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It sounds like a Zen riddle: “Does a leader make a sound if there are no followers there to hear?”

Followership is the most critical part of leadership—and your ability to influence is the most critical part of gaining followers. But aside from Dale Carnegie, who talks about influence and persuasion, especially in leadership circles?

Well, Brian Ahearn, that’s who. Brian is today’s podcast guest, and the Chief Influence Officer at his firm: Influence PEOPLE. Which is a pretty strong hint that he’ll be talking about influence—ethical influence—and how leaders can use that for team success.

Do you like the people on your team?

Far too many executives believe the old myth that positions or titles make them leaders. In reality, the ability to influence people is a core component of a true leader, regardless of rank. And liking those people greatly powers your influence.

Here’s how Brian lays out the basics.

1. Practice the Principle of Liking

People are more likely to respond positively to those they like and hold in high regard. That part is just plain common sense. But here’s the twist when it comes to influence: that positive response amplifies when people feel that you like them. Why? Because that implies you also care about them, so they’re confident you put their concerns into the equations for your decisions. Instead of the usual short-lived, shallow transactional relationships most bosses have with their workers, you’ve created a lasting, meaningful connection with real value. As Brian sums it up, your instructions filter through a lens of “Good for me, good for you: good to go!”

2. Ground Relationships in Trust

Your team needs to trust that you’ll follow through on that care. It’s a simple case of your actions speaking louder than your words, so be sure to:

• Consistently fulfill promises (and explain when you can’t)
• Extend grace and understanding when a coworker makes mistakes (it’s important to forgive yourself for mistakes, too)
• Sacrifice your personal interests for the good of the team, and
• Address issues openly rather than let tension silently build.

In building solid relationships on a foundation of trust, you’re also providing your team with a solid sense of psychological safety—which in itself boosts innovation and engagement.

3. Practice Pre-suasion

Set the stage; that’s what this point boils down to, yet it’s remarkable how many leaders don’t prepare their teams for big news, major projects, and the like. Pre-suasion, then, simply means you’re laying some groundwork before you try to persuade or influence the team. Taking them by surprise inevitably kills morale and creates resistance to the new initiative! So, prepare your team mentally, emotionally, and even physically before launching into something new. (Brian exercised pre-suasion before asking his wife to marry him; enjoy the romantic details in his TEDx talk at https://bit.ly/InfluenceAndLeaders-TEDx).

4. Deploy Influence Ethically

Influencing unethically is flat-out manipulation—which destroys any sense of trust or care you’ve worked so hard to foster. Brian suggests three standards that ensure you’re holding to an ethical bar:

• Truthfulness
• Using persuasion—and pre-suasion—naturally
• Creating mutual benefit

In other words, as an ethical influencer, you’re transparent and authentic, you avoid manipulation, and you ensure your requests of the team provide value for everyone involved.

We all try to influence others. It starts the moment we’re born with cries to bring us the food and shelter we need as infants to survive, and it continues from there: it’s a womb-to-tomb process. You can tame and refine that natural need to influence: performed ethically, effective persuasion and influence ultimately enable leaders to unlock the full potential of their teams. They build relationships where conflict no longer divides but drives innovation!

 

This article was adapted by Dan Mushalko from our podcast episode How Influence Leads to Great Leadership.

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Maureen Metcalf, CEO of the Innovative Leadership Institute, and Dr. Christopher Washington, Provost and Executive Vice President of Franklin University, share this trends article as a companion to their podcast Leadership Trends for 2024,

Link to the entire interview:

Listen to the companion interview and past episodes of Innovating Leadership: Co-Creating Our Future via Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, iHeartRADIO, and NPR One.

Every generation of business leaders experiences social, economic, and environmental tensions that must be managed to achieve successful organizational results. What’s new in 2024 is that the volume and pace are accelerating. To navigate these changes, we must move from solving problems to managing tensions. What combination of problems, barriers, and opportunities will create the tensions and barriers that managers must manage in the coming year?

Here are the top trends I see for 2024 and beyond.

