06/17/2025
Leaders have many choices to make, some minor and some life-changing. One in the latter category is the choice between using authority or influence to impact the behavior of others.
Let’s be honest, both can work, particularly in the short term.
If team members had a vote, they would overwhelmingly choose influence, and so would I, not just because it is better for the team but because it is also better for the leader.
Authority-based leading requires a lot of work. Jobs need to be described in minute detail, interactions between team members have to be recorded and controlled, and output has to be continuously and accurately measured. In other words, an assembly line structure which is great for standardized high-volume product output. The upside is that once the process is established, management oversight becomes much easier.
Are you expecting to have to do the same thing the same way a hundred times over, or does your role include the need for flexibility, creativity, and continuous improvement? If change is the name of your game, you need to lead through influence, which will create an environment of willing engagement, not grudging obedience.
If you are still on the fence, and surveys show that there are a lot of authoritarians out there, consider your self-interest. When your team is engaged, a lot of the heavy lifting of watching, measuring, and controlling goes away. Employees are not doing something right because you are watching, but because they see their work as necessary and important. All because you listened and explained instead of just telling.
What it comes down to is that influence works 24/7, whether you are watching or not. Get some rest.
www.DaVinciLeadershipLLC.com
Leaders have many choices to make, some minor and some life-changing. One in the latter category is the choice between using authority or influence to impact the behavior of others.
