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In this issue:
United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
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March 10-12, 2006 - NALS PDE, Tulsa
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Texas ALP is pleased to offer its Leadership Training course on Saturday, May 20, 2006, from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. in Lubbock, Texas. Please see the attached flyer for detailed information. This leadership training course is designed to help all members who are considering running for office, as well as all current members who are officers, strengthen their leadership skills, to help members become more successful leaders, and to offer an understanding of what each officer position is responsible for, as well as providing the “big picture” of an officer’s duties and responsibilities to the chapter.
Registration Deadline: We look forward to seeing you there! |
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Ten Leadership Characteristics
No organization can rise above the quality of its leadership. Because leadership is a position that must be earned day in and day out, there are important personal choices that both new and experienced leaders must make on a regular basis. Effective leaders are first and foremost effective people. Personal ethics can't be separated from professional ethics. Therefore, the character of the leader is essential. The following list of ten characteristics is a valuable guide for quality living in addition to being critical criteria for leadership. A high standard of personal ethics leads the list. Honest Abe Lincoln, who walked miles to return a customer's change, is a classic example of how personal ethics are reflected in professional conduct. Decisions made under pressure and/or temptation separate the great ones from the impostors. High energy. Great leaders are not exhausted by dealing with petty issues. These people know right from wrong as well as the difference between what's truly important and what's merely interesting. The ability to work priorities shares equal importance with setting priorities. Many brilliant priority lists end up in the landfill of life. The difference between setting priorities and working them through is the difference between a dreamer and a doer. Courage. The willingness to take risks and accept responsibility for the outcome is a consistent quality among effective leaders. Either you or your fears will control everything you do. An organization will be no bolder than the leader. Committed and dedicated hard working leaders will eventually develop dedicated and hard working organizations regardless of who they start with or the experience they bring to the job. Unorthodox leaders have an urge to create and don't have the patience to wait for a phone to ring before acting. Effective leaders are innovators who bore easily and prefer shaping tomorrow to repeating yesterday. Great leaders have the goal orientation to make tough decisions. Goal orientation produces a drive and energy that shield us from the pain of the task. Keeping an organization focused increases efficiency. Inspired enthusiasm is like the pilot light on the oven. Genuine enthusiasm is contagious. People look to their leaders for enthusiasm. The inspiration level of the organization is directly proportionate to the enthusiasm of the leader--be it high or low. Level-headed people make realistic leaders who respond to problems rather than simply react. A leader who can stay cool under pressure inspires confidence among those in the organization and empowers them to do the same. The desire to help others succeed is the mark of a truly great leader. Synergy is created when a leader truly invests his or her efforts in the success of others. Zig Ziglar says it like this, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care abut them." Whether you're trying to increase your own effectiveness as a leader or are trying to develop leadership talent within your organization, keep studying the characteristics of those you consider to be great leaders. Remember that leadership is an art, not a science and the difference between a genuinely effective leader and a short-term motivator can be found in the personal decisions an individual makes when choosing how to live his or her life. Long-term commitment to the principles described above will produce an effective leader and, over time, an inspired organization. Reprinted by permission. Danny Cox is an award-winning speaker with a difference––he speaks from personal experience as a test pilot and as a businessman. That experience includes taking a declining organization and turning it into a booming industry leader with an ultimate 800% increase in productivity. Among his most popular topics for corporate clients are Leadership When The Heat's On and There Are No Limits: Breaking The Barriers in Personal High Performance. Danny wrote three books, Leadership When The Heat's On, Seize The Day: 7 Steps to Achieving the Extraordinary in an Ordinary World, and There Are No Limits. Visit Danny's website at http://www.dannycox.com |
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By: Sharon Simpson, PLS Membership Committee President John Kennedy’s immortal words "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country" can also be used with our tri-level association. "Ask not what NALS, Texas ALP, and your local chapter can do for you, but what you can do for it?" Membership in this great association is such a rewarding experience. You can take advantage of the many avenues of learning, friendship, learning, certifications, learning, networking, and more learning. Stop and ask yourself – if you had not joined this association, where would you be professionally today? Would you "just be working" in a law firm, day in and day out, waiting for a paycheck? Instead, you have chosen the path to professionalism by becoming a member of NALS, Texas ALP, and your local chapter. You may have chosen the upward path of adding credentials to your name – whether it is the ALS, PLS, PP, or specialty certification through the Institute. Our association has numerous benefits to share. Without you, our benefits cannot be shared with the legal community. Everyone of us needs to make it a personal goal to retain as many of our members as possible and to work toward increasing our membership. Ask yourself: "What can I do for NALS, Texas ALP, and my local chapter, to retain our membership and spread the word?" Whatever the answer is, share it with other members, and spread the news about NALS, Texas ALP, and your local chapter! |
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Answers to Last Month’s Parliamentary Quiz 1. ___________ is used to obtain information about meeting procedure. • (a) Parliamentary inquiry ○ (b) Point of information ○ (c) Point of order 2. Previous question means __________. ○ (a) call for the assembly to return to the agenda. • (b) if adopted by a two-thirds vote, debate ends and a vote is immediately taken ○ (c) a request for the secretary to read the motion aloud 3. Other than the Articles of Incorporation, the highest body of rules in an organization are _______________________. ○ (a) Robert’s Rules of Order • (b) bylaws ○ (c) standing rules 4. A quorum is _______________. ○ (a) the largest number than can be expected to attend a meeting, except in bad weather. ○ (b) a majority of the members present • (c) the minimum number of members who must be present for business to be transacted 5. A main motion _________________. • (a) brings business before the assembly ○ (b) cannot be amended ○ (c) is the highest ranking motion 6. If a member makes a motion that is not in order, __________. ○ (a) he should be censured ○ (b) he should be ruled out of order by the chair • (c) the chair may suggest an alternate motion 7. If the bylaws require an election to be by ballot, __________. ○ (a) a voice vote can be used if there is no objection and there is only one nominee for each office ○ (b) this provision can be suspended by unanimous consent, and a rising vote used instead • (c) this provision cannot be suspended, even by a unanimous vote. 8. Division of the question means __________. • (a) to separate a motion into two or more parts, each capable of standing as separate motions ○ (b) to retake a voice vote by a rising vote ○ (c) to have members who favor a motion and those who oppose it to move to opposite sides of the room 9. The motion to lay on the table can be used to _____________. ○ (a) kill a motion • (b) temporarily set aside a motion because something of immediate urgency has arisen, without a time to set to resume its consideration ○ (c) postpone consideration of a motion until the next meeting, in order to find out additional information 10. A meeting at which the proceedings are secret is called ______________. ○ (a) a convention of delegates • (b) an executive session ○ (c) a mass meeting
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The amended Texas ALP Bylaws and Standing Rules, including the ones that will not take effect until the close of the 2006 Annual Meeting, have been posted to the Web site. Kerri McLen, PLS, CLA, TSC Governance Task Force Chair, Strategic Planning Committee |
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United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Please note that effect April 24, 2006, the clerk's office for the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals will have a new mailing address: 600 S. Maestri Place, New Orleans, LA 70130. All items expected to be delivered on or after April 24th must be sent to the new address |
