Leadership can be described as the process of social influence in which one person can enlist the assistance and support of others in the accomplishment of a task or goal.
This can provide an enduring component to any strategic plan providing; aid in tactical maneuvering, and better angles to operate from.
Need a refresher on strategy and tactics? If so, check out my very first article ever: Strategy 101: a Quick Primer.
Keep in mind that leadership is not only as a job function. More importantly and in relation to this article it’s a status that one holds by others – by their own choice and not by a directive.
Even if we had the ability to do everything ourselves, it’s advantageous for efficiency sake to enlist the aid of others to help see a plan through. This article will cover a few quick and simple methods to increase your leadership stock with the goal of developing a group of allies which you can call upon for assistance whenever needed.
The goal is to build your resource base to aid the forward movement of your agenda, and to do so by being a leader.
Be the Example
The best leaders lead by not only setting the standard, but being the standard. This means holding yourself to the same expectations that you hold others to. If you get upset when others are late to meetings, but you’re consistently late to meetings yourself – you’re being a bad example. Being the example has no room hypocrisy.
Leading by example is one of the most simple, yet impacting concepts that you can implement to generate immediate results. Simply, practice what you preach and act in accordance to your message to others.
Trying to portray yourself as a leader without being the example creates resentment and acts in opposition to building an ally base.
Don’t Treat Everyone the Same
Everyone is different, so it’s logical to treat everyone differently. What pleases me, may upset you. If you treat everyone the same then you can only hope that half of the people like you and expect the other half to hate you. A good leader should posses the ability to present themselves as if they are treating everyone similarly, even though they are not.
Here’s the deal…people have different motivations, personalities, goals, emotional levels, curiosities, etc. Because of these differences, to treat everyone as if they came from the same bucket is ignorant. You should present fairness while customizing your approach to each and every persona you face.
To expound on this point it’s important to mention that not everyone has something to offer you. Your energy should be different when you’re in the midst of a person who can benefit you, than a person who has little to offer. It’s like investing…you’re going to lend your investments to a stock that has more potential, than the contrary.
I know it’s been beat into us that we should treat people fairly, but that’s almost impossible. As I alluded to in: Self-Branding: The Importance of Your Appearance, we have internal defensive mechanisms that trigger us to judge people and situations. These judgements are generated indirectly to protect us from repeating an emotional pain. Being that the word “fair” means to be free of bias, it’s oxymoronic to think that we can truly treat people without bias, considering we have these inner defensive mechanisms working in the background.
Instead of trying to treat everyone the same, treat everyone who is respectable with respect. Tailor your output to their input.
Appeal to People
Depending on your work experience you may have been under the reigns of a leader who has no regard for people. Plain and simple they are mean and unlikable. If you’ve experienced this wrath, you can identify with the displeasure. You would never go out of your way for them; you have no personal liking for them; and if you had the ability to sabotage their leadership status – you probably would.
In many cases leaders act in this fashion because they think it’s the only way to get results. It’s a weak approach but they do so in accordance to what they see as powerful leadership. A quick study on human psychology will teach you what makes a person want to do something for you, and it’s all about them, very little about you. This is human nature at its core.
There are really two basic ways to get someone to do something for you; one generating a more powerful long term benefit.
- By force – making a person do something because they are in an inferior position than you, or by threat.
- By appeal – having a person do something for you by appealing to that person in a way that makes them want to do something for you.
Getting someone to act by a forceful measure is the easiest way to get things done because it doesn’t require much thought. This measure has very limited space in my play book because it comes with a negative residual effect. You make a person do something by force and they never forget it. You’ll lose an ally, and worse, you may even create an enemy. I suggest that this method only be used when it’s a part of a well thought out strategic plan.
Appealing to a person requires identifying some form of benefit to the person you’re appealing to.
Having the ability to adapt to any persona makes you appealing to people. Generally, leaders fail at this basic concept, so when you excel at it, it stands out and you make people feel important – now they’ll go out of their way for you.
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Do you currently practice “not treating everyone the same”? Can you identify a person who you view as a leader that uses this method?
Don’t forget to check out these articles that I referenced:
Strategy 101: a Quick Primer
Self-Branding: The Importance of Your Appearance
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Leaders do lead by example. And i want to thank you for the email you sent me. I really appreciate you taking the time you took to get to know me. I will be here frequently. and i think we can learn from each other.
And here is one for the road.
“Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there; they cause change. They motivate and inspire others to go in the right direction and they, along with everyone else, sacrifice to get there.” – John Kotter
Jonathan- Thanks for the John Kotter quote… that was right on time!
JK hustle,
I can’t seem to wrap my mind around anything aside from success being equated with money, or power outside of money.
Is success and strategy about money? Does a good strategy always put you with more in your pocket than you started?
Ocean Front,
Yes, success can equate money and power. In order to obtain the goal of maximizing your compensation, you should use strategy to put yourself in the most advantageous positions. As an example, if your goal is to make more money, then your actions should be tailored to reach that goal. The strategic maneuvering depends on the variables that surround you.
So far, I haven’t dived into the money aspect of things directly. Money is an end goal and my focus has been offering suggestive ways on moving from points A through Y, in order to reach Z (regardless if that’s money, power or whatever) in a business environment. When we advance in business, we are rewarded monetarily…plus most of us work solely for the money. So as I haven’t directly touched on this point – I guess you can say that indirectly I have.
Success and strategy can be about money and most of the time the end result includes money, even if it wasn’t a consideration in your plan. There are very few strategy plays that we can omit money from in business. Everyone’s goal should be to get the most out of their input; this opens up financial doors. Our business culture rewards with money; when you put yourself in the right position, monetary gain is the after effect.
Thanks for the comment!