The second behaviour for success and leadership that was listed in the article in Harvard Business Review, and the one that I carry on from after last week's blog, where we talked about speed of decision-making, is called ‘engaging for impact’.
We know that the best leaders are charismatic; we know that they're able to talk to a crowd; we also know that they're able to convince people of their vision, of their pathway, of the direction that they take.
The mistake that people make is thinking that people are born with the ability to engage for impact.
This is a learnable skill.
Self-awareness, understanding and the building of emotional intelligence are something that all of us can get better at.
If we crave to lead a group, an organisation, a team, a charity, a family, then understanding that if we are self-aware enough to develop these skills and characteristics, it's likely that that group will become more successful.
This stems from a whole load of different areas; obviously, the first one is to be able to present to people, a small group, a large group, depending upon the size of the group you're looking after. Are you prepared to stand up and look people in the face?
The looking people in the face part is one of the most important things.
Years ago, I saw a lecturer for the British Dental Association, where the then editor of the British Dental Journal stood up and started to do an hour-long talk. Ten minutes into the talk, he stopped and asked the whole audience (around 120 people) to put their hand up if he hadn't looked them in the face.
No one put their hand up; he had looked everyone in the face.
I still remember that lecture to this day because of the way it made me feel.
That's not the only way to engage, though; the ability to talk to key individuals and to convince them of the direction, to reassure them, to complement them, to help them in times of difficulty is critical for leadership.
The same applies to suppliers; building trust with suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders is absolutely critical in leadership.
Reflecting on previous interactions allows you to move forward and be better at that type of work.
Obviously, the ability to sell is an interaction where you are engaging for impact.
Understanding how modern sales works, the Dan Pink philosophy of ABC (attunement, buoyancy and clarity) are areas where you can learn to be better.
As a leader, you are always, always, always selling. Selling to customers, selling to team, selling to suppliers, selling to regulators, selling to lawyers, selling to accountants, selling to everyone.
It does seem a little bit overwhelming when you think of these behaviours, but little habits put in place, ways of imagining how you could do things better.
Following people whom you respect and wish to be like is always to engage with impact moving forwards, to build a better life for you, for your team, for your customers (patients) and for everyone.
“We exist to positively influence the life of as many people as possible through the work that we do and the example that we set”.