A Leader as a Responsible Influencer
Responsible Influencer - Demonstrates proficiency in empowering others through virtue-centered engagement with people and systems.
Evidence of Knowledge Acquisition
“Leadership is simply the ability of an individual to coalesce the efforts of other individuals toward achieving common goals. It boils down to looking after your people and ensuring that, from top to bottom, everyone feels part of the team” (Smith). This quote by Frederick W. Smith encapsulates what it means to be a responsible influencer. As one of the core competencies in the MAiL program, it is important for leaders to understand how we can best influence others to work together collaboratively towards a meaningful goal. During my time in the program, I have gained a deeper understanding of what this means and how I can incorporate it into my leadership.
Responsible influencers are leaders who work in collaboration with others in problem solving and achieving the group’s mission, vision, and goals. They can take diverse perspectives and approaches, different individual strengths, and mold them together to achieve their goals. There are three leadership theories and approaches that specifically contributed to my understanding of being a responsible influencer. Kent Keith (2008) in his book The Case for Servant Leadership, helps us to see the core principle in servant leadership and how that aligns with this competency. “What sets servant-leaders apart from other leaders is that they are focused on others, not just themselves, and they are motivated to make life better for others, not just for themselves” (Keith, 2008, p. 10). Servant leadership emphasizes collaboration, trust, empathy, and the ethical use of power, expressing itself in humility, authenticity, personal acceptance, and stewardship, and is demonstrated by empowering and developing people (Murari & Kripa, 2012). The team leadership model also gives us tools to help in leadership practice. In the model for team leadership, “the leader’s job is to monitor the team and then take whatever action is necessary to ensure team effectiveness” (Northouse, 2010, p. 243). This model helps to give direction and insight into constant team analysis and improvement. The leader acts in ways similar to a coach of a sports team, where they are working to build commitment, developing young players, sharing expertise, creating new methods and strategies, and generally improving team functioning (Northouse, 2010, p. 257). Adopting transformational leadership practices also moves us towards becoming responsible influencers. “Transformational leadership is the process whereby a person engages with others and creates a connection that raises the level of motivation and morality in both the leader and the follower” (Northouse, 2008, p. 210). Transformational leaders therefore create a dynamic organizational vision and a participative climate where followers can feel empowered to take a more innovative approach to perform their jobs, and assume the authority to take actions to enhance the vision of the leader (Ozaralli, 2003). The 2007 film Freedom Writers, directed by Richard LaGravenese, gives a great practical example of transformational leadership. It shows how certain leaders are able to inspire followers to accomplish great things, and shows how leaders need to understand and adapt to the needs and motives of followers (Northouse, 2010). "Transformational leaders are recognized as change agents who are good role models, who can create and articulate a clear vision for an organization, who empower followers to meet higher standards, who act in ways that make others want to trust them, and who give meaning to organizational life" (p. 200).
Howard Behar (2009), in his book It’s Not About the Coffee, outlines ten leadership principles. There are several of these that are directly applicable to being a responsible influencer. One is ‘think independently’. This means “to empower each person to bring his or her unique perspective and skills to the job” (Behar, 2009, p. 50). When we encourage independent thinking and “we allow ourselves and others to be more creative and make independent decisions based on common goals, we become more fulfilled and we make a worthwhile contribution” (Behar, 2009, p. 53). From an employee standpoint, there is no better feeling than being encouraged to fully use your abilities. Another key principle for the responsible influencer is to ‘build trust’ and this is done through caring for people. Caring is one of our most powerful resources and it is often underutilized in leadership. “People don’t care how much you know, they want to know how much you care” (Behar, 2009, p. 69). It is this caring attitude that enables a leader to build the collaborative environment where individuals flourish and teams and organizations can function at their highest capacity.
Interpretation of Knowledge
Upon entering the MAiL program, I possessed some skill and knowledge in this competency of being a responsible influencer and would have rated myself as emerging (2). In my varied experiences in leadership roles, I have often had to work collaboratively with groups of people, and my natural strengths provide me with some tools. The program has challenged me, however, to think more specifically about the role of a leader in pouring into and empowering others, and fostering that collaborative environment.
