PUBLIC SERVICE CHANGE PRACTITIONERS

DR. KATHRYN O’HAGAN

PERSONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS: ASSEMBLE

APRIL 2024

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• Organizational Health
• The Quarterly Pulse Survey
• Managers Role in Organizational Health
• Manager Wellbeing
• Personal Board of Directors

AGENDA

• What is your favorite childhood cartoon?

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• If you had to teach a class on one subject, what would it be?

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• What is something you are proud of this week?

LET’S CHAT

WHAT IS ORGANIZATIONAL HEALTH?

• The way an organization gets teammates working together in the same direction to deliver results and adapt to new circumstances

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• Research shows that the higher an organization’s health, the better it delivers results and provides a good place to work

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• At the State of Missouri, we use the Quarterly Pulse Survey to measure organizational health

WHAT IS THE QUARTERLY PULSE SURVEY (QPS)?

QPS measures Practices (daily habits) which lead to our Outcomes (goals). The survey asks all team members of the 17 executive departments to answer the same questions at the same time about:

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• How we are working together

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• How we are moving on major initiatives

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• Where we can improve

ACCOUNTABILITY

A measure of how well individuals understand expectations, if they have authority perform their role and take responsibility for delivering results.

THE QPS HAS FIVE MAIN DIMENSIONS

MOTIVATION

Measures the enthusiasm that drives each team member to put in extraordinary effort to deliver results.

DIRECTION

Measures where we are heading together in state government and where your department is heading.

LEADERSHIP

A measure of how well our leaders are communicating and inspiring action by others.

EXTERNAL ORIENTATION

A measure of the quality of our engagement with our customers, partners, and external stakeholders.

AT THE STATE OF MISSOURI, NEARLY HALF OF OUR QPS QUESTIONS ARE ABOUT MANAGERS, LEADERS, AND SUPERVISORS.

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FRONT-LINE MANAGERS ARE THE LYNCHPINS TO BUSINESS SUCCESS

MANAGERS HAVE MAJOR IMPACT ON MENTAL HEALTH: HOW TO LEAD FOR WELLBEING

THE EMOTIONAL LABOR OF BEING A LEADER

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WHY BEING A MANAGER MATTERS MORE THAN EVER

LEADERS ARE

EXPECTED TO BE

SUPERHEROES

GREATER EMPLOYEE DEPENDENCE ON MANAGERS

Increased Employee Expectations of Their Managers, Compared to Before the Pandemic

77%

It has become more important for me to receive support from my manager

23%

It Is Equally or Less Important for Me to Receive Support From My Manager

MANAGER ENGAGEMENT AND SATISFACTION DECLINE AMIDST RISING INTENT TO LEAVE

YOUR WELLBEING IS IMPORTANT

• Supervisor support of team members, particularly social support or caring personally about team embers, is a strong factor in positive organizational health. [1]

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• The more positive a supervisor's view of the organization is, the more positive their staff members' view of the organization is likely to be. [2]

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• Supervisors who feel supported by the organization reciprocate with more supportive treatment for subordinates. [3]

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• Leaders must first relate to and help themselves before they can do the same for others. [4] 

REFERENCES: [1]; [2]; [3]; [4]

EVEN SUPERHEROES

HAVE A TEAM

WHAT IS A PERSONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS?

A Personal Board of Directors guides, questions, and supports you when you face critical challenges and career changes.

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A Personal Board of Directors should have many different types of individuals with different experiences, backgrounds, and personality types. You can have a:

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• Connector – Leads you to other people

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• Clarifier – Asks clear questions

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• Counselor – Provides invaluable perspective

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• Challenger – Helps you act boldly

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• Coach – Pushes you to be your best

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• Comptroller – Holds you accountable

PERSONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Before you build your Board, reflect on where you are now and where you want to be. Ask yourself:

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• What is my most important work/life goal?

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• What’s holding me back?

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• Where do I think my career is headed over the next 1, 3, 5+ years?
• Where do I want it to be?

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• What do I do exceptionally well?

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• In what areas do you need improvement?

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• What trends do you see and how can you take advantage of them going forward?

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• What limitations do I have?

• Fill out the form with your goals, limitations, successes and challenges

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• Be candid with yourself, now is not the time to diminish your skills or downplay your limitations

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BUILD YOUR PERSONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Consider your plan

• How will you ask them to serve on your board?

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• How will you share your goals, limitations, and expectations of them as a board member?

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Assess your board makeup

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• Do they have a good mix of personalities and backgrounds?

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• Do they have varied areas of expertise and skills?

BUILD YOUR PERSONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

NEXT STEPS

• Reach out and ask your ideal board members if they are willing to serve in an advisory capacity

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• Be prepared for them to potentially decline

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• Consider a back-up Board member, but send a thank you note to the original person that you asked

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• Set boundaries and guidelines for their service

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• Will they be “on call” when needed? Will they serve for a certain amount of time? Think through the details and share them

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• Consider when Board members should naturally fall of your Board. Set your own internal processes for when to update or change membership

IN SUMMARY

• Leaders play an incredibly important role in organizational health. Your wellbeing is important to the success of the team members with which you work and the overall success of your organization.

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• Leaders who build a support network like a Personal Advisory Board are more likely to be:

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• Self-aware

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• Engaged in their workplace

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• Satisfied in their role

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• Take care of yourself and surround yourself with people who care about you and your future.

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QUESTIONS?

THANK YOU!

Dr. Kathryn O’Hagan

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Director of Talent Development

State of Missouri

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Kathryn.ohagan@oa.mo.gov

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https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-j-ohagan/