4 Tips on Excellent Influential Leadership

July 19, 2023 Stan

Many moons ago I heard this quote “If someone wants to do something they’ll find a way, if not they’ll find an excuse.” I wish I could properly attribute this, but I have no idea where I heard or read it.

This doesn’t mean that people will only do what they want to do. I’m positive that if that were true society would collapse. Most days I don’t want to work, eat green things, or even get out of bed. I do them anyway because the outcome means a lot more than the effort itself.

For most of my career in project management, I didn’t have any direct reports, and I had to get stuff done through influence. People weren’t going to do things just because I said so. I had to find a way to make them want to do it. The only way I know how to be an effective leader is by influential leadership.

When cooperation is called for, we don’t want excuses or arguments. We want the thing done, and done now. By co-creating with the other person, we have an excellent chance of getting the desired outcome.

Here are my best tips for how to give influential leadership your all:

Talk openly and honestly with the person you’re trying to influence. Aim to understand their wants, needs, desires, pet peeves, any gaps in their understanding, and current workload. This shows the other person that you’re considering them by meeting them where they’re at and not just barking orders. Creating a safe space and approaching conversations in an unassuming manner go a long way.

At the same time, share your observations. It may seem odd to give your perspective on influential leadership. Sharing what you notice surprisingly helps offload any accusatory feelings by the person you’re speaking with. It allows you to speak from your perspective and ask the other person for help and collaborate to solve a problem at hand.

Do your research on what’s been tried in the past and how it worked. Management Consultants get paid huge sums to talk to the people doing the work and ask questions like, “What’s broken? What have you done to try to fix it? How did that go? What do you think could have gone better? Why haven’t you been able to do that?” This series of questions is about MONEY in the corporate world. It shows people that you don’t think you know more than them by bringing humility into the room, AND it gives tremendous context to the thing you’re trying to improve. Influential leadership doesn’t mean you have all the answers or are the smartest person in the room.
Ask for suggestions. For example, I like to say it like this, “Hey, I’m considering (doing this thing in this way to get this result) what do you think about that?” If they like the idea, they are now invested in helping you because you included them in the decision-making process. If they hate the idea, they will tell you why it won’t work, and they will be invested in coming up with a better answer. Win-win.

Create a fun working environment. Even the most mundane tasks and projects can include a bit of humor. Invite a bit of personality to your meetings, this can aid in getting to know your team and creating more of a trusting bond between the group.

Influential leadership doesn’t need to be difficult, but it does take time and intentional effort. Show people that you’re interested in them, and you’ll have a much easier time gaining cooperation.

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