STC wouldn't be the world's largest professional association for technical communicators without the dedication and commitment of its volunteer leaders. To help chapter and special interest group (SIG) volunteers perform their duties, the STC office provides the following resources.

By Suzanna Laurent, Associate Fellow, Oklahoma Chapter

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in the April 2004 issue of Leadership Tips, an e-mail bulletin formerly sent to STC leaders by the STC Leadership Tips Committee. The author has updated it for Tieline.

I recently presented a program on delegating more effectively. In it, I explained the benefits of delegation and gave tips on how to overcome common barriers. Because you can use these tips whether you are leading a community, committee, team, or department, I want to share them with you. If you are not delegating properly, you are making your own life more difficult. In turn, your subordinates suffer because their interests and talents are being overlooked, however unintentionally.

Benefits of Delegating

There are many benefits to be derived from effective delegating; one of the most important is that it frees your time and energy for other responsibilities. We could all use more time. Bringing more hands and minds to bear on issues also results in better decision making.

Something else to consider is that by delegating tasks to others, you utilize the skills of individuals and improve overall team productivity. This, in turn, allows others to make contributions that develop their self-confidence. Overall, effective delegating can add to your organization’s success by supporting higher productivity, improved morale, better communication and teamwork, and greater profitability.

Studies indicate that most people want more responsibility, and they want the opportunity to grow and develop. As you share opportunities with others, those individuals become more productive and valuable to the organization and team. By learning new things, they improve their self-esteem and skills. They also become more knowledgeable and skilled in handling project details and problems.

Barriers We Create

We sometimes create our own barriers to delegating. For example, we may prefer to do the work ourselves, or think no one else can do it as well as us. Or we may feel a strong need to work at tasks with which we are familiar, or feel threatened by the possibility that someone else might not complete a task for which we are responsible. There is also the fear of losing power, until we realize that we actually empower others by delegating.

A huge barrier can be created when we delegate without planning ahead or considering all aspects of the task. When delegating a job to someone, it is very important to set deadlines, explain the task’s objectives, and make sure the person has the authority, resources, and budget to complete the task on time.

Another barrier is made when we underestimate the ability of others to do more. Make sure you judge others by their standards, not by what you would be able to accomplish. If you think someone can’t get the job done because he is already doing something else, you may be selling him short. You may need to better evaluate the person’s organizational skills and habits. What motivates him? Is the task you want to delegate something he really enjoys doing? If so, he might be able to finish it quickly. You may never know unless you give him the opportunity. There is a fine line between thinking he can step up to another task and overburdening him with one more responsibility.

Barriers Others Create

The people to whom you delegate create barriers, too. These hurdles are so prevalent that their causes have names:

• Imposition. Since leaders look to their best people for help, they can rely on the same people so much that it becomes an imposition.

• Ignorance. You may need to point out how completing a particular task could help someone attain a personal goal.

• Stagnation. Some people just don’t want to change; they’re in their own niche and want to stay there. They are the “good soldiers” who do what they have to—as long as they’re out of the limelight, away from public notice, and performing jobs that can be done quickly and safely.

• Fear. Some people reject new tasks out of fear. You may have to offer training or mentoring before they will accept a project.

• Eagerness. Although you don’t want to stifle enthusiasm, be aware of the problems created by too much of it. People eager to take on additional projects can become overloaded. Just as you need the good soldiers, you also need the eager beavers—but you may have to move them along more slowly, even while nurturing their enthusiasm.

• Power playing. Some people accept a delegated task only when there is something they want in return, such as a raise. Power players should be carefully monitored and controlled.

The Effective Use of Human Resources

To summarize, delegation is the effective use of human resources. You must know when to back away from competent people and when to intervene if things start to go wrong. Take the time now to delegate more effectively so you can make your life and the lives of those around you easier. They will appreciate you for it.

Suzanna served as the 2005–06 Society President and as a Region 5 Director-Sponsor. In 2006, she was selected as the first Leadership Community Resource (LCR) volunteer of the year. Since 1995, she has presented more than a hundred chapter programs, leadership workshops, keynote addresses, and conference sessions from Toronto to Hawaii.