Trend 1: Artificial Intelligence & Computing Power

Technological advancements, including AI, robotics, sensors, and gene editing, are taking center stage in 2024. We can expect a significant impact of these advancements on how most people live and work. Bill Gates says, “This new technology can help people everywhere improve their lives. At the same time, the world needs to establish the rules of the road so that any downsides of artificial intelligence are far outweighed by its benefits, and so that everyone can enjoy those benefits no matter where they live or how much money they have. The Age of AI is filled with opportunities and responsibilities.”

Tension: As Gates highlights, we must balance the need for speed and experimentation with solid processes and operational excellence. Balance the cost and time investment in training and desire for novelty with the speed at which changes happen. Where do we invest, and where do we train? One crucial recommendation is to determine where to learn and where it is essential to unlearn outdated mindsets, skills, and behaviors.

 

Trend 2: Weather Disruptions and Environmental Degradation

Weather will elevate to the strategic level for many organizations. We are seeing changes in weather patterns that are disrupting weather prediction models. Accurate prediction is becoming more challenging. Since weather impacts every supply chain segment, every organization will be affected to varying degrees.

While weather is more visible, the issues are broader and more encompassing than weather patterns. Environmental degradation encompasses various environmental harms, such as pollution and resource depletion, while changing weather patterns refers explicitly to the alterations of atmospheric conditions. Corporate activities such as growing industrialization and overexploitation of natural resources can lead to environmental degradation and changing weather patterns.

Tension: Balance the need for data and certainty for weather-related strategic planning with the fast-changing climate disruptions. Mitigation can include creating a weather-related strategic plan to balance the need for data and certainty. The planning process and having a solid data source like the Weather Company to predict longer-term trends will provide a solid foundation for crucial decisions.

 

Trend 3: Polarization

The polarization of groups and communities makes agreeing on a path and moving forward challenging. As people in any group — whether a team, department, company, community, nation, or people sharing a planet — we need to find a process to identify common ground and develop agreements and solutions to address our most significant challenges. If the trend continues, we may see a rise in incivility in some groups and, in others, a willingness to find common ground.

Tension: Within organizations, we want people to have the opportunity to be authentic, and concurrently, the organization needs employees, contractors, and board members to focus on the business of the organization civilly and respectfully. We need to create a psychologically safe environment to explore the impacts of policies and business decisions among team members with vastly different perspectives. Then, we need to make decisions that team members will support. Tolerating disrespectful behavior and noncompliance with business decisions can lead to long-term damage.

 

Trend 4: Shifting Interest Rates

For over a decade, individuals and businesses alike have become accustomed to easy money offered in a low-interest rate environment. This all changed in 2023, with escalating interest rates significantly shifting ROI calculations and, in some cases, overall business models. While increasing interest rates tend to slow borrowing and business investment, reducing it has the opposite effect. Additionally, fluctuations in interest rates in either direction unevenly impact individual and organizational spending.

Tension: Balance sticking to your organization’s proven products and services with rapid prototyping and exploration. To regularly create a profitable product portfolio, organizations must monitor the economic environment and its impact on purchasing and selling power, maintain robust processes to evaluate current products’ viability, and simultaneously launch new products. These processes should align with the organizational strategic planning process and be agile enough to adjust as the interest rate environment shifts.

 

Trend 5: Work-Life Demands

For many, the aftermath of COVID-19 has changed workplace norms and expectations, and many people are trying to find a new work-life balance. While we read that AI will make a four-day workweek possible, others see the opposite: increased expectations and work volume. This is already leading to burnout and epidemic-level mental health issues.

Tension: We all want to attract and retain the best talent while managing increasing cost pressures and inflation. As organizational leaders, we must find approaches to balance sustainable workloads with meeting our financial goals. High levels of retirement and long lead times to hire are straining many organizations during the current labor shortage. Companies are experimenting with approaches such as a four-day workweek with some success. The Chamber of Commerce recommends, “Businesses can increase their hiring pools by removing barriers to entering the workforce like expanding childcare access, offering innovative benefits, participating in second-chance hiring, and providing opportunities for new and existing staff to be upskilled and reskilled on the job.”

