Influencing Others In Remarkable Ways

Tuesday 27 March, 2007

by Ian Berry

Best selling author John Maxwell says "leadership is about influence, nothing more, nothing less". I certainly believe that an outcome of real leadership is that people are influenced in remarkable ways. For me there are 5 keys to achieving such outcomes.

1. Sharing insight not information
   
   We have all experienced death by PowerPoint. I observe that most leaders, whatever the media, tend to dump information on us. Only real leaders share insight they have gleaned from information, and they share it in a myriad of ways that are beneficial for others.
   
   Possible action
   
   • Before opening your mouth or sending any form of communiqué, ask yourself, "Am I about to provide insight the recipient/s will highly value and is this the best way to present it?".
     
   • Be in the habit of running insight past trusted colleagues or friends before you share it with others. This will sharpen your focus and also most likely increase the depth of your insight.
     
   • Keep a journal and regularly record your insight and ponder on it regularly before you share it.
     
2. Being inspirational
   
   Insight not presented in ways that inspire often fall through the cracks. It is not so much what we say, rather how we say it.
   
   Possible action
   
   
   • Receive regular presentation skills coaching and mentoring both for one-on-ones and groups.
     
   • Speak from your heart more than your head; share your feelings more than your thoughts.
     
   • Take time regularly to reflect on who inspires you and why. Other people are like mirrors reflecting to us insight about who we need to be.
     
3. Helping people to turn insight into ideas
   
   Insight loses its potency unless it soon becomes an idea we can work on.
   
   Possible action
   
   
   • Ask questions immediately following the sharing of insight, such as; What do you feel we can do with this to ...? In what ways can we use this to ...? What is your gut feeling about this ...?
     
   • Provide people with resources, then encourage them to be creative.
     
   • Celebrate ideas even if they don't come to anything.
     
4. Working with people as they turn insight, inspiration, and ideas into innovation
   
   Insight, inspiration and ideas wain unless we innovate. Many leaders think innovation is the creation of ideas. It is not. Innovation is the successful implementation of an idea!
   
   Possible Action
   
   
   • Have a policy that celebrates the learning from making mistakes and failure.
     
   • Have an ideas policy, procedure and practice that is transparent and enables everyone to see what happens, from when an idea is generated through to implementation or otherwise.
     
     People will not mind if you do not act on their idea, provided you explain why openly.
     
     People will mind (and they often stop being creative) when their ideas disappear without a trace and they are given no explanation (sadly a common practice in unremarkable organisations).
     
   • Allow people regular time to work on innovation.
     
5. Giving credit where it is due
   
   I had a boss once, who every time someone else had a good idea, he would take the credit for it, often deliberately putting down the originator in the process. He got his comeuppance of course. What goes around comes around!
   
   A sure sign of real leadership is our ability and willingness to work with others to see an idea through to innovation and then be lavish in our praise.
   
   Possible action
   
   
   • Give credit where it is due.
     
   • Say thank you to those who give you credit. There is no need to say anything else.
     
   • Share success stories, honouring the real character/s of the story, with all your stakeholders in as many ways as possible.

Real leadership, and therefore positive and productive influence, is not about us, rather those we serve. Of course the remarkable thing about serving is that when we are not attached to getting back, we do get back a thousand-fold, and often from places we haven't put in! This is how life is. We don't have to explain it, just live it.

Source:ceoonline.com