From Low impact to High impact leadership
I’m surprised that some people have low or no desire for high influence, high impact leadership. It seems unnatural to me. However, I meet people that seem not to care. Here’s what I see in them.
5 Ways to be a low-impact or no impact leader.
- Believe humility means you shouldn’t try to matter.
- Let your loser friends, family, or colleagues beat you down and hold you back.
- Embrace comfort. Be lazy.
- Believe failure is final. Wait for perfection until you begin.
- Think you don’t matter.
Wrong beliefs, crushing environments and bad thinking drag you down. On the other hand, I think healthy, normal people long to matter.
The core of high-impact leadership.
You won’t matter until you first decide to matter.
Please understand I’m not focused on the intrinsic worth of human beings. As a person you have worth. However, innate human worth doesn’t guarantee high-impact leadership.
Love gives meaning and worth to everything you do. It’s central to high-impact living.
Great leaders courageously love themselves, others and the organizations they lead.
- Love seeks the highest good.
- Love courageously shifts from self-protection to vulnerability.
- Love helps others win first.
- Love courageously embraces and expresses your noblest self.
Helping others become high-impact leaders.
We learn to love by being loved.
The implications for leadership development are astonishing. Developing leaders begins with loving people.
You love people by seeking their highest good. From a business point of view, the highest good is defined by organizational values, mission, and vision.
Really?
Yes! As awkward as it may seem to some, I believe love is fundamental to finding personal fulfillment and adding value to others.
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How might love connect with leadership and business?
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Dan. A great post that gets to the heart of the matter (pun intended). Personally, I believe that “no impact leader” is an oxymoron. Character based leadership is the only way to go in the long run, and you display it in buckets.
Hi Dean,
Thanks for the good word and the pun. I agree that no impact leader is an oxymoron. I was thinking of leaders with titles but who don’t actually lead.
Cheers,
Dan
Hi Dan
Another thoughtful blog. I blogged yesterday on why I thought love was a little icky when related to leadership.
I am still not sure where I stand on this but the more I read the more interesting the debate becomes. I guess that for me there are leaders who love themselves too much as well and who dont show a love for others particularly but who some might say are still great examples of leadership.
Ali,
Your comment was captured by my spam filter. Glad I found it.
Best,
Dan
Something else that high impact leaders need is stamina. Every great president, every great business leader, every leader who has had an impact on the world has had to endure many dark days and dark nights of the soul and through it all bolster the courage and determination of followers.
Joe,
I’m delighted to see you here. Your comment reminds me of my conversation with Frances Hesselbein of Leader to Leader (Started in honor of and with the support of Peter Drucker) She is in her 90’s and filled with energy. Just thought I would toss that out.
Love your work. My assistant Amy is contacting all the winners of your books you so generously gave to the Leadership Freak community. Should have a list to you soon.
Best Regards,
Dan
Yes and many thanks to both of you for your generosity.
Richard
Hi Dan:
You’re spot-on about the significant role that “love” plays in creating success and influence. This is the primary theme in my new book being released later this summer. Here are some additional thoughts on the topic of love and leadership: http://www.n2growth.com/blog/compassionate-leadership
Mike,
Always a pleasure having you stop in to encourage others. Thanks for sharing a useful link. I respect your work.
Best,
Dan
Hmmmm Love. not sure and wrote a blog on this this week as I was asked why.
I think leaders can love themselves too much and I am not sure that the balance is so easy. I agree that leadership means you need to love what you do but sometimes the exact opposite can drive someone to great leadership. I guess that is leadership in adversity or leadership when everything around you is wrong and you want to change it to something better.
As I keep saying the dialogue on this is meaning I am constantly reviewing my thoughts though and am prepared to change my opinions. 🙂
Hey Dan, thanks for the courage in this post. Now heres a funny thing in th latest Vanity Fair Christopher Hitchens has apiece comparing the different versions of the bible. Of particular mention is the changing of the greek ‘agape’ to charity in the piece many of us know as… faith hope and charity. he, and I agree, notes how much more compelling as ‘love’ this becomes.
Specifically on leadership and loving – its just such a good point – i can’ think of any great leader I’ve worked with who doesn’t possess this quality to love – though I note that those not strong enough to love themselves are happy to be lead by another who doesn’t love themselves (or anyone else).
i likes Joe’s comment on stamina too – often you need that just to getpast those who don’t love themselves.
go well
Love your work
Richard
Richard,
Thanks for your comment. I hear you on charity vs. Love. Many may not know that the word for love that you refer is meaty. It’s definitely not an emotional whim.
I think we may focus on technique at the expense of love. Of course technique is important but love is essential.
Cheers,
Dan
HI Dan
This is a debate which can run and run. I recently wrote a blog on Love because of a chat on #leadershipchat where I was asked where I thought the linking of leadership and love was a bit icky.
I am being challenged to think deeply about this. I guess that when I consider leadership it is a joint thing not just one and of course that requires a deep commitment but I am not sure I always call it love and perhaps I am quibbling about language.
I think the love element also has to be directed at people. Leaders can love money, country and self and this is not necessarily a good thing – think Hitler, Stalin. So it has to be about love of others of humanity and the common good.
Dan,
Your post reminds me of The Secret–What Great Leaders Know and Do by Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller. That book totally changed the way I started looking at myself as a leader. I totally agree you have to start with love! Thanks for the amazing insights for today!
Nita,
Thanks for leaving your first comment on Leadership Freak and for being a person who encourages others. You have to love Ken Blanchard’s work…thanks for mentioning it.
Best,
Dan
Love: DEFINITELY!