 

Trend 6: Multigenerational Workforce

The presence of five generations in the workforce creates a level of diversity not previously seen. This diversity of thought, experience, and approach will allow companies to leverage a wide range of talent. Still, generational diversity will also create challenges ranging from clashing workplace and cultural norms to more complex decision-making processes.

Tension:Balance the broad perspectives that relate to almost every topic, from remote work to technology use. Some organizations engage members representing each generation to create organizational norms and agreements. They work past the stereotypes to understand one another and structure communication approaches, benefits, and leadership approaches for each group. Each generation must feel respected and engaged to create a thriving workplace.

 

Trend 7: Shift in Post-Secondary Education Pursuits

According to the Fall 2023 National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s regular updates on higher education enrollment, “Students continue to gravitate towards shorter-term credentials, with enrollments in undergraduate certificate programs jumping 9.9 percent over 2022, compared to 3.6 percent for associate degrees and just 0.9 percent for bachelor’s degrees.” There are lots of workforce implications here.

Tension: Employees will need retraining at an accelerating rate based on the range of disruptions we see. They will need to choose between a range of options for retraining and balance the cost and time involved. Concurrently, organizations and governments must weigh these investments based on the broader community, social impact, and cost. Also, universities and corporations can collaborate to incorporate relevant micro-credentials that lead to employability into full degree programs that can reduce the overall time and cost to obtain credentials, and benefit both individuals’ future career prospects and corporations’ need for more advanced talent.

Trend 8: Geopolitical Uncertainty

Reshoring of manufacturing, CHIPS Act implementation, new alliances, diverse worker perceptions of global conflicts, and the state actors involved are among the range of factors driving geopolitical uncertainty. Geopolitical factors drive tensions that spill over into organizational policies and staff interactions. Geopolitical issues can be very personal, highly charged, and polarizing. Leaders must understand how their colleagues and employees are affected. Often, uninformed statements have the potential to damage relationships. Part of leadership is to create a safe environment for employees to work.

Tension: Beyond creating a safe environment for people, organizational impacts can cover every aspect of the enterprise. Organizations and their boards must develop clear points of view about when and how to respond to geopolitical issues. Responses may evolve as conditions change.

 

Final Thoughts

Leaders must take care of themselves first to lead their organizations effectively. For many, this means maintaining resilience-supporting practices ranging from having solid relationships and exercise routines to meditation and prayer practices. After self-care, leaders must then create environments where their organizations can thrive.

These trends mean everyone will face challenges in the next year. Some will be excited by the opportunities; others already fear the risks. No matter which tendency people have, each individual will be in a situation where the changes impact them personally in ways they didn’t expect. Leaders need to excel at the human skills of communication, acting with empathy, and even compassion and love for the precious humans who will struggle and overcome complex challenges. Everyone will be called to dig deep and do difficult things in 2024 — and the years that follow.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Maureen Metcalf is the founder and CEO of the Innovative Leadership Institute. She is an expert in anticipating and leveraging future business trends. Ms. Metcalf helps leaders elevate their leadership quality and transform their organizations to create sustainable impact and results. She captures 30 years of experience and success in an award-winning series of books used by public, private, and academic organizations to align company-wide strategy, systems, and culture using Innovative Leadership techniques. Ms. Metcalf is a Fellow of the International Leadership Association. She also serves on the advisory boards of the School of Strategic Leadership at James Madison University and the Mason Leadership Center at Franklin University. Ms. Metcalf earned an MBA from Virginia Tech. She can be reached at mmetcalf@innovativeleadership.com.

Christopher Washington is a learning ecosystem designer who serves as Executive Vice President and Provost of Franklin University.

Thank you for reading the Innovative Leadership Insights, where we bring you thought leaders and innovative ideas on leadership topics each week.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Ready to measure your leadership skills? Complete your complimentary assessment through the Innovative Leadership Institute. Learn the 7 leadership skills required to succeed during disruption and innovation.

• Follow the Innovative Leadership Institute on LinkedIn
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Check out the companion interview and past episodes of Innovating Leadership: Co-Creating Our Future on your favorite podcast platform, including Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, iHeartRADIO, and NPR One.

