Every person on this planet has the potential to be a leader, no matter what their personality type.
You see, leadership is just influence, as John Maxwell puts it, and we all have the opportunity to influence others. The problem is few people think of themselves as leaders.
Many assume that leadership comes with a title, but it’s not true. In fact, titles are often a detriment to leadership. Titles tend to have a strange influence on people’s thinking. Those who pull rank and rely heavily on their title are using positional leadership, which is the lowest level of leadership. If someone has to say, “I’m in charge” frequently, they probably aren’t.
True leadership is through influence, not position. Consider Former American President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s definition of leadership: “The art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.”
Parents, teachers and older siblings fall under this definition of leadership. Actually, we all do. Who hasn’t tried to motivate someone to do something?
What’s interesting about President Eisenhower’s definition is that he recognized leaders need to motivate those they’re influencing to want to take action.
If you don’t care about what people want, you become a dictatorial leader. You’ll threaten and otherwise manipulate people to take action. You can get a much better result if you pay a little more attention to finding ways for them to enjoy or find purpose in the task at hand.
You see, leaders have to take into consideration both people and the task. If you only focus on the task, you may get things done, but in the end, you’ll be doing it alone because of the volume of people you’ve hurt and offended in the process. To lead, you need to take people’s feelings into account, not downplay their importance in light of the all-important task at hand.
It’s about servant leadership. Servant leadership is about having the other person’s best interests in mind. It’s about setting out to be of service to them—to help them to become the best they can be. When someone senses that this is your motive, you gain influence in their lives, and they are much more inclined to want to hear what you have to say.
When you’re trying to influence someone to take action, make sure you remember both the person and the task. Remember to talk about the purpose behind what needs to get done, and try to make things fun. You’ll motivate people to do what you want them to do, not because they have to, but because they want to do it.
Leon Fontaine is internationally renowned for his ability to equip people with skills for life. He is the CEO of Miracle Channel and senior pastor of Springs, a contemporary church with six campuses across Western Canada. Visit www.leonfontaine.com for more great articles as well as weekly videos and podcasts. Email your comments to [email protected].
