Success as a member of an organization’s leadership team demands the adoption of new mindsets and behaviors, often distinct from those used in earlier career stages.
Influential leaders are all-in on learning about the entire business, including risks, issues, and projects with business-wide implications. They actively contribute to cross-functional teams, bringing a business-level perspective to all discussions. In our work with leadership teams, we have identified three mindsets and seven behaviors of successful organizational leaders.
Three Things Organizational Leaders Do to Be Influential
1. Stay present and engaged, even in cultures that encourage multitasking.
People notice when others are truly present and want to engage with those who are. Invariably, influential leaders in any organization find ways to stay present and engaged in discussions, whether in person or online. This mindset is demonstrated by turning on a camera in a virtual meeting or maintaining attention in person.
Conversely, leaders who don’t disconnect or appear distracted become marginalized. They’re often “drifters”— they join a conversation, may be brilliant, add value, and then drift away.
2. Are accountable for their success.
Influential leaders do what they say they will do, 100 percent of the time, without fail. Those who meet this high bar stand out and steadily increase credibility with other team members. Teams come to rely on and trust these leaders, making this a powerful yet underappreciated leadership mindset.
Why is this a mindset and not a behavior? Leaders who deliver 100 percent of the time do so through planning. Rather than overcommit, effective leaders don’t hesitate to say that a request cannot be accommodated, or a goal cannot be met..
3. Are committed to the team over self.
True leadership requires looking beyond day-to-day functions and areas of expertise and engaging across the organization. Influential leaders challenge and support colleagues, productively getting involved in the business. They subordinate personal agendas to help deliver on the organization’s larger agenda.
A commitment to team over self may also mean willingly making tough sacrifices for the organization’s greater good. That could involve voluntarily giving up headcount in one’s own group in favor of another group, which benefits the overall business more. It may mean working with a colleague to help her solve an issue, even when personal workload pressures are high.
The Seven Behaviors of Influential Leaders
Here are the seven most common behaviors of influential leaders:
1. They have and share a point of view.
Leadership team members are responsible for sharing their thoughts, perspectives, and challenges with the team. The best leaders break down silos and have strong points of view on almost every topic.
Many teams lack candor. This may be because the leader or one team member is a bully or overly aggressive. Some teams don’t listen well when individuals try to share their points of view. Teams need to address these issues, or they will miss out on the ideas from all team members.
2. They are brief and bright.
Influential leaders don’t talk to get their voices heard. They firmly and assertively add new thoughts or ideas to the conversation and make their points concisely.
People stop listening if a leadership team member begins lecturing their peers. Great teams that have established trust will self-police, not letting one team member monopolize conversations.
3. They simplify rather than “complexify.”
The more simply a message is communicated, the more powerful that message is. Strong leaders take up very complex issues and boil them down. Crystalizing the issue under consideration helps the team make intelligent decisions.
4. They listen out of curiosity rather than judgment.
Listening from a place of genuine curiosity builds influence. Asking how ideas were developed, why specific points are favored, and what drives passion for a point of view fosters a strong relationship and grows the listener’s power.
On the other hand, listening from a place of judgment or critique creates distance in a relationship. It reduces influence because others don’t want to be judged or critiqued, so they stop dealing with individuals who do so.
5. They effectively manage conflict.
Leadership teams that practice candor and share multiple perspectives will inevitably have disagreements. In healthy environments, they happen all the time. Influential leaders dare to skillfully steer into tension, bringing uncomfortable topics to the forefront and helping the team have productive discussions.
Contrary to what many executives believe, conflict doesn’t necessarily damage relationships. Attempting to avoid conflict through passivity will harm them.
6. They proactively guide decision-making.
Influential leaders help teams make decisions by clearly framing the issue before the debate begins and helping outline how the decision will be made (via majority rules, consensus, the boss decides, etc.). They also help keep discussions focused on decision-making within the time allotted.
7. They bring optimism, ideas, and solutions.
Some team members can have a negative, pessimistic mindset. It’s important to consider what could go wrong, identify risks, and ensure everybody knows them. However, as a leadership team member, it’s best to present risks as decision-making factors, focusing on solutions for balancing or managing them.
Leaders who bring negativity, darkness, or resistance to an organization become heavyweights, and others don’t want to engage with them. Over time, they become marginalized.
Aspiring leaders can enhance their influence by choosing two or three of the above mindsets and behaviors to practice. Get comfortable with the idea that you might lose your job because some people don’t like what you’re saying. With that off the table, it’s easier to focus on how best to make a positive difference for the organization and influence decisions and outcomes.
