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For Effective Change: Follow-the-Leader

When I was a young boy growing up in a small farm town in western Pennsylvania, one of the games we used to play was Follow-the-Leader.  As we took turns at the helm, each boy would find himself enthralled in an exciting and adventurous journey through woods, old barns, and small waterways.  One never knew what was around the bend.  While playing both the leader and the follower were fun, the leader role carried a deeper level of anticipation.  Climbing trees and scaling bridges—while already enjoyable—was even more so knowing there were a handful of others exciting tracing your steps slightly unsure of where they would end up.

As an adult, the geography may be different but the game remains the same.  Follow-the-Leader continues in business, sports, and non-profit agencies.  Fortunately, I’ve had the opportunity to fill both roles again though the expectations inherent in leader and follow are much more complex than they were when we were children.  If leaders hope to be successful, they must be clear about their vision, passionate about the journey, vigilant of the leader-follower relationship, and lastly, they must produce results.   

In regard to the challenges facing today’s leaders, Brown (2011) said, “The globalization of markets, the downsizing of workforces, the flattening of hierarchies, the reengineering of work processes, and the spread of information technology are all part of a revolution in the way we do business.  These changes are happening at the same time and fast.”  In short, we need leaders.  With all the challenges, changes, and uncertainty of our times, it is the men and women with vision, passion, loyal followers, and results that will rise to the top and lead the changes necessary for success. 

Change does not happen accidentally; rather, it is initiated with a specific purpose and it requires leadership to function properly.  The first trait of a successful leader in a change initiative is vision.  In short, they must define reality.  Leaders reach their goals by identifying, shaping, and representing the shared ideas and values of their organization (Gini & Green, 2013).  As stated earlier from the childhood game, leaders must know where they are going.  As kids, we knew if a leader repeatedly required us to stop, turn around, and go back, then it wouldn’t be long before he was replaced.  Furthermore, his opportunities to lead became less and less. 

Ronald Reagan once said, “To grasp and hold a vision is the very essence of leadership.”  Warren Bennis, one of our world’s foremost leadership expert said, “All leaders have the capacity to create a compelling vision, one that takes people to a new place.”  Bennis looked at scores of leaders, and determined that none of them possess all of the characteristics of great leadership.  But every good leader, he found, has vision (Cohn & Moran, 2011).  Before a leader initiates a system-wide change, the leader helps the organization identify the difference between where it is and where it would like to be, and then proceeds to design and implement appropriate organizational development interventions (Brown, 2011).

Ben Stein has made a career acting and speaking with a passionate-less, monotone voice.  Undeniably humorous and witty, it is the antithesis of a passionate leader.  Though this example is extreme it hopes to make a point.  When leading a system-wide change initiative, leaders must be passionate about the prospect of a better future.  Great leaders are able to tap into the power of their deepest aspirations.  Passionate leaders demonstrate that they have put a lot of thought into their vision and are able to speak convincingly about the way in which the organizational mission and their personal passions are intertwined (Cohn & Moran, 2011).

If I may use the Follow-the-Leader example yet again: kids follow because they are excited about where the journey may lead them.  The leader is normally the one shouting with excitement, “Follow me!” and as they climb over and under a myriad of obstacles their passion never wanes.  The same holds true for adults.  Leaders will require great effort and sacrifice from followers and at times they will have to climb over, under, and around some hurdles as they implement new and innovative change strategies.  If the leader doubts the way or loses enthusiasm for the journey, the followers will follow suit and eventually the change effort will stall.  Leaders demonstrate passion because they believe.  When vision combines with passion, leaders are born.  However, as John Maxwell said in Failing Forward, “He who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.”  That leads me to my next leadership characteristic: the importance of the leader-follower relationship.

Brown (2011) said, “The implementation of a large-scale change program is almost impossible without the investment of all levels and elements of the organization” (p. 90).  He goes on to add that the collaborative relationship between internal and external practitioners (or leaders and followers) provides an integration of abilities, skills, and resources.  It embodies such qualities as trust, respect, confrontation, and collaboration.  In coaching the 2008 USA Olympic Basketball team to a gold medal, Coach Krzyzewski said, “Leadership boils down to strong relationships.  Before I can be an effective leader, I have to know the players, they have to know me, and we have to know and trust each other” (Cohn & Moran, 2011).  

