My post last week on leadership got me thinking again.

You will remember that I told the story of the CEO in a US company who had a special elevator installed which went straight to his office so he didn’t have to talk to the staff.

The thing is – having worked for a global US Investment bank and dealt with some very rich and powerful Private Equity, CLO and Hedge Fund Managers … I can absolutely see this being the case. One might say, that it is a question of time and not spreading yourself too thin. Granted. But there is an attitude behind every action like this. And in this case I would argue it is ego. Thinking you’re better than the staff below you. If I asked the question ‘Why would anyone be led by you’ to that CEO, I wonder what his answer would be ?

You will also recall that I mentioned in my last post how leadership is about INFLUENCE. Plain and simple. Forget particular personality traits. Forget particular leadership styles. You can judge a leader by their INFLUENCE. After all, didn’t Mother Theresa or nelson Mandella have as much influence as Winston Churchill ?

Well let me build on that. You influence others based on:

  1. The past – your reputation
  2. The present – your personal example and demonstrated behaviour
  3. The future – the trust and confidence that those you are leading have in you / your leadership / your strategy

Some of these are personal leadership traits (character, consistency, integrity, belief in your own decisions, what you’re driven by – are you self-actualised or driven by something else like ego, fear, power etc).

Some of these are leadership characteristics (vision, communication, servant heart, teamwork etc)

But don’t get too hung up on the detail. Leadership is about influence. So ask yourself this one question and the rest will take care of itself …

Why would anyone be led by you ?