Source: www.LinkedIn.com
Author: John Maxwell
Leadership guru John Maxwell is famous for saying "leadership is influence." The real challenge is figuring out how to do it. But first, exercising influence as a leader has one tough prerequisite.
Leaders have to remind themselves that the foundation for leadership is not about dictating, commanding, or controlling. It is being of service to others (yes, to your customers but especially to your employees).
The Path of Influence
Influence starts with 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.
We call this servant leadership -- one of the highest platforms to launch you toward influencing others. According to research, it's also great for your company's bottom line.
The servant leadership behaviors that lead to influence, as documented by several books and leading scholarly articles 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 four steps as your road map:
1. Give trust away as a gift
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 a lower cost. Here's the kicker: Conventional thinking dictates that employees have to earn the trust of their leaders first. In healthy, collaborative, and high-performing organizations, the evidence asserts that leaders with a servant leadership mindset are willing to give trust to their followers first, and they give it as a gift even before it's earned.
2. Check your ego at the door
An unhealthy and unchecked ego can be a liability for the performance of any business. Want proof? Look up the astonishing story of the rise and fall of Enron. Several of Enron's executives were charged with conspiracy, insider trading, and securities fraud. Their founder and former CEO Kenneth Lay was convicted on six counts of fraud and conspiracy and four counts of bank fraud. Prior to sentencing, he died of a heart attack.
An influential leader with a healthy ego is one who has mastered the paradoxical balance of personal humility with confidence and resolve. Author and thought-leader Jim Collins gave them the label of a "Level 5" leader in his seminal book Good to Great. The reason people want to follow Level 5 leaders is that they are safe and can be trusted. That's influence.
3. Demonstrate leadership competence
A strong and humble character in service to others will certainly get people from the neck up. But trust goes out the proverbial window if you can't demonstrate knowledge and expertise that will carry the vision forward. The expertise includes the ability to communicate the vision and actively engage others in pursuing it.
Here's the difference. In traditional, top-down hierarchies, bosses at the top of the food chain will expertly and competently lay out a vision, then use power and control to drive people like cattle to carry out the vision. In today's social and relationship economy, competency comes from casting a company vision and enrolling followers to express their voice as co-creators and co-contributors to the vision. The fear is pumped out of the atmosphere and people are liberated and empowered to collaborate, innovate, and engage.
Bottom line: Competence builds confidence in your people. And their confidence in you, the leader, will ultimately deliver excellence.
4. Develop a cultural identity
Companies like Zappos, TDIndustries, Wegmans Food Markets and Marriott International have distinctive corporate identities that attract and retain great employees. You'll find these corporate cultures are highly influential by giving employees ownership over decisions and allowing for open communication and the expression of thoughts, ideas, and perspectives.
We've reached an age that demands that companies hire and promote leaders high on personal and organizational transparency, and trustworthiness. As we head into post-pandemic times, start thinking about identifying and developing influential leaders to build into the DNA of your company culture.