We have all experienced standing on the edge of a lake and casting pebbles into the water - as the pebble lands in the water it creates ripples reaching far beyond the initial point of impact. And so it is with every small act throughout our day - every thought, comment, action creates a ripple effect which impacts not only the people with whom we immediately interact but also the people whose lives they touch, and then the people with whom those people connect with and so on and so on, way beyond where we might have imagined.
The ripples of a leader can be even greater because leadership is all about how you make people feel and the lasting impact you have on them, which is why:
I = Influence & Impact
in my series on AUTHENTIC leadership:
A = Awareness & Acceptance
U = Unique
T = Transformation
H = Head & Heart
E = Engage & Empower
N = North Star
T = Trust
I = Influence & Impact
C = Compassion, Courage & Curiosity
Working hard and getting results will get you through the door however it is your presence and your ability to connect with the people around you, above and below you which will determine your success as a leader.
As Simon Sinek says in The Infinite Game “Leaders are not responsible for the results. They are responsible for the people who are responsible for the results.”
A key element of your role as a leader is to influence what people do and how they do it; it is the ability to affect action, transform behaviour and shift views without relying on positional power or direct authority.
So how can you be more Influential and have the Impact you want, in order to create the changes you see necessary?
I see there being 4 key elements:
Executive presence
Executive presence is essentially your ability to inspire confidence in those around you that you are not only capable but also that you have the potential to achieve bigger things, and that you will be able to bring others with you.
To inspire confidence in this way you need to have developed your own sense of confidence through recognising your achievements and strengths. This is quite different from arrogance because it is important to hold confidence and humility simultaneously. However, it does mean learning to embody this sense of confidence and capability and owning your achievements rather than diminishing them, which challenges many of my clients. I find that my clients often forget how far they have come because they are so focused on aspiring to the next thing. Reclaiming this knowledge of the road they have already travelled and allowing themselves to fully absorb this into their body by learning to centre themselves around an embodiment of their values and their purpose can entirely shift the energy they bring into a room.
Identifying the small shifts in your posture and gestures when you are feeling confident and in flow can enable you to access these more frequently as you approach situations which trigger more nerves.
Strong relationships
Getting to know your peers in the leadership team at a more personal level so that you have a greater understanding of the challenges they face will enable you to offer help in constructive ways and collaborate more meaningfully.
One of the greatest communication and relationship building skills is listening. To become an excellent listener requires you to be fully present to others when you are with them, paying attention to not only their words but also their tone, body language, and what is not being said. Then engaging in asking questions and exploring their ideas, suggestions and opinions so that you can collaborate effectively to produce better results.
As well as strong individual relationships focus on creating a strong network of relationships across the organisation, and actively connect others where you can see synergies. This also relates to increasing your profile within the organisation so others also seek you out.
See also the previous article in this series on Trust for more ways to build trust with colleagues.
Alignment with purpose
Having clarity around your purpose will empower you to speak with greater strength and passion, as well as pushing you to identify what aspects of a project or negotiation are most important to you and where you are happier to compromise.
Your ability to align your own personal purpose with that of the organisation and then articulate both those to colleagues will enable you to bring people along on the journey, ensuring you are all working towards the same vision. At the same time, it is important to be open-minded and flexible rather than too rigidly attached to your own perspective on how to pursue the purpose of the organisation (see above about listening!).
Communicating with impact
If you are to have influence and impact you need to be both seen and heard, so ensure that you are contributing to team meetings, not only in areas where you are the expert but also in areas outside your functional area. This is not about speaking just to hear your own voice, rather taking an active interest in what is happening in other areas of the business and asking well thought-out questions so that you gain a broader understanding of the big picture.
Prepare fully before meetings and study the preferred styles of other leaders – there is no point giving lengthy of tables of numbers to a CEO who prefers 5 bullet points and 2 coloured graphs! Understanding your audience is key – what do they need, what are their motivators?
