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College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

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Communiqué September 26, 2012

Practice Accountability - Behavior #10 of High Trust Leaders

-  guest writer Janine Yeske, 4-H youth development Extension educator, Jefferson County

Steven Covey Sr. once wrote that you can't talk yourself out of a problem you've behaved yourself into. In The Speed of Trust, Stephen M.R. Covey Jr. adds that you can "behave yourself out of a problem you've behaved yourself into and often faster than you think."

I thought of these quotes last month as 4-H members came in for Project Judging Day. Many of them did a great job and it was easy to tell that they had done the work associated with the project. Others, however, did not do as well. They had a hundred reasons as to why they did not receive good scores from their judges. No matter what the story, the bottom line was often the same; they had not done the work necessary for a good outcome. Instead, they tried to talk themselves into a trophy; and for the most part, it just didn't work. A good judge can spot true workers and separate them from the talkers within just a few minutes.

The same can be seen in the workplace. As funding gets more difficult, we have to be doing the work that proves we deserve to be funded. We can learn from the example of the 4-H members. It is not enough to just talk the talk - we have to walk the walk. It is not enough to explain why we did not get the job done - we have to get the job done. Covey says that we have to hold ourselves accountable, instead of what he calls the counterfeit reaction of blaming others.

Covey uses Jim Collins' book entitled Good to Great to tell the story of the window and the mirror. Good leaders look out the window to credit others with success, but look in the mirror to take responsibility when things don't go well. There is also a Russian proverb that Covey refers to that says "Success has many fathers while failure is an orphan."

Covey says accountability is also twofold. Not only must we hold ourselves accountable, we must also hold others accountable. In fact, according to him, the performers in an organization want to be held accountable, as long as everyone is being held accountable to the same standards. "Performers thrive in an organization where everyone is expected to step up and be responsible, where they can trust that slackers and poor performers won't just slip by." In my 4-H example, this thought is especially true. Kids and teens who perform well expect the same work ethic from their peers. They do not like it when "talkers" get credit they do not deserve.

In The Speed of Trust, Covey implies that you can behave yourself out of a problem quickly. One of his suggestions is that you should just start behaving the way you want to be perceived. "If you're not a caring person now - but you desire to be a caring person - then go out and behave in caring ways. If you're not an honest person now - but you desire to be honest - then go out and behave in honest ways. Just do what caring and honest people do.” Covey says you can behave yourself into the kind of person you want to be.

OSUE Strategic Plan Review Progress Report

-Keith Smith, associate vice president, Agricultural Administration and director, OSU Extension

Thank you again to the strategic plan review committee for their work to review the OSUE strategic plan this year. Since the committee’s retreat with Administrative Cabinet in August, Barb Ludwig (the recorder for the group) has summarized the questions raised, comments and recommendations into a more usable format. She and I have compared notes several times and further refined the information.

During our September Administrative Cabinet meeting, we determined that the next step is to have a small working group make a final recommendation about the goals and specific strategies to carry out those goals. The group includes Joe Boggs, Deb Delp, and Mark Light from the review committee and four Administrative Cabinet members (Bev Kelbaugh, Greg Davis, Ken Martin, and Jackie Kirby Wilkins). Barb will again serve as the recorder for the group, and I will be involved when possible.

Cabinet has requested a final report from the working group by November 1. On November 8, Cabinet will meet to draft an operations plan with action steps for carrying out the details of the refined strategic plan. The entire strategic plan review committee will be invited to attend the November 8 meeting as well. I will provide an update at our Annual Conference on December 5, and more information will then be shared by year-end.

Annual Conference Keynote Speaker

Don’t miss this year’s event as Tim Moore of Generational Insights presents: Working with Generational Differences.     

This dynamic speaker provides illustrations of the four generations currently in the work environment. What causes the generations to differentiate from one another? What are some of the challenges we face as we blend into one vibrant workforce? Communication is the key! 

For those wanting additional information on this topic the speaker will also be leading a 75-minute breakout session. The conference is December 5 at the Ohio Union on main campus. Registration for the event will begin on October 22.

Association Meeting Schedule for December 4

New this year, OAEP and ESP will be having a luncheon on December 4 at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, and it will be followed by an awards presentation and an Ohio JCEP meeting. Sectional meetings (NACAA, NACDEP, NAE4HA, and NEAFCS) will take place at 4 p.m.

CES will conduct three professional development sessions beginning at 5 p.m. and will be followed by the CES dinner, annual meeting, and awards at 6 pm. This will also take place on December 4 at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center. The agenda for the conferences is posted at http://extensionhr.osu.edu/AnnualConf/annualconf.htm

Order Your Name Badge

In order to be "green" for the Annual Conference, all employees are encouraged to wear their Extension name badges. If you are a new employee, you may order yours at no charge. If you are ordering a replacement name badge or there are changes to your title or location, the badge costs approximately $4.75. The sooner you order, the better. For more information visit: http://extensionhr.osu.edu/resources/namebadges.htm

OSUE Implements Revised Hiring Procedures

Phase 1 of Onboarding Project: In response to addressing challenges previously experienced by supervisors and new employees, OSUE HR has developed a streamlined flow of how materials are handled internally during the hiring process. As part of this redesigned process, OSUE HR has created hiring procedures called job aids that are designed as a convenience to the unit head and aims to remove the “guesswork” of the process.

