Oh, I'm not referring to a social media influencer - although if you are, that's pretty cool! I'm talking about leadership influence.
Influence is the capacity to affect the character, development, or behavior of someone or something or the effect itself.
Take a moment to think about your leadership influence.
What comes to mind?
How do you influence?
Where do you assert your influence?
According to the Center of Creative Leadership, there are four essential skills to strengthen influence.
Organizational Intelligence: [Leaders] understand how to get things done and embrace the reality of working within company politics to move teams and important initiatives forward.
Team Promotion: Leaders cut through the noise to authentically and credibly promote themselves — while also promoting what’s suitable for the entire organization.
Trust-Building: Trust is essential because leadership often involves guiding people through risk and change.
Leveraging Networks: No leader is an island. Their connections with others empower them.
Do you see your leadership influence present in any of these four skills?
Whether your answer is Yes or No, an executive coach can strengthen your leadership influence.
Many of my clients explore leadership influence. Here are a few areas we explore:
Building self-awareness: Executive coaching helps leaders become more self-aware by providing a safe and supportive environment to reflect on their communication styles and behaviors. This includes understanding their emotional intelligence, the ability to recognize and manage one's own emotions and the feelings of others. By developing self-awareness, leaders can become more attuned to their feelings and the impact of their words and actions on others, which can lead to more effective communication.
Identifying and addressing communication barriers: Executive coaching can help leaders identify and develop strategies to overcome them. This might include working on active listening skills, asking open-ended questions, or improving nonverbal communication. By addressing these barriers, leaders can foster more open and honest communication within their team, leading to increased trust and collaboration.
Developing a coaching style of leadership: Executive coaching can also help leaders adopt a coaching style of leadership, which involves empowering team members to take ownership of their work and develop their skills and capabilities. This approach focuses on asking questions and providing support and guidance rather than simply giving orders or telling team members what to do. By adopting a coaching style, leaders can create a more positive and collaborative work environment and foster a culture of continuous learning and growth.
Improving conflict resolution skills: Effective communication is crucial for resolving team conflicts. Executive coaching can help leaders develop the skills and strategies to address conflicts healthily and productively. This might include learning to mediate disputes, negotiate win-win solutions, or handle difficult conversations. Leaders can create a more positive and cohesive team culture by improving conflict resolution skills.
Wow! There's so much to unpack under leadership influence. The first step is to get an executive coach because it's a proven leadership development strategy.
My executive coaching program is five sessions to create an action plan based on your leadership goals.
For leaders looking for a more long-term approach, I have a 6-month program as well.
Let me share the tools and resources that have worked for my clients, which I know, will work for you.
P.S. Do you have a colleague who could benefit from coaching? Feel free to share this blog or my contact information with them!
P.S.S. - Speaking of social media... follow @EmboldenLeadership on Instagram for more tips and insights on coaching. See you over there!
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