Information for Leaders - 144 Ways to Walk the Talk provides real time information on how to become a better and more effective leader.

1. Walk-the-Talk
144 Ways to Walk the Talk – Eric Harvey and Al Lucia

3. Develop and Maintain
Technical Knowledge
1. Dedicate a minimum of 2 hours per week to
enhancing your technical knowledge.
Consider activities such as reading,
observing, listening, and doing. The KEY
here is DEDICATE time and focus.

4. Develop and Maintain
Technical Knowledge
2. Divide and Conquer – Work as a team to stay
abreast of the technology advancements. For example: a)
Divide the reading trade and professional journals among
your work group and request they highlight key information
prior to passing the publication on to others; b) Ask others to
share key learning from all workshops and conferences they
attend – and training programs and webinars they participate
in.

5. 2. How can I do this
Cheaply?
Look for free online sources
 Combine with other schools and share
resources
 Ask State and Federal sources for materials


6. Develop and Maintain
Technical Knowledge
3. Volunteer - for projects that will likely
increase your knowledge, skills, marketability,
and value to the organization.

7. Develop and Maintain
Technical Knowledge
4. Actively participate in Professional
Associations – Most groups offer e-newsletters,
journals, monthly meetings, blogs, and opportunities
to network with others in your profession. These
groups provide great opportunities to keep up with
new developments – usually for a reasonable
membership fee.

8. 4. How can I do this
Cheaply
Start you own local, regional, or consortium
organization
 Maintain a blog site or website
 Email “Chain” with colleagues


9. Adopt an Orientation to
Action and Results
5. Focus on results-oriented processes
and outcomes - that add value to the
organization, rather than on “staying busy”
activities and events that merely consume
time.

10. Adopt an Orientation to
Action and Results
6. Create a list of desired results – (End
States) when planning tasks and projects. By
evaluating potential activities against your list,
you’ll maintain focus and increase your
chances of achieving the results you want.

11. Adopt an Orientation to
Action and Results
7. Go on a Work Safari once a week – Hunt
for an important task that needs to be done…
and do it! Then place it in an imaginary trophy
case. You’ll soon develop a reputation as a
great “hunter”.

12. Adopt an Orientation to
Action and Results
8. Tackle important, high priority tasks
first – even though they may be the ones
you least like to do. Save the fun work as a
reward for handling the tougher issues.

13. Expect Top Performances
9. Be conscious of the Self Fulfilling
Prophecy – when you expect something to
happen (positive or negative), you
unconsciously act in a manner which makes
that thing more likely to occur.

14. Expect Top Performances
10. Involve you team in setting standards
– that are achievable but also require everyone to
stretch their knowledge and skills. Avoid settling for
mediocre or sub-par work. Remember that
regardless of what you say, it is the performance
you’re willing to accept that becomes your true
standard.

15. Expect Top Performances
11. Think of each team member as a
High Jumper – Celebrate reaching of new
heights – the raise the bar together. But don’t
forget, as you’re raising the bar, so is your
competition.

16. Expect Top Performances
12. Make sure you Walk the Talk – Earn
the right to hold others to high standards by
meeting them yourself.

17. Resource
“10 Reasons Why Leaders Should Model the
Commitment and Positive Attitudes They
Expect from Others”

18. Commit to Quality and
Continuous Improvement
13. Adopt the 10% Rule – Set a personal
goal to improve everything you’re involved in
by merely 10%. Small improvements ARE
“doable” and add up quickly.

19. Commit to Quality and
Continuous Improvement
14. Focus on People as well as
Processes – Keep in mind that quality is
ultimately a matter of individual performances.
I t happens one day at a time… one person at
a time.

20. Commit to Quality and
Continuous Improvement
15. Recognize and Reward – those who
make improvements to products, processes,
and services.

21. Commit to Quality and
Continuous Improvement
16. Sponsor a Quality Art Show – Ask staff
members to create visual representations for their
programs, successes, improvements, goals, etc…
The display these works of art in a common area or
on a web page. This involves everyone in spreading
the good news about your programs and reinforcing
quality.

22. Be Student Driven
17. Adopt the following mindsets – a)
Remember that everyone you come in
contact with during the is an internal or
external customer for you; b) If the students
every stop needing you, so will your
organization.

