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I am a Different Kind of Leader (Interactive Leadership)

As a leader, I get to make choices. These choices not only impact my own circle of direct influence but can have a ripple effect on the organization as a whole. I think that through my actions I can change, or transform an organization and the people within it. Transformational Leadership appears to be the hot leadership theory that has garnered the attention of researchers over the last several decades (Northouse, 2016). Denning (2011) takes a look at this leadership theory through the lens of leadership through storytelling and identifies the eleven dimensions that describe an Interactive Leader. Of the eleven elements used to describe interactive leaders, leadership that participates, connects, and that is relatively free of ego speak to me and my leadership style (Denning, 2011).  

Image From: https://gonextpage.com/2018/12/28/practicing-the-art-of-leadership/ 

The picture above depicts three individuals dressed in business attire scaling a mountain. The person at the front of the line hoists a red flag at the summit. Most notably, the three of them are holding hands pulling one another up along the way. I conceptualize the person in front holding the flag as the leader. They are not simply sitting in their office sending emails with to-dos and demands. The transformational interactive leader does not idly by, but rather “engage[s] the world with a mind-set of active participation” (Denning, 2011, p. 271). As a leader, I am not beyond getting my hands dirty. In fact, I think that the best way to train others is to model the desired behavior. My leadership philosophy requires that I am an active participant in the work that my team does. This element is foundational to the interactive leader style. Through participation, camaraderie, respect, and trust can grow (Denning, 2011). Through this active participation, the connection is bound to happen. A leader that is an active participant in their team’s work understands their struggles and can celebrate their success in a way that the detached observational leader cannot. Connection is a core value that I look to when making decisions and moving through my personal life, so naturally, that value flows into my work life too. We spend most of our waking hours working. Human connection during that time, and every other time in our life, is vital. So vital, that Denning (2011) considers attentiveness to an audience as foundational to leadership storytelling. An audience reaction can help shape the story just as much as the speaker’s intentions do. As a leader, understanding where your team is coming from can help to improve your ideas and plans for the future. Nobody understands how to do a job better than the one’s doing it, so getting their input and making them feel like an integral part of the decision-making process is essential.


References

Denning, S. (2011). The leader’s guide to storytelling; Mastering the art and discipline of storytelling (revised and updated). Jossey-Bass.

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Sage Publishing.


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