Tuesday January 9, 2018 #935

“Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. How do you gain influence from people? You invest in them. How do you invest in them? It starts with giving them time.”

~John C. Maxwell

Effectiveness as a leader comes down to your ability to influence others. For a quick result, you may choose to influence via your position power or other form of coercion.  However, those you influenced in that way will not trust you to be there for them, so they will likely not be there for you when needed, except when threatened. This method is a recipe for failure, but unfortunately is too often experienced in today’s workplaces, community organizations, and families.
Instead, if you choose to influence through building trust and demonstrating care for the individuals entrusted to you, you will find that they will be there for you even when not asked.  This kind of positive long term influencing is the hallmark of great leaders and the place to start is to give your people your greatest gift: your time. Make it a practice to give your time to your team members regularly, learning about their values, needs, and capabilities, and providing for them that which they cannot provide themselves.