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In Search of Leaders

A Q&A With Salvation Army Lt. Colonel Barry Swanson
Outcomes, May/Jun 2007

Lt. Colonel Barry Swanson serves as the National Chief Secretary and Chief Administrative Officer at the National Headquarters (U.S.) of The Salvation Army.  

Lt. Colonel Swanson grew up in a Salvation Army corps (church). As a young college graduate, he began a career in business/marketing in the Chicago area. However, he soon felt God's call to Salvation Army officership. He has held a number of leadership positions within the Army: corps officer/pastor, administration, and now National Chief Secretary. This summer, he and his wife, Lt. Colonel Sue Swanson, will begin a new chapter in their leadership journey, as they serve at the Salvation Army's International Headquarters in London, England.

The Salvation Army's membership consists of approximately 3,500 officers, 60,000 employees, 113,000 soldiers, 422,000 adherents, and more than 3.5 million volunteers. Among these individuals are current or potential leaders within the Army. We asked Colonel Swanson to talk with us about identifying the leaders who will help advance the organization's mission.

CMR:  Before we talk about looking for leaders, give us your definition of a leader.
Swanson:  Maybe the definition most of us are familiar with is this: leadership is influence. We have to influence others if we're going to do what we set out to accomplish. Leadership isn't positional; it's personal. Leaders exist at all levels because of the influence they exert.

CMR:  What common characteristics do you see in potential leaders?
Swanson:  When I look for leaders or potential leaders, I look for people who want to make an impact to advance their mission. They aren't satisfied with the status quo. They want to make things better in terms of their defined responsibility. As they exercise leadership skills, they influence those around them to join with them.

I also look for people who have a passion for what they're doing. Are they committed to this, or is it just a role or job? Is it an integral part of who they are? Right away, you can sense in that person leadership potential. So we look for people who are really thinking about what they're doing, how it can be done better, and what needs to change.

I look for innovators, those who know intuitively that things have to change. That sometimes works against the culture, against the system. This might be an out-of-the-box person, but not necessarily. Essentially, it's a person who strives to accomplish what he or she sets out to do, above all else.

It's also imperative that potential leaders develop a personal style of relating to people that can be effective. That comes in all different kinds of packages. They have their own style that allows them to be motivators, to influence some group of people to move in a certain direction to get things done.