Viking Magazine - November 2016 - 30

Member Matters
Information + News + Helpful Tips
EXECUTIVE IDEAS
Sharpening Leadership Skills
A
key initiative for Sons of
Norway is to identify and
develop leaders. At this year's
Innovative Leadership Conference,
held during the 2016 Sons of Norway
International Convention in Tacoma,
Wash., attendees engaged in a daylong
workshop that provided a
framework for developing their
own leadership skills and tools
for mentoring potential new
leaders in their respective lodges.
It was a productive day!
Participants worked through
four modules that included
interactive exercises and indepth
discussions. Attendees
left the conference armed with
tools and tactics to improve
their leadership skills and
convey what they learned to
prospective leaders.
The Teamwork module
covered factors toward building
cohesiveness:
1 Shared or compatible goals
2 Progress toward these goals
3 Shared norms
4 Lack of perceived threat between
members
5 Interdependence of members
6 Threat from outside the team
7 Mutual perceived attractiveness
and friendship
8 Shared team experiences
The Confl ict Resolution/
Negotiation session focused
on building a supportive
communication climate by
viewing others as worthy and
deserving of respect. Additional
tactics included looking at the value
30 VIKING NOVEMBER 2016 sonsofnorway.com
31 Family Matters
Geography Lesson
32 God Appetitt
Norwegian Julekake
of an idea, regardless of
the source; being honest
in your reaction and
communicating openness,
trust and self-confi dence;
and understanding the
other person's point
of view.
33 Sons of Norway Grants
2017 Updates
34 Lodges of the Year
Meet the Winners
The Strategic Planning
module presented a clear defi nition of the term: A
coordinated and systematic process for developing a plan
for the overall direction of your lodge for the purpose
of optimizing future potential - it defi nes the goals for
the entire lodge, district or organization. Also presented
were the components of a strategic plan: determine your
core purpose and envisioned future, assess your strategic
position, develop strategies and priorities, cascade strategies
to actions, align people and fi nancial resources, and execute
the plan.
Last, the Mentorship/Leadership session addressed
why mentorship is a strategic organizational imperative:
When successful, a mentoring experience can provide
a measurable improvement or increase in productivity,
retention, commitment, satisfaction, knowledge sharing,
leadership growth and succession planning. The module
provided a list of tips for both the mentor and the mentee,
and gave direction on how to maintain a mentoring
relationship.
So here you have the overview of the 2016 Innovative
Leadership Conference. More details are available at
sonsofnorway.com/2016ILC.
I hope this has sparked your interest and sharpened your
desire to hone your leadership skills. Sons of Norway likely
has untapped members who would be fantastic future
leaders - so let's all consider the important value
of mentorship.
Eivind Heiberg
Chief Executive Offi cer
http://www.sonsofnorway.com/2016ILC http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - November 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Viking Magazine - November 2016
