Unbalanced Influence: How Myths and Paradoxes Shape Leaders

What do executives consider when making a decision? What motivates an executive to get involved in one activity or initiative at the expense of another? Who does the executive look to for advice - and who does he or she ignore? In Pete Hammett’s book, Unbalanced Influence, it is found that multiple "influencers" come into play to shape an executive's behaviour and perceptions in their efforts to be an effective leader. More notably, said Hammett, is that "these influencers often seem unbalanced."

Looking at leadership assessment data from senior executives, Hammett found that many executives' perceptions of effective leadership are shaped by a very narrow sphere of influence. "The way executives choose to lead and their benchmarks for defining effective leadership are shaped by a few people and often a conflicting set of influences based on various leadership myths and paradoxes," he says.
These paradoxes and myths often cloud or confuse how executives effectively engage others in accomplishing critical objectives. "Distorted, limited or unbalanced influencers prevent leaders from being effective in the long term," says Hammett. "By understanding who and what influences you and how the influencers interact, you gain a better view of your leadership behaviour and your ability to move your organization in the best direction."

Although Hammett's research is based on data from senior-level executives, the idea of getting clear on your influencers is a valuable one at any career stage. "If you are a new manager, for example, this is the time to build a great foundation for how you lead and how you develop as a leader," he explains. "For more experienced managers, understanding influence will allow you to build a more balanced approach and, hopefully, avoid some of the pitfalls that many of today's senior leaders face."

3 Myths, 4 Paradoxes

Myth and Explanation
Power, Influence and the Myth of Effective Leadership
Power and influence colour perceptions about effective leadership.

Myth of Effective Decision Making
The only bad decision is the one not made-not the only one not made by you.

Intuition, Analytics and the Myth of "Elegant Reasoning"
Compelling strategies are seldom created by a great leader.

Paradox Explanation

Values, Ethics and the Performance Paradox
How do executives align "doing whatever it takes" with values and ethics?

Creativity, Innovation and the Paradox of Operational Excellence
How do executives build infrastructure and processes while harnessing creative energies?

The Paradox of Gifted Leadership: Developing "the Next Generation" Leaders
How do executives who are gifted leaders today develop talented leaders for the future?

The Paradox of Balance - Aligning Life and Work How do executives commit to their organizations without harming themselves and others?

This article is adapted from "Unbalanced Influence", by Pete Hammett (Davies-Black Publishing, 2007).