Leadership Law #2: The Law of Influence

The proof of leadership is in the followers.

Vocabulary for Law #2 ä ä Charismatic - a personal magic of leadership arousing special popular loyalty or enthusiasm for a public figure (as a political leader) ä ä Quintessential - the essence of a thing in its purest form ä ä Misconception – A mistaken thought, idea, or notion; a misunderstanding: ä Positional advantage; power to act effectively: ä Leverage - Positional advantage; power to act effectively: ä ä Intuition - The act of knowing or sensing something ä ä Morale - the degree of mental or moral confidence of a person or group ä ä Intangibles - Incapable of being perceived by the senses ä ä Cynicism - An attitude of scornful or jaded negativity, especially a general distrust of the integrity or professed motives of others

What is the Law of Influence? ä ä The true measure of leadership is the degree of influence. ä ä Proof of leadership is in the followers.

Influence in leadership ä ä Leadership is not an award. ä ä Leadership is not a title. ä ä Leadership is not about talking often or loudly. ä ä Leadership must be earned

Leadership Myth #1 – The Management Myth Leadership is about influencing people to follow, while management focuses on maintaining systems and processes. Managers can maintain direction; to move people you need influence. “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things” - Peter F. Drucker

Leadership Myth #2 - Entrepreneur Myth ä ä Entrepreneur Myth – Entrepreneurs are skilled at seeing opportunities. Example - Dick and Maurice McDonald. Entrepreneurs are skilled at seeing opportunities and going after them. But not all of them are good with leading people in their vision

Leadership Myth #3 - Knowledge Myth ä ä Knowledge Myth Knowledge and intelligence is important (researchers & scientists) The smartest people are not necessarily leaders. Example - Wright Brothers Neither IQ nor education necessarily equates to leadership.

Leadership Myth #4 - Pioneer Myth ä ä Pioneer Myth – Being a trendsetter is not the same as being a leader. To be a leader, a person has to not only be out in front, but also has to have people following his lead.

Leadership Myth #5 - Position Myth ä ä Position Myth – leadership is not based on rank or title. It’s not the position that makes the leader. It’s not the position that makes the leader; it’s the leader that makes the position.

Elements of Leadership which helps influence 1) Character – Who They Are – true leadership always begins with the inner person. People can sense the depth of a person’s character. 2) Relationships – Who They Know – with deep relationships with the right people you can become the real leader in an organization. 3) Knowledge – What They Know – information is vital. You need a grasp of the facts to develop an accurate vision for the future. 4) Intuition – What They Feel – leaders seek to recognize and influence intangibles such as energy, morale, timing and momentum. 5) Experience – Where They’ve Been – the greater your past challenges, the more likely followers will be willing to let you lead 6) Ability – What They Can Do – the bottom line is followers want to know whether you can lead them to victory. As soon as they no longer believe you can deliver, they will stop following

Build your Leadership Qualities, one at a time. ä ä CHARISMA – How can you have more charisma? Be more concerned about making others feel good about themselves than you are about making them feel good about you.

Charisma Defined ä ä Love life. People enjoy leaders who love life. ä ä Put a “10” on every person;s head. Highly successful people see the good in people. ä ä Give people hope. Hope allows people to dream. ä ä Share yourself. Share your life and your life journey. Give of yourself

Obstacles to Charisma ä ä Pride. Nobody likes to follow someone who thinks they’re better than everyone else. ä ä Insecurity. If you’re uncomfortable with yourself, others will be too. ä ä Moodiness. If people don’t know what to expect from you, they stop expecting anything. ä ä Perfectionism. People respect the desire for excellence, but dread unrealistic expectations. ä ä Cynicism. People don’t want to be rained on by someone who sees a cloud around every silver lining.