Influence is a core pillar of leadership. A leader has to be influential – which means: be able to change the hearts and minds of others. In other words, as a leader you need to be able to communicate and interact with others in a way that not only influences them to do things, be in action and create results, but also has them think differently, and leaves them feeling empowered. So one could say influence is about causing another to think, feel and act differently, or in alignment with the results you are looking for. Influence without leaving people feeling empowered is an unsustainable way to be a leader.
A key trait of top leaders is to lead while building the emotional ‘bank balance’ – this means that top leaders lead while continuing to leave others feeling like they are making deposits into their emotional bank accounts. They are giving, giving, giving, while others are empowered to achieve the results that need to get created. This elevates others, and achieves accelerated results.
Leaders elevate others emotionally so they can achieve more. They elevate them intellectually, so they can see new ways to solve problems and take ownership. They elevate them positionally—they like team members to envision what their next promotion or two could be and trust that they are helping them get there.
So under the pillar of influence, you must look at things like communication techniques, how you show up to others, your ability to make requests and promises, creating sustainable relationships and agreements, etc. Without the ability to influence, there is no leadership.