Suzanna has been a technical communicator since earning her degree in 1986. More than half the years since have been spent developing various types of online help. Her favorite writing job is designing and writing the newsletters for which she has won numerous awards. Suzanna is President of the Communications Design Group in Mustang, Oklahoma.

Leadership Is a Relationship

By Linda L. Oestreich, STC President

During Leadership Day at this year’s Technical Communication Summit in Minneapolis, I gave a brief overview of some leadership tips. As a former director-sponsor for Region 5, I have grown accustomed to presenting leadership workshops for chapter leaders. This year, as STC president, I continue to receive requests to lead such workshops. I enjoy doing this because I believe we are all leaders. Some of us find leadership roles in our paying jobs, some in our church or community groups, some in families or hobby activities, and some in STC.

Definition of Leadership

One definition of leadership that I like is “the ability to cause other people to act in desired ways for the benefit of the group.” Those of us who are managers often have the authority to make other people act for the good of a group, but that power doesn’t make you a leader—it makes you a boss. The people who choose to follow you decide if they want you as a leader and thus want to achieve the goals of the group. In the long run, folks in a volunteer organization follow a leader because they believe it’s in their own best interests to do so.

Those interests could be recognition, advanced career possibilities, learning a new skill, altruism, or any number of other personal perks. Good leaders know how to tap into an individual’s personal interests and feed those interests so the person both enjoys and gains from helping the group reach a goal.

Develop a Communication Plan

As a community leader, you can do many things to support your members, but, above all, I recommend that you develop a communication plan. Talk to your team; decide together how you will communicate with each of them and how they will communicate with you. Who has veto power? How will you come to decisions? How will you resolve conflict?

Leadership is a relationship, and it requires clear communication to thrive. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that sending a mass e-mail is communicating. Communicating requires at least two active participants. If you throw a ball and no one catches it, you are not playing ball . . . you’re throwing something away. To communicate, someone must “catch” the message and provide feedback.

Years ago, Marshall McLuhan stated that “the medium is the message.” (He was commenting on something much more complex than the words proclaim, but, for our purposes, the simple words ring true.) What medium do you prefer? When faced with so many choices—e-mail, phone calls, group meetings, Web-based meetings, snail mail, conference calls—you must pick the right communication medium. And by thinking about the best way (or ways) to communicate, you exhibit leadership and increase your chances of really communicating.

So, remember, leadership is a relationship based on communication. If you can understand this point and use it wisely, many will follow you gladly.

“In organizations, real power and energy are generated through relationships. The patterns of relationships and the capacities to form them are more important than tasks, functions, roles, and positions.”
—Margaret Wheatley, Leadership and the New Science

By Rachel Houghton, Senior Member, Willamette Valley Chapter

The Leadership Community Resource (LCR) is prepared to make a big splash on Leadership Day at STC’s 54th Annual Conference in Minneapolis. Members have been working behind the scenes for months.

One of the LCR’s projects is referred to as triage. Triage is a process in which a geographic or virtual community situation is evaluated, and the appropriate coach and resources are used to resolve the situation.

I recently had a chance to talk with three triage coaches: Judith Glick-Smith, Jack Molisani, and Suzanne Guess. All three have dealt with different situations involving geographic communities. Before we look at successful methods used by these coaches, the following is a little background on how communities may work with the LCR.

Asking for Help

When someone in a community needs help or advice, if the issue is one that cannot be handled within the community itself, he or she may currently contact (1) the STC office, (2) the community director, or (3) LCR Manager Mary Jo Stark directly. The STC office will now be the first point of contact going forward, and will coordinate the request according to the specific situation. Once the call for help has been made, the STC office will look at the situation requiring assistance. If it is an administrative issue, the office will work directly with the community. If it is an issue for the LCR to handle, the office will submit all applicable information to the LCR manager.