23. Be Student Driven
18. Learn from “Horror Stories” – Ask
team members to share personal examples of
poor teaching or service – along with the
impact it had on them and the teacher.
Discuss what could have turned it into a
success story.

24. Be Student Driven
19. Deliver what the Student wants and
Needs – make sure you are providing the
students with what they want and need.
Occasionally ask them if they are getting what
they think they need from the program.

25. Be Student Driven
20. Build Business Partnerships with
your Students – by under-promising, overdelivering, and follow-ups to ensure their
success. Solicit their input of how things can
be improved regularly.

26. Commit to SelfDevelopment

27. Commit to SelfDevelopment
21. Become a Continuous Learning
Machine – Set a personal goal to learn
something new about your job, about your
organization, or about your professional
discipline every week.

28. Commit to SelfDevelopment
22. Encourage Others to Pursue SelfDevelopment Activities – Make time and
resources available for them to enhance their
knowledge and job skills.

29. Commit to SelfDevelopment
23. Learn by Teaching – Volunteer to be an
instructor for classes or training programs.
You’ll develop better knowledge about the
subjects and you will be better able to help
others develop and grow.

30. Commit to SelfDevelopment
24. Look Beyond Your Profession –
Consider pursuing developmental activities that
have nothing to do with your job directly, but can
help you grow as a person. You will be surprised at
how much “unrelated” learning can positively impact
your job performance.

31. 24. What are some
examples?
Yoga
 Meditation Classes
 Anger Management Courses
 Relaxation Seminars
 Massages
 Creative Writing Classes


32. Make Timely and ValuesDriven Decisions
25. Avoid the Decision Making Extremes
– a) Knee jerk reactions; b) Paralysis of
Analysis

33. Make Timely and ValuesDriven Decisions
26. Involve Decision Implementers” in
the Decision Making Process – Consider
the ideas and opinions of those who will be “doing the work”.
They frequently have good ideas and have a great deal to
contribute. In addition, they are much more likely to embrace
and support any decision they helped to make.

34. Make Timely and ValuesDriven Decisions
27. Become an “In-Sync-Erator” – Ensure
your decisions are in-sync with the
organizations values before you implement
them.

35. Make Timely and ValuesDriven Decisions
28. Decision Explaining – When you
announce a decision, it is always best to
explain the reason for the decision, and the
process by which the decision was reached

36. Make Timely and ValuesDriven Decisions

37. Solve Problems Effectively
29. Adopt the Solution-Plus-One Rule –
Develop and consider at least 2 solutions for
issue or problem you face. Don’t “run” with
the first idea that comes into your mind unless you are positive that it is the very best
play.

38. Solve Problems Effectively
30. Conduct a Pro-versus-Con Analysis –
on all proposed solutions. Consider all of the
relevant facts and issues – as well as the
probable perceptions of the people who will
be impacted. Eliminate those solutions with
significantly more downsides.

39. Solve Problems Effectively
31. Avoid Negative Returns – by making
sure that the ultimate of cost of the solution
(money, time, effect on others, etc…) is LESS
than the cost of the problem.

40. Solve Problems Effectively
32. Seek “Win – Win” Solutions –
Whenever possible, adopt those solutions
through which the most people are positively
impacted.. And the fewest are negatively
impacted.

41. Be Flexible
33. Encourage others to break with
tradition – when appropriate, in order to find
better ways of doing things. Remember: If you
continue doing what you have always done,
you will continue to get the same results.

42. Be Flexible
34. Be Open Minded – Remember that not
everyone may do things exactly as you would
do them. You might even discover that their
way is better sometimes.

43. Be Flexible
35. Eliminate “Stop Signs to Progress” –
by avoiding statements like:
We’ve tried that before it does not work.
 That’s not the way we do it here.
 That will never work.


44. Be Flexible
36. Do not cast all Decisions in Cement
– Be willing to modify them as changing
circumstances or data dictate.

45. Learn from the Aesop Fable

46. Support Risk Taking
37. Intelligent Risk Taking – Work with
team members to develop a shared definition
for intelligent risk taking to be used as a
guideline for future activities.

47. Support Risk Taking
38. Be able to identify behaviors that
encourage and discourage risk taking
– Make a commitment to adopt encouraging
behaviors and avoid discouraging ones, and
ask others to do the same.