Sarah Ahern, an Owner and Partner at PATH, a 40-year-old woman-owned market research and business management firm, shared this article as a companion to her podcast Paving the PATH to Customer-Centric Success.

Podcast intro from “Faux Mo:” Maureen’s Digital Twin and ILI’s experiment with an AI tool.

Link to the entire interview:

Do you want to know the secret to growing a business successfully? In our 40 years in business, PATH has had the great fortune to partner with many exceptional companies to help them grow thriving businesses. Growing a business is no small lift – in today’s culture, our attitude towards achieving growth almost feels flippant – a “how-hard-can-it-be” type vibe. We can attest, from our own experiences and our clients’ experiences, that it is tough, grueling work. Creating a people-focused company that stands the test of time is especially hard.

Clients and partners come to us with the same question – how do I supercharge my growth? Companies that do it well bring people to the center of every single decision. We believe that so fiercely that we named our company after it: PATH stands for “People Are The How.”

How do you grow an exceptional business? To do it well requires three ways of thinking about people…

Exceptional companies:

1. Have a competitive advantage mindset
2. Are clear about what game they’re playing in the market
3. Use data to know who their best customers are and what they want

We want to make a key distinction: you can be a solidly good company and not prioritize people above everything else. We’re talking about the difference between good and exceptional companies. We take inspiration from many great thinkers before us – Jim Collins, Daniel Pink, Brene Brown, Joseph Pine, James Gilmore, and more. The experts and the data are clear – a people focus is your competitive differentiator.

Let’s talk a little bit about each.

#1 Exceptional companies have a competitive advantage mindset

When we ask you, “what is your business’s competitive advantage?” what comes to mind? If you’re like us and our clients, you started to build a list. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, what the competition is doing. ChatGPT did the same thing, listing technology, sustainability, talent, etc. All of which are true! After doing this year after year, a key factor became clear – the list always changes.

So, how do we decide? As the market constantly shifts around us, how do we stay focused on what will drive the most competitive advantage? We know we can’t do it all. We have to choose. That’s the core truth: competitive advantage isn’t a thing on a list; it’s a mindset. Jack Welch’s quote sums it up nicely, “There are only two sources of competitive advantage…the ability to learn more and turn it into action faster than the competition.” A competitive advantage mindset forces us to recognize that change is constant and our ability to manage it better than the market is the only long-term differentiator.

#2 Exceptional companies are clear about the game they’re playing in the market

We’ve all bought something that we could have found cheaper or easier somewhere else. Why do we do that? How could we make such a seemingly illogical decision? My brother did his undergrad in economics and tells this story: in his Econ 101 class, the assumption is that we act in our rational self-interest – one part of Adam Smith’s “invisible hand of the market.” Economists also recognized that some decision-making couldn’t be accounted for rationally – the “animal spirits.” Then, behavioral economics entered the conversation, dedicated to understanding why people make decisions. It showed that logic and rational thought are only part of what drives our decision-making – emotions are a powerful driver of behavior.

I can’t tell you how many surveys we’ve implemented where customers say, “I work with them because I trust them to be there when I need them. They’re not the cheapest, but I don’t care.” Emotions drive behaviors, and experiences drive emotions.

That’s where the market decision comes in. Exceptional companies understand that success in the market is emotionally driven. There are too many choices in this world for consumers to weigh them logically. People have to simplify, and emotions take an outsized role in the decision. The companies that don’t simplify and try to be all things to all people lose in the long run – Sears, Toys R’ Us, and most recently, Bed Bath and Beyond.

Exceptional companies cut through the noise. And the success is clear – Apple, Disney, Tesla, Warby Parker. Starbucks is another great example. When we’re doing speaking engagements we always use this question, “You can go to the gas station and get 16 oz of coffee for $0.99 or go to Starbucks and pay $5. How many of you went to the gas station?” Very few hands go up. People know they can count on the exact Starbucks experience they want anywhere in the world.

#3 Exceptional companies use data to know who their best customers are and what they want

How do we find the right customer? How do we build a loyal customer base? We hear this question all the time – “I know who my customers are, but who should I grow with?” Exceptional companies don’t guess – they use data to understand and prioritize their best-fit customers.

