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4th March 2010 by Rusty Hodges

"Leadership is influence -- nothing more nothing less." 
John C Maxwell

It took me a while to understand this concept but it is so true. The measure of a good leader, and a bad one, is how they use their influence.

Great leaders

Influence can be a powerful force in the world. Think about some of the great leaders in history: Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, William Wallace, William Wilberforce, Adolf Hitler, Steve Waugh, Andrew Johns, William Booth ...

One thing they all have in common is influence. And yes, I did include Adolf Hitler. He used his influence for evil; he was a great leader who leveraged his leadership to commit the most barbaric and atrocious acts of hatred: racist terrorism. How did he do it? Influence!

Nelson Mandela spent 26 years in prison because he was using his influence to fight against the 'apartheid' regime in South Africa which saw black South Africans being treated as second class citizens by the white South Africans. It was blatant racism. Apartheid eventually fell apart and Nelson Mandela was elected president and sought to bring reconciliation and peace to his nation. How did he do it? Influence!

Where does influence come from?

Influence cannot be bought. It can be borrowed from someone for a short time, but sooner or later, every leader needs to lead out of their own influence.

If leadership is nothing more than influence, then the question we need to answer is what am I going to do with my influence? How do I increase my influence to become a better leader?

Here are a few ways to leverage your influence as a leader.

1. Do your best

"If we are leaders, we should do our best," (Romans 12:8).

This advice from Paul is for us who are leaders. He says to lead to the best of our ability, regardless of our position. Whether we are the key leader, an assistant leader or a helper, we need to lead what has been placed in our hands and take full ownership and responsibility for it.

2. Listen to others

God has given us two ears and one mouth for a reason. It is a discipline to stop and really listen to people. By doing so, you win favour with that person and they are more likely to follow you, or be influenced by you.

3. Be a person of your word

Nothing kills influence more than letting people down because you didn't do what you said you would. If you commit or promise anything to someone, do whatever you can to keep that commitment. If something significant comes up that causes you to not be able to keep the promise, then be honest and brave enough to ask their permission to release you from the commitment and make another time, if possible, to do it later.

You can lead from wherever you are; you don't need a position or role. After all, no matter what your age or location is, leadership is merely influence -- nothing more nothing less.

Rusty serves on the territorial youth team as the Youth Inclusion Coordinator, where he works to help local youth groups and youth ministries connect with the poor and marginalised in their local area. Before joining the team, Rusty was a youth pastor for almost 5 years in Tuggerah Lakes.

Rusty's personal mission is to bring hope and life to a broken generation. He is married to Belinda.

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1. 

   Poorby

   March 10, 2010 at 12:32pm

   Nice one.

   Reply