As I move forward into my future I will use what I learned throughout my leadership degree as well as personal experiences along the way to help navigate how I will lead and what kind of leader I will be. In chapter 12 of The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling Stephen Denning discusses several dimensions on becoming an interactive leader. The three dimensions I connected with the most were: The interactive leader works with the world rather than against it, interactive leadership builds on personal integrity and authenticity and the interactive leader doesn’t depend on the possession of hierarchical authority. Each of these dimensions manifests with my personality and style in different ways and I plan on applying them to my future organization when I become a leader one day.
The first dimension I connected with of Denning’s was the interactive leader works with the world rather than against it. This is about reading the world and letting the world do some of the work for me, rather than the use of manipulation and control as this can result in a noncompliant environment which in return will require more work for me as the leader. When I become a leader I will use my ability to tune into my fellow coworkers and get on the same page with them. I am a firm believer in the power of attraction and that positive attracts positive and negative will attract negative, and with that I hold true to the same beliefs when leading. If I want to be in a successful productive environment I need to be upbeat, positive and optimistic. If I can channel this positive energy to accomplish my overall objectives I feel that I will have a more efficient organization. This applies to Denning’s description because as an uplifting leader I will use my positive influence to encourage people to work with me and believe in me from every level of the organization.
The second dimension is an interactive leadership builds on personal integrity and authenticity. For me, this means being able to communicate effectively who I am and what I stand for with others and allowing them to accept me for who I am. More specifically this dimension resonates with me by “doing onto others as you would want them to do to you”. I live by this motto every day. If I want to be heard I will listen, if I want to change something I will make it happen and accept change as it is the inevitable. People will trust me because I will be open, honest and true to my word. As I develop solid relationships based off of my authenticity I will start to receive the same treatment in return. I want to be a transformational leader that can inspire others to identify within me as their leader and create their own objectives within my organization and strive to go the distance along side of me neither behind nor in front of me, and I will reciprocate the same in return for their loyalty.
The third dimension is the interactive leader doesn’t depend on the possession of hierarchical authority. I do not believe in following a strict pecking order. For me, from personal experience upper management does not always know every solution. Sometimes they get stuck in the ‘zoomed in’ mode and forget to ‘zoom out’ and look at the whole picture. A more relaxed hierarchical system seems to me to be more effective than a micromanaged organization. In order to grow and prosper successfully an organization needs boundaries, however too many boundaries and not enough freedom dims the mind and creativity becomes extinct. I plan to have an open door policy for anyone to come in and tell me their thoughts and concerns. Each employee plays a vital role in the organization and having one area start to decline in productivity will create a hiccup throughout the overall chain of operations, and that is why it is important to treat everyone as equals. Every individual will have the ability to voice their ideas and work collectively to accomplish difficult tasks. Having input from all levels of an organization allows a company to remain effective, as all the kinks will be worked out as they arise.
Each of these dimensions Denning’s discusses is very important in developing the kind of leader I will strive to be one day. Learning to work with the world rather than as a force against it, building personal integrity and authenticity and finally leading regardless of hierarchical authority all manifested deeply with whom I am today and who I plan to be tomorrow. As I move forward on my journey to becoming a successful individual I will reflect on personal experiences and my lesson I learned along my way to become an interactive transformational leader.
Denning, S. (2011). The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Dicipline of Buisiness Narrative (Revised and updated edition). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons/Jossey-Bass
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