[MUSIC] I'm Doctor Nicholas Pearce, professor at the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, and an expert on leadership and organization. The old school rules of leadership dictate that in order to be an effective leader, you have to have the most knowledge and skills, and have control over the most resources. And in order to get things done, you have to have what we call formal authority. You have to be at the top of the house and have the fancy title, the big corner office and the most decision-making power. Because leadership was all about exercising formal authority and gaining other people's compliance, many leaders figured since I'm in charge, I have the power to do whatever I want. This is an idea called leadership by compliance. That people are motivated to follow leadership even when they don't want to, in the interest in either gaining resources that they need or avoiding punishment they're afraid of. Leadership by compliance is still popular in some circles, but relying solely on the prospect of rewards and the threat of punishments to motivate people has some serious drawbacks. When rewards are dangled in front of people, they're sometimes willing to do unethical things just to gain the prize. And when people comply only to avoid punishment, they likely are going to do just enough to get by. They're going to do the bare minimum to escape punishment. When you need people to give 110% to a cause or to their work, leadership by compliance does not motivate them to give their all. Another drawback of leadership by compliance is that the only people who get to lead are the ones at the top of the house. But we're in a social era, where collaboration wins, and the one-man, know-it-all leader loses. Formal authority is still important, but leadership can be demonstrated by anyone, regardless of their level in the organization. The fuel for leadership in this 21st century social era is social capital. It's the ability to tap the information, ideas, skills, money, power and influence, even trust and cooperation, of people with whom you're in a relationship to get things done. To lead through social capital, you have to know how to build smart relationships and leverage them. It's not just about what you know, it's about who you know. The leaders who are most effective are not just the ones with formal authority, but who know how to influence people around them to achieve great things. Learning how to influence others can be a scary proposition, especially if you think of influence as a tool of manipulation. Hitler is quoted as saying, how fortunate it is for leaders that men do not think, end quote. That sounds like influence is just a way to manipulate people into doing what you want, because they don't even think. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on the other hand, looked at influence as a tool of transformation. He said, I'm not interested in power for power's sake, but I am interested in power that is moral, that is right, and that is good. And if you're interested in making great things happen in service of other people, you have a moral responsibility to learn how to be an effective influencer, because influence is what makes growth and progress possible. There are three key things you'll want to think about as you grow as an influencer. First is that you should understand how your being perceived before you even say a word. When we meet a person, before they even open their mouth, we immediately and often unconsciously, assess two critical things. How warm he or she is and how competent. We tend to dislike the cold and incompetent person. We have pity on the one who is warm, but still incompetent. We envy those who seem competent but cold, and we tend to admire and want to help people who we perceive as both warm and competent. You want to be perceived as both warm and competent. Sadly, we're often wrong about these split-second assessment, but they say you only have one chance to make a first impression, so you want to do everything you can to signal that you are neither cold nor incompetent. The bottom line is that presenting your best self is key, even before you say a word. The second element to think about as a pathway to influence, is establishing a relational connection. Building strong relationships is very important, especially when serving vulnerable or under-served populations. Sometimes, you don't have the opportunity to build a trusting relationship over months or years. So, smart leaders work to establish a relational connection immediately, because it's often said, they won't care how much you know until they now how much you care. One way to show that you genuinely care, is by demonstrating interest in other people, and giving to them with no expectation of reciprocation. Figuring out how to meet other people's needs and leaving them better off than they were before, is what leadership is all about. It's as simple as the Golden Rule. A simple act of love with no strings attached can make a tremendous impact on someone's day and someone's life. And it can also be a powerful signal that you're a giver, which can trigger the human desire to reciprocate in kind. The third and final element of influence we'll discuss is being credible. You want to work as hard as you can to be the very best at what you do, but also at the same time, be humble enough to admit when you have made a mistake. Many people will have great credentials and long lists of awards and honors, but nobody's perfect and everybody knows that. Trying to appear as though you're perfect can make you look fake or phony, which makes people doubt what you say, and more importantly, doubt your character and doubt your intentions. Sharing your story with people, showing them your human side, is just as important, if not more important, than showing them how smart or great you are. Having influence is not a right, it is a gift that others grant you. It's a heavy responsibility because you can literally change people's lives for the better or for the worse. And learning how to be a better steward of your influence is a lifelong journey. But your life and the lives of those who you will serve are depending on it. [MUSIC]
