The Law of Influence
The true measure of leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less
True leadership cannot be awarded, appointed, or assigned. It comes only from influence, and that must be earned. The proof of leadership is found in the followers. A title can only buy a little time -- either to increase your level of influence or to undermine it. Leaders build influence through seven factors: character, relationships, knowledge, intuition, experience, past success, and ability.
- Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less
- The proof of leadership is found in the followers
- True leadership must be earned through influence, not mandated by position
- A title can only buy time to increase or undermine your influence
- The best test of leadership is asking someone to lead volunteers where they have no positional leverage
- Identify which leadership myths you've believedExamine whether you've relied on the Management, Entrepreneur, Knowledge, Pioneer, or Position myth. Understanding your false assumptions is the first step to building real influence.
- Assess your seven factors of influenceRate yourself 1-10 on each: Character (who you are), Relationships (who you know), Knowledge (what you know), Intuition (what you feel), Experience (where you've been), Past Success (what you've done), and Ability (what you can do).Pro tipFocus on optimizing your lowest-scoring factors for the biggest gains in influence.
- Test your influence in a volunteer settingLead a volunteer organization for six months. If you can get people to follow without positional leverage, you have genuine influence.Pro tipVoluntary organizations reveal leadership in its purest form because there is no leverage of salary, benefits, or rank.
Mother Teresa had no political position, no wealth, and no military power. Yet she built an organization of 4,000+ Missionaries of Charity serving in 25 countries on five continents. When she spoke at the 1994 National Prayer Breakfast, she made statements that would have provoked hostile reactions from any other speaker, yet the audience listened respectfully.
In 1832, Lincoln gathered volunteers for the Black Hawk War and was given the rank of captain. But with no military experience and no ability to influence soldiers, his rank steadily declined throughout his service.
Maxwell discovered this law personally in his first leadership position. Despite having the right credentials, degree, and title, he quickly found that the real leader in the organization was a farmer named Claude. When Claude spoke, people listened. When he led, others followed. Maxwell realized he had to influence Claude, who would in turn influence everyone else. Abraham Lincoln's military experience further illustrates the law: despite being given the rank of captain, Lincoln's inability to influence soldiers caused him to end his service as a private.