Learning From The Past and Planning For The Future
MENTAL HEALTH MOMENT May 3, 2002 "Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan." - Tom Landry
Short Subjects
LINKS
Mental Health Moment Online CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS:
Suicide Prevention Strategies and Helping Those Left Behind Cope
Wednesday May 29, 2002
8:30 AM to 4:00 PM
Cheyenne, WY
Contact: William Quinn, Southeast Wyoming Mental Health Center
(307) 634-9653International Conference on Psychology Education June 17 - 21, 2002 Location: St. Petersburg, RUSSIA Contact: Victor Karandashev, Email: victor.karandashev@usa.net; vkarandashev@mail.ru
21st International Human Science Research Conference June 19 - 22, 2002 Location: Victoria, BC CANADA Information: Email: ihsrc@uvic.ca
17th Annual Adult Development Symposium
(The Society for Research in Adult Development)
June 21-23, 2002
Location: PACE PLAZA CAMPUS, New York, NY, USA9TH ANNUAL RAND SUMMER INSTITUTE:
July 17-20, 2002
Santa Monica, CA
Two conferences addressing critical issues facing our aging population: MiniMedical school for Social Scientists; Workshop on the Demography, Economics, and Epidemiology of Aging. Interested researchers can apply support to pay for registration, travel and accommodations.CAPE COD INSTITUTE:
June 24-August 30, 2002.
25 Timely/Lively Weeklong CE Courses by Master Teachers Behavior On-line, Inc. with Professional Learning Network, LLC
Toll-Free: (888) 394-9293
Email: prolearning@behavior.net.
THREAT CREDIBILITY AND WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
Individual or collective preparedness for an attack involving WMD must be based on an analysis of the threat.
Neurosurg Focus 12(3) 2002
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/431310?srcmp=psy-041902In order to access the articles on medscape, you will have to register. There is a register link at the top of the page you will reach on the above link. Once you register, your computer should remember it when you use future links.
LIFE ON EARTH BEING AFFECTED BY GLOBAL WARMING
A comprehensive summary has revealed, for the first time, the dramatic extent of disruptions now being experienced by Earth's species as a result of global warming. The report compiles the results of more than 100 studies on the effects that recent climate changes have had on animals and plants throughout the world. An international team of researchers--including Eric Post, assistant professor of biology at Penn State, and others at institutions in Australia, France, Germany, Texas and the United Kingdom--published the study in the March 28 edition of the journal Nature. "We tried to provide the biggest possible picture of what is now happening to the world's species," Post says. "That anyone can question whether living things are being affected by climate change now seems incredibly dubious itself. All the major biomes on Earth have been affected by a temperature increase of just a little more than half a degree Celsius--most of which has occurred during the last two decades." For the full story by Barbara Kennedy, visit http://www.science.psu.edu/alert/Post4-2002.htm
SELF-HELP PLAN REDUCES ANXIETY, DEPRESSION IN ANGINA PATIENTS
A self-management plan being tested in the UK appears to improve the psychological and physical functioning of patients newly diagnosed with angina, according to a report in the March issue of The British Journal of General Practice. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/431990?srcmp=psy-041902
Twisters Rip Through Midwest, Maryland
On Sunday (April 28), a series of powerful storm systems tore through the United States from Missouri to Maryland, spawning at least 15 tornadoes that left six people dead, dozens injured and hundreds of homes damaged or destroyed.
Colorado Wildfire Doubles in Size
A wildfire raged across central Colorado, forcing 1,200 families to evacuate their homes.
LIVING AS A LEADER
Modern communication media have made it nearly impossible for a leader to have any modicum of privacy. What many of us fail to consider is that we all have a public. We all have people who observe and judge us, whether we are actually leading a group or organization or not. The office buzz is just as effective as the newspaper, and email distribution lists have substantially enhanced the reach of office gossip. However, the good news is that in this environment, and with this kind of scrutiny, a leader can influence more people than ever before, not only with his/her directions, but with everything he/she does. In a sense, this is also the bad news. With more exposure, more at stake, more potential benefit, and greater potential consequences, these conditions characterize the opportunity and challenge of the modern leader.We ask a great deal of our leaders. For example, in the wake of all the political scandals, we have failed to make the right distinctions about what we ask of them versus what we actually expect of them. What do we really need from a leader to give him/her our respect? What is required to gain commitment in followers?
