The Art of Influencing and Empowering Others
As a leader, you may have different goals and you want to achieve them your way. You may be either in charge of a team and want to make the best decisions, or you may also be a leader who wants to motivate members to be more productive. Or you could be someone who wants to display your leadership skills to people who are not showing obedience. These different scenarios define your leadership style.
Being a leader means having to motivate people to be more productive, and in some cases, change direction and try to see things from your perspective and thus be more flexible. One would think that an inspiring leader such as the likes of Martin Luther King or JFK, would be able to carry out such tasks efficiently. But then again, not everyone is born with such charisma. Keep in mind that great leaders aren't born, they are made. (Which is not to say some famous great leaders weren't born that way. A person's natural character and make-up can certainly be a benefit or a hindrance.)
A leader who wants to influence and empower others should inspire them with a great enthusiasm. You may not have been gifted with this kind of personality but you can still move people through your honest conviction. You need to be believable and believed.
In case some people within the organization aren't showing any positive response, you should learn how to make your suggestions appeal to them. If they are still showing a lack of interest and motivation, you need to reach them on an emotional level to get them feeling involved. You must convince them that they can achieve their goals with your idea. This can be a difficult thing to accomplish but you are selling an idea that can bring benefits to your organization. If you show that you are a great leader, your members will be convinced to act for the greater good of the company.
The style of being a greater leader was once thought to be exclusively for those in power. But today, there is a wider concept when it comes to leadership. Team leaders, heads of department, even the senior accounts clerk is a leader who needs to influence others to reach mutual goals. Leadership is all about influencing.
But at the end of the day, your influencing style would be a combination of your own unique personality and what the situation requires.
So what type of leader are you? And what type of leader do you want to be?
About the Author Debora McLaughlin: Executive & Business Coach, Speaker, Consultant & Mentor, works with executives, business owners & managers to optimize profits, people & performance. Author of several books including Blueprint for Success with Stephen R. Covey and Ken Blanchard. http://www.opendoorcoaching.com
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