4 characteristics of influential leaders

My first job after college was as a help desk service representative in an insurance company. I knew it wasn’t a position I wanted to be in long-term, but it was a way to get my foot in the door. After working in that position for a few months, I realized that I wanted to work towards a leadership role. It seemed so glamorous–having the authority to make decisions, being in charge of a department, and making more money. Setting my sights on leadership seemed like the next best step.

As I moved up the leadership ranks in my career, I realized leadership was very different than my first impression. It wasn’t about prestige, power, money, or authority. It was about service, humility, relationships, and influence. In fact, being a leader wasn’t as exciting and glamorous as I had expected. It came with a lot of responsibility, a lot of headaches, and some choices that weren’t always easy to make. There were many moments of impact and fulfillment, but there were also times of high demands and high stress.

I had the blessing of having a few excellent leaders in my career who modeled great leadership through coaching, developing, and mentoring.  I also had several bosses who taught me what not to do. These leaders were focused on themselves; how much power and control they had and how to expand their turf. Although working for the latter wasn’t inspiring or easy, I learned from these experiences. Not everyone is cut out to be a leader, and having the desire to lead and the skills to lead are two different things. Having the desire to be a leader is important, but desire must be met with modern and influential leadership skills.

Leadership isn’t about working our way up the corporate ladder to one day finally arrive and say, “Wow, I’ve made it.” True leadership is a journey, not a destination. Leadership is a state of being, not a role one fills while at work. The work toward leadership isn’t just important for when we prepare for a leadership role. In fact, once “appointed” a leadership role, the real work has just begun.

We all know people in leadership roles who are not true leaders. Being promoted and granted a title does not make one a leader. Leadership is not an appointment, it’s a process. You become a leader. It’s about being. It’s not just directing a team, signing off on paperwork, delegating responsibility or setting goals. Effective leaders strive for constant improvement to better themselves every day. They strive to impact those around them. They look outside themselves and seek a bigger impact in their organization and perhaps even in the world. Leadership is not just about learning a few new tools or strategies, it’s learning a new way of being.

True leadership is about service; it’s serving your employees by developing them and helping them reach their highest potential and personal goals. It’s serving the organization by contributing your best to achieve the goals. It’s serving the membership by having their best interest in mind and helping them achieve their financial dreams.

I believe we have a leadership crisis in this world. We have many leaders who aspire for the title and for the prestige and power. And some who strive for a leadership role because they see it as the next step in their career. But few people view leadership as an opportunity for impact. Few people have the competencies and skills necessary for influential leadership.

Most people look at what they will gain when they become a leader, yet very few look at what they can give. Leadership is a privilege and a responsibility.

True leadership is much bigger than a fancy office, more money, and the ability to be in charge and call the shots.

How do you know you are on the right path?

In my work with executives and managers, I have found several characteristics that influential leaders possess:

• A dedication to continuous learning: influential leaders strive to improve every day. They read books, listen to podcasts, read articles, and seek to gain more information about their industry, as well as how to become a better leader and person. They are very self-aware; they understand their strengths and weaknesses, and are not afraid to hire others to fill the gaps. They realize they will never know it all; they are always in a state of learning and encourage their employees to grow and develop.

• A focus on others: influential leaders aren’t in leadership for themselves, they are there to make an impact on others. They provide clarity, direction, appreciation, and support to their employees. They make their employees a priority and invest time and effort into helping each individual reach their peak performance and potential. They are not afraid to provide constructive feedback, for they know it’s about facilitating improvement and is in service to the greater good.

• Emotional intelligence: influential leaders realize that great leadership isn’t just about driving the agenda and getting results. They understand the importance of people, and they are approachable, compassionate, supportive, and great listeners. They understand that employees are people who have desires, goals and fears.

• Create a stable environment: even in the midst of organizational change and uncertainty, influential leaders foster an environment of stability. They do this by being dependable, honest, trustworthy and respectful. They follow through on their word and possess a high level of integrity. They don’t have all the answers, and they are not afraid to admit mistakes. They model behaviors that reinforce integrity and trust.

Certainly, effective leaders need to possess some talent, confidence, and strategic ability. But what separates the mediocre leaders from the exceptional leaders are the qualities that go beyond technical and strategic mastery. They are skills that cultivate an environment of engagement, trust, loyalty and growth.

The world needs more of these leaders. Unfortunately many leaders today are traditional bosses who direct and control and have low emotional intelligence. We need the next generation of leaders to bring change to our credit unions and cultivate true and influential leadership. Being a leader is a huge responsibility; one that should not be taken lightly.