Report from the VISTA Leadership Training

This past week, the corporation paid for me to go out to a VISTA Leadership Training in Minneapolis as part of my preparation to be a VISTA leader. I found it pretty informative with lots of useful information. I may only use about 10% of it, but that 10% will be a VERY effective 10%. What i found most helpful was the 'Distance Leadership' workshop. In it, we generated opportunities within distance relationships between VISTA Leaders and Members.

I have posted all images I took from that workshop as well as the attached the typed up notes from Jean (posted in this post as well as downloadable at the end of this post).

Accomplishment(s):

• attending and successfully completing the VISTA Leadership training
• meeting other VISTAs
• getting good ideas and dialogue going about issues pertinent to VISTAS
• convening an 'open space' roundtable discussion of online tools
• participating and taking picture notes (see pics) of "Distance Leadership Thinktank" workshop

Resource(s) Generated:

• distance opportunity ideas for VISTA Leaders (click images to view more):

From Distance Lead...




• distance opportunities for VISTA members:

From Distance Lead...




• list of online tools

From Distance Lead...

These are also the notes which Jean kindly sent me - Thanks Jean!

*****************NOTES******************

Leading From A Distance: A Think Tank – Thinking Output
Minneapolis Leader’s Training Conference 2007

Opportunity Thinking: Opportunities for Remote Leaders
• Travel
• You set the timetable
• Ideas across borders/spread ideas
• Develop Communications Systems
• Resource accumulation/categorization
• Cross collaboration & Connecting Resources
• Allows time for Leader to fulfill site responsibilities
• Archive DJ / Knowledge orchestration
• Learn about/manage systems mechanics/engineering
• Face-to-face Project / Identity
• Develop expertise in variety of project areas
• Pollination of Leadership skills / styles
• Diversity of needs forces leadership development
• Learning about a diversity of communication styles
• On-line community development opportunities
• Utilize difference types/styles of conflict management with the variety of member personalities
• National Recognition of VISTA’s & organization
• Help a wide range of individuals
• Give VISTA members the opportunity to feel part of something bigger
• Learn different training skills to meet needs
• Strong case for funding: far reach / bigger impact
• Storytelling for capacity building & Education
• More resources to pull from
• Opportunity to become a very skilled communicator
Thinking Cue Time Frames
Immediate
• Time to process situations and issues don’t have to respond immediately
• Develop telephone conference skills
• See necessity of holding an early service retreat
Mid-Term
• Recognition of Accomplishment
• Reports (Quarterly, Monthly)
Long Term
• Documentation & Archiving everything
• Identification of Resources

Opportunities for Members with remote Leaders
• Develop/take initiative
• Develop/ practice discipline
• Have free reign
• Practice and develop creative use of modes of communication
• Create skills/discipline that increases long term job opportunities
• Take ownership of their project
• Learn from the different ways each project adapts to different context
• Access to resources
• Tapping into the variety of communities, cultures, etc.
• Learn to collaborate with different communities and cultures
• Share resources – increase the whole pie
• Learn to see big picture, system levels viewpoint
• Understand on different levels how organizations operate
• Experience independence
• Opportunity to develop own leadership skills
• Opportunities for individual innovation
• Higher visibility w/own project
• Synthesizing
• Travel Opportunities
• Learn/practice new ways of using technology
• One-on-one connection w/ community
• Take responsibility & Accountability
• Feeling like they (member) are part of something bigger
• Less competition between VSITAs
• Better / deeper understanding of a community
• Better experience as an advocate
• Strengthen networking skills
• Access to different communities / points of view
• Credibility in instances of self-promotion
• VISTA’s access is wider
• Greater avenue for expanding knowledge base & awareness
• Change/influence in lifestyle plan
• Personal Growth
• Independence
• Cultural Exchange
• Expanding comfort zone
• Changing personal viewpoints
• Instill a sense of adventure
• Self-reliance, confidence building
• Ambassadors at local community level
• Liaisons too
• New areas for recruiting
• New sites
• Local working knowledge
• Self-Challenge
• Building personal skills & knowledge
• Become an effective self-educator
• Viewpoint that allows reflective, constructive perspective of VISTA Leader & Team
• Reaching more people
• Affecting larger community
• Building off other’s successes

Challenges for VISTA Members w/remote Leaders
• Lack of experience and confidence
• Loneliness
• Maintaining larger picture
• Clashing personalities w/distance leader
• Develop sense of being abandoned
• Time Management
• Lack of resources
• Boundary setting

Challenges for remotely located VISTA Leaders
• Not being able to see progress
• Not being able to get full disclosure from members
• Note seeing project happening
• Not being able to support detailed needs
• Note easy to fully comprehend project
• Technical difficulties / too much use of technology
• Not being taken seriously
• Community sense
• Member becomes Leader and former peer members don’t buy-in
• Full awareness of members, prevent “out of sight…”
• Conflict resolution from a distance – escalation sensitive
• Travel limitations
• Inability to share power, let-go, release control

Strategies/Tactics: Maximizing Outcomes in Distance Leader Situation
• Setting a pace / time management support
• Creating an agenda / plan
• Make initial/early contact with each member
• Familiarize yourself w/ member work plans
• Create a Needs Assessment – to discern the individual needs of each member
• Set Up Conference calls
• Set the Vision
• Create/Share useful templates / plan documents
• Clarify long term goals w/each member
• Create an email listserv
• Have meet-ups @ sites maybe w/community members served
• Schedule meetings w/site supervisors
• Ensure organizational integration for each member
• Create a Welcome Packet w/contacts, welcome letter, housing assistance, community resource map etc.
• Online Community
• Keep Vs / funders connected and informed with Newsletters
• Life After VISTA Creating a Portfolio
• Connect members to local VISTA alumni
• Get local businesses to donate goods / services
• Eat, sleep and rest
• Make VISTA site / VISTA MySpace
• Process what we learned here and then draft a plan

More Strategies/Tactics
• Be available: site visits, office hours, be annoying in a caring way, identify and share the best ways to contact you, the leader, pre-set check-ins, conference calling etc.
• Building Team: Convenient meeting places, encourage members to visit one another, creative use of resources, getting team to know “teammates” activities (3 questions on Monday, answers on Friday)
• Needs Assessment, Progress Reports --- using information to have personalized conversations
• Regular social activities
• Look for relevant training opportunities that all can attend
• Communications: newsletters, blogs, chat rooms
• Encourage collaboration on project events and use some other members as volunteers during events
• Sardine version of on-site visits
• Service Projects as teambuilding
• Use summer facilities on campuses for reduced rates
• Link VISTAS: Book Clubs, Chain Letters – Flat Stanley (Travelocity Gnome)
• Scavenger Hunt Activities
• White Elephant –silly gifts
• Write letters
• Make phone calls weekly – use means outside of computer to communicate
• Create Welcome Materials / Sustainability Plans, Life After VISTA and Good-Bye packet.
• “Tool-Kits” for service ----an information packed resource
• Connect remote VISTAs to other teams (local) for immediate sense of community.
• Create / Use Statewide networks providing resources that target VISTA position in holistic sense: Living Stipend tips, Education Award information, Health Coverage, Project Explanations
• Motivational Speeches
• Get different varieties of feedback using different methods, adopt feedback (monthly, quarterly, end of service)

Attachment	Size
Leading From a Distance notes June 2007.doc	42 KB