The True Measure of Leadership Is
Influence—Nothing More, Nothing Less
What do leaders look like? Do they always look powerful, impressive, charismatic? And how do you measure the effectiveness of a leader? Can you put two people side by side and instantly tell which is the better leader? These are questions people have asked for hundreds of years.
One of the most effective leaders of the late twentieth century was any-thing but impressive upon first appearance. When most people think of Mother Teresa, they envision a frail little woman dedicated to serving the poorest of the poor. That she was. But she was also a tremendous leader. I say that because she had an amazing amount of influence with others. And if you don’t have influence, you will never be able to lead others.
SMALL STATURE—BIG IMPACT
Lucinda Vardey, who worked with Mother Teresa on the book The Simple Path, described the nun as “the quintessential, energetic entrepreneur, who has perceived a need and done something about it, built an organization against all odds, formulated its constitution, and sent out branches all over the world.”
The organization Mother Teresa founded and led is called the Missionaries of Charity. While other vocational orders in the Catholic Church were declining, hers grew rapidly, reaching more than four thousand members during her lifetime (not including numerous volunteers). Under her direction, her followers served in twenty-five countries on five continents. In Calcutta alone, she established a children’s home, a center for people with leprosy, a home for people who were dying and destitute, and a home for people suffering with tuberculosis or mental disorders. That kind of organizational building can be accomplished only by a true leader.
If you don’t have influence, you will never be able to lead others.
Mother Teresa’s impact reached far beyond her immediate environment. People from all walks of life and from nations around the globe respected her, and when she spoke, people listened. Author and former presidential speechwriter Peggy Noonan wrote about a speech Mother Teresa gave at the National Prayer Breakfast in 1994. It illustrates her level of influence with others. Noonan observed:
The Washington establishment was there, plus a few thousand born-again Christians, orthodox Catholics, and Jews. Mother Teresa spoke of God, of love, of families. She said we must love one another and care for one another. There were great purrs of agreement.
But as the speech continued, it became more pointed. She spoke of unhappy parents in old people’s homes who are “hurt because they are for-gotten.” She asked, “Are we willing to give until it hurts in order to be with our families, or do we put our own interests first?”
The baby boomers in the audience began to shift in their seats. And she continued. “I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion,” she said, and told them why, in uncompromising terms. For about 1.3 seconds there was silence, then applause swept the room. But not everyone clapped; the President and First Lady [Bill and Hillary Clinton], the Vice President and Mrs. Gore looked like seated statues at Madame Tussaud’s, moving not a muscle. Mother Teresa didn’t stop there either. When she was finished, there was almost no one she hadn’t offended.1
At that time if just about any other person in the world had made those statements, people’s reactions would have been openly hostile. They would have booed, jeered, or stormed out. But the speaker was Mother Teresa. She was probably the most respected person on the planet at that time. So everyone listened to what she had to say, even though many of them violently disagreed with it. In fact, every time that Mother Teresa spoke, people listened. Why? She was a real leader, and when the real leader speaks, people listen. Leadership is influence—nothing more, nothing less.
LEADERSHIP IS NOT . . .
Leadership is often misunderstood. When people hear that someone has an impressive title or an assigned leadership position, they assume that individual to be a leader. Sometimes that’s true. But titles don’t have much value when it comes to leading.
True leadership cannot be awarded, appointed, or assigned. It comes only from influence, and that cannot be mandated. It must be earned. The only thing a title can buy is a little time—either to increase your level of influence with others or to undermine it.
FIVE MYTHS ABOUT LEADERSHIP
There are plenty of misconceptions and myths that people embrace about leaders and leadership. Here are five common ones:
1. THE MANAGEMENT MYTH
A widespread misunderstanding is that leading and managing are one and the same. Up until a few years ago, books that claimed to be on leadership were often really about management. The main difference between the two is that leadership is about influencing people to follow, while management focuses on maintaining systems and processes. As former Chrysler chairman and CEO Lee Iacocca wryly commented, “Sometimes even the best manager is like the little boy with the big dog, waiting to see where the dog wants to go so that he can take him there.”
The best way to test whether a person can lead rather than just manage is to ask him to create positive change. Managers can maintain direction, but often they can’t change it. Systems and processes can do only so much. To move people in a new direction, you need influence.
The only thing a title can buy is a little time—either to increase your level of influence with others or to undermine it.
2. THE ENTREPRENEUR MYTH
Frequently, people assume that all entrepreneurs are leaders. But that’s not always the case. Entrepreneurs are skilled at seeing opportunities and going after them. They see needs and understand how to meet them in a way that produces a profit. But not all of them are good with people. Many find it necessary to partner with someone skilled at the people part of the equation. If they can’t influence people, they can’t lead.