To be effective as leaders we need to cultivate both Influence and Impact, so once again we need to tap into our emotional intelligence, which can be significantly improved by practicing mindfulness.
Which of these areas do you most need to focus on in order to enhance your Influence and Impact?
The ripples of a leader can be even greater because leadership is all about how you make people feel and the lasting impact you have on them, which is why:
I = Influence & Impact
in my series on AUTHENTIC leadership:
A = Awareness & Acceptance
U = Unique
T = Transformation
H = Head & Heart
E = Engage & Empower
N = North Star
T = Trust
I = Influence & Impact
C = Compassion, Courage & Curiosity
Working hard and getting results will get you through the door however it is your presence and your ability to connect with the people around you, above and below you which will determine your success as a leader.
As Simon Sinek says in The Infinite Game “Leaders are not responsible for the results. They are responsible for the people who are responsible for the results.”
A key element of your role as a leader is to influence what people do and how they do it; it is the ability to affect action, transform behaviour and shift views without relying on positional power or direct authority.
So how can you be more Influential and have the Impact you want, in order to create the changes you see necessary?
I see there being 4 key elements:
Executive presence
Executive presence is essentially your ability to inspire confidence in those around you that you are not only capable but also that you have the potential to achieve bigger things, and that you will be able to bring others with you.
To inspire confidence in this way you need to have developed your own sense of confidence through recognising your achievements and strengths. This is quite different from arrogance because it is important to hold confidence and humility simultaneously. However, it does mean learning to embody this sense of confidence and capability and owning your achievements rather than diminishing them, which challenges many of my clients. I find that my clients often forget how far they have come because they are so focused on aspiring to the next thing. Reclaiming this knowledge of the road they have already travelled and allowing themselves to fully absorb this into their body by learning to centre themselves around an embodiment of their values and their purpose can entirely shift the energy they bring into a room.
Identifying the small shifts in your posture and gestures when you are feeling confident and in flow can enable you to access these more frequently as you approach situations which trigger more nerves.
Strong relationships
Getting to know your peers in the leadership team at a more personal level so that you have a greater understanding of the challenges they face will enable you to offer help in constructive ways and collaborate more meaningfully.
One of the greatest communication and relationship building skills is listening. To become an excellent listener requires you to be fully present to others when you are with them, paying attention to not only their words but also their tone, body language, and what is not being said. Then engaging in asking questions and exploring their ideas, suggestions and opinions so that you can collaborate effectively to produce better results.
As well as strong individual relationships focus on creating a strong network of relationships across the organisation, and actively connect others where you can see synergies. This also relates to increasing your profile within the organisation so others also seek you out.
See also the previous article in this series on Trust for more ways to build trust with colleagues.
Alignment with purpose
Having clarity around your purpose will empower you to speak with greater strength and passion, as well as pushing you to identify what aspects of a project or negotiation are most important to you and where you are happier to compromise.
Your ability to align your own personal purpose with that of the organisation and then articulate both those to colleagues will enable you to bring people along on the journey, ensuring you are all working towards the same vision. At the same time, it is important to be open-minded and flexible rather than too rigidly attached to your own perspective on how to pursue the purpose of the organisation (see above about listening!).
Communicating with impact
If you are to have influence and impact you need to be both seen and heard, so ensure that you are contributing to team meetings, not only in areas where you are the expert but also in areas outside your functional area. This is not about speaking just to hear your own voice, rather taking an active interest in what is happening in other areas of the business and asking well thought-out questions so that you gain a broader understanding of the big picture.
Prepare fully before meetings and study the preferred styles of other leaders – there is no point giving lengthy of tables of numbers to a CEO who prefers 5 bullet points and 2 coloured graphs! Understanding your audience is key – what do they need, what are their motivators?
To be effective as leaders we need to cultivate both Influence and Impact, so once again we need to tap into our emotional intelligence, which can be significantly improved by practicing mindfulness.
Which of these areas do you most need to focus on in order to enhance your Influence and Impact?
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