48. Support Risk Taking
39. Make it OK to occasionally Fail – Turn
failures into developmental experiences by
asking question like:
What is positive about this?
 What have we learned from this?
 How can we do better next time?


49. Support Risk Taking
40. Recognize and Celebrate Intelligent
Risk Taking – regardless of the outcome,
make it something to brag about. Consider
having an “Innovative Mind of the Month
Award”

50. Resolve Disputes Fairly
41. Remember that “Stuff” happens –
Disputes are the natural outcomes of people
working together. So expect problems and
accept the challenge of resolving them as an
opportunity to eliminate obstacles to
organizational effectiveness.

51. Resolve Disputes Fairly
42. Make sure your “Open Door” is really
open – Encourage members of your work
groups to bring their complaints to you – and
don’t become defensive when they do.

52. Resolve Disputes Fairly
43. Investigate and Resolve all
Complaints – Always investigate all complaints
and make a sincere effort to resolve them as quickly
as possible. Handle them as though they are a top
priority, because that is exactly what they are to the
people complaining.

53. Resolve Disputes Fairly
44. Focus on WHAT is right and not on
WHO is right – Do not let unrelated issues
or your feelings about certain people (positive
or negative) bias your decisions.

54. Resource
“How to Resolve
Conflicts in a
C.A.L.M. Fashion”

55. Positively Manage Crisis
Situations
45. Approach Crises as a Team – Allow
everyone to own a piece of the problem. Do not be
the over protective parent trying to shield your
people. Capitalize on individual strengths and give
everyone the opportunity to contribute to the
solution.

56. Positively Manage Crisis
Situations
46. Critically Assess Yourself, and Ask
for Feedback – Assess your performances
in crisis situations and ask others to honestly
evaluate how you handled these situations
too.

57. Positively Manage Crisis
Situations
47. Over-Communicate to Inform and
Keep Down the Rumor Mill – Consider
implementing the 5/3 Status Briefing - 5
minutes updates 3 times a day (Beginning,
Middle, and End of the Day).

58. Positively Manage Crisis
Situations
48. Conclude Each Crisis with a PostMortem Celebration – Review what
happened, identify key learning that can be
applied in the future, and celebrate the
accomplishment of getting through together.

59. Provide Recognition

60. Provide Recognition
49. Be A Star Catcher – Regularly catch
people doing things right and recognize them
for it. Make recognition self-perpetuating by
recognizing people who recognize others.

61. Provide Recognition
50. Develop a Recognition List – Create a
list of at least 20 ideas of how you can
recognize people for their performances,
accomplishments, or contributions. Some
ideas are:
E-cards
 Special privileges
 Small gifts
 Praise-A-Gram


62. Provide Recognition
51. Customize the Recognition You
Provide – Ask members of your team how
they can best be rewarded and try to provide
it.

63. Provide Recognition
52. Let Everyone “Hold the Trophy” –
Always be sure that every contributing
member shares in the recognition.

64. Resource
“Recognition
List”

65. Coach Others
53. Pay Attention to “Middle Stars” –
Avoid the trap of only paying attention to the
“Super Stars” and the “Fallen Stars”; most
team members shine somewhere in the
middle.

66. Coach Others
54. Schedule Short Meetings Once Every
2 to 3 Weeks – Discuss their work in
progress, provide feedback, and ask how you
and others can help their success.

67. Coach Others
55. Go Back To School – keep on top of
things! Read articles, read books, watch
videos, listen to tapes, attend workshops and
always APPLY whatever you learn.

68. Coach Others
56. Build an Everyone’s a COACH
Environment – Begin by identifying good
characteristics a good coach possesses.
Then ask team members for there
commitment to the goals. Provide training if
needed.

69. Minimize Obstacles
57. Create an Obstacles List – Have each
team member list 3 obstacles they face in being
successful in their job. Create a master list and
begin to develop strategies to address these
obstacles. Be sure to reward members for
identifying obstacles.

70. Minimize Obstacles
58. Identify Who Has Control Over the
Obstacle – If you do not have direct control over
an obstacle identify who does. Address these
obstacles with the proper people. Sometimes it only
takes bringing it to someone’s attention to get it
solved.

