114 CalmMoment.com
W
hether you’re atop a corporate jungle
gym, reaching for the next rung, or off
playing in the sandbox, your long-term
professional and personal success is a matter of
influence, not dominance.
Some consider influence synonymous with
persuasion, but influence is the art of getting things
done without coercion. More precisely, it’s the
ability to engage and guide others in collaborative
work without relying on positional authority.
This is something I took my time to learn. When
I first became a manager, things seemed to go well,
and I flattered myself I had leadership down pat.
Then ‘Joanne’ (as I’ll call her) joined my team.
She was in a senior position and well respected
but with me she seemed to flounder. I redoubled my
efforts to be clear, supportive, and motivating – to
no avail. Finally, I stopped asking for her thoughts.“Personal success is a matter of
influence, not dominance”
Seeking a way to work better, Jocelyn Davis learnt that power and
authority are not equals: instead, quiet inf luence is the route to successSoon it was time for Joanne’s performance
review. I downgraded her on a project on which
she’d been unable to make headway despite lots
of helpful (as I judged it) direction from me. In her
comments on the review she wrote, “I could not
meet this goal because my manager did it herself.”
I was shocked but I knew she was right. I had
been spurred on by the (false) belief that authority
equalled power, and that because I was Joanne’s
manager, she would simply follow my orders.
After this I learnt a new way to lead – by being
able to engage others in collaborative work. This
is the art of influence. When exercised, it is both
quiet and powerful. A master speaks softly, walks
lightly, and has no need of a big stick, yet collective
success hinges on them, and when their work is
done (says the philosopher, Laozi) the people all
say, “We did it ourselves.”LIFE LESSONS
Jocelyn Davis is a respected author and speaker who holds Master’s degrees in philosophy
and Eastern classics. Her latest book, The Art of Quiet Influence: Timeless Wisdom
for Leading without Authority (£14.99, Nicholas Brealey Publishing) is out now.