Toys & Tools for Leadership - Group 2

During a 2010 Agricultural Media Summit (AMS) session, Steve Drake, of Drake and Company, gave a presentation titled “The Toys and Tools of Leadership and Success,” and group members from Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University and the University of Wisconsin River Falls worked together to determine the three most important “toys and tools” utilized by Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT): Balance, bouncing back, and thermostat/thermometer.
When our group sat down and began brainstorming ideas, it was difficult to narrow the tools down to three because the presentation proved that all 14 “toys and tools” were important in all settings and aspects of life. Eventually, we decided on the three that best exemplified our experiences at AMS and in college.

The first tool we chose was balance. As students in college, we have to be balanced during all aspects of our life, including activities through school, professionally, and socially. AMS is often the first time for many ACT members to interact with business professionals and it is important for them to act professional and genuine. Students need to prove to professionals that they are willing to engage in conversation and learn about what their company or organization has to offer. ACT members are young business professionals seeking future internships or job opportunities, and keeping the tool of balance in mind while participating in networking allows us to remain mentally and emotionally steady.

Another important tool to utilize is bouncing back. ACT members receive a great deal of criticism throughout their lives. However, when ACT members receive bad criticism, it is important to bounce back, remain positive, and not let it delay them on their path to reaching their goals. A prime example of bouncing back as an ACT member at AMS would be not getting the networking opportunity from the professionals, such as internship information, that they may have wished to receive otherwise. Additionally, when an ACT member enters the ACT Critique and Contest and doesn’t place, they should be motivated to work harder for the following year and use the constructive criticism they received.

Lastly, the third tool chosen from Drake’s “Toys and Tools of Leadership and Success,” was: Thermostat/thermometer. Drake pointed out that thermometers tell the temperature whereas thermostats control the temperature. Many times in life one can just live with the surroundings around them, or they can choose to be the change. At AMS, our group realized that setting the standard, or setting the thermostat, and choosing to network with everyone, starts with our own initiative. Drake made a good point during his presentation, “It’s not necessarily who you know, but it’s who knows you.” If ACT members work hard and set the thermostat they can catch the attention of others and prove that they are leaders.

The three tools chosen from Drake’s “Toys and Tools of Leadership and Success:” Balance, bouncing back, and thermostat/thermometer, will help ACT members and students alike gain valuable leadership skills and bring them one step closer to succeeding in their endeavors. A big thank you to Steve Drake and his insight provided from his presentation “Toys and Tools for Leadership and Success.” It proved to be an invaluable experience where we all learned something and how to apply it to our own lives.

Submitted by Brandi Lattimore and McKenzie Watkins of Texas A&M University, Sarah Wilson, Sarah Raber and Faith Jurek of Texas Tech University, and Nerissa Retz of University of Wisconsin River Falls.

What’s a C-Clamp Got to do With It?

In the session Tools & Toys of Leadership and Success with Steve Drake from Drake & Company, we learned the importance of being mobile, agile and hostile.

• Drake presented unconventional items as metaphors for growing as a student professional and leader. Although he presented 14 unique toys and tools, our group selected five tools that we felt really spoke to us.
• The tennis ball represented bouncing back from adversity. In any situation, you need to be able to quickly change gears and regroup.
• The hockey puck taught us speed and how to react or adjust. Drake used his experience as a varsity ice hockey player to explain how professionals needed to constantly reevaluate to gain success in any program or endeavor.
• The tape measure can be used for many things, but instead of emphasizing the big things, Drake used this tool to show even the small things matter.
• The signature Drake & Company duck illustrated how we should be calm on the surface, but paddling hard underneath. Our group really identified with this metaphor as an under-emphasized aspect of the professional world.
• The stopwatch reminds us to have an agenda. Drake pointed out that he always starts his meetings at odd times, such as 11:44 or 10:01 to encourage timeliness and models the same by ensuring meetings do not overextend. Agenda planning prevents wandering aimlessly without purpose.

At the end we were asked to examine which tools we found most important. Our group found it interesting that none of us chose the same tools.

Also in the session, Drake emphasized the importance of thanking those who offer their time to your success, so we would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude for Mr. Drake’s time and the lessons we learned from his toolbox.

Submitted by Kelsey Fletcher, Lauren Greaves, Chip Nellinger, Harlen Persinger, Jack Pitzer, Jolee Liepman

Internships: A Career with Training Wheels

I’m currently a full-time intern at Drake and Company and when I was asked to write about my experience as an intern, I wasn’t quite sure what I should say. Do I talk about my day-to-day tasks, my experience working with different staff members, maybe highlight some of my favorite projects that I’ve worked on? Nope! Though those topics may be interesting and are important parts of my internship, I feel that there’s a bigger lesson to be learned from my experience here this summer.

This fall, I will be a senior at Truman State University where I work diligently to maintain a GPA above a 3.5, serve as president of our communication club, teach an aerobics class at our REC and spend hours with my sorority sisters. Before I was lucky enough to receive an internship with DrakeCo, I was planning to spend my fifth summer as a full-time nanny. Though my summer workdays were very long, I spent those lying by the pool, going to the movies and dropping the children of at day camps. Up until this point, I also believed life as a nanny and a college student was hectic, stressful and tiring. All of this changed the moment I walked into DrakeCo at 8 a.m. sharp on Monday, May 10.

