Read to Lead

This past week our “Read to Lead” leadership book club finished its second book. The book chosen for this month was Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn. The book follows the story of a fictional island of Nollop. The island of Nollop, located off the Southeastern coast of the United States, is named after Joseph Nollop, the creator of a sentence which contains all the letters of the alphabet: “the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.” The island commemorated Joseph Nollop with a statue of himself with his name and sentence in letters underneath. The problems arise when the letters begin to fall off the monument. The incident was proclaimed, by the islands council, to be the divine intervention of Joseph Nollop who is conveying that the island should no longer use the letters in their language. As more and more letters begin to fall people on the island become more enraged by the council’s action to remove the letters from the alphabet. The council however takes stricter regulations to any people who use the letters. The island residents must band together to try and change their course and get the island council to stop their current path and reinstate the letters to the alphabet.

Throughout the book the residents are faced with the dilemma of how to address their elected officials. As letters began to fall off the monument, the elected officials refused to take responsibility and replace the letters by declaring it to be divine intervention. At first the island residents do not really question the response of the island council. The first letter that fell was the letter Z and Ella is quoted by saying, “Who really uses the letter Z anyways?” She even goes as far as throwing it a going away party. Her cousin Tassie however sees that the island council could be set on a slippery slope that would be devastating to the island residents. The dilemma is often faced in real life when citizens do not know how to properly engage with their elected officials. While reading this book a phrase from the movie, “V for Vendetta,” kept popping into my head: “People should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people.” This book highlighted the fact that while elected officials to government ultimately have the power to create law, the people are the ones who should inspire legislation that can be supported by fact and certainties. This is why deliberative dialog is always an important aspect within any community.

MYOC - Make Your Own Community

A few weeks ago, Elizabeth discussed leadership, discussing in particular the merits of a non-hierarchical style. The Wilks Institute has adopted this style in its "public leadership" philosophy, a principle grounded in an acknowledgement that effective leadership in a democratic society relies on collaboration, compromise, and dialogue. Through a variety of programs -- the Public Achievement program at Hamilton High School, the Scholar Leader program, and the Acting Locally and Shaping Sustainable Communities, for example -- students working with the Wilks Institute develop these skill sets in preparation for leading a productive, civically-engaged life.

Sometimes when we discuss public leadership, we might not think of how these accompanying skills and values look in practical, everyday terms. NPR recently highlighted one example taking place this fall in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

On a recent evening, an abandoned gas station with a curb blocked by cement barriers is the meeting point for a group of people who appear to be pulling chairs and tables from the trunks of their cars. It's almost dark. Some boxes are set on the sidewalk; linens and dishes and food are pulled out; and what moments ago was an eyesore has been transformed into a popular place to eat. It's called BYOR. That stands for "bring your own restaurant." It's not quite an established venue, but the food is very good.

It's free to those who share. And the ambiance is unexpected, as the outdoor location keeps changing. People learn where BYOR is going to be via Facebook. In the mild weather, it's "open" every other weekend. No reservations required — just an appetite and some extra chairs if you have them.

BYOR started out of a frustration with limited restaurant options in Holyoke. The town's depleted economy has taken a toll on many businesses in the Holyoke community, and with crime picking up, many community residents have elected to withdraw from community life in hopes of staying safe. As a consequence, local restaurants close promptly at 5:00 to minimize their losses. When a couple wanted to attend an art opening and grab dinner beforehand, they could find no open restaurants. So they created their own, eating a home-cooked meal outside near the art gallery.

BYOR has since grown from its humble, simple beginning. The most recent BYOR gathering had over 40 attendees cooking and eating dinner in a public location. BYOR's success has largely been a consequence of its visibility. One participant was drawn in by others who literally took their food from the outdoor site to the streets, enticing drivers with some of the food. Each gathering takes place in a different location, with the goal of discovering the community and engaging more residents in the event. Participants, while getting to know each other and enjoying new friendships, are also pursuing another goal: demonstrating a demand to local restauranteurs for authentic, good, local food.

This example of community-based leadership demonstrates the power and scope of public leadership. While the founding couple could have chosen to ignore their dissatisfaction with restaurants or to complain (probably unsuccessfully) to local officials, they took matters into their own hands. By engaging various others within the neighborhood, they create their own dinner table and restaurant and effectively make their own community.

Democracy, Empowerment and the High School Engagement Program

According to the Public Achievement curriculum, leadership is equivalent to action and is an attribute that any citizen (i.e. any person) can develop and use.  This definition of leadership not only compliments that of the Wilks Leadership Institute, it defines the goals and purposes of Wilks.  It is no wonder, then, that Wilks uses Public Achievement for the High School Engagement Program.  The core of the Wilks High School Engagement Program lies in educating and empowering high school students to recognize areas for and make positive change, whether it be in their communities, school, personal interactions, or self (possibly even all of them at the same time).  The most empowered people are generally those who do the most within their communities/schools because they know their potential and their rights.  Most students, unfortunately, don’t know what they are capable of nor do they take the time to care.  This apathetic attitude presenting itself in high schools everywhere is manifested in the real world as well.  A person’s voting habits, involvement, expression of ideas and drive to complete tasks are all affected by how empowered a person is/feels.  In order to maintain the involvement of citizenry in democracy, people must be empowered to participate at an early age.  This is a cultural initiative.  It starts at home, continues in the schools, and in the community at large.  For this to truly work, it is necessary that all individuals be treated equally.  Everyone must be shown their strengths and be able to capitalize upon them.  Idealistic, you say?  Yes.  Impossible, you ask?  No, not in theory.  And besides, we are nowhere near ready to give up.  

Leadership and Miami's Culture

After becoming involved in Wilks about a year ago, my definition of leadership has been altered, to the benefit of my future career as an educator and to my collaboration with others. Once an independent leader, I now value the leadership capabilities that all members of a group, including young children, can bring to the table. In other words, I adhere to the Wilks position of public leadership. Having never discussed the concept of public leadership before last year, I find it interesting how many ways it has affected the way I lead my everyday life.

All people are members of a range of cultures: ethnicity, religion, gender, socioeconomic status, etc. Each neighborhood, place of work, and educational institution has a culture. The list could extend infinitely. Lately, I have been more cognizant of the many cultures I belong to here at Miami. There is the culture of my residence hall, of my major in Early Childhood Education, and of the group of friends I predominantly do things with. But I am also part of the culture of Miami University as a whole, which is built not only of the cultures I am a part of but of hundreds of other cultures as well.

When looked at this way, the way we lead within our more specific cultures at Miami affects the culture of Miami as a whole. Knowing that our actions influence Miami's culture, we must take care to lead ethically. In my view, this involves public leadership, accepting the views, styles, and capabilities of others as valuable contributions to achieving a goal. Once I began to develop an understanding of public leadership, I noticed that it has affected my leadership in a wide range of contexts, from working with children to planning events in my residence hall, and it has made me more appreciative of collaboration.

The culture of the Wilks Institute and Scholar Leader community affected my leadership, and now I am able to apply what I've learned to other cultures I am a part of, which in turn affects them as well, even if only in very small ways. So I encourage all students at Miami to consider the effect their leadership has on the University's culture as well as how the cultures they are a part of affect their leadership.

Government in Our Lives

When you hear the word "government," what is your first reaction?

On Wednesday, September 15, 25 students gathered in the living room of Stanton Hall to answer this question in the most recent session of Pondering Politics.

The students' views reflected our nation's divided views on government. While some students argued the need for government to safeguard the liberties of oppressed groups in the United States, others cited inefficiency and frustrating bureaucracy in critiquing government. The U.S. Postal Service and Bureau of Motor Vehicles received particularly low marks in the discussion.

One interesting theme taken from the discussion was the repeated association of the general concept of "government" with the federal government. Asked about this, students expressed that they did not see how local and state government influenced their lives.

Miami upperclass students Alex Schaefer and Jacob Westfall, who were present to discuss Miami's Governmental Relations Network with students, quickly interjected, sharing their experience within the network of working directly with the state government. Both cited higher education funding as one example of the state's influence on Miami students among others.

