Qualities of Leadership Part 4

by | May 30, 2013 | Management and Leadership Articles

QUALITIES OF LEADERSHIP PART 4: INFLUENTIAL AND DECISIVE  by Ray Miller

“An excerpt from our Management Training by the Book series.”

This is the fourth article in a six part series which discusses the Qualities of Leadership. It builds on what was covered previously so if you haven’t read the previous articles, be forewarned.

In this article we will discuss in greater detail the next two of the qualities of leadership: Influential and Decisive

A Leader is Influential

Unless a person can influence others to follow their vision, they’re not a leader. Leaders have that something extra that gets others to buy into their ideas and jump aboard.

Most times a leader’s vision for the future means changing the status quo. It means asking others to abandon the comfortableness of their current position and take the leap of faith that the leader’s vision will lead to a better state. The ability to persuade coworkers, management, and customers is absolutely paramount to a leader’s success. How does a leader influence others? First the leader must anticipate resistance to change. That means appreciating the motivations and anxieties of those around him/her. To methodically defuse those anxieties the leader must first understand why someone is resistant or hesitant about an idea.

The leader must provide empirical evidence that his/her recommendation will in fact lead to improvement. Emotional arguments alone will rarely persuade others.

To the leader, the answer could be as obvious as a finger in the eye but that means nothing unless others are convinced. When resistance occurs a leader must listen and respond with empathy to the concerns. The leader must wait patiently as the group he/she is trying to influence arrives mentally at the same conclusion the leader is advocating. The leader’s motivation should be to improve the good of the company or department. If anyone suspects the leader is out to promote his/her own interests then influence is lost.

The leader must be flexible enough in his/her own thinking so as to alter his/her own plan of action so issues of resistance are minimized. While the leader sees change as a means to improvement others may be threatened because change suggests that the way they’ve always done things has been wrong. A leader’s ego allows others to save face (at least publicly). By anticipating resistance, providing empirical justification for the change, listening to concerns and offering supportive alternatives a leader has laid the foundation for influencing others. Critical to a leader’s ability to influence is their honesty and integrity. If they don’t have a track record of honesty and fair play those around them ill lose trust. Without trust influence is lost.

Here are a few examples of Influential Leadership Behaviours.

  1. A leader can effectively and convincingly communicate the benefit their idea will have for the company or organization.
  2. A leader listens effectively to concerns and issues and ensures they are addressed in order to build a true win-win relationship for all parties.
  3. A leader addresses resistance to change and accepts change openly
  4. A leader communicates his or her idea in a way that is genuine and credible and does not come across as manipulative or self serving.
  5. A leader provides empirical support (data, concrete evidence) for his/her position or idea.
  6. A leader successfully builds and maintains relationships with individuals outside his/her sphere of responsibility.

A Leader is Decisive

Employees will gravitate towards those who provide clarity and direction. That requires someone to make a decision. Unless that’s done the group stagnates – and looks for a leader.

Individuals are more apt to follow a leader’s aspirations if the leader appears decisive. “Decisive” doesn’t necessarily mean the leader makes quick decisions. It means the leader can structure dialogue with others so as to logically arrive at a consensus. Other times, when a decision can only be made by the leader, he/she is able to convey a rational basis for it. In other cases a leader may not be able to make a particular decision – i.e, an employee suggests an improvement for his department by changing a work process that affects several other departments. In that case, an “employee leader” would help the manager convince appropriate decision makers and do his/her best to persuade that person that the change is worthwhile. The important point is leaders don’t delay or avoid decisions. When a leader makes a decision it will be consistent and logically supportive of business priorities and core values. For instance, if your company determines customers are dissatisfied with service, management shouldn’t balk at spending more to hire, train and retain good service reps. By communication and focusing on specific business priorities and core values (see below) no decision comes out of left field. Sounds obvious, but how often are lofty strategic objectives lost in the trenches. It’s not uncommon for work to stagnate or grind to a halt because no one is willing to make an important decision.

Other times it will appear the leader has facilitated a decision when in fact all he/she has done is allowed a compromise. For instance, suppose team members are arguing over how the yearly budget should be allotted. One group wants to purchase new software another wants to spend it on training. After listening to the parties argue the leader decides a 50-50 split is the easiest solution. Maybe it was the easiest but was it the best? A leader would take the time to understand the business justification for both options. That way the entire group can come to consensus on the best course of action.

Here are a few examples of Decisive Leadership Behaviours.

  1. A leader takes time to fully understand all options before making or promoting a decision.
  2. A leader makes decisions in a timely manner.
  3. A leader makes decisions that are logically consistent with the business priorities and core values of the company or department.
  4. A leader makes difficult decisions when no one will and communicates a rationale for the decision.
  5. A leader escalates issues when a particular decision is out of his/her jurisdiction.

If you have the time, why not move on to our next article Qualities of Leadership Part 5 Communication and Core Values.

This post is an excerpt from Management Training By the Book I. If you found this helpful, I am certain you will learn a great deal more about leadership and maximizing employee performance from Management Training By The Book and Management Training By the Book II.

Ray Miller is Managing Partner of The Training Bank and author of That’s Customer Focus! , The Customer Focus Companion, Management Training by the Book I and II and an extensive selection of world-class training programs.

The Training Bank is a full service training and development firm which specializes in fully customizable Leadership, Customer Focus, Service Excellence, Management and Supervisory Development training.

If you want to enhance your Customers’ Experience and sharpen your Customer Focus to differentiate your organization and build long-term loyalty and profitability, check out our book, That’s Customer Focus!: The Overworked and Under-appreciated Managers Guide to Creating a Customer-Focused Organization.

Everything you need know and do to create and implement your strategy is covered in this great book.