August 10, 2009  

Leadership Tools
Hugh Ballou

  

LEADERSHIP TOOLS...

...Is divided into four sections:

1. Foundations
2. Relationships
3. Systems
4. Balance

In my leadership work, I have group skills and strategies into the four areas above. First, Foundations give the leader the clarity to know how to lead the team because the final result in clear; second, build and maintain effective relationship to assist in getting to the vision; next, develop effective systems allowing each team member to excel and to work together efficiently; and finally, create balance in work, in life, and between work in life.

This month’s contributors bring experiences and skills from diverse backgrounds and perspectives:

1. Theodore Sipes helps you to know how to hire a soloist.
   
2. Colleen Rudio, gives tips for building relationships.
3. Bob Parsons, founder and CEO of GoDaddy gives 16 steps for success.
   
4. My article reminds us about balance in life.
   

Enjoy!

Hugh Ballou

FOUNDATIONS

Hiring A Soloist for Your Oratorio or Concert Work

by Theodore Sipes, DMA


Occasionally the choral director finds himself or herself needing to hire a soloist for
a performance of Messiah, Elijah or any number of oratorios or concert works which
require a group of soloists. When hiring someone with whom he or she has not
worked previously, the director must depend on recordings, correspondence and
reputation to guide them in their selection. What important information can be
gathered from these sources of information that will ensure a successful
collaboration and an artistic musical experience for all the musicians involved?

Listening to recordings from a compact disc or via the Internet is less than ideal.
However, it is often impractical to hold live auditions, and much essential
information can be gleaned from recordings. Does the singer sing in tune? Is the
singing musical and expressive? Do they communicate the text expressively? Is the
timbre of the singing such as will lend itself to the work you will be performing, and
will that voice work with the other voices in your performance? Ideally, each
soloist should make the other soloists and the choir sound better. A good soloist can encourage the choir to sing well.

It is important to pay attention to the tone and ease of the correspondence one has
with a potential soloist. Does the soloist respond reasonably quickly? Do they take
the time to be cordial even in a quick email? Is there a proper salutation and
closing? Although the absence of these details might not be a bad sign, the presence of them means that the soloist is in the habit of being polite, which may mean that your time with them will be more pleasant. Do they address the director with deference and respect? Is there an attitude of humility about their role as a soloist?

All these factors are clues about the atmosphere the soloist will help create when
they are working with the director during the final rehearsals. This may not seem as important as how the soloist sings, but rehearsals that are made tense by less than ideal behavior are not likely to produce the most musical results.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, is the reputation the soloist has with those
whom he or she has worked in the past. Is the soloist easy to work with? Were they prepared with their material? How did they relate to the other soloists and the
members of the choir? Did they arrive early for the rehearsal so that the director
did not have to be thinking about whether they were going to show up? Did they
seem appreciative for the opportunity? Did they inspire the choir and make the
event special by their presence?

Each director will have specific characteristics for which they are looking when
hiring a soloist. A thoughtful process that includes awareness of the above
questions will help to make certain that every person’s experience of the work that
is being performed will be musical, inspiring, and even profound.

 

Theodore Sipes is an active bass soloist and recitalist who teaches applied voice and related subjects at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Prior to entering academia Dr. Sipes was a music minister at churches in McPherson, Kansas and Rochester, New York. More information about Dr. Sipes may be found at www.TheodoreSipes.com.

 

Tired of conflict on your church committee?
Tired of committees not functioning?
Tired of doing it all?
Check out this program:
"Transform Your Church Committees Into High Performance Teams in Just 21 Days!

 

 

RELATIONSHIPS

Creating Strong Relationships

by Colleen Rudio

Creating strong relationships that link community, members, civic and public organizations is critical when trying to impact social change.   Let’s face it, as community leaders we continue to address multifaceted issues.  Today, our work demands a heightened sense of awareness and a keen ability to balance different perspectives.   
 
