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Westside Toastmasters is located in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, California

DISCUSSION ISSUES AND QUESTIONS

Issues

  1. Inner leaders expend energy in almost every action they take to focus themselves and their stakeholders on what they consider to be critical.

  2. Orchestrating meaning involves the leader in communicating meaning to workers about the institution and its work.

  3. Meaning-making is a symbol-using task that places new, unique meaning to words, objects, ideas, work processes, and policies making them specific to that work community in a given time frame.

  4. A vision is a present declaration about the community's intended future that also connects members with their collective past.

  5. Inner leadership involves the leader in thinking inwardly, in thinking past today's problems toward the possibilities of what the work community can mean to its members.

  6. The inner leader's vision defines the interior work community's values laden focus.

  7. Creating a work community vision is a function of what the leader is as a person and what he or she prioritizes in terms of his or her work life.

  8. By themselves, vision statements can be meaningless; it is only when the inner leader believes in and constantly talks about them and uses them in all his interactions with followers that they come to life and become inspiring.

  9. The inner leader's expectations that focus and direct vision, values, and standards define the meaning context of the work community.

  10. Inner leaders make meaning via the use of simple symbols to communicate their ideas, values, and standard behaviors.

  11. In the absence of a vitalizing vision, the leader falls into a maintenance role, which role has a management orientation.

Questions

  1. Do I link day-to-day work with the vision and direction of our work community?

  2. Have I taken the time to understand and articulate the essential nature of the work we do and the community we work in?

  3. How have I connected the work we do to the values we hold?

  4. Are others in the work community able to articulate our purpose and direction?

  5. Can those we serve recognize our values and vision through the work we do?

  6. Do I take the time and the many opportunities I have to teach followers our vision and values?

  7. Have I established a culture that encourages new ideas and independent thought that enhance the organization's vision?

  8. Do I help others interpret direction and guidance based on the organization's values and vision?

Westside Toastmasters on Meetup

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