Leadership Development 2

1.     Using the ADF vision statement at https://www.adf.org/about/basics/vision.html as a guide, how would you (as an ADF Priest) promote the growth and vision of ADF? (minimum 100 words)

            A vision statement is intended to set the goals for a future of an organization. It should be consulted when planning or making decisions for the organization.    The Vision of ADF strongly emphasizes excellence.  It aims for excellent scholarship, artistic endeavors, clergy training, and liturgy.  It describes publicly available worship and teaching, and the freedom for everyone to communicate with the Shining Ones in their own way (Bonewits).  There are two primary ways that I currently promote the growth and vision of ADF in my current work, scholarship and online rituals. 

            Scholarship is an important part of my personal practice, so I appreciate that ADF values it and has included it in our vision statement.  To help promote the growth and vision of ADF, I openly discuss and share the scholarship that I am doing by discussing it with others, and also sharing my scholarly work on my website.  Additionally, some of these articles, poems, etc. that have been created for ADF scholarship has also been shared in Oak Leaves and publications outside of ADF.

            Online rituals is another area that I feel helps promote the vision of ADF.  These videos promote the artistry and liturgy, while providing a publicly available form of worship and ritual to a much larger population than physical rituals can.  These videos are performed by volunteers from vastly different backgrounds and provide them an opportunity to also feel more involved with the organization.  I’m proud of the work that has gone into these, and so far they have gained over 4,500 views.   It’s a wonderful way to share our mission, promote ADF, and provide a type of group practice to those who may be physically segregated from others.

2.     Describe five techniques you can use in your own life to improve your management of time. (minimum 300 words)

            Time management is something that is very important to me in my personal, professional, and spiritual life.  I am a mother of two with a full time job and multiple hats within ADF.  If I did not manage my time well, it would be very easy for me to get overwhelmed, or for something to get forgotten completely.  There are many ways that someone could improve time management, but for me, there are five techniques that I find most useful: establishing personal deadlines, maintaining accurate calendars, using checklists and to-do lists, handling correspondence quickly, and adjusting priorities as needed (Clark). 

Establishing personal deadlines and ones for the organization

            It is very important to be able to prioritize and maintain a schedule of tasks to complete to stay on top of things.  It’s much more difficult to do this if you allow yourself to fall behind.  This is why deadlines are incredibly important.   When I begin on a new task or project, I set a specific deadline, along with target checkpoints along the way.  This prevents procrastination, and also gives me some guidelines to check how the project is going and whether the final deadline is achievable. 

Maintaining accurate calendars

            Maintaining accurate calendars is vitally important for me to manage my time.  I currently use three separate Google Calendars that can all be viewed either individually or together at one time to track every aspect of my life.  These three calendars (work, family, and ADF) allow me to set reminders of upcoming events and deadlines, and adjust as needed if there are conflicts.  It also helps me to communicate to my family and my team at work what we have going on each day. 

Using checklists and to-do lists

            Checklists and to-do lists are very helpful in my time management.  They allow me to track all of the things that may not be big enough to put on the calendar, but still need to be completed.  It’s also how I track the individual steps or parts of larger projects.  For example, with my ADF Study Program work, I maintain a spreadsheet of all of the individual courses, along with hopeful deadlines and overlapping requirements.  This helps me make sure that I am not missing anything, while also giving me something tangible to do (checking off an item) in the lulls when course work cannot be submitted.  It helps me feel like I’m making progress and keeps me motivated.    

Handling correspondence expeditiously with quick, short letters and memos

            I am a firm believer that having a clean inbox allows me to be more productive and useful.  I treat my email inbox as its own ‘to-do’ list, archiving and labelling those items that I do not need to respond to, but want to keep for reference, and deleting anything that isn’t needed immediately.  This also means that I check my email multiple times a day, every day of the week, but it’s how I prefer to work.  It allows me to see what items I still need to respond to, and keeps me from being overwhelmed, or missing a communication because of an overly full inbox.  

Adjusting priorities as a result of new tasks

            Often, both in work and in my spiritual life, a project will be pushed aside for something that is more time sensitive or needed.  When this happens it is important to re-prioritize tasks, potentially rescheduling other projects, updating calendars, and adjusting to-do lists.  All of these items work together to help keep time management manageable.

3.     Describe four ways to run an effective meeting. (minimum 50 words each)

            There are many different ways that you can run an effective meeting.  The four that I will be focusing on are: creating an agenda, arriving on time, assigning a note taker, and reviewing assigned steps (Clark). 

Create an Agenda

            Creating an agenda for a meeting has many benefits.  An agenda allows people to see what the meeting is for and what is expected to be covered.  It also acts as a sort of to-do list to make sure that something does not get missed or forgotten along the way.  If a discussion does get off topic, it helps act as a reminder of what should be discussed and can help keep things moving forward. 

