Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one
that gets the people to do the greatest things. (Reagan, 1965) What are the characteristics that
define effective leadership? How do effective leaders engage others in their vision? In
interviewing three unrelated leaders in business, community, and education new ideas were
reflected upon. One idea profoundly resonated after the interviews were complete; the setting in
which one is a leader, while important, does not define them as a good leader. Collectively
defined, leadership stems from a focus of ones vision, their personal set of core values,
collaboration in support of a team effort, humility, and determination to positively affect others.
The three leaders offered different insight on the journey to becoming an effective leader.
Simply stated, each instilled the belief that one cannot make a difference without support of
others. The interview questions were generated with individual experience and viewpoints
around inquiries of todays leadership in mind. Each of the interviewees are respected in their
field by their colleagues, employees, and audiences in various ways. Of these interviews several
statements resonated and will be reflected upon when leadership opportunities arise in the future.
These leaders were selected with their societal contributions in mind and for commitment
to their work as community members, educators, or business leaders. The first interviewee is
Michael Howard. Howard currently serves as the head pastor at Revision Church in Clive, Iowa.
He serves 100 people in his role and leads his staff of three. Education has been a priority of
Howards, he majored in political science and upon graduation realized the job prospects for a
"Prayerfully, I decided seminary was the route I needed to take. I had been married for
three years; my wife Jenny and I decided to move to Minnesota. Time after time, I had
plant a new church. I had no interest at the time... I struggled with the idea for such a long
time, I was comfortable where I was. Then, I surrendered to God and committed to
Howard is also convinced a leader must be committed to serving those being led. He believes
The role of leadership in education evolves and changes. This is the testament of
educational leader, Katie Cook. Cook serves the Des Moines Community School District as the
Special Education Administrator. Cook has been in the education field for many years. She
values where she has been in her career. She appreciates her experiences as an educator and
believes that is what creates her success in her current position. As Special Education
Administrator, Cook provides direct supervision of 40 people, as her roles serves 18 elementary
schools. In her role, Cook explains, [I am] supervising the implementation of Special Education
in 18 buildings and the Vision Program with three teachers and two associates. Daily she works
with teachers, colleagues, students, and families, all the while focusing to keep up with demands
education laws for Iowa [in bettering student achievement], she shared.
Society sees some of todays greatest leaders in the business world. Often these leaders
reflect our societys definition of success in terms of money and power. Luann Rickert is no
stranger to the business world. She, however, sees success in a different light. At the core of her
leadership belief is her Christian faith and her commitment to hard work. Rickert is the Vice
President, Internal Audit for Deere & Company. This role is one she has taken on since the
summer of 2011. She first was employed as an auditor in 1979 and has served in many capacities
for the company since. At one point, Rickert was Global Director of Operator Stations for the
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Worldwide Agriculture and Turf Division in Bruchsal, Germany. Her duties are not limited to
auditing. Rickert shared her job responsibilities saying, It is unclear the number of people my
role supervises and serves. [I serve]a lot of stakeholders. I am responsible for 95 audit
employees globally as well. When discussing effective leaders, she believes a leader needs to be
ethical, humble, and respected. These three qualities allow for the leader to be a person who
There are many common ties in the stories of these leaders. Each interviewee did not see
the opportunity of leadership as one laid out for them. Life experiences, careers, their individual
passions and purposes, and hard work has led them to their leadership positions today. The list of
leadership qualities can continue on and on. An effective leader, however, is defined by each of
Many may answer this questions differently. There are hundreds of ways you could take
this, but I am convinced few things are critical for leadership, being: vision, humility,
Rickert also believes there are a number of qualities for good leaders. Of these, she stated the
leader must have the ability to work with others in a team environment, a clear vision set, a need
to change with the change, and most of all, a leader needs care about others. She said, All work
gets done through engaged and motivated people [under a leader who cares]. As a veteran in
educational leadership, Cook believes an effective leader is one who seeks out collaboration,
displays humility, and is a problem solver. Cook also noted lifelong learning is crucial for
success in any field. Through these conversations, it is clear leadership is multifaceted, but
effective leadership comes from one who serves others in humility and takes the time to engage
others in the process. In synthesizing the responses to this question from each interview,
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similarities arose. The leaders individually stated their opinions, yet the focus for effective
leadership qualities from each included vision, humility, collaboration, and courage as a leader.
having a career and a personal life. All leaders communicated this is a non-negotiable for
success. Howard, Rickert, and Cook each expressed family as a priority of theirs. Regarding
Try hard for a personal life, I have seen it end up poorly for others. Keep perspective.
