How to Lead and Influence People

Great leaders understand that people often live up to the expectations that are set for them. Set low expectations and people will get lazy and under perform. Set high but realistic expectations, and people will move heaven and earth to live up to them. Great leaders therefore instinctively expect the very best from the people they manage. Moreover, they understand the incredible value of giving people a fine reputation to live up to. They therefore always use encouraging words that put people into an expectant and positive state-of-mind. This encourages them to get the very best from themselves in every situation.

Great leaders lead and influence people by encouraging them at every opportunity. They will for instance praise people even for the slightest of improvement and progress. They do this because they understand that massive change doesn’t happen overnight. It rather happens gradually over time. Encouraging small improvements helps them guide people in the right direction toward bigger goals and organization-wide objectives. It also helps keep people focused and motivated on moving forward in small ways. This of course builds momentum over time while also promoting positive change.

Great leaders lead and influence people through effective delegation of tasks, projects and responsibilities. However, they don’t delegate by barking out orders or by telling people what to do. They instead strive to empower people to take personal initiative to get things done. They of course do this by asking effective questions that encourage people to take ownership of their tasks and responsibilities. By taking ownership, people feel more empowered to do whatever it takes to get the job done as effectively and efficiently as possible. They feel responsible and therefore work harder to get optimal results.

Great leaders understand that they need to always empower people in order to get the very best from them in every situation. People need to feel valued and appreciated for their effort and for the work they do. They need to feel as though their time was well spent, and that it helped move the organization forward. However, effort doesn’t always translate into results. And this is of course where a great leader steps in. A great leader is always willing to give people a helping hand in order to push projects forward. And when the project eventually succeeds, they will never take the credit, but will instead applaud the people involved.

Great leaders understand the value of giving constructive feedback. Moreover, they understand how to use it to help empower people to improve performance. Their goal is not to make people feel guilty about their mistakes, but to rather help them learn from their experience, which of course allows them to move forward in a better way. With this in mind, great leaders always begin by showing their honest appreciation. They then mention their own mistakes, give their feedback, and then ask the person for their takeaways. Then finally, they allow the person to walk away from the situation with their respect and dignity intact.

Great leaders understand that nobody is perfect. Everyone has their personal flaws that make them feel insecure and inadequate. Instead of making a big deal about people’s limitations, great leaders move in the opposite direction and choose instead to set clear standards that encourage positive change. They don’t concern themselves with how a person is within this particular moment. Their primary objective is to lead them down a better path where their insecurities no longer hold them back from working to their full potential. One way they achieve this objective is by making people’s flaws seem easy to correct and change.