In a recent SmartBrief article, author Naphtali Hoff shared some excellent insights about leadership.
“At the heart of great leadership is influence,” he wrote. “…as in the ability to influence others to do what needs to get done.”
His article went on to reference a piece written for Forbes by Kevin Kruse, who defined leadership as “a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal.”
Hoff also stresses the importance of influencing others rather than demanding and coercing, along with making strategic use of collaboration, role modeling, persuasion and motivation over coercion.
His perspective aligns nicely with current research on workforce engagement, and on the emotional connection between leaders and their teams.
“Influence occurs primarily through emotional connections, such as when we share triumphant or challenging times together. It also develops when leaders routinely demonstrate feelings of appreciation, care, concern and empathy. By prioritizing the well-being of their people, exceptional leaders motivate their employees to give everything they’ve got to advance the organization.”
Good words to follow…