7 Areas Where Leaders Can Use Their Influence

John Maxwell defined leadership for everyone when he said, “Leadership is influence.”  Do you want to know if you are a leader?  Simply look behind you and ask, “If anyone following me?”  Leadership is all about your ability to influence others.
On Friday, June 23rd, Kevin Garnett announced his retirement after a 21-year Hall of Fame career.  Because of his impact on the drafting of high school players, league salary structures, and the shifting balance of power in the Eastern Conference, Garnett is one of the most influential players of his generation.
In fact, ESPN’s J.A. Adande feels he is the most influential player of the last 20 years.  As I read his article on Garnett’s retirement,  I gleaned the 7 Areas Where Leaders Can Use Their Influence:

1. Leaders Can Use Their Influence By Going First – One of the fundamental qualities of anyone in leadership is they are willing to go first.  In 1995 he became the first player in 20 years to go straight to the NBA from high school.
2. Leaders Can Use Their Influence To Clear A Path For Others – Garnett’s success basically gave others permission to make the same jump.  This opened the doors for dozens of other players including Kobe Bryant and LeBron James and altered the next 10 NBA drafts until the league changed its eligibility rules.
3. Leaders Can Use Their Influence To Create Economic Opportunity For Others – In 1998, Garnett signed a then record $126 million contract.  This would create a work stoppage for the league as owners’ feared players salaries would exceed the value of franchises.  However, player salaries would still begin dramatically increasing.
4. Leaders Can Use Their Influence To Form Better Teams – With caps now put on star player compensation, this resulted in a team’s abilities to sign three superstars rather than two.  As a result, Garnett signed with the Boston Celtics in 2007 joining Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.
5. Leaders Can Use Their Influence Deliver Results – In 2008, the newly-formed Celtics defeated Bryant’s Lakers to win the NBA championship.
6. Leaders Can Use Their Influence To Change An Organization’s Culture – In addition to winning a NBA championship, the Celtics also defeated James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in twice in three years.  This is widely-believed to be one of the reasons James left the Cavs for the Miami Heat.  He simply would not win a championship with that team.  The Heatles were formed and the league would never be the same again.
7. Leaders Can Use Influence To Ensure Sustained Excellence – Whether it was Garnett, James, Bryant, or Dwight Howard, a high school player has headlined a NBA finals team for 10 years and 14 of the last 17 years.

As a leader, what is one thing from this list you can learn to better use your influence?

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