The Art of Influence

Who Is Influencing Whom

A young girl caught a sparrow. At home, she had two parrots. She wanted more for the sparrow and decided it would be great if the two parrots could teach this young sparrow to talk. She took the sparrow home and placed it in a cage with the two parrots. Her thinking was simple: If the sparrow spent enough time around 2 birds that could talk, it would eventually learn to talk too. A few hours later, she returned to check on the progress. The sparrow hadn't learned to speak at all. To her dismay, the parrots were chirping like the sparrow.

This simple story holds a powerful leadership lesson: Whenever we put people together, influence moves in both directions.

Leaders often assume that pairing a struggling employee with a high performer will help the struggling employee improve. Sometimes it does. But we rarely stop to consider the other possibility: What if the high performer starts adopting the struggling employee's habits?

Culture works the same way.

We may bring someone into a strong team believing the team's culture will change that person. But if poor attitudes, weak accountability, negativity, or unacceptable behaviors are repeatedly tolerated, something very different can happen. Instead of the culture changing the individual, the individual begins changing the culture. That's why leadership requires more than surrounding people with good examples. Leaders must actively protect, reinforce, and model the behaviors they want to become normal.

The Leadership Principle

Proximity creates influence, but strong leadership determines which influence becomes culture. Every team has behaviors that spread.

Attitudes spread. Work habits spread. Accountability spreads. Negativity spreads. Excellence spreads. Even silence spreads.

The question for leaders isn't simply, "Who are we putting our people around?" The better question is: "Which behaviors are becoming contagious on our team?"

A healthy culture doesn't maintain itself simply because good people are present. Leaders must continually reinforce expectations, address behaviors that undermine the team, recognize behaviors that strengthen it, and model the standard themselves.

Because if leaders aren't intentional about shaping the culture, the culture will still be shaped. Just perhaps not in the direction they intended.

Leadership Reflection

Think about your team today. Who are the sparrows? Who are the parrots? More importantly: Who's influencing whom? Before assuming your strongest people will automatically elevate everyone around them, pay attention to what behaviors are spreading. Because leadership isn't just about putting the right people in the room. It's also about making sure the right behaviors become contagious.

Continue Your Leadership Growth

Leadership growth is difficult to accomplish entirely from your perspective. Coaching provides a confidential space to uncover blind spots, challenge assumptions, turn feedback into action, and intentionally develop the leader you want to become.

If you're ready to identify what's holding you back and turn greater self-awareness into meaningful behavioral change, visit NC Professional Coach LLC to learn more about executive and leadership coaching and subscribe to The Friday Focus.

Lead well,

Charles Shehan, Owner, NC Professional Coach LLC

For weekly leadership-development insights, executive coaching perspectives, and practical tools to help you lead with greater clarity and confidence, visit NC Professional Coach LLC.

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