Authentic Leadership and
Communicating with Purpose
A Think Tank on Ethics and Responsibility
Anthony Butler
Assistant Director of Leadership,
Rosenberg Center for Student
Involvement
You can’t build a reputation on
what you’re going to do.
Henry Ford
The Leader’s Responsibility
Create a culture of
communication.
Why can’t we
COMMUNICATE?
Rules
• No idea is a bad idea
• Be creative
• Take risks
• No criticism allowed
Communication, Communication,
Communication…
• Why do teams fail to communicate?
• What are some examples of poor
communication in your groups?
• What about examples of great
communication?
Creating a Clear, Meaningful Sense of
Direction
The tools to communicate direction:
• A clear statement of purpose and core
values
• An inspiring and specific vision of an
exciting future
• A clear statement of our core business
and position
Responsible Management Gets Results
Faust, Lules & Phillips
Creating a Clear, Meaningful Sense of
Direction
The tools to communicate direction:
• A focused set of strategic initiatives that
we follow to achieve vision for the
shorter term (1-3 years)
• Processes and documents that
communicate the vision, strategies and
goals and translate them into
meaningful, concrete terms for those
who make them happen.
Responsible Management Gets Results
Faust, Lules & Phillips
How a Leader Sets Direction
• Create a strong vision
• Articulate a clear course
• Bias the organization toward action
• Lift up the organization
• Practice excellent personal
communication
• Earn conviction
A Briefing for Leaders
Dilenschneider Harper Business
How a Leader Sets Direction
• Sustain the vision
• Create unity of purpose
• Leverage the strength of the culture
• Support positive rituals
• Harmonize vision and culture
• Train people to focus
A Briefing for Leaders
Dilenschneider Harper Business
The team’s responsibility
Communicate consistently and
influence UP if needed.
Brainstorming Group Communication
• Work in Pairs
• Describe a situation where
communication wasn’t happening for
your team
• Brainstorm ideas on how your group could
have communicate better.
• Now SWITCH
Brainstorming Group Communication
• Report out: Tell us some solutions for
poor communicators.
• Let’s make a list of winning
communication strategies for groups
• What strategies can we all agree
on…UNANIMOUSLY!
Leadership and Listening
Captain
D. Michael Abrashoff
USS Benfold
From one of the worst
ships in the Navy to
the best.
Leadership and Listening
• See the ship through
the crew’s eyes
• Find round people
for round holes.
• Use the power of
word magic.
Leadership and Listening
“Shortly after I took
command of Benfold,
I vowed to treat
every encounter
with every person
on the ship as the
most important
thing of that
moment.”
D. Michael Abrashoff
What is Authentic Leadership?
• And what does authentic leadership
have to do with communication?
• Handout on authentic leaders
Success is not final, failure is not
fatal: it is the courage to
continue that counts.
Winston Churchill
Questions?
Anthony Butler
Assistant Director of Leadership,
Rosenberg Center for Student
Involvement
Student Center Room 303
410.837.5419
abutler@ubalt.edu