Kouzes and Posner (1995) have asked this question of more than twenty thousand respondents on four continents over twenty years. These respondents have consistently ranked four characteristics as more important than others on a list of twenty. We expect vision, competence, honesty, and inspiration.
* Vision is the ability to see what change is needed and how it will benefit people when that change is made.Possibly because we desire a model, because few really want to take personal responsibility for their own development and behavior, or other reasons, we observe and reflect the behavior of people in leadership positions. Therefore, a position of leadership carries with it a responsibility to be aware of oneself, and to mold one's character to reflect that which will inspire others.* Competence is the ability to manage the many variables that are necessary to effect that change.
* Inspiration and Honesty are related. To "inspire" is to "breathe life into" another, which means that life must first be in ourselves. The task of inspiring others begins with self-discovery and self- development, in order to find out what matters to us, and to begin changing and refining the way we act in the world and the way we communicate with others. Self-discovery requires honesty, initially with ourselves, and subsequently in the projection of that self to others. The process of projection, or "deployment" of the authentic self is, in itself, inspiring.
Activities For Consideration
* If you have not already done so, spend time exploring your personal values. If you are to be a model, it is important that you are aligned with the organization. If your organization has no stated values, you have to determine the basis for the values that you want to instill. This can be done with your mate, a coach, or on your own. You should be able to align these values with the organization you are trying to lead or the changes you are trying to make in your sphere of influence.These are practical steps which you can practice overtly. Less definable and more difficult to change is your manner or the way in which you undertake your leadership internally.* Review your personal and business work and decisions over the past year and measure them against your values. Were there inconsistencies? What was the underlying rationale for the behavior or decision?
* Consider what characteristics are present in those you trust. Continue to focus on developing these characteristics in yourself.
* Ask you peers, your direct reports, and your boss to give you honest feedback on your own integrity, how consistently you act in alignment with your values. Then ask those closest to you personally for the same kind of constructive feedback.
* With every visible decision that you make, ask yourself, "How could people who would not like me to succeed twist this to make it look bad?" Ask someone you trust to advise you, on a regular basis, how your actions could be seen negatively by others. Consider their feedback in both your professional and personal life.
* With each decision that you make, notice if you are focusing on defending the action from the perception of others. Consider how you could change the action so that it wouldn't need defending.
* Take particular notice when someone interprets something you do as negative. Fair or not, this is feedback. Rather than bemoaning the fact that you have been misinterpreted or misquoted, try to develop an appreciation for your position as a leader and your potential in that position to help others.
* Take time to occasionally talk to those at different levels of the organization. Ask their opinion, show them that you value their contribution. You know how good it feels when someone asks your opinion, and values it. Pass that feeling along to those who work for you.
The most frequently observed act of a leader is communication. What the leader says and the way in which he/she says it is the leader's greatest opportunity and greatest challenge.
It is frequently in the formulation of speeches that a leader discovers what it is that he/she really wants to say. Preparing a speech requires conscious attention. The speech is also an excellent vehicle to practice the principles of the kind of communication that is needed to inspire commitment. It is in the more common instances of communicating - real conversations in the halls, elevators, small meetings, lunches, one-on-one tactical encounters, and even voice-mail and email exchanges - that the leader can make more frequent contact. It is also in these less formal environments that he/she is most vulnerable to unconsciously undoing all of the good that can be done with a thoughtful first statement of vision. There are many examples that demonstrate that most of the leadership communication damage is done in less formal venues.
The answer, however, is not in close-mouthed caution. The analysis must be a deeper one, an authentic one, and one that will, as he/she extends it into his/her life, separate him/her from other leaders who are more concerned with appearance than with authenticity. Day to day, moment to moment, a leader's words influence those around him/her. ************************************************************************************************
REFERENCES Kouzes, James M. & Posner, Barry Z. (1995). The leadership challenge: How to keep getting extraordinary things done in organizations, 2nd Ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. To search for books on disasters and disaster mental health topics, leaders, leadership, orgainizations, crisis intervention, leaders and crises, and related topics and purchase them online, go to the following url: https://www.angelfire.com/biz/odochartaigh/searchbooks.html ********************************************************************** ********************************************************************** Contact your local Mental Health Center or check the yellow pages for counselors, psychologists, therapists, and other Mental health Professionals in your area for further information. ********************************************************************** George W. Doherty O'Dochartaigh Associates Box 786 Laramie, WY 82073-0786 MENTAL HEALTH MOMENT Online: https://www.angelfire.com/biz3/news
