1. The leader interview presentation VETE 312-014: Strengths Based Leadership Tarleton State University February 2014 Jaclyn Christensen, RVT

2. 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 Interview

3. 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. Leadership Interview

4. 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. Leadership Interview

5. 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. Leadership Interview

6. 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. Leadership Interview

7. 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. Leadership Interview

8. 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. Leadership Interview

9. 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. Leadership Interview

10. 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. Leadership Interview

11. 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. Leadership Interview

12. 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. Leadership Interview

13. 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. Leadership Interview

14. 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. Leadership Interview

15. 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 Interview

16. 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 Leadership Interview