The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service

Vol. 14, No. 28  May 27, 2008

IN THIS ISSUE... 

...Word from the Associate Director - Extension and Applied Research
...Wind Energy Follow-up
...Thank You from David Kehler
...Early Bird Discount - Galaxy III
...Kansas Wheat "Speak for Wheat" Spokesperson Recruitment
...Discovering the Leader Within You - Enabling Others to Act
...Master Schedule

                                                                                                           ...Tuesday Letter Archives

WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
Reprinted by request from November 20, 2007. I've formulated a very simple equation to describe extension work:

extension work = technology transfer + outreach + engagement

Where I have defined technology transfer as "the knowledge/new technology from which we work, or it's our subject matter competencies;" outreach as "the act of extending services, education, experiences, etc., to a wider section of the population, as in community work;" and, engagement is "an emotional involvement or commitment." Another way to describe engagement is to "take personal interest in your clientele, getting to know them, listening to them in such a way as to know how they desire to learn and to make change, and investing your commitment and passion towards their successes."

The importance of each element that leads to extension work can be described by what happens if some element is left out.

If you have technology transfer and outreach, the new knowledge and technology are out there, but no one really cares if it gets translated into something useful and productive for the audience. The audience may be there and hear all about the new knowledge, but won't employ the concepts being taught, in part because change is difficult and nobody is passionate about helping the audience through that change.

If you have technology transfer and engagement, the knowledge and the commitment are both present to create change, but there lacks a well designed plan for delivering it effectively to the target audience. Most likely, the majority of the target audience won't even be reached.

If you have outreach and engagement, but not the technology transfer, you have a great model for delivering something and a passion for seeing change, but lack the validity of subject matter knowledge to keep the audience moving forward. Most likely, the audience will stop by and subsequently lose interest due to a lack of validity in the knowledge being conveyed.

The EFFECTIVENESS of extension work is truly a combination of all three of these ingredients. Great extension work comes out of delivering valid, important knowledge and technology through appropriate, interesting teaching methods, and then seeing to it that your audience is able to utilize that knowledge however appropriate because YOU believe it is what they need for their successes. And, they know their success is ever so important to YOU.

An Extension Worker's personal development is never finished if he/she takes all three components of extension work seriously in his/her passion to make a difference.

Have a great week. --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu

WIND ENERGY FOLLOW-UP
Steady, prolonged wind, a perpetual bane to Kansas farmers, is quickly becoming a marketable commodity. Fueled by escalating energy costs, political mandates and a growing desire for energy independence, wind energy provides a promising future in Kansas.

But there can be pitfalls. Leading the list of concerns for Kansas land owners is the less-than-sincere "hired guns" delivering long-term leases contracts. Often accompanied with an implied "… sign or else…" message, some contracts may not be in the long-term interest of current landowners, their families or subsequent landowners.

K-State Research and Extension partnered with the KSU Foundation and a handful of other groups to sponsor four wind energy meetings. The distinguished panel represented an energy developer, the Kansas Bar Association, the Kansas Corporation Commission, and the Kansas Electric Cooperatives. Other speakers included a lawyer, a university professor, and Kansas Farm Bureau.

Based on long-term relationships and trust, land owners may turn to Extension and Research staff for guidance as they evaluate land lease options. The KSU Foundation can help you serve your community.

Several wind farms are producing electric power, several others are under development and more are planned. Interest continues to build and land owners will need assistance for the next several years. Wind energy is fueled by a variety of financial incentives and a state government mandate that 10 percent of Kansas energy be provided by wind power by 2010, and 20 percent by 2020. More than 200 professionals attended meetings held in Garden City, Hays, Wichita and Salina.

Contracts often include dozen of pages and complex legal language. Land owners are always encouraged to include their legal advisor BEFORE signing a lease agreement.

Bruce Kent, KSU Foundation gift planning attorney, can provide direction for land owners and Extension and Research staff. Land owners may want to convert their lease payments into life income arrangements and support local student scholarships, Extension and Research programming or any number of education-focused programs. Gordon Dowell, gift planning officer for Extension and real estate, will work with land owners to develop such programs.