Genuinely thinking and philosophizing about government is not exactly in style these days, as we mindlessly consume the latest cable TV-molded sound bytes. However, in this program, the second installment of Pondering Politics, students were given the opportunity to meet other people, think critically, and share and further hone their opinions. We hope this continues as we move forward with this initiative.

The next Pondering Politics is scheduled as a joint "Let's Talk" dialogue with the Office of Diversity Affairs on Wednesday, September 29 at 8:30 p.m. The topic: Power and Privilege in Politics. Be sure to show up, grab some pizza, think, listen, and learn!

What is Leadership?

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” 

This pivotal quote by John Quincy Adams is pasted on nearly everything associated with Wilks.  But what does that really say about the nature of leadership?  What this quote does best is linking the idea of leadership to that of challenge.  It implies that leadership is, by nature, critically thinking and challenging others to do the same.  Anyone with a mind can do that.  This means that leadership is not exclusive to one type of person or to any singular position or title.  Leadership is the essence of challenging – the status quo, the accepted ideas, tradition, etc.  Leadership is scientific in the fact that it necessitates experimentation.  But more than that, it is creative.  Combining methodology with innovation, leadership is broadly defined and broadly applied. 

This quote, however, embodies a rather non-traditional view of leadership which tends to be much more inclusive and all encompassing.  Many people would define leadership by positions and titles.  This is traditionally what leadership is assumed to be, and in the minds of many, there is a direct correlation between leadership and title, as well as leadership and formal power (i.e. financial, political, social, etc.).  Non-traditional definitions of leadership, like John Quincy Adams’ involve power, just in a different light.   Adams’ leadership philosophy assumes that leaders have more inherent power over themselves than over others.  Because of this, true leaders influence rather than control.  This dynamic places leaders and followers on a level of equality rather than hierarchy. 

Personally, I find it amazing that leadership can be defined in such broad terms, yet, when asked what leadership is, most people point to positional leaders.  I guess that is why Wilks is here – to educate people on the different types and styles of leadership.  :)

Re-Establishing Dialogue in Our Politics

On Wednesday, September 1, sixteen Miami students gathered in the Benjamin Harrison Room in the Shriver Center for the introductory session of Pondering Politics.

After introductions and an explanation of the program's rationale, students explored the differences between dialogue and debate through a visualization exercise. Students agreed that politics today resembles a debate in which people seek to win the argument as opposed to come to a better understanding on various issues.

In addition, many of the participants stated that they felt disconnected from politics, finding it difficult to gain access to understand many of the topics discussed.

The next session of Pondering Politics is scheduled for Wednesday, September 15, in the Stanton Hall Living Room. The topic to be discussed is government and its relationship with students.

Pondering Politics

"That’s some politics being played by Hillary Clinton," the candidate yelled, shirt-sleeves rolled up and smiling on the stump in Pennsylvania. In the middle of an intense campaign for the Democratic nomination in the spring of 2008, then-Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) was responding to Clinton’s charges that the Illinois senator was not as agreeable to Western Pennsylvania voters as she was given remarks Obama made about their being "bitter" and "clinging to guns and religion."

At a contextual level, Obama’s invocation of the "playing politics" phrase is most likely a claim that Clinton’s comments were disingenuous; instead of expressing honest concern for the average Pennsylvania hunter, Obama seems to accuse Clinton of deceiving voters by acting as if she is more preoccupied with gun rights than she actually is. Yet, at a more textual level, Obama makes an interesting assumption: "politics," as it appears in Obama’s statement, is a game in which one retains the option to participate. Obama also paints it as being negative in nature. Thus, Obama appears to argue that Clinton, by playing politics, should be perceived as less valuable to the voters.

Obama’s not alone in his view of politics. One can observe this definition at work on the comments streams following news reports on many news websites. One recent comment on an online forum’s bulletin board declared, "To be honest, I think the way Obama has been approaching this debate has been wrong. The guy is great and intelligent, but he's being too political." Glenn Beck, a Fox News political commentator, provides another example of this contemporary connotation of politics: "They're playing politics with the national security of the United States." We repeatedly define politics as a negative activity in which one can opt to participate.