Arrive on Time

            Arriving on time is something that I find very important.  For me, timeliness is a form of respect.  By not showing up to a meeting on time, you’re indicating that your time is more important than the time of the other people in the meeting.  If everyone but one person arrives at a meeting on time and are forced to wait for that person, it can delay the entire agenda and may make it more difficult to achieve the goals for a meeting.  If the other attendees choose not to wait, they may end up having to explain prior discussions to the person who arrives late, which also makes the meeting longer and more complicated than it needs to be.

Assign a Note Taker

            A note taker is very important to a meeting to document the discussion that is being held, but also to help remind people of the conversation after the meeting has ended.  Meeting notes help make sure that everyone has the same understanding of the meeting results, and also guarantees that everyone receives the same information. 

Review Assigned Next Steps

            At the end of the meeting, it is important to review the upcoming tasks of individuals who are in the meeting.  By reviewing these items, it helps clarify who is responsible for what actions, and verifies that they know it is their responsibility to complete.  This helps ensure that everyone is on the same page and something doesn’t fall through the cracks because no one knew who was doing a specific task.

4.     Describe four barriers to running an effective meeting and discuss how you would overcome each barrier. (minimum 50 words each)

            Meetings are an important part of most companies.  They allow for the planning, discussions, and decision making to happen by a group of people.  However, it’s also really easy to have a bad meeting.  There are four barriers that could make a meeting ineffective that I will discuss here:  lack of objective, lack of time management, lack of involvement, and boredom (Clark). 

Lack of Objective

            An objective gives participants a clear expectation of meeting goals and what should be accomplished by the meeting.  If the objective isn’t defined, it’s much harder for the meeting to be productive.  However, this is also a fairly easy barrier to overcome.  Creating an agenda helps give guidance to the participants, and allows for everyone to understand the “desired outcome” of the meeting (Clark).

Lack of Time Management

            Meeting participants with poor time management can be a serious barrier to an effective meeting.  To overcome this, make sure to communicate the start time and length of a meeting, as well as the meeting location, prior to the event.  This gives people the opportunity to arrive on time, and know when they arrive how long the discussion is expected to last.  

Lack of Involvement

            Meetings where only a single person provides any discussion or feedback tend to be less productive.  Meetings are a way to collaborate and work together, and if no one is willing to be involved in the discussion, then it will not be a very effective meeting.  There are a few ways to help get people involved.  Asking open-ended questions allows people to have more conversation and allows them to give more of their feedback.  Also be sure to keep any disagreements focused completely on the topic at hand, and not on the participants (Clark).  This will help people feel safer in their ability to share opinions that may be different from the group. 

Meetings are boring

            The final barrier that I will discuss is boredom.  Everyone knows that meetings, especially those that are long, can be very boring.  Listening to one person talk, or staring at an agenda is not at all exciting, and can actually stifle creativity.  There are many ways to overcome this barrier, without making the meeting too chaotic to be productive.  Simple things like bright colors, pictures, and simple key points instead of big blocks of text can make agendas or presentations more interesting.  Additionally, you can track discussion items on things like flip charts to give a physical representation, and also add some movement to the discussion (Clark).  These are just a few very basic ways to make a meeting less boring. 

5.   Define and describe the characteristics of the term "effective communication" and discuss at least three barriers to effective communication. (minimum 200 words)

            Effective communication is defined as when “the receiver understands the exact information or idea that the sender intended to transmit” (Clark).  Effective communication follows three primary steps: thought, encoding, and decoding.  The thought begins in the brain of the person who will be sharing the message.  The message is then encoded, or sent to the receiver.  Finally the message is received and decoded, hopefully allowing the recipient of the message to understand the message from the sender (Clark). 

            There are many barriers that can prohibit or hinder effective communication.  For the purpose of this discussion, I will be focusing on three: culture, environment, and perception. Your culture is the “the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group” (Merriam-Webster). Culture has a major impact on people and the way they send and receive communications because it forms the basis for our biases, our expectations, and our traits.  A difference in cultures may have a major impact in how a message is sent or received.  For example, in some cultures direct eye contact is a form of respect, while in others it’s seen as a form of aggression.  A simple act of looking someone in the eye can set a tone in a discussion unintentionally if the sender and receiver do not have a firm understanding of each other’s cultures. 

            Environmental factors can also have a significant impact on communication. If you are in an environment that is uncomfortable, such as being too hot, you may find that a message is harder to receive.  Environmental influences such as temperature, smells, and lights can all be a distraction and make communication less effective (Clark).  By moving to an environment that is more comfortable for the participants, communication can be much more effective.