I read a great story about Amazon that drives this point home. We’ve all heard about how customer-focused Jeff Bezos has been from the beginning. If you go back and listen, it’s not just any customers; it’s specifically his consumers. Though Amazon serves four different customers (sellers, enterprises, content providers, and consumers), the whole business model is designed to serve the consumer, even to the detriment of the other customers. Sellers, in fact, have sued Amazon in the past for more resources.

This data-driven focus on the consumer has led to industry-defining innovations like Prime, One-Click Ordering, immediate returns, and more. Bezos and Amazon used data to understand what customers wanted and ruthlessly delivered that to them with huge success.

We had a client who saved $5 million in additional investments after cutting an innovation that had been in development for years. They did so because customers said they didn’t want it. It isn’t always easy, but it’s the difference between good and exceptional.

 

“Data is the oil of the 21st century, and the ability to process data and extract insights from it is the new superpower.” – Jeff Bezos.

 

In conclusion, exceptional companies grow by putting people first. Customer tastes will change, disruptors will enter the market, competition for talent will continue to heat up, and world-shifting events will happen. In short, things are going to change and as good as your business model may be today, it cannot—and will not—survive forever.

Our competitive advantage relies on our ability to learn more about our customers and turn it into action faster than the changing market tides. Through this, we are able to decisively grow; intentionally and in partnership with the people our business serves.

 

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Sarah Ahern, MA is an Owner and Partner at PATH, a 40-year-old woman-owned market research and business management firm. She has developed and launched companies, programs, products, and services for almost two decades as a 4-time entrepreneur and consultant.

Sarah has built change management and market growth strategies for Fortune 100 and 500 companies across North America. To spice it up, she rounds out her understanding of human behavior with a Masters in Health Education, a culinary degree, and experience designing and implementing nutrition-focused population health programs for Whole Foods Market, LinkedIn, Tesla, SpaceX and more.

Sarah is a passionate thought leader, consultant, educator, and community steward. She was recognized as a 2022 recipient of the Columbus 40 Under 40 award and is a renowned facilitator and mentor in the social enterprise community.

 

Thank you for reading the Innovative Leadership Newsletter by the Innovative Leadership Institute, where we bring you thought leaders and innovative ideas on leadership topics each week.

RESOURCES:

Ready to measure your leadership skills? Complete your complimentary assessment through the Innovative Leadership Institute. Learn the 7 leadership skills required to succeed during disruption and innovation.

To-do list:

• Follow the Innovative Leadership Institute LinkedIn page
• Subscribe to Innovating Leadership and listen on your favorite podcast platform
• Subscribe to our blog – Insights

Check out the companion interview and past episodes of Innovating Leadership, Co-Creating Our Future via Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Spotify,  Amazon Music,  Audible, iHeartRADIO, and NPR One.

Laura Fuentes, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Hilton, shared this article as a companion to her podcast Thrive at Hilton: Relentlessly Improving the Workplace. This article is about Hilton’s new campaign and dedication to workplace culture, which is essential to recognize. Hilton shares more of its story and how it built on its legacy of clear purpose with aligned action to create a campaign that demonstrates what Hilton has always known: team members are more than their titles, and behind every job, an extraordinary person is working hard to make each stay magical. For actionable steps you can take to emulate the work Hilton is doing, please subscribe to our Insights.

When Conrad Hilton founded our company more than 100 years ago, he had a bold vision: that travel could help spread the light and warmth of hospitality around the globe, and that it could ultimately play a role in bringing about world peace. When we travel and connect with other people, no matter how different our backgrounds may be, we see more of our shared humanity and experience empathy for one another. Hotels serve as natural gathering places to enable those connections to occur.

He also recognized that this bold vision could only come to life through the dedication and passion of the people who deliver this hospitality: Hilton’s team members.

Hilton’s workplace culture continues to build on that noble vision today. As the leader of our HR organization, I am inspired each and every day by our team members’ dedication to serving our guests, and I strive to never lose sight of the vital role our team members play in delivering that hospitality. I’ve come to believe stewarding that is a sacred responsibility.

