Welcome to the monthly Help Desk Calgary newsletter. This newsletter is distributed to provide news and information about events sponsored by Help Desk Calgary and Help Desk Institute. You are receiving this newsletter either because you opted-in from the registration page on our website, or you are a current member.

2) TIP OF THE WEEK: THE LEADERSHIP PARADOX "The paradox of leaders is that as they give power away, so they become more powerful! Rather than impose their will on others, they work through example and the evident authenticity of their words and actions. Their leadership becomes more compelling, and the people with whom they are working are more likely to respond because they feel more responsible, more committed, and more fulfilled in their work." - 'Leaning Into The Future: Changing the Way People Change Organizations' (authors Binney and Williams, 1997)

3) FAST GUIDE: COACH OR MANAGER So, which are you? Twelve clues to help you decide: 1. Managers believe that their job is to push people or drive them; coaches believe that they are there to lift and support people. 2. Managers believe that they should talk at people by telling, directing, and lecturing; coaches believe in engaging in dialog with people by asking, requesting, and listening. 3. Managers believe in controlling others through the decisions they make; coaches believe in facilitating others to make decisions and empowering them to implement their own decisions. 4. Managers believe they know the answers; coaches believe they must seek the answers. 5. A manager triggers insecurity through administering a healthy dose of fear as an effective way to achieve compliance; a coach believes in using purpose to inspire commitment and stimulate creativity. 6. Managers believe that their job is to point out errors; coaches believe that their job is to celebrate learning. 7. A manager believes in solving problems and making decisions; a coach believes in facilitating others to solve problems and make decisions. 8. A manager believes in delegating responsibility; a coach believes in modeling accountability. 9. Managers believe in creating structure and procedures for people to follow; coaches believe in creating a vision and promoting flexibility through values as guidelines for behavior. 10. A manager believes in doing things right; a coach believes in doing the right things. 11. Managers believe that their power lies in their knowledge; coaches believe that their power lies in their vulnerability. 12. A manager believes in focusing on the bottom line; a coach believes in focusing on the process that creates the bottom-line result.

SOURCE: "Becoming a Coach for the Teams You Lead"; Thomas G. Crane. Quoted by Kevin Moyer, Director, Annuity Service Center, Prudential Financial, in his track session titled 'Coaching vs Managing in a Contact Center' at our 2003 North American Conference on Customer Management

Last Call!

1) The President is responsible for the effective running of the Help Desk Calgary Chapter. The President presides over all meetings of the Chapter and Board of Directors, represents the Chapter on all official matters and ensures the smooth running of the Chapter and its board; 2) The VP Finance is responsible for the management of all Chapter funds and keep accurate records of financial transactions for reporting to the membership, government agencies as required, and the Help Desk Institute global organization; 3) The Vice President, Communications is responsible for the Newsletter and Web Site for the Chapter, and has management influence on all communications to the membership. The Communications Director manages the content and distribution of the Newsletter, and ensures that the web site is updated and maintained; 4) The Secretary is responsible for maintaining the records of the Chapter and the recording and distribution of all executive meeting minutes. The Secretary is vital in the efficient running of the Chapter; 5) Executive Members-At-Large As an organization, we have been very fortunate in the past few years by having some of our members volunteer for a "Executive Member-At-Large" position on the board. Members-At-Large do not have a particular portfolio, but attend the executive meetings and participate on committees or volunteer for projects as they arise in any portfolio that interests them. In some cases, Members-At-Large have stepped forward to assume portfolios when vacancies come available. However, the assumption of a portfolio is a choice that is made at the time by the member. There is no requirement for any Member-At-Large to step into a portfolio.

The Help Desk Calgary Chapter welcomes any number of Executive Members-At-Large. We have sufficient projects and activities to allow as much participation as a member desires, and the active participation of our membership is fundamental to the success of our chapter.

Nominations Nominations for any of the portfolios, or Executive Members-At-Large should be forwarded before Friday, May 7, 2004 to: Ron Yarwood Past President and Nominations Committee Chair Email: ryarwood@supportexcellence.com Phone: (403) 410-1950 Nominations will also be accepted from the floor of the Nominations Luncheon, scheduled for May 11, 2004. I would like to personally thank all our members who have participated in our organization over the past year, and look forward to electing the new members of the board for the next year. It is exciting to be able to work with so many great Help Desk professionals in Calgary and across North America.

Humour - A Programmmer on a Plane

The Programmer persists and explains that it's a real easy game. He explains,"I ask a question and if you don't know the answer you pay me $5. Then you ask a question and if I don't know the answer I'll pay you $5." Again the Engineer politely declines and tries to sleep. The Programmer, now somewhat agitated, says, "O.K., if you don't know the answer you pay me $5 and if I don't know the answer I pay you $50! " Now, that got the Engineer's attention, so he agrees to the game.

The Programmer asks the first question, "What's the distance from the earth to the moon?" Then Engineer doesn't say a word and just hands the Programmer $5. Now, its the Engineer's turn. He asks the programmer, "What goes up a hill with three legs and comes down on four?"

The Programmer looks at him with a puzzled look, takes out his laptop computer, looks through all his references and after about an hour wakes the Engineer and hands the Engineer $50. The Engineer politely takes the $50 turns away and tries to return to sleep. The Programmer, a little miffed, asks, "Well what's the answer to the question?" Without a word, the Engineer reaches into his wallet, hands $5 to the Programmer, turns away and returns to sleep.