That first night after work my family asked me how my day had gone I said, “It was great but you guys never told me how long an actual eight hour workday is!”

That’s just it; no one prepares us for the real work-a-day world. I quickly found out that this is exactly what an internship is for. All an internship is is a career with training wheels.


Think about the steps it takes to learn how to ride a bike. Children start the journey with Little Tikes Cozy Coupes that they push with their feet and then they move on to tricycles. Next, it’s on to a big girl bike with pink tassels and glittery training wheels, well at least it was for me, and finally you learn how to ride the challenging two-wheeled bike all by yourself.

You can relate these same steps to your journey through life. All of the lessons that we received from our parents and our secondary education are the Little Tikes cars and tricycles we first started to ride. Today’s internships and college experiences are equivalent to experiencing the real world and a career just on training wheels. We on this “big kid bike” looking straight ahead at the long road of possibilities and though we can’t see those two small training wheels below us, we know they are there to support us as most of our parents still are. And finally, once we reach our college graduation day, those training wheels finally come off.

But before I can ride that two-wheeled bike, I am enjoying being back up on my metaphorical pink childhood bike as I am receiving some of the most valuable first hand experience you can get in the world of public relations.

At DrakeCo, I have written a wide variety of news publications, developed an assortment of PR materials and have been involved with meeting planning and site visits for some of our client’s upcoming annual conventions. Within the first few weeks of working here, I had learned more about excel and computer shortcuts then I learned in a semester long information technology course at my university. I have sent more emails then I would have ever thought possible and even as an intern, I have been offered perk tickets to a Cardinals game.

The lessons continue as I’ve discovered that I despise traffic so much, I’m willing to wake up 45 minutes early just to avoid it and to save money on gas. I’ve even found out how to fit in lunch, a trip to the bank, the bookstore and to get gas all in a one hour lunch break. These are real life lessons that you can’t learn from a college professor or read about in an academic textbook.

As my summer at DrakeCo is quickly approaching its end, I’m being sure to make the most of the short time I have left here. I’m given more and more responsibilities everyday and I look forward to each lesson that will be taught with every new task I receive. Not only has this internship better prepared me for my career path, but I believe it has also better prepared me for my final year of college. The word “procrastination” has almost worked its way out of my vocabulary and in its place you can find “detailed scheduling” and “project organization.” Due to the nature of my internship, I spend my eight hour workday sitting at a desk and completing numerous projects. Last semester at school, I couldn’t sit at my desk for more than two hours straight. What a difference this will make when it comes to studying.

The tightly structured workday schedule will also change the way I will approach my senior year. You rarely have a lot of personal time during the week so when you finally get those two hours a night to yourself, you learn how to make the absolute best use of your time. I know that once I go back to school, I will not only manage my time better but I will never complain about not having enough time to get things done like errands, working out and hanging out with friends. Ultimately, I know I am going to make the most out of my last year in college and that I will not take this time for granted.

This internship has done more than just educate me on my future profession, it has taught me valuable lessons that I will carry with me throughout the rest of my life and career. Though I am excited to have one more year to ride around on my glittery pink bike, everyday I am feeling more and more confident about my graduation next spring when my parents finally unscrew my training wheels and let go of my bike. Thanks to my time at DrakeCo and the lessons I have learned from this tremendous staff, I know I will be able to pedal my two-wheeled bike all the way to a successful career!

Fraud Among One Hurts Us All

It saddens (and angers) me when I read stories in the media such as the one of an association executive in Georgia who admitted to defrauding her medical association of more than $300,000.

But, it's more than sad and infuriating. Each news story like this hurts our entire association management profession. It raises suspicions among volunteers about the creditability of professional association staff. And, it speaks to the lack of oversight amongboards about implementing financial safeguards that can minimize the chance to similar fraud in their organizations.

As the owner of an accredited association management company, I look at our financial systems from two perspectives: that of the associations we manage and that of our company. I have a moral, legal and fiduciary duty to protect the assets of our clients. And, which ultimately impacts my company.

For that reason, we engaged Mary Jane Pieroni, a certified fraud examiner, (and audit manager at Huber, Ring, Helm & Co., P.C.) to help us evaluate the design of our financial systems.

I've asked Mary Jane to offer some perspectives about fraud and some steps you should consider when establishing and monitoring your financial systems. Here are her suggestions:

• Organizations should establish and enforce good segregation of duties. No one person should control all aspects of any transaction. For example, the person responsible for writing and recording checks should not be able to sign checks and should not receive the bank statement before it has been reviewed by a manager without access to the accounting records. Periodically, the organization may want to have an outside public accountants review controls and make suggestions for improvement.