Interestingly, in its original Greek form, the definition of politics carries less baggage; with polis meaning "city state," politikos roughly translates to “of the citizen,” signaling a citizen-centered view of politics with a focus on those things concerning city or state affairs. Aristotle argues that politics consists of the interplay between people from different backgrounds and interests, holding different views, while aiming to complete a task. In other words, politics is a constant that citizens cannot ignore; in fact, political involvement and engagement ("playing politics") forms the heart of democracy.

In 2010, the Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute created "Pondering Politics," a dialogue series for Miami students, because we believe politics is anything but a game that people periodically join. Politics is at work in everything we do, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. This realization attributes a new importance, then, to developing listening, thinking, and communication skills within ourselves, the hallmarks of a liberal arts education. Given Miami’s liberal arts foundation, this particular university is well-positioned to challenge students to think about politics and current issues and to mutually exchange these ideas with their peers.

In the fall of 2010, Pondering Politics will be composed of eight sessions, each with a different focus, and each with a different campus or community partner. A typical session will allow students and other participating community members to introduce themselves and get to know each other. Following this opening period, a facilitator will provide a brief introduction to the process of dialogue and to the topic being discussed, setting the context for the discussion; following this, the facilitator will pose a question to the group to commence the dialogue.

The schedule for the Fall 2010 edition of Pondering Politics is provided below. Please e-mail Craig Berger (bergercr@muohio.edu) with any questions.


Wednesday, Sept. 1st - 8:00 p.m. - Introduction
(Benjamin Harrison Room, Shriver Center)

Wednesday, Sept. 15th - 8:00 p.m. - Miami’s Government Relations Network
(Stanton Hall Living Room)

Wednesday, Sept. 29th - 8:30 p.m. - Exploring Power and Privilege in Politics with the Office of Diversity Affairs
(Center for Black Culture and Learning, Shriver Center)

Wednesday, Oct. 13th - 8:00 p.m. - Midterm Elections: What Do They Mean for Us? Conversations with Political Science Faculty
(Bystrom-Reid Room, Shriver Center)

Wednesday, Oct. 20th - 8:00 p.m. - Talking with Student Party Leaders on Campus
(Benjamin Harrison Room, Shriver Center)

Wednesday, Oct. 27th - 7:00 p.m. - How Do Regional Issues Impact Students?
(Wilks Conference Center, Miami University Hamilton)

Welcome to the Blog!

Welcome to the Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute Blog! This blog was started to give a more personal touch to the programs and work that goes on here at Wilks. We wanted to give the Wilks staff the opportunity to reflect a bit more in depth on the events that they take part. We hope that you enjoy all the future posts and thanks for stopping by!

To begin here is a bit more info on what the Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute actually is:

The Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute is an endowed institute committed to promoted community-based learning experiences that prepare students to become engaged public leaders and informed global citizens while also enriching and giving back to the communities that surround and support Miami University.

By connecting students and communities, in Southwest Ohio and around the world, the Wilks Leadership Institute advances the understanding and practice of the types of engaged leadership necessary for building a vibrant democratic society today and in the future.

The Wilks Leadership Institute sponsors a series of curricular and co-curricular civic engagement programs, including courses focused on public engagement and community learning, a high school leadership program, international leadership capacity development, engaged scholarship, and a series of speakers and symposiums promoting leadership for the public good.

Through these projects, the Wilks Leadership Institute attempts to:

• Deepen student, faculty, and institutional understandings of various approaches to public scholarship and leadership;
• Infuse public engagement and the study of the arts of leadership into the curriculum through the creation of new courses and the re-design of existing courses;
• Build relationships between students and community members, including schools, community organizations, and neighborhood residents with a focus on Southwest Ohio;
• Explore and develop comparative perspectives on leadership through local and international engagement;
• Seamlessly connect student experiences in and out of the class in all aspects of our programming; and
  
• Conduct innovative research and share lessons learned for leadership, civic engagement, educational reform, and institutional change on a national platform