Fortunately, Coach K won the gold medal.  Four years earlier with many of the same players, the USA team lost in Athens to Puerto Rico and a week later lost again to Lithuania.  If that wasn’t bad enough, they finally lost to Argentina and settled for a bronze medal finish.  Players, coaches, and fans were humiliated.  The NBA was embarrassed on the world’s stage.  Leaders need vision, passion, and a great relationship with their followers.  However, at the end of the day, it all comes down to results.  Without success, as the 2004 Olympic Basketball team and the band of children following their leader discovered, all the vision, passion, and camaraderie matters little. 

The final trait that warps around the other three and holds them together is success, results, and positive transformations.  As Gini & Green (2013) said, “All forms of leadership are about transformation.  Leadership is not about maintaining the status quo; it is about initiating change in an organization” (p. 7).  Change is always difficult.  It requires strong leaders with deep perseverance to continue moving forward when times are challenging.  Leaders are defined by their results.  If people and processes remain the same after the leader moves on, it begs the question “Did the leader lead?”  Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked: leadership is defined by results, not by attributes” (Gini & Green, 2013). 

Leadership is not for the faint-of-heart.  It is difficult, challenging, and can be exhaustively frustrating.  However, no matter the toil, when a person believes in a better way and has the desire to bring it to life, they suddenly find themselves connected with others and generating collaborative enthusiasm.  Before long, there is a movement, a change initiative that inspires hope for a better organization and a better life.  At the end of our days our life is often measured by results and the question we all ask: “Did I make a difference?”  Passionate leaders with a vision for a better tomorrow joining forces with other like-minded people can count on producing long-lasting results.  Whether the change is organizational or personal, it’s the leader in all of us that shouts, “Follow me!” as we journey toward a better tomorrow.

Steve

References:

Brown, D.R. (2011). Organization development. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson

Education, Inc.

Cohn, J., & Moran, J. (2011). Why are we bad at picking good leaders? San Francisco,

CA: Jossey-Bass.

Gini, A., & Green, R.M. (2013). 10 virtues of outstanding leaders. Malden, MA: John

Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Maxwell, J. (2000). Failing forward. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.

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Self-Managed Teams: Undeniable Impact

In his book, Leadership and the Art of Struggle, Steven Snyder (2013), former business manager for Microsoft and Bill Gates’ right-hand man said, “Spending time with Bill Gates in his formative leadership years gave me a privileged perch for observation.  It turns out that Bill’s sagacity and insight do not stem solely from innate genius.  He surrounds himself with very smart people, and he’s a voracious reader” (p. 171).  Bill Gates, the late Steve Jobs, Herb Kelleher, and Howard Schultz all understand their name is attached to the corporation; however, it is the teamwork and synergy of all the employees that truly produce outstanding results. 

The definition of a leader is changing.  While his or her name may be publicly recognizable, the days of autocratic control, directing employees, and micromanaging processes are decreasing and organizations are turning toward flatter structures and empowered work teams.  Great leaders have always understood the power of teamwork; however, today, mere awareness has been replaced with application.  Historically, teams were temporary and tightly managed.  Managers wrestled with their own fears and nervously contained and directed individual team members.  Teams and teamwork were encouraged but rarely supported from higher management levels.  In The Secret of Teams, Mark Miller (2011) said, “Although every business unit said they were organized in a team structure, in truth, many were not teams at all” (P. 8).

The idea of teamwork has evolved to include more than helping a coworker on an assembly line.  With the introduction and growth of self-managed work teams, responsibilities and management formerly reserved for corner offices has made its way to the factory floor and in the hands of the specialist performing the work.  Ripping through bureaucratic red tape and felling hierarchical organizational structures like redwoods, the increase in work teams is proving to be the difference maker between equally empowered organizations.  In an INSEAD (2008) interview, Peter Tesluk, Professor of Management and Organization at the University of Maryland, defined a self-managed team as “A team that has formal responsibility and authority for making their own decisions about how they organize their work and about how they decide they’re going to get their work done.”

