Dear Leader,
I trust this meets you in pursuit of wisdom.
When people start out as leaders, there is every tendency that their influence may not be strong enough to direct people in the direction they hope to go. I’ve seen this happen time and again with young leaders.
When you are new on your leadership journey, even though your visions and intentions are true, your influence may not be strong enough or mature enough to persuade people to follow you.
This means you are a leader but people don’t look up to you yet.
It takes time to deepen your influence, and beyond time, it takes real work.
Leading is not the same as being a leader. The true measure of leadership is influence, not titles. If you are failing to influence people to follow your lead, you are not yet leading , even though you are the leader.
Realising this is the beginning of leadership development. Frankly, many young people who realise their inability to influence give up so soon, instead of putting in the work that leadership demands. Awareness should lead to determination and commitment to becoming a better leader, not to giving up.
A few ways you can MOVE from being a leader to leading….
- If leadership is influence, then you can grow your influence through mentorship. I think of this as a hack. One practical thing mentorship does for you is that you leverage on the credentials of your mentor while you polish your leadership skills from his or her teachings and guidance.
If you find yourself in a leadership position but your leadership influence is weak and growing, mentorship can give you a solid foundation to build your leadership influence. Be genuine and pursue those who have built their leadership influence over the years, there is something they know and have. - If leadership is influence, then you can grow influence with time and maturity. The great things of life take time. Real influence takes time to develop.
Somewhere around 2010, I delivered what I would call my first leadership training session. I can’t remember how many people were in that room. But by the time I was called to facilitate the same training 10 years later, there was an obvious difference. A more matured leader, this time with practical experience to share based on my own leadership skills in action and my track record as a leader.
A track record gives people confidence to follow your direction.
Influence is built with time and that is why I work with young leaders to start early and deepen their leadership influence. - If leadership is influence, influence grows with patience and integrity. History is filled with many leaders who never led. If you see an impactful leader, study their history. It’s a history of “growing patiently” even in the early stages characterised by zero result, rejection and criticism.
There is every tendency that those zero results, rejection and criticism could have turned them into angry, disgruntled and cynical leaders but the discipline to stay in the process with a pure heart is INTEGRITY.
We are not in leadership for what we will gain but for the mission, we have been called for this. Hence, we must keep a clean heart and continually display great consistency and credibility.
As you lead, stay committed to doing the right thing always even when no one is watching. You are deepening your influence and people are watching.
It is hard to lead when those whom you are supposed to be leading are not inclined to follow.
Real leadership influence takes time and takes work. This week offers you another opportunity to put in the work.
I’m rooting for you,
The Great Owete