We have been pointing out that a good leader influences others
and transforms them.
But, do you know what skills do we have to develop
in order to achieve that influence?
Typically, there are some core leadership skills
that are common to any leader,
if that leader wants to have influence on his or her team.
In general, leaders have to be aware that no one achieves great results
without working with others.
And this is a must to influence others
and to make them commit with our goals and visions.
Great leaders have the ability to influence the hearts of people
and to make them embrace the goals and the organization.
And to make them feel those goals as their own objectives.
To be an influencing leader,
we need to develop the following main four skills.
Leaders have to be experts in their field.
At least, it is a desired skill. Leaders need to understand
how to get things done and embrace the reality of working
within organizational politics to move teams
and important initiatives forward. But to achieve this,
it's absolutely necessary to be an expert in the field you are leading.
So, when a leader is an expert in his or her field,
he or she can give technical support. But of course, it's also necessary
to give moral support to workers, to let them know
that they are part of a team and not just "workers".
Second step, leaders have to be a model of behavior.
I think we have talked about this topic a few times, but it is really important.
Because it is impossible to make people commit
to the leader if that leader is not committed him or herself.
It is a need to be a role model to show
what is good for the organization.
Next, and this is really important, we are talking about empathy.
A leader has to have empathy to understand the team members' needs.
It's necessary to build and to maintain this trust between team and leader.
To have empathy, it's necessary to guide people through challenges and changes
by understanding what do they need and also, very important,
what do they fear.
Sometimes, leaders forget that when people feel recognized,
and when they see that they can contribute
with their ideas in the project,
they tend to be more involved and committed.
But also being empathic, trying to make others feel
the same way you like to feel.
And the last part, it's really important
to have this effective communication. We have to talk
and we have to continue talking. Because a great leader
should be an effective communicator. No leader is an island.
The connection with others is essential to influence them.
To show them the correct path to success,
a leader has to be clear and trustworthy.
Finally, it's more important to note that the influence is morally neutral.
It can be used for good and for bad.
You can influence if you are not a leader,
and you can lead without influencing others.
But you cannot be a good leader without influencing people.