Leadership Characteristics: Style Mistakes That Destroy Your Influence

Eisenhower certainly understood the concepts of being a more influential leader, didn’t he? Spot on. I have been in the military and business world for forty years, and I often get asked what it takes to be an influential leader.  Being an influential leader is a lifelong learning process. You are never done learning. Every great leader always looks for ways to improve their influence skills and to avoid leadership characteristics and mistakes that have the opposite effects.

leadership characteristics
Leadership mistakes.

Check out our thoughts on team leverage.

Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want to be done because he wants to do it.

–       Dwight Eisenhower

Leadership can be especially challenging for entrepreneurs. Balancing the need to run a business and the need to lead company personnel is quite a task.

Effective leader influence as an entrepreneur means that you can “make things happen,” instead of just “letting things happen.” Leader influence is required in many activities. It is involved in a variety of situations and problems, from the very simple to the very complex. And there are many leadership mistakes that can quickly destroy that influence.

Leaders must influence others to achieve goals, and they must gain the respect of followers to influence them. This is no easy task, but if you want to have the respect of your followers, you must become an influential and trusted leader.

Related: Looking for Battle-Tested, Effective Leadership Qualities?

Leaders use influence and collaborative skills to solve problems by selecting one course of action from several possible alternatives.  Almost any decision involves some conflicts or dissatisfaction. The difficult part is to pick one solution where the positive outcome can outweigh possible losses.

To many, avoiding decisions often seems to be the easiest approach. Influencing decisions and accepting the consequences is the only way to stay in control of your time, your success, and your business.

Here are ten mistakes of leader influence Digital Spark Marketing  uses with clients to improve their ability to get the best leadership influence skills:

 

Leadership characteristics … hesitant with action

It is critical that you learn the importance of the start, whatever you have been postponing. Just do it, as Nike likes to tell its customers and potential customers. If you wait for the perfect time to start, it will never happen, and you will have accomplished nothing.

Great leaders don’t work in existing systems. They change the systems to give them what they want. And they don’t delay the start.

They come up with new options for jobs, projects, and professional development that their bosses hadn’t even thought of. They see an opportunity coming their way before most of the rest of us have even looked up from our laptops. They don’t hesitate to seize the initiative or get into action, do they?

 

Lacking integrity

Nothing can ruin your influence and respect faster than a lack of integrity. Integrity, however, is not just about avoiding unethical choices and situations. Integrity is intentionally molding a culture of values and service. 

 

Leadership weaknesses … not learning from others

Observing and learning from those around you makes you stronger, and better. Never fail to see its value. Your peers, as well as competitors, can usually teach you more than your friends. Let them. Learn from them. To be a great leader, you need to have a strong will and an even stronger stomach.

At the end of the day, you need to remind yourself that your job isn’t to make everyone happy, but rather to improve the organization as a whole.

Good leaders are constantly trying to improve and surround themselves with the ablest people they can find. They look squarely at their mistakes and deficiencies, and they ask frankly what skills they and the company will need in the future.

And because of this, they can move forward with confidence that’s grounded in the facts, not built on fantasies about their talent.

Leadership weakness examples
Leadership weakness examples.

Employing a style outside your ‘comfort’ zone

One of the most important things you can do as a leader is cultivate self-awareness. Knowing your leadership styles will help you to be more intentional about using them well and managing their shortcomings. Do you lead with expertise? Charisma? Caring?

Armed with this awareness, you can leverage your unique styles to become more influential and inspire others. Avoid styles that are outside your comfort zone at all costs.

 

 Lacking persistence

Persistence is key. Always keep up the effort as you will never know how close to success you may be.

Think about your energy. It’s not just about what you like best, but about what feeds you and what depletes you. And who. Do what you can to increase the good stuff and decrease the bad. You just need to realize you have the power to accomplish it. Much more than you may have imagined.

Eliminate whatever it is in your life that’s draining you, and replace it with something that inspires you. This will help your persistence.

  

Leadership pitfalls … not investing in yourself

Leaders invest in continuous learning. Grow your expertise. The more you know, the more you can

influence skills
Influence skills.

help. The greater your competence, the more others will respect you and the effort you made to learn about what they do.

Always work hard at being a little better than you were the day before. Continuous learning is one of the most important attributes in the work and personal environment.

Great leaders know that every step they take, and every decision they make, matters in the end. They know they must strategize carefully, and then act decisively. They know they must think ahead — not just to their next step — but to the many steps after it.

Worrying about mistakes and failure

No matter how confident someone may seem, everyone is afraid of failing. All of us are afraid of screwing up or afraid of looking stupid. But great leaders know that everyone they interact with is also afraid.

These people are successful because they act in the face of fear. They go after what they believe, seek change, and, ultimately, make a difference.

They also believe they can take a risk because even if they fail, they’ll be able to learn from it and overcome it. Their fear doesn’t hold them back. Instead, it springs them into action, because they know not stretching themselves is worse than failing.

 

Not being a coach and advocate

One of the leader’s most important roles is being a coach and advocate. Help people be successful. Focus on developing leadership skills in your team. Be a resource, a sounding board, and a safe place to talk.

If you want the people you lead to respect you, they need to know you are on their side. Advocate for them; help them get the promotion they’ve been hoping for. Leverage your influence on their behalf. 

Lacking enthusiasm and passion

Always show your enthusiasm and passion for what you are doing. To do that, you must find those things that you love. Follow the passion; it is what gives you the strength to overcome the obstacles to everyday tasks. Passion is power … it is what keeps you going when everyone else gets tired and gives up.

