I often see people waiting for the chance to lead. Looking for the promotion or position where they finally get to shine and show their leadership savvy. But they make a fundamental error in thinking that limits their leadership and caps their capacity. John Maxwell nails it:
True leadership cannot be awarded, appointed, or assigned. It comes only from influence, and that cannot be mandated. It must be earned. The only thing a title can buy is a little time-either to increase your level of influence with others or to undermine it. --John Maxwell
Hard Truth: If you don't have the influence you want, that is your fault.
Often I hear excuses for why leaders don't have the influence they want: “I wasn’t given the chance, I didn’t have the resources. I didn’t have the authority or title.” Lame leaders make excuses; great leaders make changes. They figure it out. They do more with less.
Many want to grab the next ring without securing their grip on the current ring. That leads to a fall. If you are not doing your job, you won't have any voice to speak into others.
Past success doesn’t guarantee future success, but it sure makes people feel more comfortable with being led and influenced. Find ways to take on challenges and excel in them, and you’ll soon be presented with new responsibilities and leadership opportunities.
“The bottom line for followers is what a leader is capable of. They want to know whether that person can lead the team to victory.”--John Maxwell
Only if you are doing #1 above. Volunteer. Do jobs that don't exist. Create jobs. See things that need to be done but aren't. When I served as a campus pastor at a church in Texas, I realized no one was coordinating the teaching on all the campuses. I was not over the other campuses, but offered to be the person who organized our teaching texts, schedules, prepared for our meetings, and captured our learnings with each other. Not my job, but became a way to add value.
What problem is your team facing? Ask permission to step in and solve it. If you do not know, ask your supervisor what you could take off their plate. Look for unique opportunities to do something that stretches you as a leader and adds value to the organization.
When an important job needs to be tackled in a dynamic organization, leaders look for a trusted influencer to get it done.
Leaders of teams deal with two kinds of staff: Staff that add weight to their plates, and staff that take weight off their plates. Staff that bring problems to solve, and staff that bring solutions to choose from. Which one do you think influences more?
I once heard the CEO of General Electric say, “your peers determine your success.” Our influence is only as strong as the relationships with our teammates. A key learning here is: The team you are on is more important than the team you lead.
How do you live out this on your team?
If your team relationships are not as strong as you would like, what can YOU change?
Make it your number one goal to make your boss successful. Make it your number two goal to make everyone around you successful.
Here is the key: It is not according to what you think is helpful, but what they think is successful. To get this, you have to ask, “What would a win look like for me here? What would most serve you?
Bosses, it is your job to help your team get the A by continually clarifying the PACE and PRIORITY of the people you manage. Forget the job description in the drawer; what could they do in the next three months that would give them the A?
Identify and recruit other leaders. When you build teams, you are building influence from the ground up. Just be clear you are building teams committed to the organization and your boss and not to yourself. When your teams are committed to the organization, the vision, and your boss, it actually helps you lead them in three ways:
If you don't have the influence you want, that is your fault. So make a shift and determine you will grow in your influence.
I'd love to talk with you more about this. Shoot me an email and let's start growing your influence today.
Photo by Elijah Macleod on Unsplash