Starting October 1, the OSUE HR website will be updated to reflect the changes. To learn about the changes, walk through the process, and ask questions, join the OSUE Hiring Procedures Forum on Webex October 2 at 2 p.m. The event number is 662 703 179 and the password is: hiring. 

This session will be recorded and posted for future reference. If you have questions about the improved hiring procedures, contact Karen Argabright at argabright.2@osu.edu, Garee Earnest at earnest.1@osu.edu, or Graham Cochran at cochran.99@osu.edu

Specializations Sought for Support Staff

Extension Human Resources and Chi Epsilon Sigma are working together to add an area of specialization to the personnel directory for all support staff.  We do recognize that support staff have a wide variety of duties. This list is a starting point to better identify the strengths of support staff for networking and professional development opportunities. 

All Extension support staff are requested to submit this information by October 15 to Peg Meents, CES membership secretary. A form can be found at http://ces.osu.edu/membership (if you do not choose to join CES, leave the lower portion of the form blank).

Benefits Open Enrollment for 2013

Open enrollment for the 2013 plan year begins on October 22 and ends on November 2. All changes become effective January 1, 2013.

OSU Extension HR and OSU Benefits will host two WebEx Event Center sessions to discuss the 2013 benefit plan changes and open enrollment. The sessions will be held Tuesday, October 9 at 2 p.m. and Wednesday, October 17 at 9 a.m. At least one of the sessions will be recorded for those unable to participate in either session. The Event Center information is as follows:

Tuesday, October 9

Wednesday, October 17

Extension Promotion Workshops - December 18 and January 16

Have an interest in applying for promotion? Want to better understand the role of the dossier review process and performance expectations based on the guidelines?

Extension professionals with all levels of experience with the process are invited as we share and learn from each other. Registration fee is $25. Due to space constraints, each workshop is limited to the first 30 registrants. Plan to attend one of the winter workshops on December 18 OR January 16 from 8:30 a.m - 4 p.m. at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center in Columbus. Registration information will be available at a later date.

Removal of For-Sale Extension Bulletins from Ohioline

Over the last couple of weeks, you or your stakeholders may have noticed some changes on Ohioline, specifically related to OSU Extension bulletins. To ensure that the organization is capturing the sales revenue of for-sale publications and OSU Extension bulletins, we are limiting Ohioline to abstracts and purchasing instructions only for these titles. 

Please do not refer clients to Ohioline for information contained in for-sale OSU Extension bulletins, but direct them to eStore http://estore.osu-extension.org instead.

Chi Epsilon Sigma Membership Drive

OSU Extension support staff members with at least a 45% appointment are eligible for CES membership. Annual dues are $15. This professional fraternity provides recognition for years of service and outstanding performance. CES sponsors networking and professional development events, a secret friend program, community service projects, and generally seeks to encourage camaraderie of support staff.

Please join CES this year! Membership forms must be postmarked by October 15 to be eligible for awards, vote on chapter business, or be a candidate for CES director/officer. Visit the web site at  http://ces.osu.edu.

The CES annual meeting will be held December 4 at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center.

If budget constraints would limit your membership or annual meeting participation, you can request a CES scholarship (simply check the appropriate box on the membership form). Seven scholarships – six  for member dues and one for annual meeting, will be awarded based upon restricted finances.

Strengths-Based Teams Workshop

Effective and productive teams meet their goals and achieve meaningful outcomes by capitalizing on the diverse talents of their members. – Gallup

According to Gallup, the best teams achieve success by developing a team dynamic that welcomes, values, and leverages each member's talents. Is your team performing at its best? A key role of every leader is to build a sense of team in the organization. This workshop is designed to increase team effectiveness through the use of StrengthsFinder. This workshop will include activities that will further your understanding of your strengths and also will provide you with activities to take back and use with your team.

Beth Flynn is facilitating this workshop October 10, 9 a.m. – noon. The registration fee is $60 per participant. Go to https://regonline.com/seriesleadership.

Spectrum Development - Personality Styles

The Spectrum Temperament Development Model is a fun and exciting method for helping people better understand themselves and others. In our interactive workshops, participants are introduced to the different personality styles using the language of color. They gain an understanding of their own strengths, needs, and motivators, while also learning to value the differences among the people around them.

The researched based Spectrum Temperament Development Model is founded on the philosophy that individuals and organizations have the ability to increase and develop their potential if provided with applicable knowledge and skill. Spectrum Development emphasizes the key components for achieving optimal success: an awareness, appreciation, and development of self and others.

Beth Flynn will be facilitating the workshop on October 16, 9 a.m. to noon at the Agricultural Administration building in room 105. The fee is $60 per participant.  Go to https://regonline.com/seriesleadership.

National Outreach Scholarship Conference October 1-3

Registration is still open for the National Outreach Scholarship Conference (NOSC), which will be hosted by University of Alabama. The 2012 theme is: Partner. Inspire. Change. Three tracks will explore:

  • Voice of the Community Partner
  • Voice of the Faculty and Staff
  • Voice of the Students

“NOSC’s goal is to work collaboratively to build strong university-community partnerships anchored in the rigor of scholarship and designed to help build community capacity.” More information about the conference and pre-conference workshops is available at http://nosc2012.ua.edu/register.html