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True leadership entails capture of hearts, minds

Friday August 27 2021
Leadership

The ultimate question on leadership is, “have you connected with people on a heart and mind level?” PHOTO | FILE | NMG

By WALE AKINYEMI

Mere occupying of an office does not make one a leader. If you claim to be one, yet nobody is following you then according to leadership consultant and author, John Maxwell, you are simply taking a walk.

If people follow you because there are consequences for not doing so, then your leadership should also be checked. Are they following you or your office? Nelson Mandela was a leader in and out of office. In fact, he did not need the office to command global respect. Martin Luther King Jr did not occupy any political office but remains one of the most quoted leaders of the 20th century.

Leadership is the ability to verbalise the thoughts in the minds of the led.

Many intelligent people do not become great leaders because their intelligence obscures their people connection. They speak down, look down and act from a pedestal of superiority. We live in a deceptive world where people tend to equate social media followers for so sort of power. In Africa, majority of the people are not on social media and may have no clue how influential you may think you are. The ultimate question on leadership is, “have you connected with people on a heart and mind level?”

When you make this connection, as seen in people who have successfully made it, people follow without question. This is the downside. Donald Trump once said he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and get away with it. And we see the power of his connection with his people during the assault on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Emotions make people bypass logic. In fact, some studies show that when a person is staring at a person they love, the part of the brain responsible for reason appears to shut down. There are few people who can get away with what Trump was able to and still stay strong.

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Overlook indiscretions

The governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo resigned because he apparently inappropriately touched some female staffers. In contrast, Mr Trump once confessed to groping women inappropriately but he still got elected.

Many people have had trouble analysing the Trump phenomenon, but very simply, he made an emotional connection with some people. So strong was it that some evangelicals defended him as God’s choice and were ready to overlook all his indiscretions. The emotional connection with the led is one of the most powerful concepts of influence.

There are three levels of authority. The first is formal authority, such as a political office holder, whether elected or appointed. This gives them the title and confers some power but not influence over hearts and minds of people.

Second is moral authority. This is the power religion has over people. Religious leaders are very influential in their own right. However, the third level of authority with the highest connection of all is emotional authority.

This connection overrides all others. A person with emotional authority does not need formal or moral authority to influence people. Trump had a massive following even before he decided to run for public office and he was able to work it into his political machinery.

Suddenly, the moral police had no concern about his personal life or about his character. His charisma carried the day. Even women who had fought and clamoured for a female president for so long readily passed it up and voted for Trump over Hillary Clinton.

Once an opponent has the hearts and minds of the people at his fingertips, facts become irrelevant. Therefore, anyone seeking to have influence over people should ensure they do not stop at the facts. Learn how to make deeper connections. Emotional authority can then be used to purchase formal authority.

www.thestreetuniversity.com; [email protected]; Twitter@waleakinyemi; LinkedIn waleakinyemi

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