Way back at the beginning of my time in the program, I did an assignment in LDRS 502 called Jesus the Servant Leader. As I compared and connected the ideas from the book The Case for Servant Leadership, by Kent M. Keith (2008) with the account of Jesus’ life and ministry as recorded in the gospel of Mark, I gained some incredible insights into Jesus as the perfect servant leader. As a student of leadership, I would do well to follow His lead and emulate his practices as I continue on my leadership journey. Doing this assignment early on in my studies gave me a great framework for future understanding. More recently, in the context of my LDRS 595 Capstone class, I have had the opportunity to do a mini literature review. This has helped me explore more about the concept of empowering others and how that affects both the individual and the organization. Recently, one of my professors, Frank Berry, showed us a great video clip in class. It was a TED talk given by Simon Sinek titled “Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe”. This reiterated for me, and synthesized in my mind, the importance of the investment that I, as a leader, make in those I have responsibility to lead, building trust and confidence so they can flourish. Jean Lipman-Blumen (1996), in her book Connective Leadership, also has provided for me a clear understanding of what type of leader is the best responsible influencer. Looking at both the collaborative and entrusting achieving styles from her connective leadership model, helps me better see how to practice being a responsible influencer. The collaborative style thrives on and draws on the synergy of the group and finds deep satisfaction, excitement, and even motivation in working with others (Liman-Blumen, 1996, p. 166). The entrusting style “strongly believes that virtually everyone, given the chance, can meet a challenge, usually performing high above even their own expectations” (p. 218). This is very closely connected with the idea of developing that trust relationship. “Trust that bestows freedom on others is essential to leadership. This trust is based upon a vision and values that the leader and supporters share, which allow the leader to entrust the task comfortably” (p. 220). One of the most incredible gifts that a leader can give to those under their leadership is the gift of trust.
Application of Knowledge
During my time in the MAiL program, I have had a chance to exercise and improve my skills in the role of a responsible influencer. There were several courses that required me to work collaboratively with others on group projects. It wasn’t so much the content of these projects, but the process that we had to go through in order to create something effective, that stretched me to grow in this area. In LDRS 520, we created a Career Development Proposal to help an organization in the assessment and development of a career development plan. Part of the process of working together as a team was going through an exercise called Building a Strengths Oriented Team, where we had to evaluate each of our individual strengths, and see how we could best be utilized in the context of the larger group. This exercise helped me put into practice a strengths based philosophy, which I believe can be foundational for being an effective leader in the role of a responsible influencer. I know I will use this type of exercise in the future as I am given responsibility to lead teams of people. One of the largest team efforts I participated in was through LDRS 510 Creative and Collaborative Leadership. There were 15 of us working together on a very involved consulting project for Ed Barron and the Student Center for Reconciliation and Diversity. We all learned so much about group dynamics and the process of working together as a team. I was given the responsibility of being the assistant to the leader for our group. In this support role, I received a tremendous amount of positive affirmation and feedback, from the group leader and all the participants, about my abilities to facilitate great group dynamics and move the group along in completing the tasks at hand.
In my role as Director of Worship, Creative Arts and Outreach, I was also able to exercise my skills as a responsible influencer. The large outreach productions that required all-church involvement gave me plenty of opportunities to develop teams of people and create collaborative environments as we all worked together towards a common vision and goal. When I started out in the program, I wasn’t as good at utilizing others and empowering them. As time went on and through everything that I was learning through my reading and coursework, I feel I developed a much healthier view of leadership in this capacity. Terry Franson, Senior Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students at APU, gave me a very high compliment when he affirmed my “incredible ability to motivate, inspire, and organize a group of volunteers and achieve phenomenal results” (personal communication, July 2014). Through personal experiences, I have certainly learned the importance of feeling valued and empowered, so I want to always be the type of leader that helps others become all that they can be.
Creation of New Knowledge
There are several things that I want to pursue in order to continue my growth in this competency. Sometime in the next year, I want to read the book The Motivating Team Leader by Dr. Lewis Losoncy. This resource was recommended in a Leadership Summit session given by Bill Hybels. I think this will be very helpful as I anticipate working in an environment where collaboration and teamwork is essential. When taking LDRS 520 Understanding Vocation in a Changing World, we did many assessments. The Stand Out Assessment gave me a lot of clarity in how I best function as a leader. As an ‘Influencer,’ I thrive in leading, challenging and influencing others to change, to take on new ideas, and to tackle something they didn’t think they could do. When I am leading the way and moving others to discover, to grow, to develop, and to become something more, I shine (Buckingham, 2011). As a ‘Provider,’ I am taking care of relationships, connecting with the individuals, finding joy in relating, encouraging through challenges, and celebrating in successes (Buckingham, 2011). In these two leadership roles, I operate in my strengths. Therefore, in my job search after I graduate, I am specifically looking for an opportunity to work in an environment with groups of people in creative and collaborative ways where I can utilize these strengths. Within the next three years, I also want to pursue developing the Portraits of the Passion as a larger community outreach event. This was something that I created, produced, and directed in the context of my previous job as Creative Arts Director for my church. I want to explore the potential of growing this to be a multi-church community outreach endeavor.
I feel I have experienced significant growth in this competency during my time in the MAiL program and would now rate myself as competent (3.5). I feel the best way to continue to learn in this area is just to dive into as many leadership opportunities as I can so I can practice. We have all heard the saying that experience is the best teacher. As I pursue my call to leadership, I want to gain as much experience as I can, extract wisdom from those experiences, so I can become the best leader and a better responsible influencer.
