influence – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

Influencing What’s Possible

Posted September 27, 2021September 27, 2021
by admin

When we succeed in changing someone’s mind, we shouldn’t only ask whether we’re proud of what we’ve achieved. We should also ask whether we’re proud of how we’ve achieved it. – Adam Grant, Think Again

I read a story not long that explained the process of mining silver from the ground. It is commonly mixed with a number of other elements. In order to get pure silver that can be used for commercial purposes, it must be refined.

Silver has an extraordinarily high melting point. It must be heated to nearly 2,200 degrees in order to be refined to complete purity. Only when it has been through that process does the silver become useful for its intended function. Beautiful service pieces, high-tech equipment, and collectible coins all become possible once the silver has been refined. Without that process, it is largely worthless.

As a leader, you have the privilege of influencing what’s possible in the lives of those you lead and in the life of your organization. Just as silver goes through a refining process, so too do you as a leader have the opportunity to develop and influence those around you. It’s a tremendous responsibility.

So how might you use your influence in leadership? How do you know if you are doing it right? Here are a few questions to consider when contemplating the power of your influence.

Are my motives pure?

If your motives aren’t pure then your leadership isn’t either. Click To Tweet Your motives and influence as a leader not only should be pure but known to the people that you lead. Transparency is essential to your leadership and if you are looking out for the best interest of your people and your organization then your people should never have to question why you do what you do.

Am I secretly playing politics all while claiming to help?

It is the responsibility of the leader to be out front, cast vision, and lead the organization. Sometimes the lines can be blurred when you confuse the role of your leadership which looks out for everyone with playing politics which only looks out a few. One style will build your people and your organization while the other will tear it apart.

Am I pitting people against one another or bringing them together?

The answer to this question will determine the effectiveness of your leadership. It always has and it always will. The consequences of your motives and whether you play politics – unintended or not, have ramifications that come back to haunt you. Be honest with yourself when answering this question. If you are dividing your people rather than bringing them together, your people will eventually part ways with you.

Am I truly committed to seeing people grow and reach their full potential or am I holding them back?

When you are genuinely committed to the growth and development of your people you will in no way seek to hold them back or stand in their way. Click To Tweet You want to see people take their God-given talent and run with it. You want to influence what’s possible by unleashing all the possibilities in them.

Final Thoughts

Albert Schweitzer was right when he said, “Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.” Your influence as a leader is only as credible as your example as a leader. If you want to have a positive influence as a leader, you must be honest with yourself and with your people.

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Who’s In Your Impact Zone?

Posted August 23, 2021August 23, 2021
by admin

You can impress people from a distance, but you can only impact up close. – Howard G. Hendricks

I will never forget the night of April 8, 1974. I was glued to the TV set in our den at home anxiously waiting to see if history would be made. And sure enough – it was! The Atlanta Braves were hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hank Aaron took a 4th inning pitch from Al Downing and hit home run #715 to surpass the record previously held by Babe Ruth.

As a kid growing up playing Little League, Hank Aaron was my idol. He was baseball royalty, and that night will forever be etched in my memory.

Fast forward to the early 1990s and I’m in Fulton County Stadium watching the warm-ups prior to a Braves game. I am on the far end of the first base dugout with a baseball in hand hoping for an autograph to add to my collection.

I was about to give up when I looked down toward the other end of the dugout where a crowd had swelled and cheers could be heard. Who could it be?

I began making my way toward the crowd to see what the excitement was all about. From the back of the crowd, I got my first glimpse – and there he was, my baseball idol in the flesh – Hank Aaron.

With a freshly purchased baseball in hand, I pressed my way through the crowd to the railing and eagerly handed him my baseball. I stood in awe as I watched him autograph it. I even took a picture of him signing it just for posterity.

To go from being a little boy idolizing Hank Aaron to having a moment of interaction with him signing a baseball for me, was the most unforgettable experience.

As a leader, you may never know or realize the impact that you have on other people. My leadership mentor, John Maxwell, said, “Leadership is influence,” and it’s true. You may never know the impact you have on others which is why it’s so important to be mindful of it.

In my early years after college, I worked with a few bad leaders who taught me some leadership lessons I’ve carried with me to this day – like how not to treat people. My careful attention to that leadership lesson was borne out of a bad leadership example and it caused me to pledge to never be like that.

But beyond the good or bad examples that you will observe, think of the impact and opportunity you have to be an example to those around you.

Ask yourself the question – who’s in your impact zone? As the opening quote by Howard G. Hendricks says, “You can impress people from a distance, but you can only impact up close.” And this is your leadership challenge. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

Who is going to be most impacted by my leadership?
Will the impact of my leadership make them better leaders and better people?
Am I more concerned about impressing people from a distance or impacting them up close?

I’d like to challenge you today to pause for a moment and consider those questions and what you want your leadership legacy to look like.

