As mentioned in a previous post, leadership isn’t based on position or fancy titles; leadership is influence. A title might buy you a little time but if you don’t earn their respect and trust, they won’t follow.

Influence is the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone. The problem with only using a position or title to justify leadership is its leverage is primarily over the behavior, and not necessarily the character and development of others.

For example, in a boss – employee relationship, the subordinate will be cooperative when their income/livelihood is at stake. This is considered positional leadership. Positional leadership use position to prove leadership.

Relational Leadership vs Positional Leadership

Positional leadership runs into hard times working in a voluntary organization. I have seen this first hand serving or volunteering in churches or community organizations. Whenever there was a leader throwing their title around to affect behavior, they faced resistance almost everytime.

It’s hard to command something that you haven’t earned. I love how Maurilio Amorim puts it, “Positional leadership is given, while influential is earned.”

Positional leadership is given, while influential is earned. -Maurilio Amorim
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Followers in voluntary organizations are there because they “want” to not because the “have” to. If a leader doesn’t have leverage – or influence – their title is ineffective. The effective leaders in this type of environment master relational (influential) leadership.

Influential leadership isn’t pushing or pulling instead it’s one of relational connection and support that develops a motivated and inspired team driven by a trusted leader. People follow who they trust, not necessarily who they must.

As you grow as a leader, it’s important that you understand the difference between positional and relational leadership. Look at this way, with positional leadership income is the currency. Relational leadership, influence is the currency.

Let’s take a look at 3 ways you can earn your influential currency to effect the character, development, and behavior of those you lead.

With positional leadership, income is currency. Relational leadership, influence is currency.
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3 Ways To Earn Influence As A Leader

1. Add Value

If you don’t value people you shouldn’t be leading them. One true sign that you value those you lead is your willingness and ability to add value to them. However, we only value others to the degree we value ourselves.

Have you noticed that we don’t see people as they are but as we are? Your willingness to develop, and invest in yourself by reading posts like this so you can add value to others, is a step in the right direction.

Leadership expert, John Maxwell has said, “when you value people, you have a deeper desire to connect with them than correct them.” He also said that the first step of leadership is adding value to people.

As a leader, you add value by serving others. Are you more focus on others serving you are you serving them? The more you add value to them, the more they follow you.

Action: Ask yourself each day, “How can I add value to others today?”

The 1st step of leadership is adding value to people. -John Maxwell
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2. Be Consistent

If you say you’re going to do something, do it. If you say you’re going to be somewhere, be there. Consistency is a must as you build influence and grow as an influential leader.

It’s important to realize that consistency isn’t a one and done thing; it’s a pattern. Consistency establishes your reputation as a leader. It’s hard to demand accountability from others if they can’t expect the same from you.

People buy into the leader when they can count on that leader. Can those you lead count on you? Consistency is an underrated word that plays a supersized role in your ability to be an influential leader.

You have to be consistent as a leader. Be reliable. The more consistent you are with those you lead, the more willing they will be in following you.

Action: Identify an area where you can be more consistent as a leader and work on it for the next 3 months.

Consistency is an underrated word that plays a supersized role in your ability to be an influential leader.
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3. Connect

The key to connecting with those you lead is to listen to them. People truly don’t care about what you know until they know that you care. You have to connect with them emotionally before you can move them physically.

Have you ever noticed how some people have their guards up when you try to (in your mind) give advice and help them? It’s because you haven’t connected with them yet. They are still trying to figure out your motives, your intentions before they let you in.

People won’t go along with you until they can get along with you, said so brilliantly by John Maxwell. Therefore, seek common ground with those you lead before you seek higher ground.

Relationships are a foundation of successful leadership. It’s the bedrock to relational leadership. As the leader, it’s your responsibility to take the initiative in connecting with those you lead.

Every time you connect with those you lead is an opportunity to increase your influence with them. Get to know them intimately if you desire to move them outwardly.

Action: Write down three individuals you need to connect with more and be intentional to do so over the next few months.

Find common ground with those you lead before seeking higher ground.
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Remember, influence is the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone. Your title might impact their behavior but it’s your relationship that will influence all three. True leadership can’t be given, it must be earned.

You earn it by adding value to those you lead, being consistent in how you lead, and connecting intentionally with those you lead. You can do it!

 What is one area you can be more consistent as a leader? Please comment below. 