Evidence of Knowledge Acquisition
“Leadership is simply the ability of an individual to coalesce the efforts of other individuals toward achieving common goals. It boils down to looking after your people and ensuring that, from top to bottom, everyone feels part of the team” (Smith). This quote by Frederick W. Smith encapsulates what it means to be a responsible influencer. As one of the core competencies in the MAiL program, it is important for leaders to understand how we can best influence others to work together collaboratively towards a meaningful goal. During my time in the program, I have gained a deeper understanding of what this means and how I can incorporate it into my leadership.
Responsible influencers are leaders who work in collaboration with others in problem solving and achieving the group’s mission, vision, and goals. They can take diverse perspectives and approaches, different individual strengths, and mold them together to achieve their goals. There are three leadership theories and approaches that specifically contributed to my understanding of being a responsible influencer. Kent Keith (2008) in his book The Case for Servant Leadership, helps us to see the core principle in servant leadership and how that aligns with this competency. “What sets servant-leaders apart from other leaders is that they are focused on others, not just themselves, and they are motivated to make life better for others, not just for themselves” (Keith, 2008, p. 10). Servant leadership emphasizes collaboration, trust, empathy, and the ethical use of power, expressing itself in humility, authenticity, personal acceptance, and stewardship, and is demonstrated by empowering and developing people (Murari & Kripa, 2012). The team leadership model also gives us tools to help in leadership practice. In the model for team leadership, “the leader’s job is to monitor the team and then take whatever action is necessary to ensure team effectiveness” (Northouse, 2010, p. 243). This model helps to give direction and insight into constant team analysis and improvement. The leader acts in ways similar to a coach of a sports team, where they are working to build commitment, developing young players, sharing expertise, creating new methods and strategies, and generally improving team functioning (Northouse, 2010, p. 257). Adopting transformational leadership practices also moves us towards becoming responsible influencers. “Transformational leadership is the process whereby a person engages with others and creates a connection that raises the level of motivation and morality in both the leader and the follower” (Northouse, 2008, p. 210). Transformational leaders therefore create a dynamic organizational vision and a participative climate where followers can feel empowered to take a more innovative approach to perform their jobs, and assume the authority to take actions to enhance the vision of the leader (Ozaralli, 2003). The 2007 film Freedom Writers, directed by Richard LaGravenese, gives a great practical example of transformational leadership. It shows how certain leaders are able to inspire followers to accomplish great things, and shows how leaders need to understand and adapt to the needs and motives of followers (Northouse, 2010). "Transformational leaders are recognized as change agents who are good role models, who can create and articulate a clear vision for an organization, who empower followers to meet higher standards, who act in ways that make others want to trust them, and who give meaning to organizational life" (p. 200).
Howard Behar (2009), in his book It’s Not About the Coffee, outlines ten leadership principles. There are several of these that are directly applicable to being a responsible influencer. One is ‘think independently’. This means “to empower each person to bring his or her unique perspective and skills to the job” (Behar, 2009, p. 50). When we encourage independent thinking and “we allow ourselves and others to be more creative and make independent decisions based on common goals, we become more fulfilled and we make a worthwhile contribution” (Behar, 2009, p. 53). From an employee standpoint, there is no better feeling than being encouraged to fully use your abilities. Another key principle for the responsible influencer is to ‘build trust’ and this is done through caring for people. Caring is one of our most powerful resources and it is often underutilized in leadership. “People don’t care how much you know, they want to know how much you care” (Behar, 2009, p. 69). It is this caring attitude that enables a leader to build the collaborative environment where individuals flourish and teams and organizations can function at their highest capacity.
Interpretation of Knowledge
Upon entering the MAiL program, I possessed some skill and knowledge in this competency of being a responsible influencer and would have rated myself as emerging (2). In my varied experiences in leadership roles, I have often had to work collaboratively with groups of people, and my natural strengths provide me with some tools. The program has challenged me, however, to think more specifically about the role of a leader in pouring into and empowering others, and fostering that collaborative environment.