Final Thoughts

I will never forget those two or three minutes of interaction with my baseball hero Hank Aaron. He was friendly and gracious. In those brief moments, he had no idea how special those moments were to me. But I knew. And in those brief moments, he confirmed everything I thought of him as a boy.

Shannon Alder said, “Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones.” This is a powerful quote to ponder and a challenge for all leaders.

I don’t know who is in your impact zone, but let me leave you with this thought – don’t take it for granted. Do your best to be worthy of the privilege to lead.

My new book releases on August 30th! Click here to pre-order my new book!

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Elevating Your Leadership Influence

Posted January 19, 2021
by admin

Think twice before you speak because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another. – Napoleon Hill

When the farmer’s children saw the injured bird, they asked, “Dad, what happened?” The farmer simply replied, “Bad company.”

In leadership, one of the greatest responsibilities you have is to add value to your people and to increase the level of your influence in a positive way. As a leader, this ought to be top of mind in your thinking, but also in your actions. Are they lining up?

As you consider how to elevate your leadership influence, perhaps a good place to start is with these questions.

Are you investing in yourself as a leader?

After 30+ years in leadership here’s what I have learned – growing as a leader is a lifelong process. There’s never been a time in which I can say that I’ve learned it all. Before you can be a leader of influence in the life of those around you, you must first invest in your own personal growth and development as a leader. You have to grow yourself before you can grow others. Click To Tweet

Do you see the intrinsic value and worth of the people you lead?

It’s a simple leadership principle but one that needs to be established – if you don’t place value in the people that you lead, you will be unable to add value to them. Not everyone you lead has the same potential, but everyone has potential. Make sure that you value and respect the people that you lead, if not, your influence will be marginal at best.

Are you aware of the power of your words and actions?

The overwhelming influence you have as a leader comes from your words and actions. There’s no escaping it. The Biblical advice, “…let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger…” (James 1:19) is advice we can all learn from. Your words, actions, and temperament as a leader will go a long way in determining how much influence you will ultimately have. Click To Tweet

Do you have the right motives?

In leadership, it’s important that you are using your influence for the right reasons. There’s no greater joy for a leader than to add value, build relationships, and help others grow and develop in their leadership. But sadly, not every leader has unselfish motives. Your influence as a leader is proportional to your motives and integrity.

So long as you see relationships as transactional – what’s in it for me- then your influence as a leader will be scarce and eventually people will see through it. Be genuine and authentic and your influence will increase.

Can you keep your ego in check?

I’ve said it many times over the years and it still rings true today – expressions of servant leadership are found when you concede being in the spotlight by putting someone else in it. And this cuts to the heart of what leadership is all about. The day you and I discover that it’s not about us is the day we truly understand leadership. When your influence as a leader puts someone else in the spotlight is a time of celebration, not jealousy. So long as you hold onto your ego, you will have a hard time being an influential leader.

Who’s in your circle of influence?

Elevating your leadership influence begins with identifying who is in your circle of influence and being intentional with it. Who are you reaching? How are you adding value to them? In what ways can you improve upon what you are doing? How can you expand your circle and be a more productive leader? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you increase your influence.

The Cardinal Point Leadership Podcast is coming in January 2021! The Cardinal Point Leadership Podcast is for leaders young and old. My desire is simple – to cut through the clutter and deliver leadership content that is relevant, practical, and useful. Here we will talk about leadership development, employee engagement, servant leadership, and much more.

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How To Leverage Your Influence as a Leader

Posted August 4, 2019
by admin

The greater the impact you want to make, the greater your influence needs to be. – John Maxwell

One day a farmer grabbed his shotgun to shoot at a flock of pesky crows. Unfortunately, he didn’t see his sociable parrot that had joined the crows. After firing a few shots, he walked over to the fallen birds and was surprised to find his parrot badly ruffled with a broken wing. When the farmer’s children saw the injured bird, they asked, “Dad, what happened?” The farmer simply replied, “Bad company.”

That story is a reminder of what can happen when you don’t leverage your influence as a leader in the right way. You can get caught up in the wrong crowd and consequently, it can be hard to distinguish you from the crows.

It’s no secret that employee morale and productivity are interconnected. As goes one, so goes the other. As one who is invested in both, how you leverage your influence as a leader is critical. If you are not taking the lead in this area then someone else is. How do you feel about that?

I’d like to share a few insights as it relates to leveraging your influence. As you become intentional about this it can make a world of difference to your organization. Here are five ways you can do it.

Leverage your influence through relationships

You sway the crowd one person at a time. All smart leaders know that the surest way to gain influence in the lives of your people is to build relationships with them. When your people know you and where you are taking them they will be more inclined to go on that journey with you. But not until then. Click To Tweet

Leverage your influence with trust

Out of relationships comes trust. Your people will not entrust you with their hopes and dreams for a better future until they can trust you as a leader to get them there. Your influence begins with relationships and trust. Until these two are established your influence is nominal at best.

