How Do Your Decisions Influence People?

“The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.”
    ~ Henry Kissinger

Next up is the trait called leadership. This subject has been the focus of so many books it would perhaps take the world’s largest cargo transport to hold all the titles. Descriptions are all over the spectrum but perhaps the best, in the simplest of terms, comes from one of the premier authors on leadership. John Maxwell noted that “Leadership is influence. Nothing more or nothing less.” And so, it is. Leaders do lead best when they influence others to exert their inner most selves and move forward into action.

One thing that I have discovered in my life experiences is that anyone can be a leader, but not everyone can be the leader. In virtually every aspect of life and/or business, people are assigned to lead initiatives, or they assume such leadership indirectly. However, simply because one leads an initiative does not mean this individual will truly lead the largest effort. There can be only one true leader at a time. That is why countries like the United States have only one president at a time. That is why in business operations there is only one CEO at a time. Someone must be in the position of “the leader” for any semblance of organization and operational symmetry to flourish. I guess it boils down to former president Harry S. Truman’s famous conclusion: “The buck stops here.”

Success or shortfall will ultimately come from leadership. On athletic teams, it begins with the head coach but also extends through the assistants all the way down to the player leaders. The influence these leaders have can in a broad sense determine the outcome of the competition. The same may be said of business operations. The game put into play and cascaded to those responsible to carry the plan forward begins with how leadership influences the needed performance. 

Leaders have lots of responsibility. They must show they care about those they lead. They have to truly inspire confidence and at times, that demands sacrifice, gaining compromise, and even leading by example. True leaders also must help others move from where they are to where they need to be. In turn, they listen and motivate so that those skilled can actually perform their job. As the Michigan State Police Maxim notes, “The crux of leadership is that you must constantly stop to consider how your decisions will influence people.”

Whether in families or businesses, you will find leadership being employed. From dad or mom in a family to Mary Jane who owns the local florist shop, decisions are being made virtually hourly. In essence, nothing moves without leadership. It’s like what the late Zig Ziglar once said, “Even a two-car parade gets fouled up if you don’t decide ahead of time who’s going to lead.”

So, what’s all the uproar about leadership? What makes this trait so very crucial in both business and personal life? Simply this: leadership is not a simple state of placement in a chain of command nor is it having the authority to give orders. It cannot be forced upon others even when it has been mandated. It does not always go to the best performer but finds itself selecting that rare breed of individual who can seamlessly get others to do things that they never thought possible or wanted to do. In reality, it is much like what noted Chinese philosopher Lao-Tau said, “When the best leader’s work is done, the people say, ‘We did it ourselves.'” In conclusion, leadership matters.