It is proverbially noted that leadership is influence. Many leaders and managers exert a significant amount of time and energy trying to convince every member of their team to support an initiative. Most of the time it is important to have everyone understand what the initiative is all about, but rarely is it critical for every member to fully “buy in” to the plan.

…but you can communicate so that everyone understands.

Communicating with the goal of everyone understanding – that is effective communication. Trying to persuade everyone – that is an act in futility; as William G. McAdoo put it, “It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.” (Okay, so just because someone doesn’t agree with you, it doesn’t make them ignorant; despite what political pundits purport!) However, to effectively communicate with your team, focus on whether they understand first and foremost. Full understanding is the first step. Getting buy in” to the plan is secondary and is less likely to happen if it is not understood first.

I want to share an idea that I have been dwelling on. It’s a simple formula or model for effective and successful leadership.

Successful Leadership = (Effective Communication + Articulate Vision + Influence + Action) (Ethics)

Effective Communication

3 Dynamics of Leadership

Articulate Vision

The Leaders Vision

Influence

Dr. Myles Monroe on Leadership and Influence

Action

Leadership and Action
Influence and Action

Ethics

Ethics is the multiplier for a very critical reason – anything multiplied by zero equals zero. Without ethics, nothing else amounts to much of anything.

The Relationship of Ethics and Leadership

Enjoy this article? Subscribe to my RSS feed.