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CLE Leadership & Management
Ideas, Resources, and Techniques for
CLE Professionals
A periodic e-newsletter
By Chuck Bingaman - chuck@chuckbingaman.com
#10 December, 2003
Leadership
 “Breakthroughs in brain research
show why leaders’ moods and actions have enormous impact on those they lead
and shed fresh light on the power of emotionally intelligent leadership to
inspire, arouse passions and enthusiasm,
and keep people motivated and committed,” according to Daniel Goleman in his
latest book titled Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional
Intelligence with Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee (Harvard Business School Press, 2002). Several recent organizational consulting engagements
have reminded me anew of this valuable insight. Because the attitudes of the leaders make
crucial impacts on the functioning of their teams, CLE leaders must be conscious
of and in control of the messages they are sending about themselves, their customers,
their other staff members, and their governing board
members. It is frightfully easy to infect
others with negative attitudes when you are the leader! The positive side is that emotional
intelligence—the ability to control and respond to your emotions
intelligently—CAN be learned by those who want to learn it. Goleman has done priceless work in this vital
area for years and his latest book merits very careful reading and
reflection. Leaders know what they know, some of
what they do not know and how they need to grow. As the New Year is about to begin, now is
a good time for us to make inventories of those areas where we may have a suitable
base of knowledge, those areas where we really need work, and the paths and processes
by which we can learn in 2004 what we really need to learn.
If you’ll share your lists with me, I’ll share mine with you!
Management
Either
periodically over several weeks or over several hours of a staff meeting in
the next month, consider seeking ways to better run your organization in
2004. Try setting some rough goals such
as defining three ideas for upgrading your courses, upgrading your publications,
and upgrading your ’Web site. If your
staff is large enough, break into small groups and assign each group one of the
areas to consider and report back on. If you are too small to break into sub-groups,
perhaps have separate meetings to discuss the three areas. Check out some medical or accounting continuing
education ‘Web sites. Find some good
ideas from others to adapt to your needs. See if you can get your whole staff involved in trying some new
approaches to start the New Year. Chances
are that some ideas will work, some will fail and some will be
so-so. But even if only one or two were
hits and everyone got involved in the search for better ways, your staff may
approach the New Year with renewed energy and enthusiasm. And more good ideas may flow. This is how an organization stays vital; not
seeking creative, positive change means it’s dying. Consider
scheduling a special meeting in 2004 with your governing board to set aside the
immediate problems and to look forward over the next one, two, or three years
for strategic directions (or corrections)
that need to be identified—longer range planning. In facilitating a number of CLE governing board retreats over the
past year I have found that this process—at least one full day and preferably
a
day and a half—yields GREAT returns EVERY time. Enhanced understanding and personal relationships between board
and staff, ideas for ways to better serve your constituents, cutting edge course,
publication, and “’Web” ideas—the lifeblood of successful CLE
organizations. Now is the time to begin
discussing strategic planning for 2004.
Resources &
Strategies Teddy Roosevelt
was one of history’s great self-improvement poster boys! He was actively, consciously learning from
beginning to end, and when he died, they found a book under his pillow. I don’t what the book was, but here’s a little
gem that you could easily put under your pillow or carry with you: Leadership 101 by John C. Maxwell (Thom. Nelson Publications,
2002). It’s tiny but packed with practical
wisdom and emotional intelligence. Did you know
that the American
Society of Association Executives offers two-day courses throughout
the year for teams of elected governing board chairs and heads of staff? The whole idea is to offer forums where typical
chairman/executive director issues can be illuminated, discussed in constructive
ways and worked out along with others who share similar issues and
challenges. See www.ASAEnet.org. Do you know about www.realage.com? On its entry quiz you can determine your “real” (vs.
calendar) age according to your health habits, family history, and vital statistics
in a detailed, confidential way. You can also get customized guidance on how to bring your “real” age
down through lifestyle improvements, and you can register for daily emailed health
tips that are quite valuable. Give it
a try!
Following 20 years as Executive Director of Illinois Institute
for Continuing Legal Education, Chuck now consults from coast to coast on
strategic planning, business opportunities, marketing and management challenges
with CLE organizations, legal publishers, law firms, and law
schools. Chuck also teaches a course
on
law practice marketing and writes a monthly marketing column for lawyers. He is an affiliated consultant with Altman
Weil Inc. Chuck welcomes your inquiries
about consulting engagements and will give you a one-page proposal with no further
obligation. You can contact him
at chuck@chuckbingaman.com, at 603-756-9268, or
at
P.O. Box 390, Walpole, NH 03068. Past
issues of this newsletter are archived at www.chuckbingaman.com.
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