Developing the Leader: Influence, Priorities

Influence

There is no leadership without influence (and power)

McKinsey's 10 methods of influence:

• Explaining
• Legitimizing
• Logical reasoning

• Asking
• Socializing
• Appeal to friendship
• Consulting
• Inspiring
• Role modeling
• Appeal to values
• Stating
• Exchanging
• Alliance building

McKinsey's sources of power (organizational):

• Resources
• Reputation
• Role/title
• Information
• Network

McKinsey's sources of power (personal):

• Knowledge
• Attraction
• Character
• Empathy
• History

The book talks about 5 levels of influence/leadership

1. Position/rights
2. Permission/relationship
3. Production/results
4. People development/reproduction
5. Personhood/respect

• To excel at level 1 (position): Exceed expectations with your job; accept responsibility
• To excel at level 2 (permission): Make those who work with you more successful; see things through others' eyes
• To excel at level 3 (production): Initiate and accept responsibility for growth; develop accountability for results, starting with yourself; communicate strategy and vision of org
• To excel at level 4 (people development) : Place a priority on developing people; be a model for others to follow; attract other winners/producers to a common goal
• To excel at level 5(personhood): Your followers are loyal and sacrificial; you transcend the organization

Priorities

Success: progressive realization of a pre-determined goal
Said a different way--focus, concentration of effort
Too many people are distracted from their goals, or try to take on too many goals and do not succeed in achieving any of them.
Leaders have the ability to focus, concentrate their efforts, prioritize on a small number of goals--and knock them out of the park

Methods of prioritizing:

• Pareto Principle (80/20 rule)
• Importance v. urgency prioritzation
• High importance, high urgency - do first
• High importance, low urgency - set aside time to do these
• Low importance, high urgency - find quick, efficient ways of getting done; delegate to a "can do" assistant if possible
• Low importance, low urgency - put it off as long as possible, indefinitely if you can; if it must be done, batch it up so that you can get it done with all at once
• Initiate, don't react (or said another way, "act, don't be acted upon")
• Don't let other people set your priorities/fill your calendar
• You initiate, you lead, you set your own priorities
• You can't have it all--focus on few priorities
• Time deadlines force us to prioritize--set them for yourself