Pre-Session Reading – The Sway of InfluenceThe institutions of the earth, like a set of ninepins, have been striking at each other in efforts to save themselves. This has come about through the balance of influence being on the destructive side, leading men into a succession of perils.
Less than a decade ago the industries of our country had assumed the role of victors before circumstance had put them to the test. There followed an upheaval of our triumphant routine, when our gods of achievement were thrown down.
We then became aware of the tragic fact that we had developed the mechanics of production, but not the science of economic production. We are now learning, at the costs of billions of wealth and years of hardship, that we have never known statistical accuracy and proved control.
So the sway of influence has at last been directed toward constructive service. The swirl of thought and action, of effort without direction, has been given a check.
This has come about through the increasing power of the engineer. By right of ability he has grasped the banner of influence from the clutch of chaos and has placed it about the stronghold of unified service. In so doing he has accepted the gigantic task of giving us service based on economics, prosperity secured by progress.
From the designing of a labor-saving machine to the drafting of a sane law of international intercourse; from problems of education to the laying down of principles of ethics; from questions of transportation to questions of industrial management, - in all these the voice of the engineer is acquiring the influence of authority.
It is the practical, the demonstrated ability of the engineer that has brought him this power of influence. His training in analysis, in creating the means and methods for elevating the activities of men, and his ability to detail, in exact and tangible manner, the complex answers to the problems of industrial life – these have fitted him for leadership.
• Develop a perspective of Love• Make a conscious choice to view and treat others as your best
friends• Look for the good in people• Be patient and forgiving• Consider individuals and their interests as important• See situations from the other’s perspective, empathize and
• Connect with people• Learn names/establish rapport• Think the best of everyone• Consider relationships important• Invest time in relationship building• Listen actively and build self esteem• Take in information, ask questions and work to understand• Identify common ground• Get to know others’ situations, motivations and emotions• Be authentic about your own struggles (be vulnerable)
• The natural outcome of caring and relationship• Understand people by slowing down and being fully present with
them• Seek to identify and serve the most profound (highest priority) needs• Make decisions and take actions with followers needs in mind• Help, teach, support, mentor, coach• Communicate and be persuasive• Empower• Provide assignments that challenge and grow a persons skill• Acknowledge and reward strengths and development efforts• Accept some risk (and even failure) as a part of development• Encourage and reward
Know Your Strengths, Weaknesses, Values and Beliefs
• Identify your mission and guiding principles• Reflect on your values, performance, strengths and weaknesses• Recognize where you need to grow and develop• Recognize your own emotions and their effects• Have the courage to stand for something and the integrity to carry it
• Authors• Mentors/ Role models• Experiences – your own and others’• Success and failure• Feedback (sought out and welcomed from others)• Develop in all areas:
– Personal, cognitive and social– Skills necessary to accomplish the mission
• Build self confidence:– Which allows you to try even when there is risk and accept
failure as a part of the learning and growing process
Proactively Set the Course, Navigate, & Lead the Way
• Chart a course that will lead to success:– Based on competence, judgment and past experiences– Motivated by a sincere desire to help others (even ahead of personal
gain) and a passion to succeed– Using intuition – gathering information and reading people and situations.– Using one’s senses to be fully present, alert and aware– Seeing more than others, seeing farther and seeing before others see– Being Innovative– Valuing input and being adaptive– Underpinned by a strong faith in the abilities of those who will carry it out– Providing the ideology and the structure to succeed– Willing to lead the way, set the example, take the risk, be the role model
(with self-discipline and integrity) and bring others along
• Study, Study, Study• Practice, Practice, Practice
• Study:– Personal work – reading, observation, etc.– Small Group – discussion, accountability, example– Organizational – lessons, workshops, conferences
• Practice:– Self-evaluation and awareness– A plan to practice certain elements– Seeking feedback– Practice in all settings of your life
Question 4: Know Your Strengths, Weaknesses, Values and Beliefs
How often have you made a conscious effort to Know Your Strengths, Weaknesses, Values and Beliefs or observed others make an effort to in the following ways:
Me OthersIdentifying a personal mission and guiding principles, and reviewing actions against them.
Reflecting on personal values, performance, strengths inin an effort to improve.
Recognizing my own needs and seeking support from others.
Recognizing emotions and their effects on others andmaking an effort to control them.
Question 6: Proactively Set the Course, Navigate and Lead the Way
How often have you made a conscious effort to Proactively Set the Course, Navigate and Lead the Way or observed others make an effort to in the following ways:
Me OthersPutting the success of others and of the organizationahead of my own gain.
Seeing and sharing the “big picture,” or vision, of what can be accomplished.
Establishing realistic goals and the structure and organization necessary to succeed.
Being willing to lead the way, set the example, take the risk, be the role model and bring others along.
