According to Jean Lipman-Bluman, author of Connective Leadership Studies, anyone can become a leader.
You don’t need authority and you don’t need to be the boss.
So, how do you actually lead when you have no power?
Effective leadership is getting people to want to follow. That requires engaging them passionately, from the heart.
Leadership is also about influence.
Influence grows out of connection and well nurtured relationships. It’s the end-result of actions, behaviors, and intentions geared toward building trust, establishing credibility, and adding value.
Being influential, is more than just saying the right thing. It’s about who you are, and the things you do, which causes people to follow you.
Connective Leaders are making headway in the UK and many of them have neither power or status. Here are 9 of their characteristics – they:
- Can emerge in any layer of an organisation or business, can be self-employed, or part of a community.
- See the connections among different people, ideas and institutions, even when the parties do not.
- Dedicate themselves to the purpose of the group, not to themselves and their own status.
- Are willing to have every choice and decision scrutinised to achieve accountability.
- Think long term, but act short term.
- Strive to reach out to long standing adversaries, neighbouring constituencies and competitors.
- Set aside differences for the bigger benefits that partnership, community and collaboration can bring.
- Search for meaning – they are keen to change the world for the better and are aware of the bigger picture.
- Encourage action and deal constructively with diversity
ALSO….good leaders take time to chill out, reflect and draw breath.Mindfulness is a great tool for creating calm and perspective and only requires 10 minutes a day.
