Leading by Influence

Leading by influence is about getting people to say yes. It is a vital leadership activity to enable you to achieve your full potential and accelerate business results.

Here are six strategies to enhance your ability to lead by influence:

One: Minimize Ego-talk
1. Being judgmental
2. Looking good
3. Being right and making others wrong
4. Control freak and/or avoiding control
5. Blame game. Defensiveness. Stonewall. Contempt/Sarcasm

Two: Master Your Emotions
1. Be aware of positive and negative emotions
2. Move your body
3. What else could this mean?

Three: Stop Telling People What to Do
1. Ask questions
2. Provide feedback
3. Delegate

Four: Use Peer Pressure
1. Enhance credibility through research
2. Be specific about the peer group
3. Get the evidence. Avoid over-use of position power

Five: Be an Exemplar
1. Share experiences
2. Walk the talk

Six: Be Externally Focused
1. Identify your top 20 list
2. Build relationships of trust and candour
3. Create a sense of urgency

Adapted from the forthcoming book: The Talent Advantage: How to Attract and Retain the Best and the Brightest by coauthors Dr. Alan Weiss and Dr. Nancy MacKay, published by Wiley.