Influencing and Leadership – Part 2

John Maxwell in his book, “The Influence Formula,” share 4 steps to develop influence.

1. Prove yourself 
2. Earn relationship 
3. Make your team successful 
4. Help people reach their potential 

For step 1 and 2 see Influencing and Leadership – Part 1.

Step 3- Make your team successful

Being able to make the team successful is a qualifying mark of leadership. When you help your team to become productive and successful, your influence will grow to new heights, but it is no easy task making multiple people work together to towards the same goal.

A good team is always greater than the sum of its parts and can accomplish more than individuals working alone.

To inspire your team to perform at their best and collaborate effectively towards a shared goal:

• You must lead by example and demonstrate peak productivity. That will help the team see their potential and will help you gain influence and people will start seeing you as a leader.
• Understand how your gifts and abilities can be used to help others be productive.
• Discover methods to harness the talents within your team and act as a facilitator for their success by empowering them. Delegate tasks to foster skill development within the team, rather than relying solely on your own capabilities.
• Become the team’s catalyst for problem-solving instead of solving problems for them, it will help you gain more influence. When a team is successful in achieving a goal, it creates positive momentum and high morale.
• To support individuals in achieving success, identify where they can make the most significant contributions and provide opportunities in those areas. Strive to ensure that each person spends the majority of their time on tasks they should do and tasks they enjoy.
• Communicate the goal often without assuming that everyone knows it already.
• Create an environment conducive to growth and inspiration. Your attitude is contagious, when you are positive, encouraging and open to growth, your teammates will be too.
• Give feedback to the team
• Be prepared to make difficult decisions promptly for the benefit of the team. Failure to take necessary action will erode your influence and result in a loss of trust from your team.

You are more likely to regret the decisions you filed to make then the decisions you made that didn’t work.

The ongoing success of the team is intertwined with your own success, so it’s crucial to assist the team in reaching their objectives, despite any obstacles they may face. Persist in championing productivity. The more you aid the team in maintaining focus and efficiency, the greater the success individual team members will attain. As they achieve greater success, your influence over them will also increase.

Step 4: Help people reach their potential

When an individual deliberately commits to fostering the development of others, it earns appreciation from those individuals. If you’ve contributed to the success of individuals within a team context, you’ve reached the fourth stage of acquiring influence. Moreover, investing in people also enhances the organization’s overall performance.

Invest in people and they will never be the same again.

Neither will you.

It is impossible to help others without helping yourself.

How?

• Spend more time helping people develop as a person than their productivity. When someone becomes a better person everything in their life improves.
• Start with the person with the greatest potential, so they can later join you to help others.
• Meet and mentor regularly the people you are investing in. It will also give you joy.
• Assist individuals in becoming proficient leaders without experiencing feelings of threat or insecurity. By nurturing people to excel in leadership roles, you simultaneously enhance your own leadership capabilities while expanding your sphere of influence.

Only leaders can develop other people to become leaders.

By shifting your focus from personal advancement to the development of others, you’ll find greater fulfillment and forge deeper connections with them. Besides experiencing immense satisfaction from giving to others, you’ll also cultivate significant influence.

Ultimately, it’s crucial to acknowledge that you cannot dictate another person’s reaction to you. Regardless of your efforts or the quality of your work, they may choose to disregard you and resist forming a relationship. Their response is their prerogative. You can persist in adding value to them and aiding in their success without being overly concerned about their choices.