Personal Best Essay

Indiana State University

ITE 675 Leadership in HRD

Joseph I. Williams

3/28/2003

In Human Resource Development, strong analytical skills are valued as much as effective managerial and leadership skills. Unfortunately, for some HRD professionals, these characteristics, at times, are mutually exclusive. I was fortunate, however, to work with Tony Brewer on my first major project at the McNair Scholars Program. As my project manager, he demonstrated a superior combination of leadership, managerial, and communication skills. As a result of our interaction, I learned several important lessons and tools that I used on subsequent projects to improve my effectiveness as a team leader.

To begin, Tony Brewer is a true leader who exhibits courage and dedication. A powerful trait rarely found in the realm of business, courage is unique in its ability to unify and motivate people. Moreover, his courage is balanced appropriately with professionalism, strong values, and humility. He is sensitive to others' feelings and recognizes that different people require different types of direction and treatment. Although he often works with diverse and difficult groups, he always seems able to reach consensus and create a shared vision and purpose. Furthermore, he excels at establishing priorities and proactively setting direction.

As an effective manager, Tony Brewer also is able to translate his broad direction into discrete, tangible tasks. Since HRD professionals often use difficult or creative analytical approaches, clearly articulating tasks and defining outputs is very important. In addition, he exercises the appropriate level of supervision. Rather than micro-managing his team members, Tony establishes clear accountabilities and expectations and pushes work down to the correct level. As a result, he creates a strong sense of ownership and leverages the skills of his team members. Furthermore, he excels at creating a supportive environment and, when necessary, coaching team members to help them develop new skills.

Finally, Tony Brewer is a masterful communicator. He is the only project manager I have had who gave me consistent and constructive feedback, importantly, both positive and negative. Such feedback not only provides clear developmental objectives, but also signals to others that he values their contributions. This type of balanced and open communication quickly forms the foundation of mutual trust and respect. Furthermore, Mr. Brewer excels in the art of negotiation and debate. He states his points with remarkable precision and is expert at remaining objective and recognizing all sides of an argument. And, regardless of the volatility of a situation or the strength of his feelings, he always listens to all positions patiently and effectively controls his demonstration of emotion, thereby gaining the respect of others and lending additional credibility to his positions.

Given my limited experience managing teams, my exposure to Tony Brewer was central to my early success with the McNair Scholars Program. For example, although I had considered myself a leader in academics, I had not learned to translate those skills into the business arena. Tony Brewer taught me several effective methods to lead teams. Admittedly, as a highly motivated graduate student majoring in HRD with very high work standards, I also lacked many of the skills required for effective team leadership. However, I quickly learned the importance of flexibility and became more comfortable providing feedback and directing the work of others. Furthermore, through his example, Tony Brewer taught me the importance of objectivity and the utility of several effective communication techniques. For example, I learned to use my sense of humor as an effective tool to persuade, disarm, or motivate others.

Early in my position with the McNair Scholars Program, I had several rare opportunities to lead student teams. In part due to the lessons I learned from Tony Brewer, these projects were a great success. As a result, I went on to manage a half dozen diverse and difficult student teams that ranged in membership. With each project, I further refined the lessons I learned from Tony Brewer and developed new techniques for leading and managing teams. Due to my rapid development, I was promoted to serve on the McNair Program Advisory Board, a leadership position with the McNair Program, signifying that I can progress. Although I realize my tool kit is far from complete, these skills will be invaluable both in business school and beyond.