I’ve been included in teams and been excluded from teams.  I’ve sat through hours and hours of training on effective teamwork and studied it extensively at work, in sports, and in churches.  I’ve read numerous books and continue to face challenges and experience breakthroughs from successful teams and cooperative teamwork.  When it comes to performing at a high level by integrating self-managed work teams, there are some benefits and drawbacks.

One of the key benefits of self-managed work teams is they contain fewer levels of management.  With a flatter organizational structure, decisions can be made quickly without the delay inherent in traditional, hierarchical structures.  Also, in work teams, various skills are contained in the group rather than externally in another department.  Brown (2011) said, “There are fewer support staff, such as engineering, planning departments, and purchasing, because the work team performs these jobs.  The people who do the work are integrated into the work team” (p. 351). 

Yukl (2010) said, “Self-managed work teams offer a number of potential advantages, including stronger commitment of team members to the work, more effective management of work-related problems, improved efficiency, more job satisfaction, less turnover, and less absenteeism” (p. 336).  While self-managed work teams have grown popular and many companies are experiencing a surge in productivity, it is not a panacea and research data remains mixed.  Additionally, lack of interpersonal training, poor group dynamics, and dim goal clarity can result in unhealthy conflict, lack of productive results, and frustrated team members. 

One of the key factors of a self-managed team is trust.  Members must be willing to be open and vulnerable, share concerns, and provide feedback.  In his bestseller The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni (2002) said, “Trust lies at the heart of a functioning, cohesive team.  Without it, teamwork is all but impossible” (p. 195).  For trust to develop, team members must create a vulnerability-based relationship.  Trust is the currency of accountability.  In self-managed work teams, trust means being able to count on the other members to fulfill their roles.  In The 17 Indisputable laws of Teamwork, John Maxwell (2001) said, “The Law of Countability states that ‘teammates must be able to count on each other when it counts’” (p. 117).  He explains his law by the following simple but powerful formula: “Character + Competence + Commitment + Consistency + Cohesion = Countability” (p. 122).  Successful self-managed teams rank high in countability.

As a leader in the local church, self-managed teams have become a necessity.  Most churches have small staffs and operate by and large through their volunteers.  Currently, I am the director of the Assimilations Ministry.  This area is concerned with integrating new members and visitors into the life of the local church.  By using small groups, relationship-based strategies, and personal connections, church leaders help people feel accepted and connected.  Since it is impossible (and unhealthy) to try and control the entire assimilations process, I have set up small (5-7 people) self-managed teams to govern the process of member integration.  As a result, we have seen an increase in retention and work-team members have taken a larger role in “owning” the vision of the church.  As a leader, I ensure they have the resources they need and continue to nurture support from the senior pastor and the governance team.

As an external leader of several work teams, garnering support from the senior pastor and governance team (church board members) is the easy part.  My proficiency in coaching, facilitating, and inspiring the team continues to improve.  However, my skills as an external coach could improve in planning and organizing the work.  As a very detailed leader, it can be challenging to delegate and release the intricate details of a project to a team of five members with a vast array of skills.  Peter Tesluk said, “There is somewhat of a contradiction to leading self-managed teams as they lead themselves.  The type of leadership style moves away from directing to one that develops team capabilities.”  As a leader, I have taken his advice and focused more on “helping them team understand their unique strengths and inspiring them rather than coercing or directing them.”

Seth Godin (2008) said, “We live in a world where we have the leverage to make things happen, the desire to do work we believe in, and a marketplace that is begging us to be remarkable.  And yet, in the middle of these changes, we get stuck.  Stuck acting like managers or employees instead of like the leaders we could become.  We’re embracing a factory instead of a tribe” (p. 10).  If we are to create greater innovations, if we are to reach more people, and if we ever hope to change the world for the better, we will need to power of successful teams.  Instituting self-managed work teams is a key link that raises relationships and output to another level.  Maxwell (2001) is correct, “One is too small a number for greatness” (p. 1).  It’s the power of teams that carry a global impact.

Steve 

References

Brown, D.R. (2011). Organizational development. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education,

            Inc.