Applying Triage Methods

There are at least five different types of crises that the LCR triage team handles:

• An activity has more bills now than it is has money to pay, with no plan of how to handle the situation (in other words, outgo is greater than income, and a crisis is looming)
• An activity has lost its leadership, with no one left to run the show
• A special, paid event has fewer registrations than needed to break even—and won’t unless immediate and significant action is taken
• There is a major conflict among community council members—or one bad apple—threatening to tear the community apart if not addressed
• A community’s average attendance rate or membership has fallen below the point of financial viability

Each crisis requires a different style of mentoring, and mentors are asked to handle situations that fit their unique abilities. Following are several examples of recent situations that communities have experienced, and the mentoring methods used by triage coaches.

1. Conflict Resolution

Former STC President Judith Glick-Smith, the first manager of the LCR, was asked to use her professional mediation skills to solve a conflict in which two people were locked in a “classic conflict spiral.” The situation escalated to a point where only a mediator was able to intervene. Judith helped the involved parties see the conflict as a problem to be solved rather than a war to be won. In other words, she used a win-win approach by focusing on collaborative problem solving. (As a certified mediator, Judith could not relate specific details about the community due to confidentiality rules.)

2. Community Leadership Void

Jack Molisani, one of the leaders to initially set up the triage team concept in the LCR, was asked to take over as the president of the Aloha chapter when the former president moved to California and resigned from the position. The twist? Jack also lives in California. But he is enthusiastic about breathing new life into the chapter by reaching out to local business writers and the University of Hawaii to increase membership and offer educational opportunities.

3. Inactive Community

Suzanne Guess, a senior member and leadership mentor, is currently helping a dormant geographic community. There had been no activity except for occasional postings to the job board, so the chapter vice president contacted the STC office for help. Region 8 Director Beau Cain investigated the situation and contacted all the current members of the chapter. Several expressed interest in working to get the chapter up and running again. Suzanne has set up biweekly meetings with the interested members to revitalize the chapter over the next few months.

Triage Contact Information

If your community needs support in resolving an issue, contact Mary Kabza, Director of Marketing and Membership, at the STC office at +1 (571) 366-1912.

Chapter Leadership Depends on You!

By Deanne Levander, Associate Fellow and President, Twin Cities Chapter

If you’re a chapter leader wondering how you’re going to pull it all together by the end of summer, now is a good time to reflect on the path that led you to a leadership position: What brings you here? Where did you begin? Where are you going? It’s very important to be aware of your STC leadership path before you embark on the year (or two!) ahead.

Regardless of your chapter size, location, and history, you share your role with generations of STC leaders. Our commonality lies in our shared community, our shared profession, and our shared challenges. Take a cue from the venerable I Ching: while we’re certain that no one has struggled quite like we are at the moment, it’s inevitable that leaders before us have already conquered the challenges we face now.

I hope you have already decided why you want to lead your STC community. However, if you’re struggling with your decision and asking questions like, “How am I ever going to find the time to do a good job?” or “What if nobody comes to the meetings?” or even “Who will help me?”, fear not: your interest, experience, and vision will see you and your board or administrative council through.

Community is the sense of living and working together for common goals. As naturally communal beings, we long to belong to a group with a common purpose. The strength and comfort of an STC community come from the principle that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Unless we work to create it, community does not happen. What we bring to the community and the role we let it play in our lives—these are what help a community thrive. This kind of connectedness gives us the power to improve our lives and make the world a better place.

Elements of Successful Chapter Leadership

This article explores ways in which new or seasoned chapter leaders can invigorate their communities by evolving their interest, leveraging their experience, and sharing their vision.

Interest

Interest is the state of curiosity or concern about something. Within STC’s context, its essence drives our activities: out of concern for professional advancement, we develop programs for an audience of our peers. Because we are curious about how things work, or why systems are in place, or even where we’re going in the next five years, we get involved in a community, the basis of which is our common professional interests.

My interest in STC developed over time as I participated in the roles of secretary, vice president for programs, judge, and workshop leader. I learned so much as I took on these roles that, with each activity I completed, I became more interested in the chapter and the profession. As I developed chapter programs, I anticipated what program content would interest the audience. We had several audiences to speak to (managers, junior writers, senior writers, graphic artists), and a wealth of material was just waiting to be developed for each group!