Have a life outside of work. Time with family and friends provides positive results in my
Rickert enjoys being invested in the community and enjoying time spent at home with family.
She is a dedicated member of Womens Leadership Council. She is on the Board of Directors at
Community Foundation of the Great River Bend, as well. On personal matters, Rickert
commented,
When a family emergency happened recently, I was quickly reminded family first and
work second. This doesnt mean let things at work drop but we all learn what shifts
Howard believes family comes first. He said, however, this is not an excuse to forget the
mentioned, Sometimes we get caught up in one area or the other; perspective is key!
Effective leaders take a journey all their own into the role they hold today. Due to
individuality in the journey, differences between each of the leaders was communicated. Beliefs
and core values served as a motivator for life and career. Each leader heavily relies on personal
belief to lead, however, one major difference found is in where their strength lies. Rickert shared,
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God is my compass I know what is right. This impacts my whole life. Howard asks himself
repeatedly, Am I like Jesus? In continuation he concluded, Its the foremost question and it
makes the difference between failure and success in churches. Rickert and Howard have
Christian faith as their guiding compass. Cook shared core values serve as a guide; she does not
use one guiding compass alone. She relies on several values as her guiding compass comes from
her belief in humanity, reflective thinking, and sometimes Catholic Church viewpoints. My
work is driven by a desire for social justice. This speaks to me, Cook reflected. Each of these
Vision is crucial for an effective leader. The ability to clearly communicate ones vision
for their workplace is key. Differences in vision are apparent for each leader. The three leaders
serve populations of different volumes, in different settings, and with different trajectory to show
success. In the community, Howard has a clear vision set for his church congregation and staff.
He desires for all members to feel connected, to have their needs met on a spiritual and personal
level. Cooks vision for leadership is to oversee educators and assist in creating programming
and plans for success. Currently seeking partnership with general education counterparts in
moving the [Des Moines Community School] district forward. Rickert, in the business world,
I try to remain positive in all work situations, in working with others I am always
thinking out in the future, helping set the vision, and then figuring out how to help others
see the vision. I believe that if everyone understands the vision then they will want to go
Howard concluded the power of a vision in saying, If you dont have a vision, or the ability to
articulate [it], then you cant lead because there is nowhere to go. Vision plays an important
role in leadership for their jobs but the focal points differ in these leaders roles.
The element of surprise was limited in these interviews. Each leader was selected due to
their success in serving as an effective leader. One quote, however, stands out above the rest
continuing to resonate in my mind. Howard admitted, I struggled with the idea for such a long
time; I was comfortable where I was. I surrendered to God and committed to planting this
church. In this statement, Howard pinpointed one result of leadership, sometimes making the
In my workplace it is seemingly easy to continue day to day in the same routines. Taking
risks and challenging my performance, however, will enhance career skills and abilities to serve
as a leader in the future. Courage, in taking calculated risks, was a leadership quality expressed
by both Cook and Howard. I am surprised by the increasing importance of this aspect for my role
Often advice from leaders is overlooked. Seemingly it may not be concurrent with ones
professional focus at that time. In terms of planning for the future, however, leaders have
experience that guides the advice each communicates. Being a teacher gives me the opportunity
to be a leader to students and to serve a model of leadership for other teachers. All of the
interviewees emphasized lifelong learning and effective communication skills in listening. These
two ideas seem simple enough, but cannot be overstated in implicating success as a leader in the
future.
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In conclusion of this analysis, each interview shed a fresh light on the importance of good
leadership today. Howard, Cook, and Rickert while differing in roles in the community all have
one common tie; they are leaders to the ones in which they work. Purpose, passion, and core
beliefs lead and continue to drive these individuals as effective change-makers, mentors, and
leaders to others.
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References
Cook, Katie. Interview. October 2, 2015
Howard, Michael. Personal Communication: Email. October 11, 2015.
Rickert, Luann. Personal Communication: Email October 13, 2015.
Wallace, Mike. Ronald Reagan [Television broadcast]. 1965, Decemeber 14. 60 Minutes.
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Time Analysis
Interviews: 1.5 hours
Synthesis of Information: 3 hours
Written Analysis: 3 hours
Editing of FBLA: 1.5 hours
Total Time: 9 hours