71. Minimize Obstacles
59. Find Out if You Are an Obstacle –
Ask others if you, or something you are doing
is creating an obstacle for them. Do not be
defensive, and try to address the issue and
eliminate the obstacle.

72. Minimize Obstacles
60. Benchmark the Best – Study others with
outstanding programs and success and learn
from them. Also study or review case studies of
programs or schools that failed and learn from
others mistakes.

73. Provide Feedback
61. Make Expectations Clear – Make sure
that everyone knows and understands clearly
what your expectations are. Feedback is most
effective when people know the standards by
which they are being judged.

74. Provide Feedback
62. Provide Feedback Weekly – Commit to
providing every team member some feedback
each week.

75. Provide Feedback
63. Make Sure Your Feedback Passes the Tips
Test –




Timely – Given as soon as possible.
Individualized – Tailored to the receiver.
Productive – Focuses on the performance not the
performer.
Specific – Pinpoints observable actions and behaviors.

76. Provide Feedback
64. Solicit Feedback on Your Feedback –
Ask others to critique your verbal as well as nonverbal feedback. Remember that expressions
and body language often communicate stronger
than any words.

77. Apply Rules Fairly and
Consistently
65. Ensure Understanding – Make sure
everyone understands the importance of,
reasons for, and specific details of work rules
and organizational policies.

78. Apply Rules Fairly and
Consistently
66. As a Group Define Fairness and
Consistency – As it relates to policy and
rules. Use those definitions as guideline for
yourself and others.

79. Apply Rules Fairly and
Consistently
67. Don’t Ignore Bad Rules and Policies
– Try to get those changed. Study and be
prepared to explain why the change is
needed and be prepared to offer a couple of
alternatives.

80. Apply Rules Fairly and
Consistently
68. Create a List of “Other Rules of the
Road” – Examples would be respect for
others, practicing open and honest
communication, etc… and treat those rules as
equally important.

81. Address Deficiencies
69. Pay Attention to When Someone Has
a Performance Problem – Unaddressed
deficiencies have a negative effect on everyone.
Dealing with these deficiencies early can prevent
them from growing into a major problem.

82. Address Deficiencies
70. Investigate Every Deficiency to
Uncover the Root Cause – Identify where the
problem stems from and then address the problem. If the
problem is a lack of skill, provide training. If you believe the
person can perform, but is not doing so, review the standards
required and make them accountable.

83. Address Deficiencies
71. Follow-up for Follow-Through – Follow
up any initial meeting with a couple of short
meetings to assess progress and encouraged
continued improvement.

84. Address Deficiencies
72. Treat People as Adults – Never
assume total responsibility for correcting
someone else’s deficiencies. If you alone take
the responsibility, they become nonresponsible.

85. Use Discipline
Appropriately
73. Try a Positive Approach to Discipline
– Focus on correction and individual
responsibility and NOT on blame and
punishment. Avoid perspectives like “write you
up” and “Punishment fits the crime”.

86. Use Discipline
Appropriately
74. Never Document a Discipline
Problem Without Addressing the
Person First – A good rule of thumb is, “If it
is important enough to document, it is
important enough to talk about”.
Problem!
Problem!

87. Use Discipline
Appropriately
75. Disciplinary Discussions – When
conducting a disciplinary discussion focus on the
particular problem and its impact on the team or
school. Deal with specific facts and behaviors, not
on personality or attitude traits. This will help to
avoid a defensiveness.

88. Use Discipline
Appropriately
76. Apply Discipline Effectively – Ensure
that a) your process and decisions are fair
and consistent; b) your overall objective is to
build commitment rather than force
compliance.

89. Perform with Integrity

90. Perform with Integrity
77. Everyone Must Play by the Same
Rules – Rank may have its privileges but not
when it comes to lapses in integrity.

91. Perform with Integrity
78. Nobody is Perfect –
Everyone makes mistakes,
even those in charge. When you make a mistake, admit to
them and apologize for any negative impacts it might have
had on anyone. How you recover from a mistake is the real
measure of integrity.

92. Perform with Integrity
79. Be a Person of Your Word – Write
down all promises and agreements you make
and honor them. Remember; one broken
promise overshadows five promises kept.

93. Perform with Integrity
80. Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide
– Always do the right thing no matter how
unpopular, inconvenient, or painful it may
seem. That is Integrity .