As you develop yourself as an STC community leader, consider what interests you about the profession and your community. Can you spread that interest so it benefits your members? For example, if you’ve spent time as a judge, you know the value of the competition from the perspective of both the entrant and the judge. Consider how easy it is to promote member activity in terms of the competition: can you translate that to other chapter activities? For example, are there long-time judges who’d be perfect as competition managers? Capitalize on your members’ interests, and invite them to participate in your administrative or executive roles.

Experience

An important contributor to leadership experience is active participation in events or activities, leading to the accumulation of knowledge or skill. What is great about STC is that we can build on our experience to gain even more experience. This translates into skills and abilities that benefit both the workplace and the chapter or community.

We all have some experience. I began my technical writing career already having written resumes (in trade, for goods and services), advertising copy (in trade journals for technical products), and plenty of letters (this was before e-mail). The point is, I wrote every day. When I began my STC experience, I had been writing for more than fifteen years. But I was a new STC member, and my writing experience became secondary to my STC experience.

I learned how to address the needs of my STC audience: as secretary, I recorded all activities and meeting results; as employment committee manager, I contacted area employers in an attempt to help members learn what companies were looking for. Can you leverage your experience into an STC benefit? Think about what you went through as you took on your various roles: can you anticipate what others will encounter when they first lead a committee? Do you remember how you felt when you were judging an entry for the very first time?

Translate your years of experience into active engagement so that your community’s members benefit from it.

Vision

We often hear about a leader’s vision and how important it is to a desired outcome. Much has been written about the strength of envisioning a result; it is said that whether people do it unconsciously or consciously, it still affects their lives. Within STC, we may not have visions that propel world peace, but we certainly can affect the mood of the chapter when we speak of our vision for its success.

When I struggled to form a vision, I asked myself what I felt STC’s importance was. What did I value in the organization, in the monthly programs? In a previous role, I had created an annual theme for programs. For example, programs were developed—each one unique—to offer different angles on the theme of professional development. It seemed like a natural progression, then, to enlarge the idea of a theme into a vision.

I realized that what I had been wanting was value, so I wanted to give value to members. Member value became my vision, and I beat the drum mercilessly. Every question I was asked was answered: “Does it support the membership?” “Exactly how does it support the membership?” “How does this add value for members?” I was a nonstop recording.

As you embark on your STC leader journey, give yourself the compass of vision. It’s truly a beacon in the dark, and it guides you along all those narrow precipices. Vision need not be complex: it can be as simple as “provide member value.” Write a simple, subject-verb-object sentence, one you can remember and translate into any STC-related activity or sentence. To build an STC community, increase the opportunities for activities. Invite members and nonmembers alike. Offer small-group activities, like book clubs, coffee breaks, and happy hours. Or pursue a larger, related community concern like supporting your local literacy council. Pull a team of STC members together to tutor a non-native speaking group. The opportunities are only limited by your imagination.

Do It with Clarity!

One of the greatest benefits of leadership comes from helping others find their niches and develop new strengths. We can also take advantage of the tremendous opportunities that come our way. Think about how you have overcome challenges in your past, and consider the lift you get when you succeed! We have such a ripe chance to spend time with like-minded individuals when we participate in STC.

To clarify my vision of member value, I started by thinking about an idea that would be simple enough to incorporate into anything I said about STC. Try to come up with a vision statement or phrase that you can incorporate into your spiels, whenever you talk to the board or council members, when you introduce meetings, or send out e-mails . . . anytime you have the floor!

Work to clarify your message. Sometimes it takes practice. What (exactly) is your point? Be sure to know what it is! That makes it a lot easier to deliver your message.

Encourage clarity of purpose. Ask your council to make sure it serves member interests through your vision. What exactly is a member interest? Try to remember why you are a member—why are people members? If we can focus on that, we’re sure to attract more members to our group. If you can, encourage others to include your vision in their introductions to program topics. If there’s always a hook into the vision, the vision will become everyone’s mantra! I like to point out how we are adding member value at every meeting. It’s important, too, to clarify how their STC experiences enhance members’ work life. It may not be enough to include value-added activity: you might just have to spell it out!

Deanne Levander is a senior member of STC and works as a senior technical writer in the IT division at TCF National Bank in Minneapolis, Minnesota.