Strengths Based Leadership Essay: Influencer and Connector

In order to develop into an effective leader and productive member of a workforce, it is

imperative that employees not only understand their strengths, but are also prepared in such a

manner to utilize these strengths to the best of their abilities. By understanding ones particular

advantages in the workplace, employees can develop into valuable assets and leaders within their

chosen field. The StandOut Assessment was created and developed to measure the subject on

nine particular strength roles, with the aim of helping employees identify their biggest strengths

and assets. Significant time and research was devoted to develop and uncover a consistent set of

themes that regularly occurred in the populous. These themes were then reduced and combined

into a series of strength roles: advisor, connector, creator, equalizer, influencer, pioneer, provider,

stimulator, and teacher (Buckingham, 2015, p. 8). Each of these nine roles lends a particular

advantage to the workplace that can be elevated when the employee is properly instructed on its

merits and use.

My number one strength role after taking the StandOut Assessment is influencer.

According to Buckingham (2015), the definition of the influencer strength role is the phrase,

How can I move you to act (p. 105). The focus of an influencer in nearly all situations focuses

on the outcome (p. 105). Furthermore, the success of an influencer is measured internally by

their ability to persuade other people into doing something they did not necessarily intend to do

(p. 105). For an influencer, they are most powerful in situations where the team is at a

crossroads in determining what should be done with a particular problem or issue. Influencers

also tend to exhibit impatience when it comes to decision making and taking action (p. 106).

Additionally, influencers exhibit charm and the ability to listen well to others, even if it might be

aimed at listening for trigger words or situations which could be used to persuade others. Those
around an influencer can easily sense their desire to move forward and take action. Caution also

need to be taken however to ensure that this desire does not push others too far or come off as

arrogance (p. 107).

Identifying an employees most important strength role is key, however, more crucial is

learning how to use this strength to make an impact at work. For an influencer, an impatient

attitude leads to a need for overcoming problems and obstacles. Therefore, to make an

immediate impact, influencers, in conjunction with the remainder of their colleagues should

volunteer to identify and tackle the most pressing obstacle (p. 109). Additionally, to avoid the

thoughts of having a hidden agenda from others, it will be important for the influencer to

communicate their goals and agendas to their colleagues (p. 109). As long as the influencer is

upfront and forthcoming, conflicts over their agenda should be minimized.

In order for an influencer to take their performance to the next level, they should focus on

a few key points of emphasis. First, they should pay close attention to tying their agendas to the

mission of the organization or team. Secondly, emphasis should be placed on ensuring a clear

line is drawn between special requests from team members and showing signs of care, kindness,

and consideration. If a clear line is not drawn, these kind acts can be misconstrued as

manipulation. Finally, connecting with team members is crucial, and influencers cannot move

too fast so as they forget about others. They need to invest serious time into the developing of

relationships with others (p. 111).

My number two strength role according to the StandOut Assessment is connector.

Buckingham (2015), states the definition of the connector strength role can be summarized by,

Whom can I connect? (p. 56). Connectors seeks to make sense of the world through the

intricate web of relationships between people and are motivated by the challenge and excitement
of bringing people together (p. 56). Working to develop a stronger team, the connector sees that

when people are brought together, the overall product is better than the sum of the parts, thus

resulting in great satisfaction. As Buckingham (2015) states, Connector, weaving people

together into the fabric of something much larger and more significant than themselves (p. 57).

It is equally important for the connector to maximize their power through several

techniques, making them most valuable to their organizations and those around them.

Connectors are most capable of bringing about organizational change, or at its most basic, a

change in culture. By bringing people together, and more importantly, working together, a

connector can facilitate cultural change better than most. Additionally, a connector can bring a

multitude of needed insights and expertise to a problem or situation because, as Buckingham

(2015) states, When your back is against the wall, you are sure that you will know someone

who you can call. Your toolbox of people is big and always getting bigger (p. 58).

The true impact of a connector may take a bit of time to materialize, as they get to know

the members of their toolbox better, however once together, the results often have a multiplier

effect. Connectors will need to initiate in each new setting by beginning to build their network

and scouting each of their team members (p. 60). The impact of a connector will be truly felt

when they can turn to this new network in their toolbox and pull out just the right person for the

problem.

