Lead Purposefully: Maximize Your Impact as an Influential Leader

/

Kenneth Blanchard, author of The One Minute Manager, notes that, "The key to successful leadership today is influence and not authority." 

You may be leading from the top or you may be leading from the middle; either way, you are influencing the direction your organizations and businesses take. This is true regardless of your job title, your pay grade, or how long you have been with your organization. This means you must be purposeful in the decisions you make as a leader, including HOW you choose to lead and influence others.

When you lead with strength and flow and not with force, the outcome is the creation of a culture built upon expectations, accountability and innovative ideas. And that leads to better business outcomes with a positive impact for people and the bottom line. 

So what does it mean to lead with strength and flow?

IIt means that you use your power to uplift and uphold those around you...to expand possibilities with flexibility...rather than using your power to hold yourself apart from others, or above others, or to hide behind your power, or to use it in an attempt to control people and outcomes.

  • It means that you prioritize the time needed to communicate expectations clearly and give people the support and resources needed, in order to do what they are being asked to do.

  • It means that you give people the room to meet and exceed expectations, even if that means they do it imperfectly and make mistakes.

  • It means that when things go sideways - which is guaranteed to happen in today's fast-paced, high-demand workplace - you step in as needed to move things back on track and use those mistakes as learning opportunities.

Whether you are an emerging leader or a highly experienced C-level executive, it's critical to remember that you have influence, and that your influence impacts the ultimate success of your organization. It is your choice to determine the kind of impact you want to have. Be purposeful when deciding, and aim for the positive.