the leader interview presentation vete 312-014: strengths based leadership tarleton state university...

THE LEADER INTERVIEW PRESENTATION

VETE 312-014: Strengths Based Leadership

Tarleton State University

February 2014

Jaclyn Christensen, RVT

Leadership Interview

A Strong Leader

leader (ˈliːdə) —n: 1. a person who rules, guides, or inspires others-Webster Dictionary

Upon understanding the definition of a leader and appreciating the qualities of a strong one, I decided to interview my husband- John

Christensen.


Leadership

What leadership position have you held and what did it entail?

JC: As a team leader for a Military Police unit, I was charged with the

responsibility of training upwards of 30 soldiers (throughout my

tenure) to a level of physical fitness only acceptable to the highest of

standards, battlefield tactics which would enable individuals to

preserve life in a peaceful state for all involved and overall obedience

to the creed and selfless service that wearing the uniform consisted

of.


Qualities

What qualities do you look for in a strong leader? Out of those, what would

you say is the most important?

JC: Qualities I look for in a leader consist of accountability,

responsibility and motivation. These three are essential to becoming

a mentor and provide a stable platform for development where not

only the subordinate but also the superior can gain critical skills in

the evolution of the team as a whole. Responsibility is the sole root

of any leader. I’ve witnessed leaders take the fall for subordinates

when outcomes would otherwise be detrimental to the team. Owning

responsibility for the actions of a whole rather than one is essential.


Personal Qualities

Describe your personal qualities in leadership.

JC: To assume the role as a leader, you have to maintain a pedigree of

reliability. The perfect mixture of confidence and knowledge are

fundamentally important at the core level. Being personable doesn’t

hurt either. As we’ve learned over the years, a dictatorship can only get

you so far, so the crucial element to my qualities as a leader are derived

from the ability to listen. If you look at the great leaders this world has

to offer, they all have something in common. Listening. Truly listening.

That goes for praise and complaints, suggestions and considerations. If

you cannot interact with your team in a positive manner, leadership is

out the window.


Personal Improvements

How would you like to improve in leadership?

JC: This is a very critical question and one that every leader should ask

themselves on a daily basis. A leader is only as strong as the team she or he is

apart of and adding “tools to the toolbox” is the only way leaders have ever

developed. If I had to name one thing though, it’d be to toss personal agendas

to the wayside. It’s only human to be selfish and look out for one’s family and

personal well being but when stepping up into a leadership role, sacrifices

must be made to best posture the team for success. Be it staying late or

picking up the slack, a leader must accept the good and the bad with the role

and act accordingly.


Leaders Are Not Born

Do you think people are born as leaders or learn to become them?

JC: Did Beethoven pop out of the womb and immediately begin playing

music? Did any of our American presidents parade around high school

without a cause, knowing they’d lead the greatest country in the world

some day? I believe not. Leadership is farmed. It’s defined. The wisdom of

the greatest humans to walk this Earth was acquired at some point. I’m

not sure where but I can certainly guarantee it wasn’t overnight.

Leadership is the infinite road that we all walk along, some give up on the

journey earlier than others.


Leaders in Life

How important is it to have good leadership throughout life?

JC: Leadership is what grooms us as a species. In our youth,

everyone has a role model be it parents, celebrities, sports icons or

something along those lines. Role models can even be the lack

thereof. Some grow up wanting to be the exact opposite of their

perception of society. Whatever path it may be, this functionality of

obedience to society is what acclimates individuals to the necessary

precursors that enable one to live a fulfilling life. Good leadership

supplies a theoretical map to which an individual can navigate.


Become a Leader

What would your advice be to "followers" who would like to become

leaders?

JC: Become one with humility. Until one can accept humility as a

growing stimulus rather than a direct emotional inconvenience,

leadership is out of the question. To promote yourself from

follower to leader, you have to take charge. Step up. Going the

extra mile and doing what’s right when no one is watching.


Michael Jordan

Tell me about a leader that you respect the most and why?

JC: I think basketball is extremely boring and the excitement is lost in the

lack of scoring control but Michael Jordan’s off-the-court presence is the

most remarkable I’ve seen. He published a small book entitled “Michael

Jordan on the Pursuit of Excellence” and as a young child, I remember

reading it at least once a week and a crucial chapter covering failure really

assisted me in living this thing called life. The acceptance of failure is

paramount in developing leadership characteristics and the perseverance

required to persist onward in the face of a failed attempt only cultivates

further clarity. One can only fail so many times until success is imminent.


Poor Leadership

Tell me about someone who led you and did poorly.

JC: While deployed in the middle of a war zone, a “leader” assigned to my team

quickly accepted the promotion as a resume builder and opportunity to exert

power. As some may know and some may never recognize, leadership is not

communicated verbally. Leadership is completely transparent, a visibly clear

coat that leaders where. It’s how they talk, walk and do. When administering a

dose of leadership, one must always keep a clean and unscathed record. This

particular individual I’m defining would set rules with one hand and break them

with another. He’d persecute others for things he did himself. Another “no-no” in

my eyes of leadership, he’d take credit for other’s work.


The Likely Leader

Do you think women and men are equally capable

of being leaders?

JC: Absolutely. Leadership is blind to race, sex,

ethnicity and religious belief.


Age as a Factor

Do you think that age has anything to do with the ability to be a strong leader?

JC: There is a distinct difference between age and wisdom. Often times,

the two are mixed interchangeably but the truth of the matter is that

I’ve seen midlife men act like toddlers and 20-somethings make critical

decisions that any given elder would ever be capable of. Age has

nothing to do with the ability to lead but wisdom is an enormous

attribute that every leader either possesses or has a deepened appetite

for.


A Team Without a Leader

Do you believe a team can function without a leader? Why or why

not?

JC: Every functional and successful team has a leader. She or

he may not necessarily be labelled with the applicable title or

be recognized as such by the teammates but in order to meet

goals and achieve results, an organizational flow must be

present.


Multiple Team Leaders

Do you think there are benefits to having multiple leaders of a team? Why or

why not?

JC: There most certainly are benefits to having multiple leaders on a

team. If you look at the Google team, or any other major corporation,

different departments(read teams) all have an assigned leader that

amount to the overall team of the entity. Be it a Chief Financial Officer

or Chief Executive Officer, all the way down to individual marketing team

managers, they control the flow of the corporate entity and collectively

accomplish the objective they set out to do in the first place. Any publicly

appointed official would not have been able to attain office without her

or his team at their back. Every movie star you see on the big screen

would not be there without the agents and managers behind them.


Leadership

John Christensen currently lives in College Station,

Texas with his wife, pets, and a baby boy on the way.

“Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.”

~ Theodore Roosevelt

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