WITHOUT question, the world that we are leaders in continues to change significantly and this change is driven mainly by people who have mastered the power of influence.
What this, therefore, means is that every leader should re-tool, rethink and restrategise or they face ill-retirement. It’s no longer business as usual, or about the position that one holds, but the acumen and intuition they possess.
Warren Bennis said it right in his book called On Becoming a Leader (1989:168). He succinctly pointed out: “Traditional leaders are having a hard time explaining what’s going on in the world, because they are basing their explanation on their experience with the old paradigm and if you place the same set of events or facts in a different paradigm, you may not be able to explain them.”
One core driver of competitive leadership today is influence. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines the word influence as “the power to change or affect someone or something; the power to cause changes without directly forcing them to happen”. For this article lets tackle seven drivers of influence:
Congruity People could be greatly engrossed by what you say, but they respect what you do (action) which backs your word. Walk your talk. Your works should be in harmony with or in agreement with words as a leader. You can’t do the opposite and expect to win.
Caring for people you lead People follow us mainly because we are considerate and they are bound to execute whatever we instruct them for the benefits of the organisation. Leadership is about the heart for people. Leadership is more than everyday office work and the articulation of the vision on paper. An adage says: People don’t care how much we know, until they know how much we care.
Serving This principle was taught by Jesus Christ to His disciples when he said “the greatest among you should become like the youngest, and the one who leads should become like the one who serves” (Luke 22: 26).
Integrity Learn to be a person of your word and people will trust enough to follow you. As a leader honour your promises and your commitments. People will always measure us by our level of personal integrity or character.
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Mentoring Growing other people makes you leave a lasting impression in their lives. Do not only seek to improve sales or production in your company, but improve the lives of other people as well. Some companies are afraid of sending their employees for seminars, refresher courses and to university as a means of enhancing their education, but they are doing it at the demise of their organisation. Great leaders are not threatened by people who want to enhance their education, but should be afraid to walk into the future with uneducated folk. That’s the most dangerous crop of people to surround yourself with!
Maximising on the potential of others The purpose of a leader is to appoint the right person for a position. A wrong person in a position leads to underperformance. The right person for a wrong position breeds frustration. A right person in a right place leads to individual fulfilment and institutional success. Be a leader who has an eye for those latent powers in others and help them exploit them to the fullest.
Capitalising on the social media A new tool that most traditional leaders are grappling with is social media. A new market has emerged on this platform, but some have opted to ignore it. Social media enables extra-ordinary and immediate means of communication. The social media is prone to abuse, but as a leader stick to your guns. Invest in your website, post quality messages and think before you publish. These new tools include Google+, Facebook, LinkedIN, Twitter and a personal website.
Parting point: Myles Munroe says: “Leadership is the capacity to influence through inspiration motivated by passion, generated by vision, produced by conviction, ignited by a purpose.”
Make up your mind today to succeed in your leadership endeavours. You have the ability either to create or crush your leadership prowess only in your cognitive sphere.
Apply influence and you will find it easy to lead people towards a mutually desired goal. People are influenced and that is where success in leadership is.