            Perception can also change a message significantly from person to person.  Perception is defined as “a way of regarding, understanding, or interpreting something; a mental impression” (Merriam-Webster).  Essentially, perception is the way that our brains process and interpret ideas and messages.  Our opinions can also change our perception.  For example, if you are speaking with someone who you do not believe is intelligent, it’s quite possible that you’ll be more dismissive and less receptive to their suggestions, even if they are valid.  However, if there is someone that you respect and view and very intelligent, you’re more likely to listen to their thoughts and be open to them. This is something that happens subconsciously and often we aren’t even ware that these perceptions are changing our interpretation of a message.

6.   Describe three avenues of communication that you have utilized to raise awareness about ADF in your community and name three more avenues that you may utilize in the future. (min.300 words)

            Raising awareness about ADF in my community can be a challenge at times because there are many pagans who are still not comfortable being open about their religious path.  However, I have put a lot of effort into awareness and accessibility for those who are interested in learning more or exploring our spiritual traditions.  I was previously the Senior Druid of a grove.  As part of that grove, we spent five years hosting high day rituals that were open to the public.  We had discussion times both before and after the rituals to allow for people to ask questions and get any clarification or information they wanted about ADF. We also made sure to have pamphlets on hand that they could take with them if they were interested.

            I have also had the opportunity to attend many Pan-Pagan events, such as Pagan Pride Days, Mystic Festivals, and multi-group celebrations.  These events have allowed for information booths, presentations, and discussions to occur which all give me the opportunity to share my experiences within ADF and the blessings it has brought to my life. 

            Finally, I have had the opportunity to work with a local college to attend and participate in their events, including spiritual retreats, classroom lectures, and their Pagan Student Alliance group.  These interactions have allowed me to work with college students, instructors, and the interfaith team to not only expel myths about Pagans in general, but also share information about ADF and the work that we do in it.

            No matter how much work you put into community building and awareness, there is always more you can do.  First, I already post ritual videos on the ADF Youtube channel.  I think it would be incredibly beneficial for us to also provide informational and workshop style videos that we could utilize across social media to bring awareness to ADF not just in my local community, but on an international level.   I also hope to put more time and effort into my blog, and share it within my local community.  This would allow me to show my active ADF practices in our local environment, which I think could be very beneficial for people.  Finally, we have a very popular local metaphysical store.  He would be more than happy to have a stack of fliers or pamphlets about ADF at the store.

7.   Choose three of the following questions that you might be asked by the media or public and write a response that you might give. (minimum 100 words for each response)

A fireman says, "Your neighbors have reported that you have a fire in your backyard. We need to see what's going on!"

Good evening.  Our neighbors are correct, we do currently have a fire in our backyard that is in a controlled fire pit.  The fire is an important part of a religious ceremony that we will be holding tonight.  You’re welcome to join us to check it out if you’re interested.  We are following standard fire-safety protocols, including having a fire extinguisher on hand, and a hose nearby in case of emergencies.  We also checked with the local ordinances and verified there are not any current burn bans in place.  As I mentioned, the fire is an important part of our rituals, but we also honor the land and the spirits of nature, so we have no interest in doing anything that may harm our environment.  Would you like to see the fire? 

"I have heard that ADF members practice polyamory. Isn't that against the law?"

       You are correct, there are members of ADF that do practice polyamory.  ADF does not discriminate people based on their personal romantic choices, and does not concern itself with the relationships between consenting adults.  Being a member of ADF also does not require someone to be polyamorous. However, I think you may be confusing polyamory and polygamy.  Polyamory is having multiple consensual relationships at the same time.  These types of relationships can vary significantly in the number and relationship style of partners.  There are no laws in place currently that forbid polyamory in any of its forms.  Polygamy, on the other hand, is having multiple legally recognized spouses.  In the state of Nebraska, polygamy is against the law. If you need clarification or additional information on the differences between the two, please let me know and I’ll be happy to point you toward some resources. 

"Is ADF a cult or a religion?"

            ADF is a religious organization and definitely not a cult. There are quite a few very basic differences between the practices of ADF, and what a cult is comprised of.  Cults are organizations that are highly secretive in their practices.  ADF actively promotes public worship, going so far as to include public spiritual practices in our vision statement.   One of the warning signs of a cult is having a leader that is always right and the dictatorial director of an organization.  ADF is a democratic organization that allows our leadership, including a board of directors, to be voted into office by the membership.  Additionally, our bylaws explicitly state that the archdruid, or head of our organization, is not infallible in any way.  There are several other differences as well, but if you’re interested in learning more or having a deeper conversation, let me know and I’ll be happy to discuss this further with you. 

Works Cited

Bonewits, Rev. Isaac. The Vision of ADF. 2010. 2019. <https://www.adf.org/about/basics/vision.html>.

Clark, Donald. The Art and Science of Leadership. 1997. 2019. <http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leader.html>.

Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster Dictionary. n.d. 2019. <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary>.