By Liz Masen and Kate Ross
This brief but incisive quote from Vice Chancellor of the University of Denver, Peg Bradley-Doppes resonates heavily with the modern notion of leadership. It is no longer seen as something you are ‘born with’ but rather a skill that can be developed and grown from experience. It is all about what you do, how you act and is based on behavior. Leadership can be taught.
Professor Jacob Tingle from Trinity University observes firsthand the benefits of leadership development focusing on behavior rather than personality traits. His approach to leadership contrasts heavily against the outdated views of ‘what makes a leader’. Professor Tingle promotes leadership development through building self-awareness and expanding a person’s choices of behavior, depending on what is best for the people they lead and the situation they face. He cites the book The Leadership Challenge when referring to credibility as being the foundation of leadership.
“The first thing a leader must do is find their voice, they must be authentic, and they must let their values guide their actions. A leader who understands themselves can then help inspire followers to work towards common goals.”
Professor Tingle elaborates on using Athlete Assessments’ Sports ManagerDISC Profiles in his sport management classes.
“Our students take the Sports ManagerDISC Profile early in the semester as a way for them to develop a strong sense of understanding of who they are. I firmly hold that the DISC Profile is an excellent way to allow students, future leaders themselves, this important first step; a deep understanding of self.”
“We also use the DISC Profiling to assemble teams for group assignments. In this way it helps students facilitate the growth of relationships and recognize the importance of fostering collaboration to achieving common goals.”
In complement to the DISC Profiling program, Professor Tingle uses weekly reflective journaling as a means to let students slow down and unplug. Making an emphasis that these journals are intentionally non-electronic, he implements this in order for the students to ponder what they’ve done over the previous week with respect to honing their own individual leadership style.
Jacob Tingle
Assistant Professor
Trinity University TexasAfter graduating from Trinity University Texas with a B.A., Tingle spent 14 years within collegiate athletics, including five years as an Associate AD. Along the way he completed his M.A.A. and Ed.D and took up his current position within the Department of Business Administration in 2009. He has also published nine journal articles and made 19 scholarly presentations and is passionate about his students’ development.
“Through empowerment, modeling, and my own continuing education, my goal is to prepare hard-working, intelligent students to be critical, to be just, and to care about those around them. I firmly hold that learning takes place, not only through traditional methods (reading, writing and testing), but often the most impactful learning takes place through doing.”
