ANR leadership development book club to meet April 2

ANR’s leadership development book club will meet on April 2 to discuss the book, “The Extraordinary Leader: Turning Good Managers into Great Leaders,” by John Zenger and Joseph Folkman.

Three video conferencing sites have been reserved from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Discussion locations include the ANR Building’s Plum Room in Davis, Kearney Agricultural Research & Extension Center’s Walnut Room in Parlier and UCOP’s Room 9405 in Oakland.

The discussion will be led by Kim Rodrigues, executive director of Academic Personnel. She asks participants to review the book and consider the following questions:

1. What administrative qualities do you hope to develop in yourself and/or others?

2. What leadership attributes do you value in a leader and how might we encourage, maintain and/or enhance these attributes in ANR? Below is a list of attributes summarized from ANR’s first leadership book club discussion to guide development of a leadership program in ANR. Are any key attributes missing from this list?

Leadership Attributes:

• Knowledgeable about ANR programs at county and campus level
• Confident, with compassion and sincerity to want others to succeed
• Actively motivates, supports, value and promotes teamwork and team members
• Possesses the ability to recognize and utilize the strengths and aptitudes of individual team members to facilitate successful outcomes
• Fosters trust, honesty and integrity
• Willing to make decisions, take action and communicate rationale
• Open and transparent
• Innovative and progressive; willing to embrace the unconventional
• Willing to trust their workforce and take risks
• Flexible
• Approachable and an active listener
• Acknowledges and follows up on input received from their team
• Direct and focused
• Responds to staff concerns in a timely manner

3. How might ANR develop and support these leadership attributes?

4. How might ANR measure and monitor leadership development?

5. What specific insight did this book provide with respect to any or all of these questions?

6. What other leadership activities might ANR consider to support the attributes discussed today?

Any other input you wish to provide is encouraged. 

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