Godin, S. (2008). Tribes. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

INSEAD. (2008). Self-Managing Teams: Debunking the Leadership Paradox. Retrieved from

            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBnR00qgGgM&feature=youtu.be

Lencioni, P. (2002). The five dysfunctions of a team. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Maxwell, J. (2001). The 17 indisputable laws of teamwork. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson,

            Inc.

Miller, M. (2011). The secret of teams. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

Snyder, S. (2013). Leadership and the art of struggle. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler

            Publishers, Inc.

Yukl, G. (2010). Leadership in organizations. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

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Goals and Feedback: The Pairing of Success

If you do not set goals you will always achieve them.  Meaning, if I hope for nothing I can expect nothing.  Goals bring commitment and clarity to my character.  My goals tell the world something about me.  For instance, there is a great difference between the person whose goal is to make their first million before the age of thirty and the person whose goal is to build wells for those living without water in a poverty-stricken country.  

Goals are visions of what could be and feedback is the reality that tests our resolve.  Kouzes & Posner (2007) said, “Feedback and goals keep people engaged” (p. 288).  Expanding on their comment, they said, “People need to know if they’re making progress toward the goal or simply marking time.  Having goals helps to serve that function, but that is not enough.  People’s motivation to increase productivity on a task increases only when they have a challenging goal and receive feedback on their progress; goals without feedback, or feedback without goals, have little effect on motivation” (p. 288).

Twenty years in the Air Force taught me a great deal about goals, feedback, teamwork, and personal growth.  After I retired, my understanding continued to grow through a decade-plus of men’s ministry and marriage counseling.  Too often, many people wander aimlessly through life being carried by the wind of other’s dreams and visions.  Handicapped by fear and insecurity, the mass of society esteems the courageous who dare to be different—those men and women with the faith to dream and the tenacity to persevere.

  

John Maxwell said, “The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.” The beauty of leadership lies in its ability to change both leader and follower.  Through interaction and unity, through genuine relationships and experience, and especially by helping each other improve, we learn to create, build, launch, and heal.  The most important aspect of a goal is that there is one.  One of the critical natures of feedback is in the heart of the one who administers it.  Leaders give feedback from a passion to improve others.  In the same manner, leaders should receive feedback from the same position: to improve.

What are your thoughts regarding Brown's contention that there are generational differences in the amount of feedback desired by employees?

Every Wednesday I have lunch with my twenty-year old son.  Today I asked him, “What are you willing to fight for? What are you passionate about?”  I challenged him to examine his heart.  I’ve often asked him about his goals.  I think parents too often overlay their goals onto their children like a transparency sheet on an overhead projector.  Rather than tell my son his goals, I want him to find them; to mine them.  I want my feedback to encourage.  This is a parental challenge in its own right.  For instance, I slightly bemoaned, “You want to work on cars?”  At nearly fifty-years of age, I’ve changed my oil less than five times. “Mechanic? Really?”

I think you get the picture.

Brown (2011) said “There’s a difference between the generations in how to provide feedback. Gen Y (those born after 1980) wanted a lot of feedback—from their immediate bosses and anyone else” (p. 323).  Moreover, he shares that “a survey of Ernst & Young employees found that 65 percent of younger workers said that providing detailed guidance in their daily work was moderately or extremely important. This compared to 39 percent for older workers” (p.323).

My feedback toward my son is meant to guide, direct, and maybe even help him avoid some pitfalls and minefields along the way.   We spend time together and through conversation I’ll add my thoughts in hopes that he’ll grab ahold of a few of them.  Brown also said, “The combination of goal setting with feedback on individual performance has a positive effect on performance.”  That combination helps my son find his way through the challenges of school, girlfriend, his truck, a part-time job, and an uncertain future.  

How much feedback do you generally give and receive?

The terms feedback and advice have been associated with such derogatory context that simply mentioning them can cause people to cringe.  There is a difference between official feedback and unofficial feedback.  For instance, in the Air Force, they have an “official” system referred to as Enlisted Evaluation System (EES).  Among many things, the EES provides meaningful feedback to individuals on what is expected of them, advice on how well they are meeting expectations, and advice on how to better meet the expectations.  The Air Force defines performance feedback as, “private, formal communication a rater uses to tell a rate what is expected regarding duty performance and how well the rate is meeting expectations (DAF, 2003).

