From beginner to influencer : Short notes on how to transform as a leader

Prologue: The who and what! : Characterizing the general profile of the aspirant

1. You are someone who has just entered the corporate hierarchy, based on a certain functional level skill, but you aspire to grow and establish within a ‘focus timeline’ into a leadership profile.
2. You are an mid-level specialist but you plan to diversify as an influential generalist( decision-maker)
3. You are a newbie/intermediate in the corporate workspace, but desire to build an inclusive tribe based on your passions and ambitions.( For this category, I suggest you to first have a go through my post on creating influence circle around you)

In this deep-diving article, I exposit on-

1. What's the “slack-corridor” and how to avoid it?
2. The 3 types of influencer lineage. Who are the “baton-holders”, the “convertibles” and also the “power-axes” and how to identify them?
3. Who are “Covert-inhibitors” , how to spot them?.

Now, lets start with defining the zone, where you do not want to end up with! Yes! the dreaded “slack-corridor” .

‘Slack-corridor’ is the profile milieu where you only care to do your daily routine, in a mechanical way, do not wish to learn better about improving your outcomes, hate being critiqued and reluctant to expand beyond the usual normal! You end up in the ‘slack-corridor’ when you never make an effort to expand beyond the formal boundaries of your job profile, inflict upon yourself a ‘self-siloed virtual confinement’ and get overtly critical about listening to and sharing opinions.

But here is the deal! keeping yourself out of slack-corridor also requires a well-tuned sense of discernment and presence of mind.

Now, what do I mean by that?

This implies, you first try to understand your environment (people-process culture, more on this in the next edition!) first and then profile your audience. This endows you with that social intelligence and calibration, to make the most effective contact engagements and build your tribe around it. Only with stature of such a pan-vision, you can clear your way for innovative changes, that does not threaten a haphazard disruption of flow.

Time to dissect the ‘influence-lineage’!

1.Key baton-holders: These people are generally your best wingmen. They can critique as well as facilitate. They are known for their skill in their functional domain and already in the radar of the decision-makers. You have to first inspire them with your work, your perspectives and ideas and field-test it with them in a way engaging to their interests too. For example if you are looking for a change initiative, they offer the best litmus-test.

You maybe the best bet in your profile, having the most unique skill level, yet if the “ key baton holders” do not bother to hear you yet, you are indeed in the ‘slack corridor’

2. Convertibles: They are easiest to influence. They basically have regard to you either personally or through a project collaboration. Basically they are dedicated “followers” . Keep them always as your get-go support stock. Anytime you meet a challenge, actively involve them, to solidify your initiatives.

3. Power-Axes: As the name tag might suggest, they are the decision-makers of the organization. In your best interest, if you are an entry level profile, these people are not good candidates for direct communication, unless and otherwise a protocol requirement or a technical imperative. But at the same time, for your long-term leadership journey to be impactful and manifested, you have to be a an entity in their “ to be listed” directory.

Requires strategy, and game!!

Finally an exclusion category to take care of-

Covert-inhibitors: They are covert, because they indeed do not want others to know their true intentions. People who vehemently criticize or conflict with you directly are fearless and learned or immature and ignorant, either way they will let you know. Whereas the covert-inhibitors may try to spin you off path, demoralize and inhibit your growth, indirectly. Checkpoint- Do they present you with a testable logic behind their criticism, once you confront them and also are they pre-selected in any form. For example, what do the baton-holders think of them.

Now, Lets play a little self-assessment, roulette!

Guys, chill!! Its the old funky play nicknamed ‘never have I ever’….

1. Never have I ever, attempted to attack a problem entirely based on assumptions?
2. Never have I ever, turned away from having an open discussion with my colleagues ?
3. Never have I ever, tried to impose the blame on a team-mate or another colleague, due to sheer lack of courage to accept my failure?

If your answer to 1 above is negative, you have to rethink and re-organize your business process understanding. If your answer to 2 or 3 is negative, you need to work on your interpersonal skills. At the end of day, you are the architect and mason of your progress, who could both lay the right foundation or dislodge and disempower it.

Now to know more about the detailed roadmap of how to approach and integrate the above mentioned anchors of influence, you could reach out to me at [email protected].

Hope to see you soon, with yet another new game-changer perspective.

Stay tuned!!