Leadership is about influencing and driving change, and it is not always easy. It can be disheartening and frustrating when pushback or indifference meets efforts to engage. When there is conflict, it’s a struggle to communicate in a manner that aligns teams and organizations. A well-intentioned, goal-oriented leader may screen out seeming relationship distractions while navigating challenge. This can lead to misunderstandings of your audience—your team and stakeholders. It can cause disengagement and missed opportunities.
I don’t love the catch-all phrase “executive presence.” But in my coaching practice, it now means someone who stands out and gains followers. I advise leaders to view themselves as brands and use proven marketing tactics to influence others.
Market Yourself
Seth Godin’s book, This Is Marketing, offers a marketing framework. It also applies to influencing and leadership. Its core principles are:
- Stay Focused: Target a core audience
- Create Trust: Be trustworthy and earn permission
- Meet Needs: Address issues that matter and catapult change
- Solve Challenges: Generate solutions to real-world problems
- Give Value: Give value generously
- Be Relatable: Share resonant stories
- Build a Tribe: Cultivate a community and brand
These principles guide us when applied to leadership. They inspire teams, solve problems, and build trust. Start with the first one and build out from there.
Stop Being Soft. Focus
I was a product marketer for 15 years before entering coaching and consulting. These principles strike a chord within me. Yet, it took some time to see their obvious application to leadership.
In my coaching practice, I have witnessed organizations view marketing as expendable in a crisis. Yet, in politics, marketing is key. Understanding your opponent and the needs of the constituents informs influence. In its truest intention, marketing is core to winning over others when done well. So why is it not done well?
- Lack of Audience Understanding: Leaders often misunderstand their teams’ needs and priorities
- Diluted Impact: Leaders spread themselves thin, attempting to sway every individual
- Inconsistent Communication: People may ignore messages that seem irrelevant or from untrusted sources.
Generate Market Pull
Stop trying to convince every leader of your latest strategy, program, or process. Instead, get an elite few to buy into you. Stop intensifying your efforts in response. Stop adding more meetings, memos, and initiatives. These efforts can result in confusion and overwhelm, reducing effectiveness.
You are a product. You need followers. And those followers need their needs met and their challenges resolved. It’s that simple. Target a small audience with a clear, concise promise of engagement.
Godin offers this simple marketing promise template in the book.
“My product is for people who believe ______. I will focus on people who want ______. I promise that engaging with what I make will help you get______.”
Let’s rewrite the template as a leadership brand promise.
“I lead people who believe ______. I will focus on people who want ______. I promise working with me will help you have ______.”
Example:
“I lead people who believe in the power of collaboration and innovation. I will focus on people who want to create meaningful impact and drive change. I promise working with me will help you have clarity, alignment, and the tools to achieve great results.”
Another example:
“I lead people who believe that alignment and trust are the foundations of success. I will focus on people who want to improve processes and work together toward shared goals. I promise working with me will help you have a clear playbook for working together, a unifying strategy with actionable tactics, and the trust to allow for simplified workflows.”
Once you know who you are looking for, focusing on marketing to your core audience becomes easy.
Create the Playbook
When leaders know their audience, they can tailor their messages. This makes them resonate with their team. They can create lasting influence and change by focusing on the key areas and building trust.
Here’s how to start:
- Know your team/stakeholders: Understand their values and pain points. Listen more than you speak.
- Target the core drivers: Instead of influencing everyone, focus on the key players or target areas where you can have the biggest impact.
- Build confidence: Start frequent exchanges of valuable insights. Transparency and honesty go a long way in fostering trust.
This playbook will help you lead and build influence. You will create stronger partnerships that drive change.
The Master Wisdom Key
Marketing is a gift. So, be the gift that keeps giving.
Seth Godin wrote in This is Marketing, “Marketing is the generous act of helping someone solve a problem—their problem.” Godin says marketing is about serving others and creating change by solving real problems.
Knowing how to help your team and others is the best contribution to your organization.
Godin, S. (2018). This Is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See. Portfolio.
Questions? Let’s Connect Now.