It's Not What We "Say" That Influences People, It's What We "Do"

I remember a post on Michael Hyatt's website that told the story of 46 penguins at the San Francisco Zoo and how six new penguins from Ohio impacted them. I'm not sure if the post is still there, but it was basically about how the six new penguins "influenced" the other 46 by doing nothing but behaving differently.

They didn't stand in front of the room and "cast vision." They didn't talk to everyone, attempting to sway them to a new way of thinking or a new method of doing something. They didn't even write a new policy and e-mail it to everyone to change the group's behavior.

They merely started behaving in a new way. The others saw it and eventually began to change their behavior. Eventually, the whole group's behavior was fundamentally changed.

This story illustrates one of the most significant things I've learned about leadership. John Maxwell says, "Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing else." I couldn't agree more. But, "how" does an effective leader influence the team? Do they write a bunch of policies, stand up in the front of the room and tell everyone what they must do, or conduct a series of one-on-one meetings with everyone on the team?

While these are all important ways to get the point across and get people bought into a new decision or policy change, they'e not the most important. An effective leader must actually "do" what they're asking of others. They must consistently behave in a new way.

In other words, as leaders, we must understand it's not what we "say" that influences others. It's what we do.