Titles vs. Influence
Positional leadership is an assignment. You have been given a title and certain amount of responsibility. These titles could be any of the following:
- Supervisor
- Manager
- Director
- Vice-President
- President
- Pastor
- Coach
- Teacher
- Administrator
- Quarterback
- and on and on….
Experienced leaders never confusion positional leadership with influence. As John Maxwell famously said, “He who thinks he is leading and no one is following, is merely taking a walk.” Influence, true leadership, is earned.
So what moves a person from positional leadership in an organization to having real influence?
Anthony Edwards
I read the following comment in this article from The Athletic about Minnesota Timberwolves and Team USA star player Anthony Edwards:
Coach Steve Kerr said, “He’s unquestionably ‘the guy. I mean … he knows it, but now the team knows it, and I think the fans see it. But we see it in practice every day. He genuinely believes he’s the best player in the gym every single night. And he’s such a dynamic young player, but I think he’s taking a leap.”
For a deeper dive on the leadership of Steve Kerr, read 10 Reasons Golden State Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr Is A Great Leader.
Kerr made those comments following Edwards’s 34-point performance in a come-from-behind victory over Germany in which the USA squad trailed by as much as 16 points. To watch the highlights of Edwards during the tournament see the video below:
The #1 Way To Know You Are A Leader In An Organization
Kerr’s comments about Edwards show us what moves someone from being a positional leader to someone with significant influence.
You become a leader, a person of influence, in an organization when the team recognizes you as a leader.
So what validates and entrenches you as a leader in the eyes of the team? It is your daily production, what people see everyday, along with how much you care for your teammates.
The ability to do your job with excellence (production) shows competence. This means the leader is someone people can follow. He or she has proven they can take the team from Point A to Point B.
The desire and ability to help the team do their job with excellence shows care. This means the leader is someone people want to follow. The team wants to follow them from Point A to Point B.
You cannot fool a team. They know better than anyone if a leader is both competent and caring. The following is the relationship between Competence and Care and how team members respond:
- Competence – Care = Short-Term Influence. The team will follow you for a short time until they find an equally-competent leader who actually does care for them.
- Care – Competence = No Influence. Nice person but people are jumping off this sinking ship as soon as possible.
- Competence + Care = Lasting Influence
Your Challenge As A Positional Leader
So if you are a positional leader trying to find your footing in an organization and increase your influence, the two things you need to immediately figure out how to do are accomplish something (personal success) and care for others (help them be successful).
True leadership is always earned. Positional leadership is merely assigned.
Anthony Edwards earned his influence. How about you?
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