5 Signs That You’re Losing Your Leadership Influence

Leadership is about influence. After all, if you can’t inspire and influence your team to accomplish your church’s purpose, then you won’t get very far. But over the years, I’ve seen plenty of leaders lose that influence¬—and yet don’t recognize when it starts slipping away.

For a number of reasons, they’re unable to see the warning signs that indicate they’ve lost authority and influence. Ex-leaders and ex-pastors are everywhere, so don’t become one. To help, here are five warning signs that you’re losing influence with your team:

1. You feel the need to remind staff about your title or your experience.

This is an insecure leader who has a seemingly insatiable need to prove him or herself. This leader is constantly “reminding” their employees and staff that he or she in charge. The only problem is that if you have to remind people that you’re in charge, then you’re not in charge. It’s as simple as that.

2. People ask for your permission, but don’t ask for your advice.

In this case, employees understand the chain of command, but don’t respect it. They still need the leader to sign off on policies, permission, sick leave, etc. But they don’t ask the leader’s advice on new ideas, personal questions or anything else that really matters. If it’s been too long since a member of your team asked your personal advice on a project or other decision, then you’re looking at a big red flag.

Related: 10 must-have leadership habits that require zero talent »

3. You have to raise your voice.

Emotional outbursts happen—especially when pressure hits. But when leaders yell at team members, they’re broadcasting to everyone in the room that they’ve lost control and have no other ideas. Yelling at team members is the quickest way to undercut your authority. So don’t do it. Ever.

4. You listen less and talk more.

Great leaders know how to listen. They want to understand how the team feels, its potential and where they are on projects. Team members want to be heard and understood. When a leader stops listening, they cut themselves off from their own lifeline. When leaders replace listening with talking, they start believing their own press, and that’s when they get in trouble.

5. When problems happen, you blame everyone but yourself.

It’s always someone else’s fault. But great leaders take responsibility—even when the failure isn’t their fault. Taking responsibility creates loyalty, and inspires your team because they understand that you value them enough to take the bullet.

Losing influence doesn’t happen overnight. It slowly leaks away from leaders who aren’t paying attention to the warning signs. You’ve officially been warned. So start paying attention.

Have you ever worked with leaders who lost influence without realizing it?

Phil Cooke is an internationally known writer and speaker. Through his company Cooke Pictures in Burbank, California, he’s helped some of the largest nonprofit organizations and leaders in the world use media to tell their story. This article was originally published on Cooke’s blog at PhilCooke.com.

Phil Cooke
Phil Cookehttp://cookemediagroup.com

Phil Cooke is a filmmaker, media consultant and founder of Cooke Media Group in Los Angeles, California. His latest book is Ideas on a Deadline: How to Be Creative When the Clock is Ticking. Find out more at philcooke.com

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