Authors: John Park, Roy B. Davis Professor and Extension Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Diane Friend, Associate Professor,Texas A&M University – Kingsville
Election to your local cooperative’s board of directors can feel somewhat overwhelming. The duties of a director seem extensive. The board provides oversight of operations and performance. They guide management on a strategic path that helps the cooperative thrive and fulfill its mission. They establish policies, monitor and evaluate the cooperative, and determine the responsible distribution of net benefits. This requires a board of directors that understands internal operations of the firm as well as the nuances of their industry.
Yet knowledge or skills in these tasks does not differentiate the most effective directors from the rest. Instead, it is their capacity to influence others. As author Ken Blanchard notes, “the key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.”
You can think of influence as your ability to affect or change someone or something in an indirect, but usually important way. It empowers you to develop the talents of others. Building this capacity within each of us leads to improved working environments, meaning board members will have improved relationships and greater happiness in their roles. It is through properly applied influence that companies and leaders earn the loyalty of those they work with and those they serve. Our research has identified three levels of influence within cooperative boards.
Level 1: Conscious Conduct
Level 1 influence suggests that directors first earn influence through their actions and character. It combines self-awareness, learning, and reflection with purposeful integrity, discipline, ethics, and accountability. Directors who exhibit level 1 influence are informed. They are willing to participate in continual training and education to stay current on cooperative operations and industry trends. They come on time and prepare for board meetings. They are open to change and show great respect when conflicts arise. They are open-minded and honest. Most of all they lead by example. These directors have learned that credibility comes before influence.
Level 2: Connected Interaction
Level 2 influence suggests that directors can build influence by strengthening relationships. It combines empathy, inclusion, and a sense of belonging with meaningful communication, active listening, and conflict management. Directors who exhibit level 2 influence create unity. They seek understanding of the positions of others and make them feel heard. They ask a lot of questions and encourage others to do the same. They are good listeners and will mentor future leaders on the board and among cooperative members. They care about others. They have learned that relationships create influence.
Level 3: Represented Cooperation
Level 3 influence suggests that true influence is not about the individual leader. It is realized through the advancement of the cooperative’s purpose. It combines convictions of stewardship, advocacy, and standing for others with collaboration and envisioning of aligned interests. Directors who exhibit level 3 influence seek value for cooperative members. They readily consider the needs of individual members without neglecting what is best for the cooperative. They support management as the ultimate authority for operations and help separate the individual roles of management and board. They can move directors from a focus on individual interests to cooperative interests. Importantly, a level 3 board speaks with one voice. They have learned that leadership is stewardship.
If you are seeking to develop your capacity for influence in your board service, start by asking three simple questions: Level 1 – Can I be trusted? Level 2 – Can I build productive relationships? Level 3 – Can I help the cooperative succeed collectively?
Park, John, and Diane Friend. “What the Best Cooperative Directors Do Differently.” Southern Ag Today 6(43.5). October 23, 2026. Permalink
