Effective leadership is built around being able to influence. If you cannot influence, then you cannot lead. There are a plethora of leadership books based on this simple premise, with one of the most enduring being Dale Carnegie’s ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’.
For some leaders their ability to influence comes from the power of their position in the organisation. Often this is authoritarian and is one of the least effective methods of influence. Other leaders influence by their charisma, essentially charming people in the process. While this may work, it is very shallow and often does not survive the tough times. Some leaders influence through a ‘Follow Me!’ approach whereby they inspire and lead by example, which is good in the tough times, but can be exhausting for their followers over the long term. There are many other styles of leadership and influencing people, some more successful than others.
However you lead, you need to be able to influence in order to be effective. Jon Pratlett is an expert on leadership and his tips for being more influential are shared in a recent NAB blog (Read it here). While the article goes into more details on influence, and the importance of being a CARER (someone who creates Certainty, Autonomy, Relationship, Equity and builds your Reputation), Jon’s tips for influencing your employees are:
- Ask questions rather than give instructions
- Take time to build the relationship
- Encourage them to make suggestions and their own decisions, wherever possible
- Ensure they have a sense of being treated fairly and with respect
- Don’t try to convince them with a purely logical argument – appeal to their emotions
- Don’t expect them to be motivated by profit – link their job to a sense of higher purpose by emphasising the value they provide
- Be a CARER not a scarer
The article also has tips on influencing your customers, and I highly recommend you take the time to read it. The challenge is to reflect on your own leadership and influence style and see if you could become more effective.
The Avondale Business School can help you and your team develop leadership skills – find out how by contacting Warrick Long at the Avondale Business School.
P: 02 4980 2168