Circle of Influence

A great leader inspires those around them.

A manager at the top of their game is a great influence on those around them. Inspirational leaders form a circle of influence that inspires those around them to achieve more. Circles of influence are dependent not on established authority and “rank” but rather on the soft positive influence that makes people want to contribute. There is a shared investment in the purpose of the project, a belief in the importance of professional development of all members and finally the trust that all members “what’s in for me?” are represented. Striving to create positive circles of influence should be a key objective of all managers. As not only will these circles of influence create positive team dynamics, they can also be great support structure for you too. 

Inside of all positive circles of influence is a shared sense of purpose.

There are many things that go into the soft positive influence that creates positive circles of influence, a few of which i already mentioned. Another of the most important is getting your team to understand that everything is interconnected i.e. how much energy staff put into their job, does influence how much pay back they get, be that in succeeding in their goals, getting appreciated or receiving a financial reward. Likewise the opposite is true, a staff member who continually complains or focuses on negativity does effect those around him which then indirectly connects back to them as in these scenarios failure is more likely than success and critical feedback more likely to be received than praise. I have phrased this as creating positive circles or negative spirals with the idea being of cause no one can control a spiral.

In the above diagram there is a simple example of positive circles and negative spirals but of course it can be applied to much more complex situations but the key component remains, how one thinks and acts effects, to varying degrees depending on the situation, the end outcome for them-self. Thus a key factor to creating a positive circle of influence is getting all members to understand this and aim to have the inside-out mentality  which I explained in an earlier post.

Inside-out mentality is key to creating positive circles of influence

There is a saying that goes: “you are the 5 people you spend the most time with” and if this is true in the work place, it is therefore critical to see your role as creator of positive circles of influence as when you do, you encourage a team ethic of working and pushing in the same direction and align that push with personal interests. A great leader therefore both creates positive circles of influences and encourages others to also do so and aligns them altogether.

A great leader welcomes others creating circles of influence.