The Leadership Principle of Influence (part 2 of 2)

Continued from yesterday... Here are five common myths about leadership: 3. The Knowledge Myth: Sir Francis Bacon once said, “Knowledge is power.” Most people, believing that power is the essence of leadership, naturally assume that those who possess knowledge and intelligence are leaders. But that isn’t automatically true. IQ does not necessarily equate to leadership ability. 4. The Pioneer Myth: Another misconception is that anyone who is out in front of the crowd is a leader. But being first isn’t the same as leading. Example: Sir Edmund Hillary vs. John Hunt and the Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Leaders often go first and lead by example, but those who go first are not always good leaders – it takes more than that to be a good leader. 5. The Position Myth: As mentioned earlier, the greatest misconception about leadership is that people think it is based on position, but it’s not. As Stanley Huffy once affirmed, “It is not the position that makes the leader, but the leader who makes the position.” There are Five Levels of Leadership – each one an increasingly better leader. A Position based leader leads from the title that has been assigned to him/her. A Permission based leader leads because he has earned the respect of others who will follow him/her. A Production based leader not only has their respect, but also gets things done and produces results on a consistent basis. A People Development leaders is a Production leader who also realizes that they will be more successful in the long run if they invest in their followers to enhance their leadership abilities as well. A Pinnacle leader not only invests in his followers’ leadership ability, but he makes sure they are producing leaders as well – hence, he leaves behind a legacy of leadership development. Positional leadership doesn’t work with volunteer organizations. Because these leaders don’t have leverage – or influence – so they are ineffective. In volunteer organizations, such as churches, the only thing that works is leadership in its purest form. In other organizations, the person who has position may have incredible leverage. In the military for instance, leaders can use rank and, if all else fails, throw people into the brig. In business, bosses have tremendous leverage in the form of salary, benefits, and perks. Most followers are pretty cooperative when their livelihood is at stake. But his is still not true leadership. Here is my favorite leadership proverb, “He who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.” If you can’t influence others, they won’t follow you. And if they won’t follow, you’re not a leader. That’s the Principle of Influence. No matter what anybody else tells you, remember that leadership is influence - nothing more, nothing less. Need help improving your ability to influence others in a positive way? Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me directly at curtis.songer@gmail.com