EP125: The Power of One - Your Leadership Responsibility
BEYOND THE JOB DESCRIPTION
Your ability to influence others is a responsibility you hold - use it wisely!
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(The notes below are only a brief bullet point summary of what is discussed in the podcast. Be sure to listen to get all of the goodness! If you would like a full transcription of the episode, please send an email request to: angie@angie-robinson.com. We’d be happy to provide that!)
I love this quote that comes from the Spiderman universe:
“With great power comes great responsibility.”
It is basically saying that if you have the privilege of some sort of power, you should not simply enjoy that for the privileges alone. But the person with the power has a moral responsibility, both for what they choose to do with that power and for what they fail to do with it as well.
I think about that in the context of leadership. You could even change the word “power” to “ability to influence” and it would still pack that same punch.
“With the great ability to influence comes great responsibility.”
Because that's what a leader is really about. It’s having the ability to influence people, results and organizations. And it does come with great responsibility.
I want to drive home the power of one concept. You, as a leader, a single human, significantly shape the experience of the people you lead, the results of your team and results of your organization. You and you alone hold such a powerful impact, both on the positive side or the not-so-positive side.
It is your job to use that in a responsible manner, because the influence that you have as a leader really is great. You have an influence on the culture, expectations, performance, safety (physical and psychological) and connection. And to some extent you have influence on a person's career, pay and livelihood.
And you really can’t be clear on how that impact affects a person's life outside of the workplace or the space in which you are leading them.
I have witnessed and experienced this power of one time and time again over my career.
Of course, there are things that leaders do collectively, like casting inspiration, creating a vision and setting clear expectations. But do you ever think about the sheer magnitude of just one? Let me share an example:
There is a 50 person operation. The leader is one that might be considered as not-so-good. They don't provide feedback. They tell and dictate versus guide. They favor certain people. They yell and intimidate, then move quickly to discipline. They don't get to know people. They have a very strong “I'm the boss so you do what I say” mentality. This results in high turnover, high safety concerns, disengagement, poor results, a toxic work environment, and a lot of complaints.
And this is all fueled by one person. That is the power of one.
Now, let’s imagine that the same 50 person operation gets a new leader. This leader is really intentional about how they show up. They're very clear with their expectations. They ask for people's opinions and input. They get to know individuals. They're very respectful - treating people with a whole person approach. They own their own mistakes and they let others make mistakes without immediately reprimanding them. They have the tough conversations. The results include a team that's really engaged, loyal and dependable. There is longevity. People want to work there. This all equates into good results for the organization and for that team.
In this example - the business was the same. The oepration was the same. The core values on the wall were the same. The work is the same.
The difference was one person.
That is the power of one.
The ripple effect is really unknown, but there is one.
I know that there are people in leadership positions that use that power as a way to just wield their authority and get people to do things.If this is you - you shouldn't be in leadership.
There are also people who are in leadership roles that are very neutral. They just got put in that position because they were good at their job or they needed to fill a gap. They might not embrace what it means or elevate their own awareness or own development to embody what it means to be a leader. Again, that person probably shouldn't be in a leadership role.
Because in both of those cases, those leaders are not using their “power” / ability to influence responsibly.
What you say or don't say has an impact.
What you do or don't do has an impact.
What you model has an impact.
Being very aware and very intentional with this is being a responsible leader.
It is true that you can't control how people receive you. You're not going to be everyone's cup of tea. Your words and your behaviors are not going to make an impact on everyone in the way that you hope it would.
And that's okay. But what you can control is your own behaviors, your own choices and how to use this power of influence.
If you can make a difference in a positive way in just one person’s life - you have done your job.
We could come up with all kinds of historical and current well-known people who exemplify this power of one. People like Martin Luther king Jr., Walt Disney, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks and Michelle Obama (we could go on and on and on with the list.)
It’s so interesting because oftentimes we don't even know the impact that we're having. But I’m sure you’ve experienced it yourself. Maybe it was your 3rd grade teacher or that coach in high school or that first boss you had out of college. To them - it was just another day. But to you - they said or did something that changed you.
The person could be you.
That is the power of one.
What Do You Think?
Do you realize and recognize the power of one responsibility that you hold?
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