Person,” (Danziger, 2001); “Red Flags & Phrases to Avoid” (Kranz, 2007,



p. 60); “A List of Word Savers” (Briefings Publishing Group, 1997); and No

Bull’s “26 Phrases You Should Never Use in Business Writing” (2008). We

will read over the writing tips as a class, and discuss. This exercise is

designed to integrate awareness of the real and ideal selves, feedback, and

reflection.

Lesson V. Hands‐on Writing Practice

The hands‐on writing exercises I have selected relate to Lesson IV,

by offering students a chance to experiment with written clarity and

textual simplification. The exercises will incorporate the concrete

experience learning mode, and ask the students to experiment and practice

with written communication by employing trial‐and‐error. The students

will encounter aspects of their real and ideal selves, and discover

opportunities to establish a learning agenda for their future practice. The

two exercises I will use come from Bozek’s 50 One‐Minute Tips to Better

Communication (“Simplify & Clarify Your Document/The Bureau of

Proverbs,” pp. 76‐77, and “To Simplify the Language, Ask the Big

Question,” pp. 78‐79).

Lesson VI: Efficiency & Revision

I will ask the students to take Bozek’s quick writing efficiency quiz

(“How Efficiently Do you Write?,” p. 43‐46). In my experience, many



people like taking quizzes that reveal information about their own

personal style and competencies. I hope that this affinity for self‐

awareness will serve as motivation to learn. The exercise is also designed

to encompass feedback, the real and ideal selves, a learning agenda,

opportunities for experimentation and practice, and reflection.

We will also look at No Bull’s “The Secret to Better Business

Writing‐ Revision” (2008) and discuss the articles tips for revision. This

exercise will address the real and ideal selves, feedback, and reflection.

At this point, I will ask the students to select one of their shortest

writing samples, and rework it, using the tips and skills we learned in

lessons I‐VI. This approach embraces the concrete experience learning

mode, experimentation, practice and trial‐and‐error, the real and ideal selves,

and points to a learning agenda for future practice.

Lesson VII: Editing Other ’s Work

Students will take a look at sections from Grazian’s article, “Here’s a

Guide to Help You Write and Edit Better and Faster ” that address the

three functions of editing and how to edit others’ copy (Briefings

Publishing Group, 1997, p. 15‐16). Then I will ask students to exchange

their freshly revised writing sample, so that they can edit each others’

work. This exercise is designed to comprise feedback, the real and ideal



selves, the learning agenda, practice and experimentation, trusting relationship,

concrete experience, reflection and trial‐and‐error. I appreciate that this

exercise also incorporates both the personal and social competencies of

Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence Domains (2004, p. 39).

Lesson VIII: Strengths, Weaknesses & That First Step

The final part of my lesson plan comes from Maisel’s 20

Communication Tips that Work (2001, pp. 111‐113) I will ask the students to

create a two‐part list that inventories their writing strengths and

weaknesses, and then think of at least one step or action that will move

them towards a positive change in their writing skills. This exercise

closely follows the phases of Boyatzis’ Theory of Self‐Directed Learning.

The students must look at their ideal and real selves, determine their

strengths and gaps, come up with a learning agenda, so they can experiment

and practice with new behavior that will move them closer to their ideal

self. The exercise also makes the most of motivation, concrete experience,

reflection, and trial‐and‐error.

IX. Please Fill Out those Feedback Forms!

Leadership Journey isn’t just about the students. It’s about

developing the library managers and administrators who design and teach

the classes. I am looking forward to hearing about my performance from



the students. I will benefit from the motivation to improve, feedback, the

contrast between the real and ideal selves, trusting relationships and

reflection. Additionally, by preparing for and teaching the class, I will

have enjoyed the benefits of extended practice, the learning agenda,

experimentation, concrete experience, model building and trial‐and‐error.

CONCLUSION

This paper and process finds me in the midst of a leadership

learning journey that weaves between my formal schooling, work in

public libraries, and network of fellow learners. I am continually

reminded of stealth learning, in which the “Trick is to learn while doing

other things, a strategy that might be thought of as ‘stealth learning’ and

that can be useful for improving emotional intelligence abilities,

particularly leadership skills” (Goleman, 2004, p. 159). I am trying to

learn and grow as I go, by wedding what I am learning with what I can

share and teach. When I picture this stealth, self‐directed learning process

I see a vast feedback loop that continually informs all of the players, who

all participate and serve as both learners and teachers. I hope that we all

come away with skills in writing, leadership, and learning that will stick

with us for a good time to come. I hope we all remember that everything

we do is an opportunity to learn and grow. Wish us luck.



REFERENCES

(1997). 5‐Minute workshops for effective communication. Alexandria: Briefings Publishing

Group.

(2008). Writing. Retrieved August 4, 2008, from No Bull Business Blog Web site:

http://pbp.typepad.com/nobull/writing/ .

Bozek, P., (1997). 50 one‐minute tips to better communication: a wealth of business

communication Ideas. Menlo Park: Crisp Publications.

Danziger, E., (2001). Get to the point. New York: Three Rivers Press.

Douglas County Libraries. (2008). Leadership journey curriculum. Castle Rock, CO:

Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., & Mckee, A. (2002). Primal leadership. Boston: Harvard

Business School Press.

Kranz, G., (2007). Communicating effectively. London: Collins.

Maisel, E., (2001). 20 Communication tips at work. Novato: New World Library.

Olson, C., & Singer, P. (2004). Winning with library leadership. Chicago: American Library

Association.

Walker, A. (2008). Email intelligence. Retrieved August 8, 2008, from Email Intelligence

Web site: http://email‐intelligence.blogspot.com/ .


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