Leadership Influence: Keys and Practices
By Coach Virginie Mesana
Influence in leadership goes beyond the ability to lead; it involves inspiring and motivating others to achieve a common goal. This form of influence is distinctly different from authority, which tends to rely on titles and official positions. An influential leader is someone who, regardless of their hierarchical position, can positively affect the behavior, attitudes, and beliefs of others. In this context, understanding influence in leadership becomes essential for anyone aspiring to become an effective and respected leader.
Putting Kindness at the Heart of Your Influence Model
"Influence" is a concept that sometimes gets a bad reputation. The manipulative perception behind the intention to influence often creates hesitation among some of my coachees to develop this ability and build more impactful relationships with their teams and peers. Yet, influence is an essential skill for leading motivated and high-performing teams. And it is possible to give the term a more positive connotation by putting kindness at the heart of your management style or model. Influence with more emotional intelligence allows leaders, directors and managers to stand out from others. This model is based on the idea that leaders who show compassion and understanding of others' emotions can create more motivating and engaging work environments. Emotional intelligence then becomes essential for sustainable and positive influence, developing self-awareness, emotional regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. These are skills we work on in executive coaching using the EQ-i 2.0 framework and assessments.
Key Characteristics of Influential and Emotionally Agile Leaders
Influential leaders share common characteristics that enhance their ability to positively impact others:
Authenticity, which translates to a congruence between words and actions, is fundamental.
Effective communication is also crucial, allowing the leader to clearly convey their vision and values.
Empathy, the ability to understand and share others' feelings, strengthens bonds and trust.
Finally, the ability to inspire and motivate is what enables the leader to turn challenges into opportunities and encourage teams to overcome obstacles.
Some Strategies to Develop Your Influence
To develop influence as a leader, several strategies can be adopted, starting with:
Networking, by building strong and diverse relationships, allows access to new ideas and perspectives.
Mentoring and coaching can help guide and develop others' skills.
Conflict management, through mediation and seeking win-win solutions, strengthens mutual respect.
Finally, ethical and thoughtful decision-making shows a commitment to shared values.
In Conclusion
Developing leadership influence is a journey that requires being intentional, thoughtful, and authentic. Leaders who seek to positively influence others must engage in a continuous process of learning and self-improvement. By focusing on kindness, emotional intelligence, and effective communication, you can build a leadership style that not only inspires but also transforms.