In my last post, I looked at the importance of integrity for creating influence. Today, I turn our attention to how great leaders connect and inspire others. In my experience, there are four key elements.
Cultivate key relationships. We are influenced most by people we like and trust. Particularly if you have moved into a new role, it’s crucial that you invest in the right relationships. But even if you have been in your role for years, it’s never too late to strengthen and expand your network, and to do so strategically. The first quarter of a new year provides a built-in reason: “One of my goals this year is to invest more time with some key colleagues. Would you be open to talking this month?”
Creating a stakeholder map can help. On a blank page, write your name at the center. Then write the names of your most important stakeholders, positioning them on the page to reflect how close (or far) they are from you now in terms of trust and connection. In orbit around your stakeholders, add the key people who influence them. That is your stakeholder map. When you step back and look at it, what do you see? What relationships do you need to strengthen to better achieve your goals and help your company succeed?
For your most critical relationships, consider how you will build each one. This is not the time for a one-size-fits all approach: you need a strategy tailored for every unique individual. For example, one relationship might be best forged through shared work; whereas another stakeholder might be more responsive to having lunch. If you’re new to the company’s leadership team, go through your peers one-by-one and design an engagement model for each person. How will you approach and build trust with each of them?
What is the ideal cadence of talking with them? You might address this explicitly with them at the end of a conversation: “I’m thinking it could be useful for us to connect quarterly so I have a clearer view of what your team needs.”
Share vision and optimism. Communicating a clear, inspiring, shared vision is a hallmark of effective leadership. It’s also a powerful source of influence. People want to pursue a positive, uplifting idea of what’s possible for them and their organization—and they’ll follow a leader who articulates that vision well. Make no mistake, people decide whether or not to follow. They want to know if the destination is worth the effort to get there.
If there’s no compelling vision, one place to begin is to look inside yourself and unearth your fondest hopes and dreams for your organization. At its best, what will your organization look like, how will it feel, what kind of impact will it have on employees, customers, and the world? What excites you personally? You may also want to involve your team in shaping the vision. But if you don’t have a deep personal connection with the vision, it won’t be as powerful. You’ll be missing the kind of durable, energetic drive you’ll need to lead others through the turbulent waters ahead.
Demonstrate excellence in your field. Another way to inspire influence is through demonstrated mastery in your field. An executive who is also a world class technologist or scientist commands greater influence among those they lead compared with an executive who lacks that technical depth. This is especially true in technology and life sciences companies, where I do much of my work. Demonstrating excellence creates influence by inspiring others to pursue excellence themselves.
While you can’t acquire decades of experience overnight, there is a way you can quickly gain more of this kind of influence: make sure that the expertise you have is visible. I’m not suggesting you start broadcasting how great you are. But you can be present and vocal in technical or product reviews. You can publish thought leadership articles or speak at internal gatherings. Adding value via visible thought leadership can help you build influence.
Value and respect all of your stakeholders. You cannot connect with and inspire your stakeholders while simultaneously dismissing or ignoring them. How much are you willing to let someone influence you when you feel they do not respect you?
Beyond building influence, there’s another reason to value and respect even your most challenging stakeholders: you need a wide diversity of perspectives so you can make good decisions. This doesn’t mean agreeing with everyone, or viewing them as equally capable or smart. You may disagree with much of what you hear. But the most effective leaders welcome others who challenge their own assumptions. Otherwise, they risk assuming they are right and closing their minds to new information that may be strategically important. Arrogance can lead to poor decision making.
In my next and final post, we’ll wrap up the series by exploring how confidence and the tools of persuasive communication build influence.