94. Resource

95. Resource #2

96. Support Organizational
Values
81. Provide Everyone a Copy of Your
Mission, Vision, and Values – Adopt the
mindset that these are important to you and
should be used daily guidelines.

97. Support Organizational
Values
82. Enlist Your Staff in the “Values
Patrol” – Encourage everyone to notice and
comment on anyone not supported the teams
values and goals. Make it a game, appoint a
Monthly “values officer”.

98. Support Organizational
Values
83. Develop Rewards for Behavior in
sync with the Organizations Values –
Work on a list to reward those adhering to the
organization’s values, and once you have a list of 15
or more, start implementing the rewards.

99. Support Organizational
Values
84. Planning Projects and Activities –
Write down what you intend to accomplish at these
events and add the phrase, “In a way that supports
and furthers our organizational values”. Evaluate
your plan and the end results.

100. Accept and Meet
Responsibilities
85. Ensure That Responsibilities are
Clearly Defined and Commonly
Understood – Discuss it! Do not assume
that everyone knows how is responsible for
what.

101. Accept and Meet
Responsibilities
86. Be Selfish – Never share the blame for
your mistake.

102. Accept and Meet
Responsibilities
87. Volunteer to Take on Additional
Responsibilities and Duties – especially
when nobody else wants to. This may make more
work for you initially, but your gesture should
encourage others to volunteer and get more
involved in the future.

103. Accept and Meet
Responsibilities
88. Check the Mirror First – Make sure you
are meeting all of your responsibilities before
holding others responsible for theirs.

104. Handle Authority
Appropriately
89. Adopt the Mindset That Your Staff
Does Not Work for You – You work with
each other, and you should refer to them as
the people you work with.

105. Handle Authority
Appropriately
90. Avoid “My Way or the Highway”
Thinking and Behaviors – These are
counterproductive and limit possibilities of
discovering new and better ways to do things.

106. Handle Authority
Appropriately
91. “I Do My Most Effective Work for
Leaders Who…” – Make a list completing
that sentence and use it as your guide to lead
others.

107. Handle Authority
Appropriately
92. With Authority Comes Responsibility
– You must use it wisely, sparingly, and for
the benefit of everyone. An organization can
bestow a leadership title, but it is up to you to
earn it.

108. Empower Others
93. Share Authority –
Let each team member be the
“owner” of something meaningful; a process, a database,
piece of equipment, a room, etc… having real and
recognized authority changes the scope and perception of a
responsibility that is already part of the job description.

109. Empower Others
94. Create Opportunities for NonAdministrative Faculty to Shine – Invite
them to lead task forces, projects, committees
and you may discover some hidden talents and
assets.

110. Empower Others
95. Never Turn Your Back on People
After Giving Them Authority – Instead
increase communication, feedback, and
interaction. Help them be successful by
providing them with help, resources and
parameters.

111. Empower Others
96. Speak EMPOWERESE – Add
statements, like these to your vocabulary:
Would you like to take the lead on this one?
 How can I best support you?
 It’s you call on this one.
 I trust your judgment.


112. Support Teamwork
97. Team Approaches May take Longer –
Sometimes a team approach may take
longer, but they usually add more value and
produce better results in the long run.

113. Support Teamwork
98. Make Teamwork a Stated
Performance Expectation – Involve others
in creating a list of factors and characteristics
required for successful teamwork; and then hold
everyone accountable of honoring and
implementing those.

114. Support Teamwork
99. Provide Training and Coaching –
Don’t assume people will or know how to
work well as a team. It might require some
workshops or training.

115. Support Teamwork
100. Recruit and Select People Who
Have Walk-In Teamwork Behaviors – It
is difficult to change behaviors or employees
you have without bringing in new human
obstacles.

116. Resource

117. Enhance the Work
Environment
101. Hold Everyone Accountable – for
their jobs so nobody has to take up the slack
for anyone.

118. Enhance the Work
Environment
102. Have Team Members Submit Ideas
– for enhancing the quality of the work
environment. Create a master list to work from
and implement the doable ones as quickly as
possible.

119. Enhance the Work
Environment
103. Place “Quality of Work Life” on the
Agenda – regularly and solicit feedback on
how the group is doing and where you can
make improvements.