3. THE KNOWLEDGE MYTH
Sir Francis Bacon said, “Knowledge is power.” If you believe power to be the essence of leadership, then you might naturally assume that those who possess knowledge and intelligence are therefore leaders. That isn’t necessarily true. You can visit any major university and meet brilliant research scientists and philosophers whose ability to think is so high that it’s off the charts but whose ability to lead is so low that it doesn’t even register on the charts. Neither IQ nor education necessarily equates to leadership.
4. THE PIONEER MYTH
Another misconception is that anyone who is out in front of the crowd is a leader. But being first isn’t always the same as leading. For example, Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Since his historic ascent in 1953, hundreds of people have “followed” him in achieving that feat. But that doesn’t make Hillary a leader. He wasn’t even the official leader on the expedition when he reached the summit. John Hunt was. And when Hillary traveled to the South Pole in 1958 as part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, he was accompanying another leader, Sir Vivian Fuchs. To be a leader, a person has to not only be out front, but also have people intentionally coming behind him, following his lead, and acting on his vision. Being a trendsetter is not the same as being a leader.
5. THE POSITION MYTH
As mentioned earlier, the greatest misunderstanding about leadership is that people think it is based on position, but it’s not. Think about what happened several years ago at Cordiant, the advertising agency formerly known as Saatchi & Saatchi. In 1994, institutional investors of Saatchi & Saatchi forced the board of directors to dismiss Maurice Saatchi, the company’s CEO. What was the result? Several executives followed him out. So did many of the company’s largest accounts, including British Airways and Mars, the candy maker. Saatchi’s influence was so great that his departure caused the company’s stock to fall immediately from $85.8 to $4 per share.2 What happened is a result of the Law of Influence. Saatchi lost his title and position, but he continued to be the leader. Stanley Huffty affirmed, “It’s not the position that makes the leader; it’s the leader that makes the position.”
“It’s not the position that makes the leader; it’s the leader that makes the position.”,
—STANLEY HUFFTY
WHO’S THE REAL LEADER?
Many years ago, there was a game show on television called To Tell the Truth. Here’s how it worked. At the opening of the show, three contestants claimed to be the same person. One of them was telling the truth; the other two were actors. A panel of celebrity judges took turns asking the three people questions, and when time was up, each panelist guessed which per-son was the real truth-teller. Many times, the actors bluffed well enough to fool the panelists and the members of the audience.
When it comes to identifying a real leader, that task can be much easier. Don’t listen to the claims of the person professing to be the leader. Don’t examine his credentials. Don’t check his title. Check his influence. The proof of leadership is found in the followers.
I personally learned the Law of Influence when I accepted my first job out of college. I went in with all the right credentials. I had the proper college degree. I had a great deal of insight into the work because of the training given to me by my father. I possessed the position and title of leader in the organization. It made for a good-looking résumé—but it didn’t make me the real leader. At my first board meeting, I quickly found out who the real leader was—a farmer named Claude. When he spoke, people listened. When he made a suggestion, people respected it. When he led, others followed. If I wanted to make an impact, I would have to influence Claude. He, in turn, would influence everybody else. It was the Law of Influence at work.
The proof of leadership is found in the followers.
LEADERSHIP IS . . .
The true measure of leadership is influence—nothing more, nothing less. Margaret Thatcher, the former British prime minister, observed, “Being in power is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.” If you watch the dynamics that occur between people in just about every aspect of life, you will see some people leading and others following, and you will notice that position and title often have little to do with who is really in charge.
That being the case, why do some people emerge as leaders while others can’t influence people no matter how hard they try? I believe that several factors come into play:
CHARACTER—WHO THEY ARE
True leadership always begins with the inner person. That’s why someone like Billy Graham is able to draw more and more followers to him as time goes by. People can sense the depth of his character.
RELATIONSHIPS—WHO THEY KNOW
You’re a leader only if you have followers, and that always requires the development of relationships—the deeper the relationships, the stronger the potential for leadership. In my career, each time I entered a new leadership position, I immediately started building relationships. Build enough of the right kinds of relationships with the right people, and you can become the real leader in an organization.
KNOWLEDGE—WHAT THEY KNOW
Information is vital to a leader. You need a grasp of the facts, an understanding of dynamic factors and timing, and a vision for the future. Knowledge alone won’t make someone a leader, but without knowledge, no one can become one. Whenever I was new to an organization, I always spent a lot of time doing homework before I tried to take the lead.
INTUITION—WHAT THEY FEEL
Leadership requires more than just a command of data. It demands an ability to deal with numerous intangibles. In fact, that is often one of the main differences between managers and leaders. Leaders seek to recognize and influence intangibles such as energy, morale, timing, and momentum.
EXPERIENCE—WHERE THEY’VE BEEN
The greater the challenges you’ve faced as a leader in the past, the more likely followers are to give you a chance in the present. Experience doesn’t guarantee credibility, but it encourages people to give you a chance to prove that you are capable.
