Leadership is Influence is a common phrase I frequently hear when we discuss Leadership and Influence.
The question is not whether Leadership is Influence, but what exactly is Influence for a leader? Can leaders use them?
Does a leader naturally have them? What does it take for a leader to lead with Influence?
Can Influence be learned and harnessed as a leader’s ability?
Perspective is Power.
To harness the invisible power of Influential Leadership, leaders must first have the 4Ps perspectives to lead successfully with Influence.
1. Influence PEOPLE Positvely
Leadership is Influence. Influence is People. Leadership is about People.
There is no influence if there are no people in the equation.
Organizations need people to function. Tasks require people to carry out. Influencing people positively to drive business performance is vital.
No matter how capable we are as individuals or leaders, our effort is only achievable if we can influence and deploy people willing to go the extra mile for us.
If people do not buy into you as a leader, it is relatively easy nowadays for people to leave and join another company, another influential leader.
We may also face staff delivering work only to the required capacity, not the extra miles.
The performance will eventually stagnate, and the workload increase and it is only a matter of time before the “boomerang” will return to you. You might lose your role only because you cannot positively influence and deploy talent.
Influential Leaders understand that while Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) must be fulfilled, they do not allow people’s development to become a blind spot just because the priority is business.
In our fast-paced business cycle, it is tempting to overlook people’s emotions and development and allow them to take a permanent back seat.
In people, there is no “back seat.” They are the drivers of your business
Influential Leaders actively look for ways for people to grow. They challenge their people to stretch their potential over and beyond what they are currently doing.
Giving them opportunities to take the stage and shine. Their people’s success is their success. They are successful because their people are.
This is the power of Reciprocity at work.
When people appreciate the opportunity you have given them because you sincerely want them to succeed. They will, in turn, ensure that you grow as their Leader. And this is the hallmark of an Influential Leader.
2. Inspire PURPOSEFUL Action
The purpose is to have clarity in what you stand for, most notably as a person, because this drives your direction in managing people and making business decisions.
The purpose is the driving engine of Influential Leaders, giving them great resolve and determination to go the extra mile and this translates into the Leadership you represent.
When I am coaching executives, one of the points I emphasized is that your values reflect your values as an influential leader.
Yes, we can change behaviour, but the change will only be permanent if your value as a person is clear, supportive and useful.
This impact will spill over into your work as a leader. People will see it, sense it and talk about it.
An influential Leader is purposeful. When you have an intentional leader, you have purposeful people, and purposeful people bring purposeful profit.
+ What do you stand for as a person?
+ What do you believe in when you are managing people?
+ What do you see in them that you can bring forth and accelerate both their success and yours?
3. Ignite Extraordinary PERFORMANCE
It will be all fads if we only talk about people and purpose with no result.
Influential Leadership is about getting the best out of your people, ensuring their success, and being purposeful in driving them to greater heights. Most importantly, it converges towards performance – business result.
It calls for an outstanding balance between People, Purpose and Performance. Often, an organization achieves one or two Ps out of the three.
Even the most successful companies have to calibrate and balance the 3Ps constantly. It is always a work in progress.
Each “P” by itself is a necessary pit stop for us to pause and ask the following:
People:
“What have I done for my people to ensure they grow and prosper?”
Purpose:
“Do I know what drives my people at work, and do they know what I stand for?”
Performance:
“What can I do to amplify my people’s potential?”
Influential Leadership is about regularly calibrating our perspective on what it means for you on People, Purpose and Performance while functioning efficiently in the workplace, and not just being a leader but an influential leader at work.
A straightforward observation question is whether you are on track to becoming an Influential Leader.
If your people see you on the street, do they come to you and say “Hi!” or do they take an alternative route to avoid you?
This might say a lot about your leadership style.
This is Joseph@RISEUP Signing Off.
May You TRANSFORM, FLOURISH AND PROSPER in the brand new world!
#riseup #riseupglobal #humanleadership #leadership #people #purpose #performance #talentdevelopment
