How to be a Leader of Influence…Leading with impact

Are you leading with impact?

If the people you led would tell you what impact you had on their life, what would they say? Would they say you made a difference in how they think? Would they say you were an example of the leader they want to become? Would they say, what was their name?

Being a leader of influence, leading with impact is not a position but a calling. It is the investment in the lives of others. The goal of a leader of influence is to create leaders into the next generations. Your influence is not always in the big things, but often in the small details.

The influence of a drop of water has great impact. It is often said that leadership is essential for success. What is leadership exactly? An official definition of leadership is “the action of leading a group of people or an organization”. When you visualize a leader, what do they look like? The picture will be different for everyone.

John Maxwell sums it up: “Leadership is Influence”. I believe this is a very accurate definition of leadership. Effective leadership is not always positive to be effective. The ability to influence people is leadership. The question is not what effective leadership is but rather is how your influence affects everyone around us.

I have had the honor of speaking to multitudes of people in various situations of influence. I often focus maximizing influence for maximum results. In my workshops and seminars, I often have high level managers as well as first day employees. Everyone in the room influences everyone around them. The question is not whether they are an influence, but rather the impact of their influence. You are always an influence. You are always a leader.

You are always an influence!

Regardless of position, understanding the impact on others is vital. How will you impact everyone around you?

A leader will have key areas of impact. The question is not what effective leadership is but rather is how your influence affects everyone around you.

First area of impact is their passion. What is their level of excitement? How passionate are they about what they are doing? Passion is contagious. When we are around passionate people, they have a natural attraction in which people want to be apart.

Second area of impact is ethics. I believe just because something is legal does not make it right. How ethical are they in their decision making? Do they consider the ethical ramifications? An ethical standard is higher than a legal standard. An ethical leader will hold themselves to a higher standard.

Third area of impact is logic. Logic is the content to which they approach a situation. Are they competent in making a decision? Do they have the correct information before they make a conclusion? Responding to a situation with a thought-out response requires more wisdom than a quick reaction to a circumstance. A great leader will impact the people around them in all three areas: Passion, Ethics, and Logic. Intentional Leadership of Impact are leaders of influence:

Leaders of impact focus on people around them, not on themselves. Leaders of impact are not arrogant, they are humble. Leaders of Impact will not repel when their authority is questioned but welcome the question with an open mind. Leaders of impact exhibit self-awareness on how they impact those around them.

Leaders of impact are great communicators. They set a clear vision and goals for their team. They are consistent with keeping the team updated and are very approachable.

Leaders of impact are people of high integrity. They always do what they say they will do. Everyone around them knows their integrity by their actions, not just words. They are accountable to those around them as well as hold others accountable to a high standard. They will often take more of their share of the blame and take less of their share of the credit.

Leaders of impact support the team. They don’t blame those around them for inefficiencies, but rather teach, train, mentor, and coach to help others reach their maximum potential. They facilitate success in others through encouragement, praise, and development.

Leaders of impact are committed to the team. They don’t dictate but empower. They don’t micro-manage but involve the wisdom of others. They don’t give everything but seek ideas. They are focused, engaged, and enthusiastic. They naturally inspire those around them by providing consistent praise and positive feedback

Leaders of impact have a positive mindset. They learn from their mistakes, not blame others. They challenge themselves first before they challenge the team. They are excited about the growth of the team. They believe true success is defined according to the impact they have on those around them.

Becoming a leader of impact starts with you. Everyone will be a person of influence but will everyone be a leader of impact. Leadership is influence. How we are measured in our lives is the impact we have on others.