Hands on Leadership

On November 18th, 2011, in collaboration with the MIIS MPA Program and  Dr. Nuket Kardam, we hosted an exciting and informative colloquium entitled, Hands on Leadership: A day of reflection and learning. This exciting event featured a mini-workshop led by Fusun Akarsu, followed by a panel of local Monterey leaders.  The workshop and panel explored the dynamics and operational tools for leadership in multi-cultural settings and the challenges leaders face in terms of identity, communication, and cultural norms.  Participants gained important insights on how to transcend the difference between leaders and their follows, creating an environment that is workable for a diverse set of actors.

For pictures of the event, click on the flier

Workshop big ideas:

  • Leadership is a process of change
  • Elements of leadership include: goal, resources, & dynamics of organizing relationships
  •  Patterns of Relationships: hierarchical, orbital, & organic
  • The patterns of relationships in which leaders and their followers interact is fluid and evolving

Panel big ideas:

  • Michelle Slade- Components of Leadership include clarity of purpose, context, confidence & courage, & connectedness.
  • Vinz Koller- We love super heroes because they transform the bad into the good.  Six superpowers of leaders: provide a wide-angle point of view, hyper network, radically open, relentlessly experimental, provide unique value,  & regeneration.
  • Pushpa Iyer- Through three powerful stories, Pushpa’s leaders are: ordinary people who many not have the atypical characteristics or knowledge but they are driven by survival and in that drive they realize that others need their help to survive as well.
  • Leadership 3.0 will look dramatically different as ordinary people feel empowered to make changes for the better.

About the speakers:

Professor Fusun Akarsu is Vice President and Professor of Education at Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey. Professor Akarsu has extensive experience and publications in the fields of Leadership Training, Curriculum Development and Evaluation. Her most recent research projects include “International Modes of Thinking and Reasoning: A Comparative Modes of Western versus Turkish Modes of Thinking”, “Physiological Basis of Excessive Use of Computer Games in Young Adults”. She has created and offered innovative Leadership Training and Training of Trainers workshops to Turkcell employees (equivalent of AT&T in Turkey), Sun Express Airlines and other businesses.

Michelle Slade is the Vice President of Impact Advancement at the Boys & Girls Club of Monterey County. In this role, she is responsible for ensuring Club youth succeed as a result of BGCMC’s mentoring and youth development services, especially as related to the youth achieving Academic Success, acquiring Healthy Lifestyles and cultivating their Good Character & Citizenship. As such she provides leadership for driving innovation and results from BGCMC youth development services, effective human resource management and outstanding program operations to achieve the BGCMC Mission: to inspire and empower the youth of Monterey County to realize their full potential to become responsible, healthy, productive and successful citizens. To achieve this, she oversees a talented, passionate and committed team of Senior Managers.

Vinz Koller is the Director of Training and Technical Assistance at SPR. His work focuses on organizational improvement, performance management, strategic planning, facilitating change, and capacity building though technical assistance and training. Most recently he has also led SPR’s online training line of services. He has trained thousands of practitioners around the country on One-Stop career center system integration and performance management. Prior to joining SPR, Mr. Koller coordinated the One-Stop Career Center System Task Force, and supervised youth and adult employment training programs in Monterey County, California. He completed his undergraduate work at the University of Zurich, Switzerland and holds an M.A. in International Policy Studies from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Mr. Koller is also a singer, mountain climber, and bread baker.

Pushpa Iyer: Before coming to the United States for her Ph.D. studies, Pushpa Iyer worked to secure the rights of the poor and the marginalized in Gujarat state, India through holistic development programmes. Her commitment to bringing peace between the divided Hindu and Muslim communities in Gujarat laid the foundation for her subsequent work and academic interest in conflict resolution and peace building. She has consulted for different NGOs and institutions including the World Bank.  Such work has taken her to India, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.