PAST SUCCESS—WHAT THEY’VE DONE
Nothing speaks to followers like a good track record. When I went to my first leadership position, I had no track record. I couldn’t point to past successes to help people believe in me. But by the time I went to my second position, I had a positive track record. Every time I extended myself, took a risk, and succeeded, followers had another reason to trust my leadership ability—and to listen to what I had to say.
ABILITY—WHAT THEY CAN DO
The bottom line for followers is what a leader is capable of. They want to know whether that person can lead the team to victory. Ultimately, that’s the reason people will listen to you and acknowledge you as their leader. As soon as they no longer believe you can deliver, they will stop listening and following.
LEADERSHIP WITHOUT LEVERAGE
I admire and respect the leadership of my good friend Bill Hybels, the founding pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, one of the largest churches in North America. Bill says he believes that the church is the most leadership-intensive enterprise in society. A lot of businesspeople I know are surprised when they hear that statement, but I think Bill is right. What is the basis of his belief? Positional leadership often doesn’t work in volunteer organizations. There is no leverage. In other organizations, the person who has position has incredible leverage. In the military, leaders can use rank and, if all else fails, throw people into the brig. In business, bosses have tremendous leverage in the form of salary, benefits, and perks. Most followers are pretty cooperative when their livelihood is at stake.
“The very essence of all power to influence lies in getting the other person to participate.”
—HARRY A. OVERSTREET
But in voluntary organizations the thing that works is leadership in its purest form: influence. Psychologist Harry A. Overstreet observed, “The very essence of all power to influence lies in getting the other person to participate.” Followers in voluntary organizations cannot be forced to get on board. If the leader has no influence with them, then they won’t follow.
Recently at a meeting where I was speaking to a group of company presidents and CEOs, one participant asked for advice on finding the best leaders in his organization. My advice was to ask candidates to lead a volunteer organization for six months. If those leaders can get people to follow them when they have no leverage—recruiting employees to volunteer, serve the community, work with the United Way, and so on—then you know that they can influence others. That is the mark of true leadership ability.
FROM COMMANDER TO PRIVATE
TO COMMANDER IN CHIEF
One of my favorite stories that illustrates the Law of Influence concerns Abraham Lincoln. In 1832, decades before he became president, young Lincoln gathered together a group of men to fight in the Black Hawk War. In those days, the person who put together a volunteer company for the militia often became its leader and assumed a commanding rank. In this instance, Lincoln was given the rank of captain. But Lincoln had a problem. He knew nothing about soldiering. He had no prior military experience, and he knew nothing about tactics. He had trouble remembering the simplest military procedures.
By the end of his military service, Abraham Lincoln found his rightful place, having achieved the rank of private.
For example, one day Lincoln was marching a couple of dozen men across a field and needed to guide them through a gate into another field. But he couldn’t manage it. Recounting the incident later, Lincoln said, “I could not for the life of me remember the proper word of command for getting my company endwise. Finally, as we came near [the gate] I shouted: ‘This company is dismissed for two minutes, when it will fall in again on the other side of the gate.’”3
As time went by, Lincoln’s level of influence with others in the militia actually decreased. While other officers proved themselves and gained rank, Lincoln found himself going in the other direction. He began as a captain, but title and position did him little good. He couldn’t overcome the Law of Influence. By the end of his military service, Abraham Lincoln had found his rightful place, having achieved the rank of private.
Fortunately for Lincoln—and for the fate of the United States—he overcame his inability to influence others. Lincoln followed his time in the military with undistinguished stints in the Illinois state legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives. But over time and with much effort and personal experience, he became a person of remarkable influence and impact, and one of the nation’s finest presidents.
I love the leadership proverb that says, “He who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.” If you can’t influence people, then they will not follow you. And if people won’t follow, you are not a leader. That’s the Law of Influence. No matter what anybody else may tell you, remember that leadership is influence—nothing more, nothing less.
Applying
THE LAW OF THE INFLUENCE
To Your Life
1. Which of the myths in the chapter have you bought into in the past: management, entrepreneur, knowledge, pioneer, or position? Why have you been susceptible to that myth? What does that say about your perception of leadership up until now? What must you change in your current thinking to make you more open to improving your leadership in the future?
2. What do you usually rely upon most to persuade people to follow you? Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 for each of the seven factors named in the chapter (a 1 means it’s not a factor while a 10 means you rely on it continually):
Character—who you are
Relationships—who you know
Knowledge—what you know
Intuition—what you feel
Experience—where you’ve been
Past success—what you’ve done
Ability—what you can do
How can you optimize or better utilize the ones with low scores?
3. Find an organization for which to volunteer. Pick something you believe in—for example, a school, soup kitchen, or community project—and offer your time and energy. If you believe you have leadership ability, then try leading. You will learn to lead through influence.