Kent and Dowell are available at 800-432-1578, or brucek@found.ksu.edu  or gordond@found.ksu.edu .--Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu

THANK YOU FROM DAVID KEHLER
I want to thank all who sent condolences and recognized the passing of my father. The cards, e-mails, and contributions to memorials have been overwhelming. I am reminded of how fortunate I am to work with such a caring group of people. --David Kehler dkehler@oznet.ksu.edu

KANSAS WHEAT "SPEAK FOR WHEAT" SPOKESPERSON RECRUITMENT
Kansas Wheat (Kansas Wheat Commission and Kansas Association of Wheat Growers) is accepting applications for volunteer "Speak for Wheat" Spokespersons. Spokespersons provide educational programs to various audiences including schools, extension service, and civic groups. They have a passion to teach all ages about wheat production, nutrition and wheat food preparation. Volunteers are especially needed in southeast and central Kansas.

Training for existing and potential Spokespersons will be held during the Kansas Wheat Conference in Hutchinson on August 5-6. Spokespersons will be asked to be a member of one of these teams: Nutrition; Field to Table; and Production & Research.

If you know of qualified and interested men and women, please contact Cindy Falk for an application at cfalk@kswheat.com  or call 785-539-0255. --Steven M. Graham sgraham@k-state.edu

DISCOVERING THE LEADER WITHIN YOU – ENABLING OTHERS TO ACT
The Leadership Development Program Focus Team invites you to join us in continuing to explore the five practices of exemplary leadership outlined in Kouzes & Posner’s highly acclaimed book, “The Leadership Challenge.” This week’s featured practice is “enabling others to act ”

Good leaders know that they can’t do it alone – leadership is a team effort. Leaders enable others to act by fostering collaboration and strengthening others.

At the heart of fostering collaboration is trust. When leaders create a climate of trust, they take away the controls and allow people to be free to innovate and contribute. Trusting leaders nurture openness, involvement, personal satisfaction, and high levels of commitment to excellence. Knowing that trust is key, exemplary leaders make sure that they consider alternative viewpoints, and they make use of other people’s expertise and abilities. The simple act of listening to what others have to say and appreciating their unique points of view demonstrates sensitivity to people’s needs and interests. Trust is also created when we make ourselves vulnerable to others whose behavior we can’t control. You can’t hoard the power you have as a leader; you have to give it away. When you trust others and give them more control – more discretion, more authority, and more information – they are much more likely to use their energies to produce extraordinary results. If leaders want the higher levels of performance that come with trust and collaboration, they must demonstrate their trust in others before asking for trust from others.

Developing the competence and confidence of others is at the heart of strengthening others. For leaders, helping others become more competent, more capable, more effective, and leaders in their own right is a personal and hands on affair. Leaders understand that command-and-control techniques are a thing of the past; they work to strengthen others by making them feel strong, capable, informed, and connected. Leaders know that if people don’t have opportunities to put their talents and skills to good use, they’ll wind up frustrated and disengaged. To help others develop their skills and competencies, leaders place others (not themselves) at the center of solving problems and contributing to key goals – this means letting go so that others can figure out for themselves what needs to be done. Acting as a coach is another way that leaders develop the competence and confidence of others by helping them learn how to use their skills and talents and to learn from their experiences. Enriching the experiences of others so that they feel important and connected to the big picture is another way that leaders strengthen others by creating opportunities to network, providing learning opportunities and support, and making sure that everyone has a customer or client – another person or group that they’re serving through their efforts.

Kouzes and Posner note that when leadership is understood as a relationship based on collaboration and strengthening others, people are enabled to act – to take risks, make changes, and keep programs, organizations, and movements alive.

What have you said or done recently to help a colleague or community member to feel strong, capable, informed, and connected to the work of Extension? How can you contribute to a strong sense of teamwork and trust among coworkers and board members? When was the last time you volunteered to coach someone to help them work through a tough issue or learn from their experiences? As a leader, how can you engage others in solving problems to develop their skills and competencies?

Interested in becoming a better leader by enabling others to act? Participate in the “Discovering the Leader Within You” workshop on October 7–9, 2008, at the Sedgwick County Extension Education Center in Wichita. The workshop will be facilitated by a former senior executive with National 4-H Council with years of experience in Extension to help you better understand how to apply the five practices of exemplary leadership to become a better leader. The $200 workshop registration fee includes a personal 360-degree assessment of your leadership skills. Seating is limited to 25 people on a first-come, first-served basis, so don’t wait to register! Additional information and registration form are available at www.oznet.ksu.edu/Employee_Resources/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=206 . --Robert Wilson rmwilson@k-state.edu

VIEW THE MASTER SCHEDULE OR ADD NEW ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS