Responsible Influencer

Evidence of Knowledge Acquisition

The act of responsibly influencing another individual has more elements than meet the
eye. Having influence can be abused and used to take advantage if not done responsibly, thus it
is imperative that this concept is fully understood. Two key concepts related to influencing
others and doing so responsibly are empowerment and transformational leadership. They often
go hand in hand, but both are vital aspects of influence in a leadership setting. Behar (2009)
discusses the impact of empowerment as he declares the importance of leading a people-focused
organization. Being the once-president of Starbucks, he recognizes that love and trust are the
universal motivators, and without these factors, it is impossible to lead in business (Behar,
2009). His sincere belief is that if employees feel that they are valued and appreciated, the
organization will have higher productivity and be more effective overall (Behar, 2009).
Similarly, Pelit, Ozturk, and Arslanturk (2011) define empowerment as communications, an
atmosphere of trust, and motivational tools being provided by employers (p. 785). In this way,
Behars (2009) understanding of effective leadership is highly motivated by empowering
employees.
Transformational leadership consists of motivating and inspiring employees to put forth
the effort needed to accomplish extraordinary goals (Dust, Resick, & Mawritz, 2013). Thus,
empowerment and transformational leadership are similar in that they each create a more
effective environment through the interpersonal skills of the leader. Further, Dust et al. (2013)
suggest that transformational leadership requires leaders to listen, mentor, and provide feedback
for followers. These are all fundamental concepts of empowerment and transformation that also

lend to the idea of responsible influence. In order to influence others responsibly, a leader should
view these tools as tangible ways in which he or she can influence and impact others.
Interpretation of Knowledge
Upon entering the MAiL program, I believe that I had an understanding of what it meant
to influence another individual in a responsible way, yet I did not have the language or resources
to explain further. Much of the responsible influencer competency stems from the idea of ethical
leadership which, in a broad sense, should be the desire of any leader. However, it was not until
delving more into the various underlying components of the competency that I felt I had a fuller
understanding of what it truly entailed. Responsibly influencing not only requires ethics, but it
also requires embracing diversity, empowering others, and leading in a transformational way. At
face value, this competency seems to be one of the most simplistic and obvious, yet each of the
factors are essentially their own competencies to be separately understood and practiced. There is
much more that goes into the art of responsible influencer than may be initially understood. It
requires intentionality, diligence, and continuous adapting.
Application of Knowledge
Professional. As previously stated, I am on the Staff Relations Committee (SRC) in my
department. The SRC was created not only to ensure that more events took place that would
bring the department closer together, but to create a group that would support the staff members
and their needs as well. The position levels in the department often create a palpable separation
between employees and those above them. The SRC exists to close that gap and allow all
employees to be heard by the executives of the department. Within our group, there is one
director that is responsible for taking the groups thoughts back to the executives and dictating
our input to them regarding various topics of discussion. We give ideas as to how many, and

what type of events should take place throughout the year (staff development, educational
retreats, fun retreats, etc.) so that the executives have the feedback of the department before they
make decisions. Additionally, the department members are able to anonymously provide
thoughts and feedback to the SRC that they would like the executives to hear as well.
Although events are one aspect of our groups purpose, I believe that our main purpose is
to provide a voice to the department and allow others to feel empowered and appreciated. I am
able to exercise the competency of responsible influencer within this group because we exist to
create a more collaborative environment of equity and inclusion for the entire department. We
desire to embrace diverse ideas and work through conflict and strain in order to create a more
effective and functional work environment. As a member of the SRC I have found that I am able
to work collaboratively with the group in order to achieve great goals, yet I am also able to
encourage others within the department individually with the work that we do. Below is the
email that was sent out to the department introducing the members of the SRC with a brief
explanation as well.
Anecdotal. Shortly before beginning the MAiL program, I became closer to an
acquaintance from undergraduate classes. She was struggling with her living situation and family
dynamics, and was emotionally broken because of the situation. After spending extensive time
talking with her and encouraging her, I advised that she should find a new living situation and
she ended up living with my family. She became very close to my mom as well when she moved
into our house, and began referring to my family as her own. We spoke at length about her
family and being able to still love them and appreciate them despite their struggles, which I
believe helped her to move forward in her own life. This situation has been an ongoing process
and, despite not living with her anymore, she has become much more independent and able to

feel a more healthy connection to her family through this independence. Although this situation
is very personal, I believe that I have had the opportunity to empower her and lead her to a new
understanding of what relationships can look like.
Creation of New Knowledge
The first goal that I have set for myself regarding responsible influencer is to utilize
collaboration more often in my work environment. One of the key factors of this competency is
collaborating effectively with a team. I work in teams when I am told to, yet I do not generally
reach out and collaborate in instances that it might be fruitful to do so. Thus, when I am working
on projects that would be more dynamic by collaborating with others as a team, I would like to
begin utilizing that and seeing how the results may change. Specifically, on the next project that I
am assigned, I will challenge myself to seek collaboration from others in an attempt to better my
work and my own collaborative skills.
Second, I seek to be intentionally influential to the newest member of my work team,
Kendall. She received her bachelors degree several months ago and now has a full time job at
APU. Having been in the exact same situation just over a year ago, I hope to help her in ways
that I had wished someone else could help me. Transitioning from being a full time student and
working as a student assistant can be daunting and unexpectedly different. I hope to provide a
positive example by allowing her to feel safe collaborating and asking questions, as well as
empowering her in her own independent abilities. In order to do this, I have dedicated a meeting
time with her once a week to discuss any questions she may have about work content and
culture.