Finally, in order for a connector to elevate their performance to the next level, they will

want to keep the following concepts in mind. First, they need to remain attentive to the needs of

the team, not only in order to recommend the right person for action, but also so they are

consistently updating and adding new people and strengths to their network (p. 62). Secondly,

connectors will want to practice their craft in order to maintain a productive network, and from
time to time, extend beyond their usual means, in hopes of further expanding their network

(p.62). Finally, in order for a connector to elevate their influence and overall positions, they

should pay careful attention to the members of their network with the highest leverage. By

showing attention to the connections developed with these individuals, the connector can further

stretch their sphere of influence within the organization (p. 63).

When coupled together, the strength roles described by Buckingham (2015) can combine

to elevate the influence, power, and ability to lead of the individual. The combination of the

influencer and connector roles seem to form a natural symbiotic relationship, with one feeding to

the other and vice versa. According to the combined strength role report produced from the

StandOut Assessment, the influencer and connector, has a gift for getting people to join the

movement. This combination lends itself well to a career within promotion, marketing, and the

managing of relationships, such as public relations. Developing relationships is quintessential

and ensures that a sense of trust is built with others to further expand their network.

When examining my work life to search for signs of my top two strength roles, influencer

and connector, it is clear to me that both do exist in a hybridized combination of each. If asked

initially to describe myself and my work strengths, I personally would not have placed influencer

high on my list along with its attributing qualities. However, I can certainly see aspects of the

influencer in my get the job done, results driven attitude towards my work. To a greater extent, I

would have agreed initially with the role of connector, however after reading through both roles,

I can see that I do exist as a main connector with influencer traits as a strong compliment. I do

find myself often being able to quickly develop meaningful relationships with my team members

which have benefitted me greatly in the past when faced with adversity. However, I do not see

myself as having an agenda or simply gaining my coworkers trust as a means to manipulate them
into doing the things I would like. I would describe the trust I develop with others and the

subsequent willingness of others to help me in times of need as an added perk of my connector

traits and not the sole motivation.

The leadership that I hope to exemplify is that of servant based leadership, lending itself

well to the strength role of connector. Hess (2013), describes servant leaders when he states,

These leaders were servants in the best sense of the word. They were people-centric, valued

service to others and believed they had a duty of stewardship (para. 6). Servant leadership,

beginning as the brain child of Robert Greenleaf, seeks to exemplify leadership through ones

own actions. By serving the needs of others in a more selfless manner, we can begin to create a

new culture and advent of leadership in others, as Greenleaf (1977), stated, Do they, while

being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to

become servants (p. 27). Leading by example is the notion that immediately comes to mind for

me and leading by example will not come naturally if others are not willing to trust the path of

their leader. By connecting with team members, developing meaningful relationships, built on

the hallmark of trust, a leader can create a new generation of leaders, themselves serving the

needs of others.

The strength roles identified through the StandOut Assessment of influencer and

connector I feel to an extent accurately describe me and are evident in my current and previous

work experiences. These roles additionally lend themselves well to the servant leadership role

that I hope to exemplify. Through the development of relationships, the connecting of people,

and the bringing together of all groups for the goal of solving problems clearly works to develop

trust among all constituents. This trust is the truest sense of legitimate power and leadership

within an organization. When others feel valued, empowered, and a part of something greater,
they in turn lend their trust and devotion to the leadership. It is on the shoulders of leadership to

then manage and lead in exemplary manners through which constituents feel empowered to lead

and serve themselves.

References
Buckingham, M. (2015). StandOut 2.0: Assess your strengths, find your edge, win at work.

Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review.

Greenleaf, R. (1977). Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and

greatness (25th ed.). New York, NY: Paulist Press.

Hess, E. D. (2013). Servant leadership: A path to high performance. The Washington Post.

Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/servant-

leadership-a-path-to-high-performance/2013/04/26/435e58b2-a7b8-11e2-8302-

3c7e0ea97057_story.html