Consider the Vital Importance of Influence in Leadership

The eyes of the world are on the upcoming election of the president of the United States. Recently, many of us intently observed the first debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

One notable business leader, Mark Cuban, not only watched the debate, he decided to use artificial intelligence to decide who won!

Cuban asked ChatGPT which candidate was best for the presidency based on “communication skills, clarity, problem-solving abilities, and overall professionalism.” The AI tool gave Biden high marks for his “extensive experience in public service,” “empathy” and “social awareness.” However, the 81-year-old scored poorly due to a lack of “coherence and clarity” and “focus and consistency.”

On the other hand, Cuban noted that ChatGPT criticized Trump for using “hyperbole and exaggeration,” targeting his “grandiose claims” that might “raise concerns about his reliability.” Further, it called attention to his “lack of specifics,” and avoidance of “providing detailed plans or solutions.”

In conclusion, Cuban said that ChatGPT stated, “It would be challenging to decisively hire either candidate without further evaluation of their professional capabilities and specific job fit.” Thus, it appears that even artificial intelligence is indecisive when it comes to the upcoming election!

While this is hardly surprising, I think we, as Americans, and the global community are facing a “crisis of confidence” in leadership. So much of successful leadership is a function of how those who are being led respond to their leader. Leadership implicitly is a series of acts of influence. That influence extends not only to followers and subordinates but to anyone who is interested or engaged with that leader. For the president of the United States, that might literally include anyone–and everyone–in the world.

Regardless of our political leanings, we are desperate for leaders who are honest, accountable, transparent, competent, confident, and courageous. The policies they espouse are, of course, important, but often it is how those policies are decided upon, communicated, and implemented that carries the greatest influence. This is true for occupants of the Oval Office, but it is equally true for any of us who have leadership roles. That includes business leaders and those who guide community and other enterprises–and it includes parents as they lead their children.

To achieve the positive influence we require as leaders, the following characteristics are essential:

• Communication of strong, articulate, well thought-out positions regarding key issues, decisions, and progress.
• Energetic, but reasoned debate that clearly addresses the rationale behind our positions, policies, and actions.
• Respect for dialogue and decorum even when arguments are intense.
• Remembering always that we represent and serve others, demonstrated by listening intently and seeking to understand what they care about.
• When we err in judgment or make mistakes, having the courage to step up and admit our errors. In that regard, we should be our own toughest critics.
• And finally, when credit is deserved–and bows are taken, we express sincere gratitude for those who made our success possible.

Now you may or may not attribute these characteristics to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump, and that is not my intention here. Instead, it is to suggest that those characteristics should describe how each of us should exert our influence as leaders.

In my career-long study of notable leaders, I have observed that many of the truly great leaders made a concerted effort to define core principles by which they would influence others. One of the best in that regard was our first American president, George Washington. He set forth the following guiding principles for himself:

• Respect for your fellowman, regardless of their social status. That respect is manifested in courteous behavior and politeness, with avoidance of any behaviors that might offend or insult others.
• Humility and modesty. The emphasis here is on listening more than you speak and avoiding boastfulness or drawing excessive attention to oneself.
• Consideration and kindness, including generosity–and living by the Golden Rule.
• Decorum in society. Always exhibiting appropriate posture and demeanor in social situations, including both in speech and actions.
• Self-control and temperance. Avoid reactiveness, anger, and impatience. Take care in conversation not to interrupt others or speak too loudly or with too much emotion.

The point here is not that George Washington offered the ultimate all-encompassing list of leadership characteristics, but rather that he recognized that to bring about adoption of his ideas and decisions, he needed to be a person others could admire and follow. He needed to pay at least as much attention to how he was seen by others as he did to specific policies and decisions.

My counsel as a coach to business leaders is that leadership always includes both content and process. Content consists of decisions, policies, and actions. Process consists of how a leader approaches exercising his or her influence. And process is often more important than content.

Policies and platforms matter, but statesmanlike influence is also desperately needed. In our complex and sometimes dangerous world, it may well be that such influence is actually what will guide us safely through.