It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)
Greetings to you!
Each week I send out a short leadership blog that's called "Tuesday at 2:00pm". The purpose of this is simply to provide a brief thought on leadership that you can read and think about in just a few minutes. I send it out every week at 2:00pm (PST) and encourage you to make an appointment with yourself to pause and think about the thing I'm writing about.
Russ...
LEADERSHIP QUOTE:
"The key to successful leadership is influence, not authority." Ken Blanchard
What does this stir up? Either write me HERE or comment at the end of the blog post HERE.
A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:
We're going to explore this word INFLUENCE over the next number of weeks. I'm hosting a Global Leadership Summit in Georgia in March with Leader Mundial, and the theme this year is The Influence of a Leader. While we have a number of topics, books and presentations to address this, I wanted to simply look at some quotes that explore this more.
Look at these 2 words that are both connected to leadership:
AUTHORITY - INFLUENCE
AUTHORITY: Power is given by position
Authority is the formal right to make decisions, give orders and expect compliance. It comes from a role, title, or a structure.
INFLUENCE: Power is earned through relationship
Influence is the ability to shape someone's thinking, behavior, or decisions without forcing them. It is relational, not positional.
Think about different people in your life who have been in leadership above you. Did they use AUTHORITY for their power, or INFLUENCE?
I remember a baseball coach, early in my little league career, say, "I am the coach! You have to listen to me!" That's AUTHORITY.
I remember a boss in college say to me, "Russ, what do you think would be the best decision to make? That's INFLUENCE.
I remember when I had to fire someone that reported to me early in my career... I tried the influence route, and that didn't work, so I pulled the authority card and fired him because of insubordination.
In leadership, there are times where we need to use both kinds of leadership, and both are important, however I think it's much more important to emphasize INFLUENCE over AUTHORITY, in fact if you lead from a position of influence, you won't need to rely on authority because of the trust that has been built through relationship.
Look at this:
Authority can make people obey. Influence makes people believe.
Authority works when you're present. Influence works even when you're absent.
Authority makes you the leader on paper. Influence makes you the leader in reality.
Authority changes behavior temporarily. Influence changes hearts and minds long-term.
What kind of leader do you want to be? Where does your power come from: AUTHORITY or INFLUENCE?
DEEPER STILL:
INFLUENCE
I want to share 6 ways to influence others, one each week.
#1) BE TRUE TO WHO YOU ARE. (last week)
#2) MODEL INFLUENCE, DON'T FORCE IT
The best example of this has to be Jesus. He chose to lead through influence: relationship, example & invitation rather than coercion or positional power.
He Invited People Instead of Forcing Them
He simply said, "Come, follow me" (Matthew 4:19).
Many followed, not because they had to, but because they were drawn to him.
He Built Relationships Before Giving Direction
He said, "I no longer call your servants... instead I have called you friends." (John 15:15)
He spent time eating, walking and living with His disciples. This built trust.
He Led By Example, Not Just Instruction
He washed His disciples' feet (John 13).
He didn't just teach humility, he demonstrated it.
He Released People Instead of Controlling Them
He asked them if they wanted to leave in John 6 "You do not want to leave too, do you?"
He allowed freedom, even when it cost Him followers.
When I think about Jesus' posture, it's always that invitation to come and follow Him, to walk with Him, to be with Him, to love Him. He's not forcing us, but with arms open wide, He's inviting us into a life-changing relationship with Him... a relationship that changes everything!
How have you been shaped by INFLUENCE vs. by AUTHORITY?
Things I'm Reading, Listening To and Watching This Week:
Our friends gave me this retro toy for Christmas, and I found it on Amazon where it's called a "Gyro Wheels Toy". What was this called back in the 70's?
I'm re-reading the book by John Rinehart, Gospel Patrons. A really interesting look at how God uses everyone to build His Kingdom!
I've been catching glimpses of The Winter Olympics happening in Italy. Great stories of incredible talent and discipline along with national pride. I really enjoyed watching Kazakhstan's Mikhail Shaidorov win Gold for his country.
Gina and I are watching the new season of The Lincoln Lawyer, a Netflix Series. I enjoyed these books from author Michael Connelly.