The Value of Influence

More influence doesn’t make you a better leader any more than more money makes you a more charitable person. More of anything only allows your real character to become more apparent. 

The first business I owned, I bought right out of college, for almost nothing. That company introduced me to the value of influence. Today, I look back and wonder what I was thinking. My business life began when I naively accepted the liabilities of a failing company in trade for ownership. 

After working for the company a short while, I made an agreement with the owner, who was burned-out, and in debt, that I would take over his corporate liabilities and contracts, allowing him to walk away free and clear. From his perspective, it was a key to the exit door. From mine, it would allow me to make the decisions that I felt could build the organization. 

I was now in charge. I had no leadership experience, no influence, no money, and no clue. I did have the opportunity to make my own decisions, good or bad, and learn from them. At that time, being young, reckless, and full of piss and vinegar, I honestly didn’t have a clue. But I was so excited that it didn’t seem to matter. I found that my excitement alone would allow me the influence to lead us to the next step.

Excitement and enthusiasm translated into influence with the company’s current clients. They felt happy to support a program where the leader was sincerely excited about their services. 

Initial Influence

Initial influence is the source of influence you have when you begin a new endeavor. 

If you walk into a scenario where you are unknown to everyone, you can assume your influence is relatively predictable outside of the first impression biases we tend to carry around. In this case, I had an impact simply because I was excited about doing things with more commitment than they had done before. I shared my vision with the employees, and we became a team. When I shared that same vision with the clients, they saw our employees’ newfound commitment and became encouraged. Those clients wanted to be part of that family of excitement. We were now building a culture.

Our clients were our most effective sales force. They were excited about us and shared it with others bringing us a constant source of new business.

I wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I knew that things were going too well to continue without constant innovation and communication. As with changes in most companies, it was an exciting time, but it was also exhausting. When you’re running on excitement and innovation alone, you are always pressured with the question, “What will happen if we have nothing new to fuel our excitement?” 

At that time, I learned that it’s not difficult to bring change into a company with excitement and a shared vision, but that is only the first step. 

The source of your influence changes just as your followers’ value definition changes with time.

For your leadership effort to be successful, you must maintain or grow your influence. However, the source of that influence will often change. 

For example, it would be challenging to maintain a high level of enthusiasm over time without additional factors supporting your influence. Remember how excited Starbucks employees were when you came into the store ten years ago? They made you feel great and seemed to want to show you how much they loved serving you. The whole country was praising its unique business culture as if sincere enthusiasm was something new.

They are still good, but nothing compares to the atmosphere they created in the beginning. Starbucks is a great company, but they are not the same today. Now, I can walk into one of their coffee shops, and they may not look up from their phone long enough to see me when I give them my order.

So the question is, why do I still go there today? Like millions of others, I  go there today because I have a relationship with the company or brand. Note I said “the company or brand,” not the employees. None of those employees that helped me build that relationship are still with the company. Yet, it was the employees that were responsible for the relationship that exists today. That is something we need to keep in mind. 

Consumer loyalty is based on influence, just as leadership is based on influence. From whatever the source of your initial influence, it matures over time into a relationship between you and those you influence. Also, like leadership relationships, their success is based fundamentally on integrity. 

Influence is a relationship hungry to be developed.

Influence may be initiated: by your position, title, history of achievements, expertise, age, reputation, or a multitude of other possibilities.  Whatever your initial source of influence, it will carry you until you have time to establish a relationship with those you lead. 

Always focus on building Relationships: they are your future and the memories of your past.

Both your team and your clients, over time, may often see you only in the light of their current needs. Our involvement in identifying their needs is our responsibility. It's our enduring relationships that cement our future together. 

As I mentioned in my previous blog, Reimagine Leadership, “Those you lead, initially see you as who you represent yourself to be. But, over time and with experience, your followers will see you as who you are. Make sure that who you are is not a disappointment.”  That is where your integrity comes in.

The power of your influence and the success of your leadership are both based on your integrity. The difference between being respected for what you can do and being respected for who you are is vast. When you have integrity, influence is no longer conditional.

Having a little integrity is like being a little pregnant. It’s not a thing.

As a leader, you know that those you influence look up to you for various reasons. Ask yourself frequently, “If I was in their position, what would I think of me?”