• Every organization should consider having an anonymous reporting method available to its employees, customers and vendors. Approximately 26 percent of frauds are initially discovered through information provided by a tip. Studies show that many frauds would have been detected much earlier if employees had known how to report their suspicions. In one recent case, a controller stole more than $31 million over four years; her fellow employees were uncomfortable with some of her procedures, but did not know with whom to discuss their concerns.


• Most importantly, however, no fraud prevention techniques will help to deter fraud without the proper tone at the top. The largest frauds occur in organizations in which upper management is either unethical or careless in the performance of their duties. When management does not hold itself to the highest ethical standard, employees will invariably adopt a lower standard for themselves.

Thanks Mary Jane.

One of the key elements contributing to the fraud detected at the association in Georgia was that the executive director also served as the finance director. Co-mingling duties such as this invites fraud. Where was the board of directors on this issue? Why did they let this happen? This is a big "no-no" for the association and for you if you're the executive director.

I may be a bit biased, but this situation demonstrates one distinct advantage of the AMC model and of associations moving from a stand alone staff to an association management company. With an accredited AMC, the roles of the executive director and the finance director are distinct and separate. In our case, our finance team -- headed by a professional with an MBA in finance -- is responsible for the clients' financial systems. We have separate checks-and-balances between the Executive Director and the Director of Finance.

Many smaller organizations probably can't afford to have two distinct and separate positions.

So what can a smaller association do? Engage an outside CPA to manage the financial aspects of the organization. Ensure that different people are involved in each step of the financial operations. If you have only one or two staff, you may need to involve a board member in the process. Or, you might want to consider moving to an association management company for full service or for the financial management functions.

Whether an association hires its own staff or contracts with an AMC, association boards should be monitoring what is happening in the financial operations of their organizations. This ranges from policies to the financial systems (both design and implementation).

What steps or policies does your organization follow to safeguard its assets?

Several Heads are Better than One

As an association management company, one of our objectives is to foster organizational collaboration among our clients and their organizational stakeholders.

I think these are great tips to keep in mind on how to effectively collaborate within an organization.

• Have a clear goal in mind. Make sure everyone involved understands what the goal is and believes that the goal is worthwhile. The overarching goal of collaboration is to achieve something together that you would not be able to achieve alone. Sometimes that's in the nature of the finished product, but other times the gain is efficiency. Either way, the people who are collaborating should have some kind of shared vision.
• Create a results-driven structure within your team that is appropriate for the goal you want to achieve. There are three kinds of teams that are commonly used, based on the type of results desired:

1. Problem resolution teams: The problem solvers. In order for this team to work, it's especially important that members are able to trust their co-collaborators in a secure atmosphere where they feel respected. Brainstorming should be encouraged, which means people must be able to suggest ideas without fear of getting immediately criticized.
2. Creative teams: The innovators. This team needs to be independent of established systems and procedures, enabling them to explore new possibilities and alternatives.
3. Tactical teams: The implementers. This team needs to have a well-defined plan.

• Give each member of the project a way to define his or her own role on the team. One way to approach this is to write down all the tasks that need to get carried out. For each task, ask who's interested in that task, and write their names next to it. Ideally, everyone will gravitate towards different roles, but many times a few roles are in high demand, and a few roles are unpopular. A solution to this is to rotate the most unpleasant roles (which are usually monotonous enough for this). Another idea is to outsource the unpleasant task(s).
• Establish a communications system. Make sure it allows collaborators to discuss team issues in a relaxed environment. Create ways of documenting issues raised and decisions made. Using wikis and shared documents can help with keeping everyone in the loop.
• Establish ways to monitor performance and provide feedback. Periodically, meet together to discuss ways to improve on the project. There should be some metrics by which you can monitor your progress. It might be as simple as how many pages of a book has been written, or as complex as a series of traffic analytics. Try to identify any bottlenecks--that is, areas where something isn't getting done, and that's slowing down the rest of the progress. If that bottleneck points to a single person, do not attack; ask the person what is making his or her tasks difficult, and seek ways to make it easier.
• Seek consensus. Disagreements are common in any group effort. When conflicts arise, seek consensus from all members on resolution. It's important that every person in the group stands behind the group decision, whether they agree with it or not.

The America Academy on Communication in Healthcare faculty and Drexel University faculty and staff collaborated to develop and launch doc.com, an educational online video tool designed to improve healthcare communication between provider and patient.

Faculty of AACH and Drexel University were so passionate about providing a learning resource on communication in healthcare. They wanted doc.com to be like an electronic book where there are different chapters and authors/experts on various topics. They wanted to have the ability to show the right and wrong ways to communicate with patients through pop-up videos on the site and show the skills as they were being performed. They felt that an electronic learning tool was the way of the future and it would be much easier and faster to make improvements to the system electronically.


doc.com was a project that was too big for AACH to produce alone. Drexel was big enough and had the IT capabilities, but they needed the special knowledge of AACH faculty. Everyone understood the goal and believed in it and worked together to make it successful.

Today, doc.com has more than 7,000 subscribers. The creators are still very active in constantly improving the system and making it more user-friendly. doc.com continues to do well because the creators still believe in it and in the end goal.

wikiHow - http://www.wikihow.com/Collaborate