While there is a place for official feedback—especially in helping employees achieve their personal and professional goals—the most important and effective type of feedback is the unofficial feedback that occurs when people “do life together.”

By establishing trusting relationships, I’ve learned that the best way to give feedback is from a place of compassion and care.  It’s the old adage, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”  As I’ve learned to develop trust with someone, it gives me authority and access into their lives.  It’s there that I can address inappropriate and selfish behaviors.  Feedback ranges from telling an airmen that they will need to iron their uniform to telling a friend he is disrespecting his wife.

Leading men’s ministry provides me ample opportunity to offer advice about the choices men are making.  Likewise, I’ve told them it is not wise for them to listen to me if I am not listening to someone.  In other words, “don’t submit your life to a mentor or coach who hasn’t submitted their life to another.”  With that said, I have a handful of people in my life that ask me hard questions and provide feedback on my answers.  I can honestly say the feedback given and received is offered in the spirit of love and compassion.  One of the greatest forms of goal setting and feedback occurs in the context of mentoring relationships. Mentoring is a relationship in which a more experienced manager helps a less experienced protégé (Yukl, 2010).

I’m a firm believer in goals and self-development.  Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy (2002) said, “It is difficult to ask employees to make wise decisions if they do not know where the company is headed.  Employees should know what the company and work unit are trying to accomplish and how these accomplishments will be measured, and they should be given regular feedback on progress” (p. 539). Without goals, feedback is useless.   Without feedback, goals can be elusive.

Have you found that for you personally, having specific goals and receiving targeted feedback has led to more engagement, higher performance, or any other benefits (or drawbacks)?

Brown (2011) said, “To achieve specific goals, employees may require training or additional resources, such as new equipment or information. Managers may need to work with employees in developing action plans. Finally, managers should provide timely and objective feedback when the goal is completed” (p. 324).  Personally, I’ve discovered the more specific a goal, the greater the accountability.  Merely stating, “I want to be a better husband” can be as arbitrary as taking out the trash without being asked.  Rather, stating, “I want to be a better husband by romancing my wife and taking her on a date twice a month” is altogether different.  Lack of specificity leaves room for compromise and rationalization.  Specificity also encourages feedback.

In view of feedback, Dr. Gary Collins (2002) said, “This [feedback] is one form of encouragement, but it involves more.  Feedback is most effective when it deals with specific issues, includes affirmation, and points to ways in which there might be further action or improvement” (p. 111). 

As I began to step into the pastorate and give my time to people in need, I required mentorship and feedback from those who have been doing it longer than I had.  They taught me to guard my time and protect my boundaries.  As a result, I’ve learned to keep other people’s issue in proper perspective and to ensure they remained “their issues” and not mine.

John Maxwell (1995) said, “Feedback is a crucial part of the process of developing people.  I always give them some kind of evaluation.  I’m honest, and I do my homework to make sure I’m accurate.  I give constructive criticism. This lets them know how they’re doing, corrects problems, encourages improvements, and speeds the work” (p. 103).  Having a pastoral mentor walk with me as I grew in church leadership helped me understand the ins-and-outs of church business and relationship management.

What are the implications of your reflection?

John Maxwell (1995) said, “People need clear objectives set before them if they are to achieve anything of value. Success never comes instantaneously. It comes from taking many small steps. A set of goals becomes a map a potential leader can follow in order to grow.”

My growth as a leader has materialized from achieving both short-term goals and long term goals.  Feedback has guided my behavior in accomplishing both.  I’ve learned that if you cannot successfully attain short term goals, then you will be unable to reach long term goals.  Start small.  Jesus said, “He who can be trusted with little can be trusted with much” (NIV, Luke 16:10).  Feedback from 2000 years ago still rings true today.

This assignment reminded me of the importance of specific goals and honest, regular feedback.

Steve

References:

Brown, D.R. (2011). Organizational development. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education,

            Inc.

Collins, G. R. (2002). Christian coaching. Colorado Springs, CO: People Helper’s International,

            Inc.

Department of the Air Force. (2003). Promotion Fitness Examination. Air Force Pamphlet 36-

            2241, Volume 1.