Management mistakes … short-term focus

A leader’s job is to interact with the future on behalf of constituents. Spend time doing things that only you can do, delegating other critical areas to qualified team members. Establish a vision, and keep your gaze focused on the overall goal. Resist the temptation to spend too much time-solving day to day problems if they cost you progress toward your vision.

 

The bottom line

 Avoid these leadership mistakes and think ahead for your greatest leadership advantages.

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Need some help in capturing more improvements for your staff’s leadership, teamwork, and collaboration? Creative ideas in running or facilitating a team or leadership workshop?

 

All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.

When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step. Call today.

Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.

Are you devoting enough energy to innovating your social media strategy?

Do you have a lesson about making your advertising better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?

 

Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he writes about topics that relate to improving the performance of the business. Go to Amazon to obtain a copy of his latest book, Exploring New Age Marketing. It focuses on using the best examples to teach new age marketing … lots to learn. Find them on G+Twitter, and LinkedIn.  

Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change.  We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way. Call us for a free quote today. You will be amazed at how reasonable we will be.

  

More leadership material from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:

Build an Effective Team by Being a Talent Hound

Success Enablers of Highly Creative Leaders

Secrets to Becoming a Remarkably Mindful Leader


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Influencing Skills: 10 Characteristics That Improve Leadership

I was raised to believe I could become whatever I bothered to learn. No single idea has served me better. What do you consider to be the most important end result of a leader? My answer is influencing skills, hands down. Finding leadership characteristics to improve influence is one area of consistency interest to me.
influencing skills
Improve influencing skills.
Check out our thoughts on team leverage.
A great quote can provide personal inspiration and can be used to educate others. We like to open most of our blogs with an enlightening quotation that relates to the topic. This one is a real favorite.
Here is a short video on the leadership lessons from first follower.
Before we continue, let me ask you a question. 
What leadership characteristic is your strength? We would love to hear what it was. Would you do us a favor and post it in the comments section below? Be the one who starts a conversation.
With the advent of the Internet, the number of marketing options available to both budding and experienced entrepreneurs has become staggering.
Ever wondered how the best leaders handle distinguishing their leadership characteristics so effortlessly? The truth is, most highly successful people do stumble, worry, and doubt themselves, just like the rest of us. But they are very good at mastering the way they are perceived.
I have been in the military and business world for forty years and often get asked what I believe are the most important leadership characteristics. It takes time and practice to be a top line leader. You are not borne with leadership behaviors. And you are never done developing them.
My experience leads me to this list of xx business leadership characteristics that most successful leaders all share. They rank as the most significant to success as a leader in my perspective.
If you want to be a better leader, work on continuously distinguishing this list:

Show commitment

People believe in those leaders that stand strong through adversity and continuously show their commitment.
inspire and motivate
Inspire and motivate.

 

Inspire and motivate

No matter how good you are, you will only be as successful as your team. So, getting the most from each team member is critical. We call this being a multiplier leader.
Multiplier leaders know the importance of bringing out the smarts and capabilities in everyone around them. Great leaders inspire motivation and learning.  They create environments where learners feel empowered, impassioned, and engaged.

Psychological priming

People often forget the things you tell them but they will always remember the way you made them feel. Do you know the 3 most powerful emotions to use with team interactions? I believe they are happiness, power, and aspiration. You can never go wrong when using these emotions when priming your team.
Related: The Zen of Abraham Lincolns Leadership Lessons

Act in face of change

Many people don’t do well with change. They do favorably respond to leaders who act when faced with the need for change and who explain the need for the change.

Foster collaboration and team self-esteem

We have written on employee attitude and engagement on several occasions. Employee attitude is so critical that it can’t be overemphasized. It trickles down from employers. Your business can never be what it can be if you don’t focus on employee happiness.
Leaders should make employees feel good about themselves. It is something all people crave. Constantly criticizing and pointing out the flaws in an employee is a sure fire way to decrease morale and performance.

Influencing skills … character

People take notice of those who do what is right over what is easy.  Good character will always shine through, won’t it?

Vision

 People need leaders who communicate a clear and compelling vision of the future.

Encourage work – learn balance

People always put more confidence in those who continually expand their skills and talents. Especially those who share their know-how in these new talents. Always encourage your team to expand their learning and give them some time to do so.
Your capacity for leadership influence expands in direct proportion to your commitment to lifelong learning.
 

Influencing skills tips … guide talent and teamwork

Coach your teams and develop their future paths. People respond favorably to leaders offering help. People love working as part of great teams. They appreciate leaders who coach teamwork and develop their future paths.

Influencing skills exercises … demonstrate compassion

People put faith in those who are the most beyond themselves.
 
 Does your job just happen to you?
If you’re a willing cog in the vast machinery of the work environment, it’s entirely possible that the things that occur all day feel like they’re being done to you.
The alternative is to take the initiative to create a job where you create forward motion, where you do things to the job, not the other way around.
Take a look at the language you use to describe what happened at work yesterday, that’s your first clue. If you’re not the one leading the change, perhaps it’s time to start.
Always remember that true leadership is the ability to lead while being led.
EMPLOY CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Employ customer experience, yes?
Need some help in capturing more improvements for your staff’s leadership, teamwork, and collaboration? Creative ideas in running or facilitating a team or leadership workshop?
 
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.
When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step.
Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
Are you devoting enough energy to innovating your social media strategy?
Do you have a lesson about making your advertising better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?
 
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change.  We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way. 
  
More leadership material from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:
Build an Effective Team by Being a Talent Hound
Secrets to Becoming a Remarkably Mindful Leader
Leadership Characteristics That Improve Influence
Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on  FacebookTwitter, Digital Spark Marketing, and LinkedIn.