Guest Blog from Misty DePriest

Misty is a Solutions Consultant in CIS and a soon to be Leadership Academy Graduate.

 

As part of my Leadership Academy experience, I recently had the opportunity to attend the 2014 Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police Conference in Chattanooga. While at the conference, I not only had the opportunity to witness upcoming innovations in police technology and put my hands on the latest and greatest law enforcement weaponry, I had the extreme pleasure of hearing Dr. Dale Henry speak about leadership and change.

Dr. Henry is a University of Tennessee graduate and grew up in Harriman. He started his career as an educator and, throughout the years, transitioned to the field of consulting and public speaking. Dr. Henry has spoken at both company engagements (Wal-Mart, AT&T) and educational engagements (Harvard Business School/Clemson University). He has the unique style and ability to weave his personal day-to-day experiences and stories from growing up on a farm into public discussions on topics like leadership, culture change, public service, and communication. Dr. Henry is less a presenter (he uses no presentation aides) and more a story teller.

The main topic of Dr. Henry’s discussion at the conference was Change Requires a Leader. During the “presentation”, he shared an intriguing analogy about leadership. Dr. Henry suggests that all employees are leaders regardless of job title. He likens leadership to the duct work that brings heat and air through a building. If you trace the term duct back to its Latin origin ductus, one definition is channeling or leading. Dr. Henry’s interpretation of that meaning is that a duct “brings the best of what is available to where it is needed most”.  In reflecting on my position at UT CIS, this analogy is very indicative of my “bringing the best manufacturing solutions we have available to the companies that most need them” – I am a leader.

Dr. Henry also suggests that, while we are all “ducts” (leaders) in serving our customers, we tend to be “vents” in our internal day-to-day business interactions. As vents, we direct or manage “stuff” – moving it from one point to another – or even stopping its progress if we see fit. Applying this to my own position, I think of the policies and procedures we follow internally to accomplish tasks – travel, contracts, information requests from managers/co-workers, etc. – I am also a vent.

As Dr. Henry indicated to the Chiefs of Police audience, we are operating in a system that was started years ago. In order to move to the next level, we need a new philosophy. We need more “ducts” and fewer “vents”. The ductus is interested in how to help “the other person or the team” win – not in how “I can win”. Throughout my Leadership Academy engagement, I have read several leadership books, heard numerous speakers with different backgrounds, and been exposed to various “themes” on how to be a leader.  However, for me, I think the notion of do I want to be a “ductus” or a “vent” is perhaps the simplest explanation of how to be a good leader – regardless of job position or title. Everyone can be a leader just by making sure we “bring the best of what is available to where it is needed most” – or, to quote the United States Marine Corps Officer Candidates School motto – Ductus Exemplo.