Why Invisible Influence is a Leader’s Best Friend

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invisible man in suit on gray background. Invisible Influence.

Using Invisible Influence to Increase Our Impact

We all like to see the direct results of our work. A farmer likes to see the crops that grow from the seeds he sowed months ago. A salesman likes to see the check from the client she has been cultivating for years. A manufacturing worker likes to see the complete product roll of the line and be flawless. Leaders like to see the people they lead shine.

It’s somewhat disappointing then when we don’t get to see the results. Maybe you sowed the seeds but someone else harvested the crop. What you cultivated for years another person closed. The end product is so far down the line you never see it from your vantage point. People you positively impact shine somewhere else. Yet those can be our greatest moments. The invisible influence we have is often where we influence most.

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Leadership Lessons in Crisis: My 9-11 Story

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Twin Tower lights with Statue of Liberty in the foreground

Leadership Lessons Often Come in Moments of Crisis

There are, of course, days you always remember. Some stick in your mind because of the sheer joyfulness of a moment. My wedding day. My first workshop. The court appearance to finalize adopting our kids.

Others stay with you due to the overwhelming emotion or tragedy of an event. Watching my father pass. Sitting in a Hong Kong hotel watching news of the Oklahoma City Bombing.

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Ten Signs You Should Invest in Leadership Development – Part II

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The man stops the falling dominoes. Concept of crisis management.

When Crisis Hits, Leadership Development Should Become a Priority

In Part I of this post, we looked at the first five signs that you need to invest in leadership development. These signs create stress within management. Not just conflict, which can often be good; STRESS!

And stress has a way of flowing downward. Zig Ziglar used to call it Kicking the Dog Syndrome. If you are a dog lover, you may prefer using Kick the Cat Syndrome. Things are bad in the office and the manager takes it out on the employee. The employee goes home and takes it out on the dog. Psychologists call it “Displaced Aggression”.

Fix the Problem, Not the Symptom

Whatever you want to call it, it means things go bad and often quickly. Productivity suffers and you start to see some of the signs that there might be a leadership problem.

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10 Signs You Should Invest in Leadership Development – Part I

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Leadership Development is a Priority for Great Leaders

The most stressful time for a leader is when things go wrong. And it is inevitable that something will go wrong.

That’s why the great leader knows that he needs to become more to add more value. And he knows that all his other leaders need to become more as well.

Sometimes those, the decision to develop the leader in us and the leaders around us comes too late.

Here are the first five signs that you urgently need to invest in leadership development.

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Why the Caring Leader Succeeds (And How You Can Too!)

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Pleasant call. Low angle of friendly young positive team is sitting around table in office and discussing business project. Caring leaders create engaged culture.

Caring Leaders Connect and Influence

Leaders face a variety of challenges in the workplace. And most of those challenges center around people. The caring leader recognizes how people impact the organization. What are some of your people challenges?

Watercooler Wally.

Long Break Lilly.

Perpetually Late Pete.

Social Media Sally.

Have you seen any of these people around your office?

Young businesswoman yawning while working on laptop in office. Sleepy female entrepreneur looking on wristwatch. Tired office worker feels lack of sleep because of hard and long work with documents You know the pattern. They show up just barely on time for work or even a few minutes late. The first thing they do is take a coffee break. They chat around with their friends for a while. They complain about their job, the workplace, the company, and life in general.

They finally (allegedly) start to work. They mess around with a few things until the eagerly anticipated lunch hour. No matter what’s going on, no matter how urgent, lunchtime is lunchtime.

When they finally return from lunch (likely a few minutes late) it takes a while for them to get back into the groove to actually get work done. They may even spend more time chatting around.

They quit at four. They go home at five. Another semi-productive or unproductive day.

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