Interview of a Recognized Leader

Ashley V. Twyman

Organizational Behavior & Human Resource Management8/18/2008 – 9/28/2008

Dr. Susan Sasiadek

Interview of a Recognized Leader 1

For my interview of a recognized leader, I chose to interview Dusty Pfaff. I

have briefly discussed Dusty’s experience at Kanza Bank before in papers but in

this paper I will give more detail about Dusty’s different leadership positions and

discuss how her experiences parallel James Owens’ leadership views. Finally, I

will discuss my take on her leadership outlook.

Dusty Pfaff currently works for Kanza Bank serving as the Director of

Human Resources. This job consists of many different responsibilities. She

leads, directs, and manages the bank’s “people portfolio” as she calls it. This

consists of tracking every employee at the bank, their benefits, their insurance

needs; she basically has the skinny on every employee that works for the bank.

Dusty works closely with the CEO to foster and promote “desired bank culture”.

She is in charge of developing bank wide human resource policies and

programs, including organizational planning and development, monitoring

employee relations, evaluating and changing compensations and benefits. She

also works with the recruitment and training of new individuals to the bank.

Dusty started as a bank teller and was promoted to the role of CSR

(Customer Service Representative), shortly after starting work at Kanza. She

was promoted to Retail Manager of the Anthony branch location and then

promoted again to Director of Human Relations. As a retail manager Dusty was

in charge of developing, managing, and overseeing all operational and sales

activities for her branch. She was in charge of managing and leading branch

personnel and supervising direct reports concerning fund acquisition and

Interview of a Recognized Leader 2

supporting sales goals. She was also expected to be actively involved in the

selling and delivering of all financial services the bank has to offer its customers.

Dusty expressed and emphasized that one of the biggest jobs she had under this

title was coaching and motivating her staff members.

Prior to working for Kanza Bank Dusty served as a foster care worker for

Youthville for five years, was a bank teller for two years, and was a child abuse

prevention counselor for one year. She currently holds a Bachelor’s of Science

degree in psychology with a minor in sociology.

I noticed that Dusty’s degree directly correlates with some of her previous

employments and asked her if she felt if her degree helps her in her current role

of leadership at the bank. She stated, “My degree has provided me with the

knowledge and skills to work with a variety of people. It helped prepare me for

the times when I would be in difficult situations or when having difficult

conversations, (and) helped prepare me to effectively deal with conflicts. It also

instilled the importance of professionalism (in me).”

Dusty obviously feels comfortable with being in a leadership and

management position, so I discussed with her experiences that may have made

her feel more comfortable filling this role. She feels the fact that she was

promoted to a senior management position within the company “tells me my

efforts and actions are those of a leader.” She also mentioned that when she

receives feedback from employees that she, at one time, has supervised,

coached and trained, gives her the greatest sense of accomplishment. She puts

Interview of a Recognized Leader 3

emphasis on developing a good report with her co-workers as one of the key

elements to her success.

When Dusty and I began discussing James Owens’ view on leadership we

had to stop so I could get her a copy of the material. She had to read them

herself to remember what he was saying. I asked her if she thought her

particular leadership style compares or contrasts with Owens’ view. She felt as if

she identified with what Owens’ was saying. “One must consider the nature of

the situation, personalities, time factors, etcetera. You MUST be able to flex to

many different personalities and levels. What is effective to one will not always

work for another. Lead by example.”

Dusty acknowledged there are many different leadership styles and

theories out there. She believes that managers, in order to be effective at

leading people, must be able to pick an appropriate style in different situations.

“Identify and apply the most appropriate style for the particular situation,” she

emphasized. “I don’t think it’s a one size fits all.” She also included that it is

necessary for managers to change their leadership style based on whatever

situation is at hand. “I think managers should change their leadership style when

necessary.”

Dusty gave me an example of an experience that may parallel Owens’

thought on leadership. “I may be coaching two people on the same topic. One

person is a dominant personality. I will be firm, to the point, with very little small

talk, since this is typically the preferred method of approach for a dominant

Interview of a Recognized Leader 4

personality. The second person tends to be very social and outgoing. I will still

be firm, expressing my point, and follow up with explaining. This person

generally needs more time to process, ask questions, etcetera.”

Dusty made it clear that she believes her method of leadership has been

effective for her so far and that, for her, it has proven to be the best style of

leadership she could use. “I think leading by example is the best method for

leadership! Be fair, consistent, open, and honest!”

I tend to agree with Dusty. I don’t think that there is a best style of

leadership that blankets all of society. The best style of leadership may be

different for each leader, each follower, each day, and in each situation. It’s

impossible to say that one and only one method of leading is applicable all of the

time. I enjoyed Dusty’s theory of leading by example. You must practice what

you preach! If you tell your employees to be at work on time and then are

consistently late yourself, you can never expect them to take you seriously in any

situation. You can’t effectively follow a follower. You can effectively follow a

good leader.

References

Hersey, P., Blanchard, K.H., Johnson, D.E. 2001. Management of Organizational Behavior Leading Human Resources, 9th edition