Leadership Evolving Through Community Engagement

Leadership and community engagement are two pillars that lead to a thriving society. Both elements, while distinct in their roles and functions, are deeply intertwined and mutually reinforcing. Effective leadership fosters a vision and directs efforts toward achieving communal goals, while active community engagement ensures that these goals reflect and address the needs and aspirations of the people in your communities.

Understanding Leadership

Leadership, at its core, involves guiding individuals or groups towards achieving specific objectives. Effective leaders possess a vision that they communicate clearly, inspiring others to join in their pursuit. They are characterized by traits such as decisiveness, integrity and resilience. What unites these diverse applications is the leader's ability to mobilize resources and people towards a common goal.

Types of Leadership

1. Transformational Leadership: This style is centered on inspiring and motivating followers to exceed their own self-interests for the sake of the greater good. Transformational leaders are often seen as agents of change who innovate and challenge the status quo.
2. Transactional Leadership: In contrast, transactional leadership focuses on the exchanges between leaders and followers. Rewards and punishments are used to achieve compliance and performance. This type of leadership can set the tone for a culture with heavy sales goals.
3. Servant Leadership: This approach emphasizes the leader's role as a servant first, prioritizing the needs and growth of their team members. Servant leaders focus on empowering others and fostering a supportive environment.

Community Engagement Defined

Community engagement refers to the process of working collaboratively with community members to address issues and improve the quality of life. It involves a partnership between leaders, organizations, and the community to ensure that actions and decisions are informed by and responsive to the community's needs. Community engagement is characterized by inclusivity, dialogue and shared decision-making.

The Importance of Community Engagement

1. Empowerment and Ownership: When community members are actively involved in decision-making processes, they gain a sense of ownership over the outcomes. This empowerment leads to higher levels of satisfaction and commitment.
2. Diverse Perspectives: Engaging with a broad range of community members ensures that multiple perspectives are considered, leading to more holistic and effective solutions. This is why it is important to build a board of directors of leaders with various backgrounds to assure viewpoints are collected from all over.
3. Sustainable Solutions: Solutions developed through community engagement are more likely to be sustainable because they are rooted in the actual needs and preferences of the community.

Interplay Between Leadership and Community Engagement

The relationship between leadership and community engagement is dynamic and reciprocal. Effective leaders recognize the value of community input and actively seek to engage with their direct reports and entire team. Conversely, successful community engagement often depends on the leadership's ability to facilitate collaboration and steer efforts towards common objectives.

1. Vision and Inclusivity: Leaders play a crucial role in setting a vision that resonates with the community. This vision should be inclusive, taking into account the diverse needs and aspirations of the community members. By doing so, leaders create a sense of shared purpose and direction.
2. Building Trust and Relationships: Trust is a cornerstone of effective leadership and community engagement. Leaders must work to build and maintain trust through transparency, accountability, and genuine concern for the community’s well-being. This trust fosters a more collaborative environment where community members feel valued and heard.

Challenges and Considerations

While the synergy between leadership and community engagement offers significant benefits, it is not without challenges.

1. Balancing Competing Interests: Leaders often face the challenge of balancing the diverse and sometimes conflicting interests of different community groups. Effective leadership requires navigating these complexities while maintaining a focus on the broader vision.
2. Ensuring Genuine Engagement: There is a risk that community engagement efforts may weaken, where superficial involvement is encouraged without meaningful influence on decisions. Leaders must ensure that engagement is genuine and impactful.
3. Sustaining Engagement: Maintaining ongoing engagement over time can be challenging. Leaders need to develop strategies to keep the community actively involved and invested in long-term goals.

Leadership and community engagement are two essential components of a vibrant and progressive society. Leaders who effectively harness the power of community engagement are better equipped to achieve their objectives and foster a sense of collective purpose.

The importance of community engagement for our local businesses and local leaders has never been more important. In a time of such division in our country, we can reach common ground by bringing businesses and communities together for a common goal — to help others.

Leaders in Greater Des Moines (DSM) must first identify what needs to be addressed in our local communities and then unite to solve these issues. Everyone is always looking for an extra hand — especially the numerous nonprofits that serve our region. There are never enough hours in the day or helping hands around.

I am fortunate to work for such a great staple in DSM, West Bank, under the leadership of our CEO, Dave Nelson. West Bank has been around since 1893. In fact, West Bank is West Des Moines’ oldest business of any type that remains headquartered in West Des Moines. West Bank has a special culture aspect to it. Not only do our employees spend their days helping residents and business owners with all of their financial needs, but our employees also volunteer and give back in the community. This is an expectation and our employees embrace it. Dave recognizes and embraces the importance of giving back to the communities that we serve. The definition of a Community Bank is “a commercial bank that derives funds from and lends to the community where it operates and is not affiliated with a multibank holding company.” To piggyback on that definition, employees of West Bank are expected to be seen in the community and get involved. To be true community champions and give back for the common goal of helping others and making the locations we serve better places for all.

Job opportunities and career resources are abundant in Greater Des Moines (DSM). Whether you're looking to find an internship, a job, develop professionally or grow as a student, we have the resources to help you thrive.