“Summertime and the living is easy”, as the song goes. And while Ella Fitzgerald sings about those light and care-free summer vibes, her smooth and warm voice and the sweet melody leave a lasting impact on me. Ha! What appears a contradiction – how can something easy go so deep – has a lot to do with influence. The medieval latin “influentia” describes a “flowing in”, like water flowing freely (e.g., “fluent”). In other words, what is flowing freely to me, is influencing me.
It’s summertime and my thoughts wander to the seaside, watching surfers riding the waves. What looks light and easy undoubtedly requires a lot of skill and practice – no different from being an influential leader tasked with managing a change initiative. And while every passionate surfer has learned how to keep on top of the board and enjoy the waves, every passionate leader can learn mastering the art of influencing without authority.
It’s summertime and the living is a little easier than usual, maybe we are open to a few ideas that can flow to us easily. Like a light summer breeze on our skin. This is at least my ambition for creating a summer blog on a usually hefty topic such as “Influencing without Authority”. In this blog, I will share 3 ideas in the hope that they may inspire you, flow to you freely and give you wings to fly as a leader – much like Ella’s song goes.
