Key leadership skill you might be underestimating

First:

High performing companies ask all their employees to behave as leaders – regardless of their position within the organization.

In other words – you must always behave as a leader – no matter where you are in the organizational rank.

Second:

In order to become an accomplished leader – among other attributes – you must possess influencing skills.

The more you climb up the organizational ladder – the more your success is about your ability to influence through others – and the less about executing assignments yourself.

The more senior you become – the more you need to build teams, to delegate – and to grow a wider territory of influence.

And – an effective way to develop a bigger sphere of influence is by simply building rapport with others.

To build rapport with others, all you need to do is to talk to everybody in the company – everybody – not only the small group of people you have to interact with because of your work.

Engage in small talk, be at ease socially, ask questions – and build connections with all individuals at all levels.

Theodore Roosevelt said:

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”

And this is as true as ever in organizational life.

When employees perceive that you are genuinely interested in them, in their work, and in their ideas – they are much more likely to tell you what they like and what they would like to improve – and also – they are much more likely to listen to you.

Building rapport with others is a social skill – it is your ability to find common ground and create affinity with others.

Conclusion:

Do you really want to expand your sphere of influence?

One way of doing it is by developing a reputation of openness and accessibility – and fostering a culture of approachability and connectedness.

Like many things in organizational life – to develop this leadership skill – you need initiative, courage and determination to get out of your comfort zone, shift your perspective – and see new possibilities.

Simple – isn’t it?

Not easy – but simple.

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