120. Enhance the Work
Environment
104. Recruit an “Ambassador of Fun” –
Have resources Available for this person to
bring enjoyment into the work place and
consider rotating the position periodically.

121. See “The Big Picture”
105. Keep This in Mind – Everything you
and your team does supports the
organization’s mission…or it does NOT. Too
many of the latter and people may begin to
question the value of your contributions.

122. See “The Big Picture”
106. Identify and Consider All Sides of
Each Issue – before you make a decision or
plan activities. Ask yourself: “How will this
decision affect other departments, individual
team members, our students, and the
organization as a whole?”

123. See “The Big Picture”
107. Involve Others in Developing a
Mission Statement for Your
Organization – have departments make their
own mission statements for their departments and
make sure it falls under the overall district mission
statement.
Our Mission
Our Mission
Statement ! !
Statement

124. See “The Big Picture”
108. Take a Field Trip – Let your team see
“the big picture” by letting them see other
departments, local community college
settings, or business settings.

125. Be Enthusiastic
109. Get Excited About Positive Things –
Initiate and work up an excited feeling about
positive things, it is contagious.

126. Be Enthusiastic
110. Find the Most Enthusiastic Person
You Know – ask him or her to share their
secrets to maintaining an enthusiastic
outlook, then practice those and pass them
along to others.

127. Be Enthusiastic
111. Enlist Members to Help You
Establish a “Build-Me-Up” Library –
include motivational books, audio and visual
tapes, a list of websites offering motivational
materials; and then encourage everyone to take
advantage of the materials.

128. Be Enthusiastic
112. Spread the Sparkle – get enthused
about others that are enthusiastic and that
can snowball quickly. Recognize and reward
those with an enthusiastic attitude.

129. Resource

130. Display Resilience
“When facing disappointment or
frustration….”
113. Take a Deep Breath – take a deep
breath, count to 15, and think about how you
want to affect others. It is your job to lead
people OUT of disappointment, not into it.

131. Display Resilience
“When facing disappointment or frustration….”
114. Take a Hike – Go for a 10 minute walk
to calm down, reflect, and develop a bounce
back strategy.

132. Display Resilience
“When facing disappointment or frustration….”
115. Maintain the Proper Prospective – It
is not the end of the world, so never act like it
is. Find 1 or 2 positives and keep thinking
about them until you feel better and then
move on to other tasks.

133. Display Resilience
“When dealing with worries….”
116. Try Celebrating Your Worries –
Create
a worry jar. Write down everything you have to worry about
and put it in the jar. Once a week open the jar and worry
about those things, and then throw them away and stop
thinking about them. Over time you will find you will have
fewer and fewer worries.

134. Show Concern for Others
117. Remember Special Occasions –
Send cards, e-notes, email, or person
messages to people on your team on special
days.

135. Show Concern for Others
118. Regularly Spend One-to-One Time
with Team Members – Have separate
meetings with team members to hear what they
have going on at the time. Remember; listening is
the key phrase for these meetings.

136. Show Concern for Others
119. Help to Balance Work and Personal
Needs – Try to be considerate when dealing
with team members’ personal issues and
work issues. Try to be as flexible as you can.

137. Show Concern for Others
120. Walk a Mile in Their Shoes –
Periodically, tag along with team members to see
what they are dealing with and facing every day. It
will help you understand better their positions and
where they are coming from concerning certain
issues.

138. Solicit and Apply Feedback
From Others
121. Do Not Wait for Annual Reports for
Feedback – Meet at least once a month to
get some feedback during the school year.

139. Solicit and Apply Feedback
From Others
122. Contact Others in Your Sphere of
Influence – Seek guidance on how you are
perceived, what can you improve, what do
they offer you can learn from?

140. Solicit and Apply Feedback
From Others
123. Keep a Feedback Log – Dedicate
some space (calendar, log, journal, etc…) to
recording feedback you get. Review that
feedback and be sure to comment on how
you will ACT on this feedback.
Feedback
Feedback
Journal
Journal

141. Solicit and Apply Feedback
From Others
124. Submit First-Draft Work to
Appropriate Individuals for Upgrades
or Suggestions – Chances are you will get
suggestions and corrections that you has not
thought of yourself. Incorporate anything that is
useful and be sure to thank the reviewer.

