Patty Clark, Kansas Leadership Center

1. Women Managing the
Farm
Managing Self and Exercising Leadership in Challenging Times
Patty Clark, Kansas Leadership Center

2. Kansas Leadership Center
 Non-Profit 501-c-3 established as a school/educational institution
 Founded in 2007 with a grant from Kansas Health Foundation
 Dedicated to improving the health of Kansas through enhanced civic
leadership
 Leadership Framework – Adaptive vs. Technical
 Leadership Competencies
 Manage Self
 Diagnose Situation
 Intervene Skillfully
 Energize Others

3. Adaptive vs. Technical –
 Stakes are high – and there are no easy answers
 It’s messy with lots of complexity
 It can’t be solved by one “expert”
 The problem and the solution require learning
 Adaptive challenges must be addressed by the very
people affected by the problem
 Adaptive challenges require a lot of curiosity and
patience

4. Managing Self
 Self-awareness and a willingness to do things
differently are at the core of Manage Self.
 It's about making progress that requires taking
risks and stepping outside your comfort zone for
the sake of something you care about

5. Getting Used to Uncertainty and Conflict
 Stakes are high
 Unknowns outnumber knowns
 That causes discomfort and the perception of future loss
 We tend to settle things quickly just to get away from the
uncertainty and the conflict

7. How Do You Handle Uncertainty
 Stay grounded in your purpose
 Treat every situation as an opportunity to learn
 Acknowledge risks
 Don’t put a time stamp on progress
 Be smart about what you ask of others

8. How Do I Engage Conflict?
 If something is on your mind, say it
 Resist the urge to keep everyone happy
 Resist the urge to play the peacemaker
 If you feel yourself taking something personally, don’t
 Get really curious about other points of view

9. Reflect On These Questions
 What will be difficult?
 What support do I need?
 Who will be disappointed?
 How will I keep from taking things personally?
 What makes it worth it?

10. What are values?
And what does it look like
when they compete?

12. How Do I Choose Between Competing
Values?
 Choose consciously
 Articulate the values at play
 Once in awhile, acknowledge that your own values may be
in conflict
 Embrace your contradictions

13. How Can We Be More Conscious?
 Reflect in writing
 Ask yourself – “Why did I think I did what I just did?”
 For 10 days – log how you spend your time
 Ask someone who works with you