Often, we quickly recognize the many faces of need within our everyday environment.   It may be the silent individual sitting quietly in the back experiencing personal hardship, a boisterous group of community members seeking guidance, or a young couple looking forward with hopeful optimism.   Similarly, our volunteer leaders look forward with hope in their ability to impact community change and yet others appear tired as they battle the challenge to overcome organizational barriers that risk our ability to generate continuous momentum.    Each face tells a story and they all represent elements that truly reflect the quality of our church leadership.

As a life-long volunteer, I would like to explore what I refer to as “Five Faces of Leadership Destruction”.    They appear before us on a regular basis, displaying unmistakable characteristics.  Similar to finding value in different perspectives, when we recognize their impact on our leadership efforts we are able to leverage their possible strengths while minimizing potential risks to our true purpose.
In today’s highly interactive world, we begin with The Face of Distraction.   It is a thief of time, resources and our ability to respond.   To overcome, our team must know the value of tightly managing volunteers’ efforts, sorting through requests and identifying high priority/high risk scenarios quickly.   Identifying common distractions is the first step.  Are you prone to unnecessarily long meetings, misguided conversations or adopting new projects without completing current ones?   It is our responsible as leaders to educate on the process of prioritization, define a collaborative approach to staying focused and to master project management.   

I have lead team’s myself and looked across a room of ready and willing volunteers only to find a familiar face. Although displaying different characteristics, The Face of Uncertainty and The Face of Misdirection are closely related.  They commonly appear when, as leaders, we may be clear about the project in our minds, we are unclear about how to communicate it.  They create inefficient processes, underutilized talents and volunteer frustration.  Two of the more common faces of destruction, uncertainty and misdirection force our volunteers to “fill in the blanks” out of a desire to serve.  Clarity, on the other hand, brings forth progress.  It allows the team to join together in a unified direction understanding their individual roles and responsibilities.  Ask yourself, “In what state do you typically bring an idea forward?”  Is your uncertainty creating an environment of misdirected efforts?   
   
A more destructive party is The Face of Despair.  Take a moment to look across those gathered around you to assist in your leadership responsibilities.  How well do you know their capabilities? When do you pull the talented musician into the project?  Where do you start bridging the gap between your knowledgeable elders and enthusiastic youth seeking a place in your community?   We often think of despair as the most obvious destructive characteristic.  Unfortunately, it is the one most likely to go unnoticed and unresolved.  Challenge yourself to seek the face of despair then gently lead it to a place within your organization.  

Today everyone is talking about the need for transparency in leadership.  It is often characterized as openness in management style, access to information, collaborative efforts or respect for new ideas and people.  The Face of Distrust, which develops for many reasons, existing within many organizations and will destroy your volunteer leadership ability.  It will destroy your chance to achieve organizational transparency.  For me, trust is about behavior…consistent behavior.  It is a leaders’ ability to act and expect other to act accordingly.  It is a leaders’ ability to perform, but only with the assistance of those surrounding them.  What is the level of trust within your organization?  How do you measure it? Who is responsible for building it?

 Most would agree the face of leadership continues to change.   Join me next month as we explore actions your organization can exercise to truly respond those seeking leadership and guidance.  Until then, challenge your leadership structure.  Are you providing clear direction so those around know how, when and where they can apply their talents?   Is your message concise and aligned with your vision?  Are you addressing common distractions in a consistent manner?   In the end, when we provide Clear, Concise and Consistent direction we achieve a new level of Confidence within our relationships. 

 

Colleen P. Rudio  is a results-oriented professional with significant experience in non-profit and professional services industries. She is experienced in the areas of strategic planning, project management, marketing/advertising/branding/PR, meeting facilitation, public speaking, client and business development, improving organizational performance, coaching, training and development. For questions and inquiries email her at: colleen@rudiopmg.com

 

Extra Bonus for Our Readers - An Online Community for Singers!

Be a part of this special community - we currently have 515 members from over 70 countries in the community. Join today and help us go over 1,000 members.

Hear the weekly Mini Master Classes for conductors and singers co-sponsored by Creator Magazine's Creator Leadership Network. Learn about special choral events everywhere. Post photos, recordings, and announcements about your music events. Someone around the world may know someone in your community to invite to sing with you or to attend your events.

Enjoy connecting today - it Free!