Way back at the beginning of my time in the program, I did an assignment in LDRS 502 called Jesus the Servant Leader. As I compared and connected the ideas from the book The Case for Servant Leadership, by Kent M. Keith (2008) with the account of Jesus’ life and ministry as recorded in the gospel of Mark, I gained some incredible insights into Jesus as the perfect servant leader. As a student of leadership, I would do well to follow His lead and emulate his practices as I continue on my leadership journey. Doing this assignment early on in my studies gave me a great framework for future understanding. More recently, in the context of my LDRS 595 Capstone class, I have had the opportunity to do a mini literature review. This has helped me explore more about the concept of empowering others and how that affects both the individual and the organization. Recently, one of my professors, Frank Berry, showed us a great video clip in class. It was a TED talk given by Simon Sinek titled “Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe”. This reiterated for me, and synthesized in my mind, the importance of the investment that I, as a leader, make in those I have responsibility to lead, building trust and confidence so they can flourish. Jean Lipman-Blumen (1996), in her book Connective Leadership, also has provided for me a clear understanding of what type of leader is the best responsible influencer. Looking at both the collaborative and entrusting achieving styles from her connective leadership model, helps me better see how to practice being a responsible influencer. The collaborative style thrives on and draws on the synergy of the group and finds deep satisfaction, excitement, and even motivation in working with others (Liman-Blumen, 1996, p. 166). The entrusting style “strongly believes that virtually everyone, given the chance, can meet a challenge, usually performing high above even their own expectations” (p. 218). This is very closely connected with the idea of developing that trust relationship. “Trust that bestows freedom on others is essential to leadership. This trust is based upon a vision and values that the leader and supporters share, which allow the leader to entrust the task comfortably” (p. 220). One of the most incredible gifts that a leader can give to those under their leadership is the gift of trust.
Application of Knowledge
During my time in the MAiL program, I have had a chance to exercise and improve my skills in the role of a responsible influencer. There were several courses that required me to work collaboratively with others on group projects. It wasn’t so much the content of these projects, but the process that we had to go through in order to create something effective, that stretched me to grow in this area. In LDRS 520, we created a Career Development Proposal to help an organization in the assessment and development of a career development plan. Part of the process of working together as a team was going through an exercise called Building a Strengths Oriented Team, where we had to evaluate each of our individual strengths, and see how we could best be utilized in the context of the larger group. This exercise helped me put into practice a strengths based philosophy, which I believe can be foundational for being an effective leader in the role of a responsible influencer. I know I will use this type of exercise in the future as I am given responsibility to lead teams of people. One of the largest team efforts I participated in was through LDRS 510 Creative and Collaborative Leadership. There were 15 of us working together on a very involved consulting project for Ed Barron and the Student Center for Reconciliation and Diversity. We all learned so much about group dynamics and the process of working together as a team. I was given the responsibility of being the assistant to the leader for our group. In this support role, I received a tremendous amount of positive affirmation and feedback, from the group leader and all the participants, about my abilities to facilitate great group dynamics and move the group along in completing the tasks at hand.
In my role as Director of Worship, Creative Arts and Outreach, I was also able to exercise my skills as a responsible influencer. The large outreach productions that required all-church involvement gave me plenty of opportunities to develop teams of people and create collaborative environments as we all worked together towards a common vision and goal. When I started out in the program, I wasn’t as good at utilizing others and empowering them. As time went on and through everything that I was learning through my reading and coursework, I feel I developed a much healthier view of leadership in this capacity. Terry Franson, Senior Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students at APU, gave me a very high compliment when he affirmed my “incredible ability to motivate, inspire, and organize a group of volunteers and achieve phenomenal results” (personal communication, July 2014). Through personal experiences, I have certainly learned the importance of feeling valued and empowered, so I want to always be the type of leader that helps others become all that they can be.
Creation of New Knowledge
There are several things that I want to pursue in order to continue my growth in this competency. Sometime in the next year, I want to read the book The Motivating Team Leader by Dr. Lewis Losoncy. This resource was recommended in a Leadership Summit session given by Bill Hybels. I think this will be very helpful as I anticipate working in an environment where collaboration and teamwork is essential. When taking LDRS 520 Understanding Vocation in a Changing World, we did many assessments. The Stand Out Assessment gave me a lot of clarity in how I best function as a leader. As an ‘Influencer,’ I thrive in leading, challenging and influencing others to change, to take on new ideas, and to tackle something they didn’t think they could do. When I am leading the way and moving others to discover, to grow, to develop, and to become something more, I shine (Buckingham, 2011). As a ‘Provider,’ I am taking care of relationships, connecting with the individuals, finding joy in relating, encouraging through challenges, and celebrating in successes (Buckingham, 2011). In these two leadership roles, I operate in my strengths. Therefore, in my job search after I graduate, I am specifically looking for an opportunity to work in an environment with groups of people in creative and collaborative ways where I can utilize these strengths. Within the next three years, I also want to pursue developing the Portraits of the Passion as a larger community outreach event. This was something that I created, produced, and directed in the context of my previous job as Creative Arts Director for my church. I want to explore the potential of growing this to be a multi-church community outreach endeavor.
I feel I have experienced significant growth in this competency during my time in the MAiL program and would now rate myself as competent (3.5). I feel the best way to continue to learn in this area is just to dive into as many leadership opportunities as I can so I can practice. We have all heard the saying that experience is the best teacher. As I pursue my call to leadership, I want to gain as much experience as I can, extract wisdom from those experiences, so I can become the best leader and a better responsible influencer.