The post WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BE AN INFLUENTIAL LEADER appeared first on Steve Messam.

Do you want to have a different future than your current reality? You have a picture of where you want to be, what you want it to look like, what you hope things will be like in the future. Turning that future into reality will depend on your faith to overcome your fear.

All of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them. -Walt Disney
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You may be sure about what you are hoping for and dreaming of, but at the same time, unsure due to what you see as to how you’re going to do it, how you’re going to achieve it which leads to fear.

I believe we struggle with our faith and our fear which prevents a lot of leaders from achieving their goals. Is this true with you? Is fear keeping you from taking a leap of faith to reach your dreams?

Let’s use the Hebrew definition of faith. That is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you don’t see (Heb 11:1). Now faith archrival is fear. It’s the complete opposite, being unsure of what you hope for and uncertain of what you don’t see.

To clarify faith even further, let’s look at two categories of faith. One is passive faith and the other active faith.

Passive faith is when you don’t react visibly or with your actions to help produce what you’re hoping for. Think of that more as your unsure faith. Then you have active faith, which is your mental and physical effort to actually produce or manifest what you’re hoping for.

Passive faith is just as bad as fear. I want to challenge you to use your active faith to help you get closer to the picture you have of your future hopes and dreams.

A key step in getting what you really want in life is to decide what you want. That leads us to our first step, which is to think different.

Active faith is a choice, not a feeling.
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3 Steps to Overcome Fear and Accomplish Your Goals

1. Think Different.

Overcoming fear is a necessity in order to accomplish what you are called to do. Here’s what fear does. Fear causes you to rely on your emotions, on your senses, what you see, what you hear, what you feel. Faith is a choice, not a feeling. Emotions are fickle, they change with the wind.

If you wait until when you feel right, you’ll run into a lot of problems with achieving your goals because your choices lead and your feelings follow. Lead with your choices and not with your feelings.

Another way to help you think different is to will it before you feel it. Your emotions, what you see, hear and feel, tests your faith, which is why you have to fight back with thinking differently.  Thinking to persevere, which is when everything inside of you is telling you that you won’t make it, to quit, to give up; you choose to push through in spite of.

You think differently also by having self-control, which is restraining from listening or relying on your emotions and the external focus that tells you to do what everybody else is doing. Having self-control not to do those things will keep you on track to achieving your goals and dreams.

If you think that faith is something that you feel, you’re going to miss it.
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2. Speak Different.

Our second step is to speak differently. We have to release our faith with our words. How many times have you killed your hopes with your own words? Follow the example of The Little Engine that Could. Regardless of his size, regardless of the big load he had to carry, he always repeated, “I think I can!”

You have to encourage yourself. Use your words to speak of things that are not here and now as if they will be soon. When you speak differently and use your words of affirmation and encouragement, you actually use faith as an antidote to your fear.

One key point to help you release your faith through your words is don’t just keep it to yourself, spread it. We have to claim it, don’t be ashamed of it. You’ll be surprised how many people are strategically placed in your life who can help you reach those things that you’re hoping for, but they will never know unless you share it with them.

You have to be careful, however, you have some folks with no faith or passive faith not actively pursuing what they are hoping for. Misery loves company, and it would love for you to take a seat next to them.

Faith is an antidote to fear when you speak words of affirmation over your life.
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3. Act Different.

Our third and final step is to act differently. Walk by faith and not by sight. I love that word walking because the opposite of it is being paralyzed. Don’t let fear paralyze you. Deactivate your fear, because fear prevents progress. Fear leads to a dead end, hope has a future – and yours looks bright!

MLK once said that “faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” Passive faith and fear are at the bottom step, but active faith is taking the next step. Acting differently leads to courageous actions that demonstrate confidence when you want something that you’ve never had or those things that you’re hoping for.

Walt Disney once said that “all of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” That’s courageous actions. Don’t get me wrong, courage does not mean an absence of fear, but it’s determination to face it. Passive faith walks away. Active faith overcomes.

Passive faith walks away. Active faith overcomes.
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You can’t be an overcomer without troubles/fears to overcome. You have what it takes, you just have to tap into it. In order to achieve something you haven’t had before you must be willing to think differently, speak differently and act differently to reach those things that you’re hoping for. God didn’t give you the spirit of fear, he has given you power, love, and self-control.

Of the three steps (think, speak, and act differently), which could you benefit the most from to overcoming you fear today?

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