Share your stories with singers around the world. Learn about events that are designed for singers. Ask questions about musical issues related to singing. Help design the first online community just for singers. Sign up for FREE and help build this community site for singers and choral conductors at The Singer Link

SYSTEMS

16 Rules of Success

by Bob Parsons

1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone.

I believe that not much happens of any significance when we're in our
comfort zone.  I hear people say, "But I'm concerned about security." 
My response to that is simple: "Security is for cadavers."

2. Never give up.

Almost nothing works the first time it's attempted.  Just because what you're doing does not seem to be working, doesn't mean it won't work.  It just means that it might not work the way you're doing it.  If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn't have an
opportunity.

3. When you're ready to quit, you're closer than you think.

There's an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true.  It goes like this: "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed."

4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be.

Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of "undefined consequences."  My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to gyou."

5. Focus on what you want to have happen.

Remember that old saying, "As you think, so shall you be."

6. Take things a day at a time.

No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if
you don't look too far into the future, and focus on the present
moment.  You can get through anything one day at a time.

7. Always be moving forward.

Never stop investing.  Never stop improving.  Never stop doing
something new.  The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die.  Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way.  Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen.  Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.

8. Be quick to decide.

Remember what General George S. Patton said: "A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow."

9. Measure everything of significance.

I swear this is true.  Anything that is measured and watched, improves.

10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate.

If you want to uncover problems you don't know about, take afew moments and look closely at the areas you ha
I guarantee you problems will be there.

11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you're doing.

When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance.
Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.

12. Never let anybody push you around.

In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you're doing as anyone else, provided that what you're doing is legal.

13. Never expect life to be fair.

Life isn't fair.  You make your own breaks.  You'll be doing good if
the only meaning fair has to you, is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).

14. Solve your own problems.

You'll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you'll develop a competitive edge.  Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of "You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others."  There's also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently.  It goes like this: "A wise man keeps his own counsel."

15. Don't take yourself too seriously.

Lighten up.  Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.

16. There's always a reason to smile.

Find it.  After all, you're really lucky just to be alive.  Life is
short.  More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always
reminds me: "We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time!"


Bob Parsons is the founder/CEO of GoDaddy. ©2004-2006 by Bob Parsons. All rights reserved.

BALANCE

Balance for Quality of Life

by Hugh Ballou

In his book, Exceptional Life, Kurt DuNard points out: “To live an exceptional life, we must keep complete balance in all areas of our life and those areas must be in relationship and complimentary to our “raison d’être”, our purpose or our calling. ….It regulates all our other goals so that everything ultimately matters.”

For the purposes of this article, I have limited the quality of life discussion to the following:

• Personal Relationships
• Spiritual and Physical Health
• Balance and Wholeness

Everything is connected. If we are not happy in our personal life, how can we succeed in our professional life? If we do appear to succeed, does it make us happy? How does success really matter?

Winning isn’t always everything. Winning is having a life that is fulfilling and joyful. Success is defined by each of us and we value it. The 12 indicators, specified by Calvert-Henderson Quality of Life Association are:

• Education
• Employment
• Energy
• Environment
• Health
• Human Rights
• Income
• Infrastructure
• National Security
• Public Safety
• Re-Creation
• Shelter

Of all the matters in life, balance continues to be the focus for me. When I am out of balance, the rest of the parts do not have the significance they deserve. Plan your rest. Plan your planning time. Plan time for reflection. Plan time for family and non-work activities. You are the most imporatant person in your life. If you do not take care of yourself, then how can you expect to take care of others in your life and how can you expect to be the fine-tuned instrument for God to use in ministry?

Excerpt from Moving Spirits, Building Lives: Workbook for Transformational Leaders © 2006 by Hugh Ballou

Conclusion

Arrive at your place of comfort utilizing the best of what you can learn from others. Build your foundation, maintain your relationships, utilize effective systems and keep a healthy balance in your life. Begin today. There's not an arrival point. It's simple a journey.

Grace and Peace to you in your duty and delight as a Christian leader.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Hugh Ballou

 © 2009 Creator Magazine All Rights Reserved

 

To download a PDF of this MME, please click here