A Lesson in
Leadership: How to Powerfully Influence Others by Doing These 5 Things Every
Day
Put these habits in play to exercise influence like a boss.
We've all heard the John Maxwell saying "leadership is influence." Easier said than done, right? The real challenge is figuring out
how to do it! Well, here's a clue: Get others to respond emphatically to
your leadership. When you do, you're influencing.
OK, Mr. Smarty
Pants, just how exactly do you do that? Start by first reminding yourself that
leadership is not dictating, commanding, or imposing. It is being of service to
others (yes, to your customers but especially to your employees).
The Clear Path of Influence
Let's get practical. It is empowering others
to achieve their goals, bringing out the best in people, putting their needs
ahead of your own (as a leader), and helping them develop. Think of the
multiple ways these things can be done every day.
We call
this servant leadership--one of the highest platforms to launch you toward influencing
others. And
it's great for your bottom line too, says a bunch of research.
The behaviors
that lead to influence, as written about by thought-leaders like Adam Grant,
Dan Pink, and Simon Sinek, point back to character. It is who you
are, not what you do. It is a choice, not a prescribed process or to-do list.
Are you looking for influence in leading and
making decisions? I submit the following as your road map for success:
1. Gain the trust of others.
The foundation
for everything related to your leadership has to be built on
trust. In his phenomenal book The
Speed Of Trust, Stephen M.R. Covey says that a team with
high trust will produce results faster and at lower cost. Conventional thinking
says that people have to earn trust first, right? But it has been found that,
in healthy organizations, leaders with a servant mindset are willing to give trust
to their followers first, and they give it as a gift even before it's earned.
2. Let go of your ego.
An unhealthy ego can be a liability on the performance of the business. Ask the
late Kenneth
Lay, former CEO of Enron. A leader with a healthy ego is
one who has mastered the paradoxical balance of personal humility with confidence
and fierce resolve. This is a leader (in a Jim Collins "Level 5" way)
you want to follow because he or she is safe.
3. Demonstrate competence.
Sure, a strong
character in service to others is crucial to get people from the neck up. But
trust goes out the proverbial window if you can't demonstrate knowledge and
expertise in your particular field or industry that will carry the vision
forward. That includes the ability to communicate that vision,
so followers are actively engaged in pursuing it. Competence builds confidence
in your people. And their confidence in you, the leader, will ultimately
deliver excellence.
4. Inspire others to find their voice.
In
traditional, top-down hierarchies, bosses at the top of the food chain
will lay out a vision, then use power and control to move people to carry out
the vision. In today's social economy, leaders will cast a company vision and
enroll their followers to express their voice as co-creators and
co-contributors to the vision. The fear is pumped out of the room and people
are liberated and empowered to collaborate, innovate, and engage.
5. Develop a cultural identity.
Companies like
Google, Zappos, TDIndustries, and HubSpot have distinctive corporate
identities that attract great employees. You'll find these corporate cultures
usually centered around giving employees ownership over decisions (shared
leadership), authenticity (open communication, expression of thoughts, ideas,
and perspectives) and the building of community (collaboration, diversity,
inclusion).
Parting Thoughts
We've reached an age of globalization that
demands that companies hire and promote leaders high on organizational
transparency and trustworthiness. As we head into 2017, start thinking about
identifying and developing influential leaders to build into the DNA of your
company culture.
BY MARCEL
SCHWANTES
http://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/a-lesson-in-leadership-how-to-powerfully-influence-others-by-doing-these-5-thing.html?cid=nl029Aweek44day02
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