Empowering others an important leadership strategy

As the legislative director for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, Tyrel Stevenson is a team player.

"I strive to empower others and encourage their participation and direction by trying to make sure they feel welcome and integral to decision-making," Stevenson said. "Every member of a team is valuable and needs to feel valued in order to participate to their potential, which is critical to the success of the overall team."

Leadership means treating others with respect and listening to what they have to say, he said. The greatest challenge of leading people, however, is gaining sustained consensus and buy-in from the team.

And a title alone does not make a leader.

"Leaders lead from anywhere and by any name," Stevenson said.

The Coeur d’Alene Tribe is a government with a duly adopted constitution and by-laws.

The constitution and by-laws provide the guiding principles for the Tribal Council and the chairman, who Stevenson represents.

"My role is to advise the governing body of the organization to achieve its goals and to execute directives in furtherance of them," he said. "The Council has long prioritized education, health care and economic development for its members and the broader community. Those documents serve as bedrock principles to guide that work. Primary among those is the responsibility for the health and welfare of the Tribal membership."