Our award-winning workplace culture is built upon the idea of creating a fully human experience at work, which we deliver on by focusing on four key pillars: inclusion, wellness, growth and purpose. Now more than ever, employees are looking for more than a “typical” work experience. They are seeking a whole human experience at work, one that offers not only flexibility and inclusivity, but also a place for inspiration, growth, belonging, and fun at the same time, all of which can be found in Hilton’s legendary hospitality.

Following the challenges of the pandemic, our industry has rebuilt and come back stronger than ever, and we want to remind prospective team members of the many jobs and opportunities that a career in hospitality offers. That’s why we are taking our people-first approach even further with the introduction of a new employer brand campaign called “Every Job Makes the Stay,” which aims to disrupt thinking around what it means to work in hospitality by showcasing joy, purpose, and career growth, as seen through the voices of our own team members.

Built as an extension of Hilton’s first-ever global brand platform “Hilton. For The Stay,” which launched in 2022, the campaign targets labor challenges and recruiting needs by calling attention to the vast career growth possibilities that exist within Hilton. The campaign aims to ensure Hilton is top of mind for job seekers, especially those considering front line and hourly positions by emphasizing why a job at Hilton is unlike any other. It also highlights a sense of pride in Team Members, and showcases the many career paths they can take.

“Every Job Makes the Stay” demonstrates how Hilton is a people-first and purpose-driven organization, with an award-winning culture where you can bring your whole self to work every day. We offer benefits that empower you to defy expectations and seek excellence, and the flexibility to pursue your passions and grow your career with support every step of the way.

We’ve chosen to make our people the stars of this campaign by having it feature real team members talking about their jobs — because who better to speak authentically about working at Hilton than people who work here?

The campaign demonstrates what we at Hilton have always known: team members are more than their titles, and behind every job there’s an extraordinary person working hard to make each stay magical. You don’t just have a job or a title…you play a role and you fulfill a mission. You are an Ultimate Stay Creator, a Chief Welcome Officer or a Magic Maker.

The new campaign aims to shed light on what it means to work in hospitality and emphasizes why a job at Hilton is unlike any other in the industry. It also highlights why Hilton is a great place to do purpose-driven work, explore a variety of career paths and have some fun along the way.

With this new campaign — which will first launch in the U.S. and then go live around the globe in June — Hilton is, once again, reinventing retention and recruitment strategies to reach top talent across the U.S. and beyond.

Team members are the heart of our business. That means they’re also the best ambassadors to help us find talent. As a business of people serving people, we built this culture with our people at the core.

“Every Job Makes the Stay” is another step in our journey to making Hilton a great place to work for all, and to delivering on our belief that Hilton is a place to come for a job, but stay for a career. We will continue to build an environment where our more than 430,000 team members around the world can reach their full potential no matter their position. We look forward to continuing to listen to our team members and continuing to grow alongside one another, so we can co-design the future of work together.

 

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Laura Fuentes is the Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Hilton with over two decades of experience in engineering, strategy consulting and human resources. Having worked in hospitality, financial services, and management consulting, Laura’s career reflects her global, cross-industry perspective in key business and talent areas. Throughout her tenure at Hilton, Laura has led efforts to build an award-winning culture at Hilton, being recognized by Fortune as the #1 Best Place to Work in the U.S. and by DiversityInc as the #1 Company on their 2021 Top 50 Companies for Diversity list. Originally from Spain, she holds a B.S. from the University of Virginia, a M.S. in Structural Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.B.A. from Columbia University. She lives in Arlington with her husband and two sons.

 

RESOURCES:

Ready to measure your leadership skills? Complete your complimentary assessment through the Innovative Leadership Institute. Learn the 7 leadership skills required to succeed during disruption and innovation.

• Follow the Innovative Leadership Institute LinkedIn page
• Subscribe to Innovating Leadership and listen on your favorite podcast platform
• Subscribe to our blog – Insights

Check out the companion interview and past episodes of Innovating Leadership, Co-Creating Our Future via Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Spotify,  Amazon Music,  Audible, iHeartRADIO, and NPR One.