Leverage your influence by your actions

Your people may like you as a person and they may trust you with their children, but at the end of the day, your actions speak louder than your words. Your influence as a leader is measured by how you model it. If you are not living what you communicate then your influence will be diminished. Influence is lived, not spoken. Click To Tweet

Leverage your influence by asking for theirs

One of the ways you can build your influence with your teams is by asking for theirs. By this I mean, people buy into what they help create. The success of your organization should not be limited to just the reach of your influence. It should be attached to the influence of everyone in it. It’s not about what you can build by yourself, but what everyone can build together. If you want to leverage your influence as a leader do it by empowering everyone with theirs.

Leverage your influence by growing more leaders

It’s been said that leaders don’t create more followers, they create more leaders. Multiplication is the math of leadership. Think of how different your influence would be if there were five, ten, fifteen or twenty more leaders joining forces with you in exercising their influence within your organization? What do you think that would do for morale? How much more could you accomplish? What do you think that would do for your bottom line?

Leveraging your influence as a leader is about recognizing that you have to build relationships, earn the trust of your people, lead by example, and realize that the power of your influence is found as you empower others.

Are you ready to leverage your influence?

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Leadership Minute: The Power of Your Influence

Posted August 1, 2014
by admin

Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other peoples’ interests first. – Bob Burg, The Go-Giver

Influence is a by-product of your leadership. It’s also the blessing of your leadership and it comes with a powerful responsibility. Every day you have the opportunity to make an impact in the lives of people around you. You are not in your place of leadership just to occupy space or for it to be self-serving. You are there to serve and help others. When you use your influence with abundance it tends to have a reciprocal effect. When you are generous with your influence – be it as a mentor, helping someone make an important connection, being involved with a charity in your community, etc. it all comes back around on you in positive ways. The measure of your leadership will be determined in part by what you did with your influence. When you use your influence to lift others up you are raising the level of your leadership. Give generously.

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Influence by the Numbers

Posted April 28, 2012
by dougdickerson

Influence – “the action or process of producing effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of another or others.” – Random House Dictionary

Jeremy Lin, Hillary Clinton, Warren Buffet, Adele, Justice Anthony Kennedy, Tim Tebow, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, and Stephen Colbert; what do these people share in common? These individuals are on the Time magazine list of The 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2012.

Chosen in the categories of breakouts, pioneers, moguls, leaders, and icons, Time has given us their annual list of whom they consider to be the most influential people in the world. It’s quite an impressive list. While many of the names are recognizable, would you however, know why Wang Yang, Andrew Lo, or Dulce Matuz was chosen? Yes, they are noteworthy, and each has a compelling reason why they belong on the list.

Napoleon Hill said, “Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.” Leadership is about influence. And understanding the power of influence is all the more important as you begin to make your mark in your surroundings. Here are three insights about influence and how to keep it real.

The practice. Each of the persons chosen by Time shares a common trait; they have excelled in their chosen professions. They’ve worked hard, overcome the odds, and toiled in obscurity long before the notoriety they now bask in. Their influence was carved out of a passion for a sport, a desire for political reform, a need to cure a disease, to entertain the masses, or to raise awareness for human rights.

The practice of influence is simply your passions on display. Mia Hamm said, “If you don’t love what you do, you won’t do it with much conviction or passion.” She’s right. The practice of influence is born out of conviction and passion; it’s the secret to the measure of your influence. If your passions are not known to you they won’t be known by others. When your passions are practiced your influence will take care of itself.

The recognition. Your name may not be mentioned on the cover of Time, but as your influence grows as a leader so too does your recognition. A smart leader understands that recognition and responsibility go hand in hand. So before you begin to crave the recognition be sure that that your heart is in the right place.

Abraham Lincoln said, “Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition.” That is sound advice for any leader. Recognition as a leader is a blessing, not a right. Use it wisely.

The reward. The reward of influence is found in the good that it produces. To be sure, not all influence is good. And some have used their influence for less than honorable outcomes. But the reward of influence can be found in the contributions of lifting up causes greater than self, raising awareness to the plights of the less fortunate, and simply making the world a better place in which to live.

What will be the measure of your leadership? What will be the reward or satisfaction that comes from it? To what end will you use the influence that you have to enrich the lives of those around you? Ella Baker said, “Give light and people will find the way.” And that is what leaders with influence are all about –giving light.

Your influence may not land you on the front cover of Time, but it is in no way less significant. The practice, recognition, and reward come from knowing that you lived with purpose and your influence made a difference.

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Doug’s new book, Great Leaders Wanted! is now available. Visit www.dougsmanagementmoment.blogspot.com to order your copy today!

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