Do This to Multiply Positive Impact
Measure the impact of your leadership by the energy you ignite in others.
Skillful leaders multiply energy. Incompetent leaders exhaust people.
How is people’s energy after spending time with you?
Determine how much you care:
You’re busy. Perhaps you’re overconfident. Maybe continuous learning is for others or your ego blocks growth. In the scheme of things, how important is self-development?
Use structured self-reflection:
I asked a leader to evaluate his impact on others.
- How are your conversations going? (General question)
- What are you trying to accomplish? (Begin with the end in mind)
- What are you doing that energizes others? (Internal reflection)
- How are people different after you spend time with them? (External reflection)
- What would you like to try, or do differently? (Forward-facing curiosity)
Expand your perception:
Perception expands when you listen to others.
Use a trusted team member or coach as a survey-master to run a leadership energy audit. Ask everyone you regularly interact with to respond to one statement.
“On a scale of one to five, (leaders name) interactions with you tend to increase your energy.” One is low. Five is high. Ratings of one, two, or three create concern.
5 follow-up questions to clarify feedback:
- What behaviors produce the best result on the energy survey?
- What should you keep doing? (If the number is high.)
- What should you stop doing? (If the number is low.)
- How might you improve? (If the number is low.)
- What should you do more frequently?
Talk over your observations with your boss or coach.
Increase your positive impact:
Focus on one energy building behavior every day.
What suggestions do you have that might improve the energy survey?
How can leaders multiply the impact of their leadership?
Still curious:
Refuel or Die – posted Oct. 18, 2024.
The Top 5 Tips for Building Trust and Multiplying Impact
The 11 Pillars of Impactful Leadership – Steve Gutzler
John David Mann and I wrote The Vagrant because we all fall into the trap of self-defeating behaviors. Explore structured self-reflection.
Purchase The Vagrant:
Practical suggestions. One must find ways to Improve the culture that enables team members to give truthful feedback without hesitation. In Asia most places have a challenge in obtaining objective feedback from team.
Wonderful point, CV. A culture of trust is essential for honest feedback. I wonder if framing feedback as helping someone reach their goals is useful. It’s hard for leaders to hear the truth about themselves.
“Leaders bring the weather” reminds me to show up like I need to.
Hey, Ken. “Bring the weather” is a wonderful metaphor because it goes either way. We can bring the gloom or bring the bright. Thanks
“Know the shadow you cast” is a value I wrote in a journal 20 years ago. I like the weather analogy as well. Great reflection questions, Dan. Thank you!
Thanks, Heidi. “Know the shadow you cast,” reminds me of being aware of the wake your boat creates.
Leaders challenge the status quo. They also believe in people and take steps to build their confidence. Sometimes the energy level that is created is influenced by both the size of the challenge you present and how effective you are at affirming the person and building their confidence.
Thanks for you for your insights, Paul. Challenge and support go together. Present the challenge and build their confidence. Don’t challenge people that you don’t believe can rise to the challenge.