A good leader has many traits, and I have written about this many times before, which you can find here.
Yet, the one key skill that many people forget to develop is the ability to influence. As a leader, you can’t fulfil your role if you cannot inspire action or drive results in your organisation.
Remember: A ‘tell’ or ‘directive’ leadership style only works for a limited time and only in certain scenarios.
This is especially relevant when you consider that a huge percentage of the working population are now Millennials not renowned for accepting ‘orders’ without reason.
Therefore, the ability to influence our co-workers, manager and team is critical for any new leader in today’s workforce.
Though the phrase “soft skills” are not my favourite way to describe the key attributes of a successful leader, most people understand what this phrase relates to.
While “hard” or easily measured skills such as strategic planning, data analysis and other technical skills can contribute to a leader’s influence within a department, soft skills are what separates good leaders from truly influential ones.
So here is a checklist to develop your influencing capability for today’s leader to consider.
Be a Clear Communicator
Being clear about what you are saying is crucial. Vagueness, jumbled instructions, and a lack of passion rarely create any level of influence. This isn’t about having a loud voice and a domineering style. Though it is about being direct and clear, after all, most people crave being led.
Be Committed: Consistently
People listen to and follow others who go ‘all in’. Professor Robert Cialdini validated this fact in his New York Times bestseller The Psychology of Persuasion. In his research published in the book, he identified several influencing strategies and commitment, and consistency of action came top of his list. It’s well worth downloading your own copy and studying it in detail.
Be Humble
In Leadership, humility is a product of diversity which I wrote about here. Humble leaders generate trust and enable their followers, which leads to greater employee engagement and can be beneficial to the bottom line.
Leaders must humbly accept that others can always broaden their perspectives, and the best leaders embrace this. No matter how senior you are, there will always be people who can teach you new things. People will always be more understanding, patient and feel more connected with leaders that demonstrate their humble nature and willingness to learn from others, regardless of their title or position.
Be Authentic
In our current Zoom and MS Teams world, there is an even greater need to be transparent and authentic, especially for leaders. Hiding behind a closed office door or not using a web camera is no longer an option. Leaders must actively engage their staff openly and honestly, share a clear roadmap of where their leadership will take the team, and practice what they preach. Therefore, strong communication skills are critical for influential leadership.
Be The Change You Want to See
You can’t ask your team to change if you aren’t willing to adapt and tweak the way you do you. You must become the change you want to see in your team or organisation. An influential leader sets high standards of accountability for themselves and their behaviours. They’re self-aware and understand the impact their behaviour has on those around them. When your actions can affect everyone around you and the bottom line, don’t be Ms or Mr average; otherwise, you will never be influential.
Be Adaptable
If there is one thing many leaders learned during this decade, it was the need to be adaptable. Adaptability is one of the most valued leadership skills. In an age of rapid change, how well a leader runs with shifts in the business landscape and uses them to continue an organisation’s growth demonstrates and garners increased influence throughout an organisation.
Be Calm and Patient
Leaders who are frenetic and tend to chop and change their minds rarely have any influence. People are looking for a beacon of light to lead the way rather than being fearful that their current leader doesn’t have a clue!
You will ruin relationships around you when you aren’t patient. It would be easy to lead “perfect people”; the trouble is that not one of us is perfect 100% of the time.
We all make mistakes and fall short in many areas. It takes a leader with an exceptional level of patience to lead people. That leader then becomes a leader who others will seek to follow.
Managing your mood and being consistent and predictable in both what you say and do will improve your level of influence with everyone around you.
And the good news is it’s an easy trait to develop once you understand how people communicate.
Until next time,
Julia Carter
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