Leading by Influence

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.

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