Hughes, R.L., Ginnett, R.C., & Curphy, G.J. (2002). Leadership: enhancing the lessons of

experience. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Kouzes, J.M., & Posner, B.Z. (2007). The leadership challenge. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley

& Sons, Inc.

Maxwell, J.C. (1995). Developing the leaders around you. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Maxwell, J.C. (2001). The 17 indisputable laws of teamwork. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson,

            Inc.

Yukl, G. (2010). Leadership in organizations. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

A631.2.5.RB_RuggerioSteven

The Challenges of E-Teamwork

Famous NCAA basketball coach John Wooden said, “Some of my greatest pleasures have come from finding ways to overcome obstacles.”  Persevering through an aggressive academic program at a brick-and-mortar institution is very challenging and it requires great discipline and tenacity to complete the program. The National Student Clearinghouse Center reported that, “Just over half—or 54.1 percent, to be exact—of first-time college students starting school in 2006 graduated within six years.”  Many give up, move on, or check out.  The sleepless nights, endless reading, and high-pressure tests can be too unbearable for many. 

As difficult as it, taking classes at a university, it is equally if not more challenging to pursue an online education.  It requires a whole new level of self-discipline.  When the curriculum adds team-based assignments, the stress increases yet again.  With that said, the faculty and team at Embry-Riddle have produced a program that fosters effective teamwork in an online environment.  It is only fitting that the largest team I’ve been assigned to in an online community is in my current course: Leading High Performance Teams.  We spent the first two weeks of class producing a team charter—essential for direction, accountability, and defining responsibilities.  Here are a few lessons learned:

What behaviors seemed to help your team successfully complete its task?

The key to online teams is flexibility and communication.  Interestingly, we started this course with two teams of 3-4 people.  At the end of the first week, a few students dropped out and the instructor combined two teams into one.  When I was notified of the merger, I had already stepped us as leader of my initial team by creating a document and sending an introductory email.  When the teams were merged, I noticed they had drafted a charter.  It wasn’t long before they welcomed a fellow student and I from the defunct team into the fold.  As stated earlier, by remaining flexible and consistently communicating, we were able to get everyone on the same page and begin our new journey together.

What factors inhibited decision-making or problem solving?

Fortunately, there were no glaring weaknesses or hurdles early in our team development process.  Obviously, there are time constraints and everyone has other challenges in their life from family to work to children.  With military deployments, home emergencies, and technological issues, combining efforts and producing quality work will require great effort from everyone.  When I entered my new team, it seemed Charles had taken the lead by compiling student submission for the charter.   This proved to be a great help as I was predisposed this weekend and out of pocket Friday through Saturday. 

How much time was spent on decision-making and problem solving? How was information shared among team members?

Prior to starting this degree program, I forecasted the availability of approximately 15 hours per week.  On average, it requires closer to 20-25 hours each week to remain caught up.  Since we are still in the early stages of team development and forecasting our upcoming assignments, there was not a significant amount of time requirements.  We passed information back and forth a few times and discussed personal responsibilities necessary to produce quality work.  After a few iterations of the charter being passed back and forth, we all had a chance to provide the necessary input and finalize the report. Up to this point information has only been shared over emails and file exchanges. In the future, we hope to share thoughts and input through a telecom.

How did issues of authority or power affect the team? How did collaboration and competition influence the outcome? Did team members make process interventions?

Everyone on the team seems to be open to share leadership for each assignment.  There are no power struggles or authority issues at this point.  The responsibilities will be distributed week to week to allow each team member an opportunity to compile inputs from everyone and submit the assignments. The team collaborated together very well.  Email request for information were requested with great respect and patience.  Competition was nonexistent and every one was willing to help each other with busy schedules and deadlines. As stated earlier, the team is still very early in the development stage and the initial assignment did not pose any initial personality problems or lack of responses.  With that said, the team was able to initiate some of the process interventions; such as, clarifying and summarizing.  Each member submitted his or her forecasted responsibilities and Charles—as team lead—summarized everyone’s input into a collective document.  Based on our first two weeks of contact, I believe it is going to be a great semester of collaboration and teamwork. 

Steve