142. Manage Time
125. Target the “Time Wasters” – Work
with your team to identify inefficient uses of
time and work to create to plan to address
those. If there are many, start with a small
number, maybe 3.

143. Manage Time
126. Delegate Tasks – Delegate tasks to
other team members, but make sure you are
not just giving busy work, and overburdening
anyone.

144. Manage Time
127. Tackle Your “In Basket” and
“In-Box” – I suggest to tackle those tasks
once a day (morning or afternoon) and
suggest for people to flag urgent information.

145. Manage Time
128. Go on an “In Office Vacation” –
Isolate yourself to handle specific important or
critical issues. Close your door and complete these
tasks. If you can, have a set time and announce
when that is to your team.

146. Manage Meetings
129. Does it Make Sense to Have a
Meeting? – Don’t have a meeting if there is
a better way to handle a situation. If 2 team
members are constantly late; don’t have a
meeting with everyone about it.

147. Manage Meetings
130. Supply an Agenda 2 or 3 Days Prior
to the Meeting – Be sure to include what
participants should bring, length of meeting,
times and place, or how participants should
prepare for the meeting.

148. Manage Meetings
131. Manage the Meeting – Establish the
meeting ground rules in advance. Adhere to
those ground rules, stay on track, and adhere
to your time schedule.

149. Manage Meetings
132. End all Meetings with a Review –
Review what was accomplished and what
should be done after the meeting (by when,
by whom, etc…)

150. Communicate Effectively
133. Think Before You Speak, and Plan
Before You Write – Consider these points:
Make sure you understand your message first
 Use terminology geared toward your audience
 Consider pre-testing your message on a trusted
colleague.


151. Communicate Effectively
134. Be Concise and Be Specific – Avoid
ambiguous words that mean different things
to different people (usually, sometimes, a lot,
rarely, etc…)

152. Communicate Effectively
135. Use “Right Brain Messages” – Try
communicating creatively with props, stories,
pictures, and examples. This will help convey
your message and increase retention.

153. Communicate Effectively
136. NEVER Assume Others Understand
What You Say or Write – Check to be
sure! Ask people to comment on the message
to make sure they understand.

154. Keep Others Informed
137. Establish a “No Surprise” Rule – do
not hole back information and withholding bad
news is one of the worst violations.

155. Keep Others Informed
138. Don’t Be an Information Hoarder,
“Power Broker” – Make sure your team
has all of the information you have, EXCEPT
of course confidential information.

156. Keep Others Informed
139. Regularly Update Team Members
and Your Superiors on Progress and
Activities – This way if there is a problem
you will hear about it, and if things are going
right, you should hear about that also.

157. Keep Others Informed
140. Designate an Information Central –
Provide a bulletin board or intranet site for
displaying; accomplishes, progress, activities,
organizations, meetings, etc…

158. Resource

159. Listen to Others
141. Give Each Speaker Your Conscious
Attention – Maintain eye contact and listen for
feelings as well as words. This will help you
comprehend the full meaning of the communication
and make the person feel important also.

160. Listen to Others
142. Paraphrase – Repeat back to the
person in your own words what they have
said to you…”What I hear you saying is…”

161. Listen to Others
143. Make Listening a Top Priority –
make it your priority and make it a priority for
your team as well. Provide listen skills
training. Remember, you EARn the right to
be heard by listening to others.

162. Listen to Others
144. NEVER –
Interrupt someone while they are speaking
 Plan what you will say while they are talking
 Assume you are listening just because you can
hear


163. Ok, so now what do I do with all of this
information? Can I go back tomorrow
and say, “Hey gang, we’re changing
everything!”

164. Recommendation
Look through all of the notes on 144 Way to
Walk-the-Talk
 Highlight those that would apply to your
workplace and teams
 Choose 3 to start with, and work on those.
 As you complete or master one of the first 3,
add another one – this way you will always
have 3 ideas going at any one time.


165. Remember!

166. Thank you
Marcus Simmons
Counselor/Coordinator Supportive
Services
Itawamba Community College
2176 South Eason Blvd.
Tupelo, MS 38804
Phone:
662-620-5314
Fax:
662-620-5315
Email:
mgsimmons@iccms.edu