 ABOUT

7 Practical Questions That

Will Multiply Your Influence

Personal Development
July 24, 2012
David Dye
President of Trailblaze, Inc.

Topics
desire, Problem Solving, Responsibility, results, sacrifice, team

THE STUFF
Your ability to:

 dream
 show others the way
 ask the right questions
 challenge others' thinking
 inspire
 motivate
 encourage

This is the stuff of leadership - and it has nothing to do with the title that comes after your name
or power to force people to act.

It has everything to do with what is in your heart.

AN INSIDE JOB
Your influence flows from how you lead yourself and these 7 questions provide a solid core from
which to influence others:

1) WHAT DO YOU REALLY WANT?

In the middle of a leadership crisis, nothing provides clarity like this question.

What do you want to happen as a result of your leadership in this situation? Sometimes you'll
find that you've been acting from an entirely different set of motivations than what it is you want
deep down, where it matters.

Eg: many leaders lose influence because they act out of a desire to be "right" - to prove
something, but deep down what they want is to be effective and accomplish the mission.

2) DO YOU KNOW (AND ARE YOU WORKING

OUT OF) YOUR VALUES AND PERSONAL
MISSION?
Self leadership begins when you know your own values and understand your purpose - what
make your heart sing and come alive in the universe. When you work from this energy, it’s
naturally attractive to like-minded team members and you motivate almost without knowing it. If
you haven't done this work, I strongly encourage you to find a coach or mentor who can help you
explore what matters most.

3) ARE YOU CHOOSING PROBLEMS OR

TRYING TO AVOID PROBLEMS?
Solving problems is central to meaningful leadership, but many leaders fall into a trap of trying
to avoid problems. We don't get to choose whether or not we'll have problems…but often we DO
get to choose which set of problems we'll have. Effective leaders don't spend time trying to avoid
problems. Rather, they put their energy into working on the right set of problems – the ones that
get them closer to their vision.

Examples:

 Do you want the discomfort of learning how to address poor performance or do you want
the discomfort of a team with poor morale and worse results?
 Do you prefer the pain of changing your strategy or the pain of discovering your team is
no longer relevant?
 Do you risk vulnerability and apologize for mistakes or do you avoid taking blame and
lose credibility?

4) DO YOU REALLY WANT THINGS TO GET

BETTER?
In question #1, you looked at what you really want, deep down.

Now it's time to look at the cost.

If you're going to change things, it's going to include risk, discomfort, being misunderstood,
sacrificing other goals, etc. Are you willing to accept the consequences of pursuing your
vision? If not, you can't possibly expect your team to come along with you.

5) ARE YOU WORKING FOR YOUR TEAM OR

YOURSELF?
Time to take a hard look in the mirror…no one will truly know the answer to this one but you.

When your decisions are in your heart and your head, before you've given them a voice…are you
filtering them through what's best for you or best for your team? Are you saying "I"…or "we"?

It's okay to include your own well-being in your decisions (you are one of the team after all!),
but if your team isn't at the core of your leadership decisions, your credibility will quickly erode.
6) WHAT CAN I DO TO BRING ABOUT THE
RESULTS I WANT TO SEE?
I love this one: it moves us from victim to leader.

When you find yourself frustrated at circumstances, upset that people "just don't get it", or
discouraged that things didn't go as you hoped, you've got a choice:

 Bemoan the unfairness of the universe (which inspires no one!)

 Or look at the situation and see where you can take action. Just asking the question
completely reframes the situation and can transform a gloomy attitude in seconds.

7) ARE MY PEOPLE BETTER OFF AS A RESULT

OF THEIR TIME WITH ME?
This is what James Hunter calls "the ultimate leadership test".

If the answer is yes, keep going. If the answer is no, examine the reasons why.

Do you need to improve your skills? Do you need to wrestle with some of the earlier questions
on the list?

YOUR TURN
I use these 7 questions regularly to help me "course correct" and refocus when my leadership is
blunted or confused.

What questions do you use to lead yourself and maintain your influence?

Take care,
David M. Dye

Photo by telmo32

#leadchange

Marion M. Chamberlain
17h

Are you an emerging leader who wants to make a

difference? #leadership #leadchange http://go.shr.lc/1K373Nl

Reply on Twitter 1462567794696982531Retweet on Twitter 1462567794696982531Like on

Twitter 1462567794696982531Twitter 1462567794696982531

Marion M. Chamberlain
20 Nov

Change Within to Create Change on the

Outside #leadership #bethechange #leadchange http://go.shr.lc/1Awdq5m

Reply on Twitter 1462118563221843970Retweet on Twitter 1462118563221843970Like on

Twitter 1462118563221843970Twitter 1462118563221843970

Marion M. Chamberlain
19 Nov

Change Within to Create Change on the

Outside #leadership #leadchange http://go.shr.lc/1Awdq5m

Reply on Twitter 1461756227034173452Retweet on Twitter 1461756227034173452Like on

Twitter 1461756227034173452Twitter 1461756227034173452

Kate Nasser
18 Nov

5 Steps to Lead Behavior Change for Agile Teams https://katenasser.com/lead-behavior-change-

or-dont-be-the-l... via @KateNasser
#LeadershipSkills #LeadershipMatters #Agility #PeopleSkills #LeadMorale #GrowthMindset #L
eadChange

Reply on Twitter 1461408867171155978Retweet on Twitter 1461408867171155978Like on

Twitter 1461408867171155978Twitter 1461408867171155978

Orr Group
17 Nov
How can you #leadchange at your organization? There are 5 skills that leaders can use to
effectively guide teams through times of change. Find out what they are in the first part of our

"Leading the Business of Philanthropy" series.   

#LeadingPhilanthropy https://orrgroup.com/2021/10/leading-the-business-of-philant...

Reply on Twitter 1461003717709373444Retweet on Twitter 1461003717709373444Like on

Twitter 1461003717709373444Twitter 1461003717709373444
Load More...

DAVID DYE
I work with leaders who want to build teams that care and get more done with fewer headaches.
MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR »
RAILBLAZEINC.COM
  

8 RESPONSES
1.  Kent Julian  says:

July 26, 2012 at 12:25 am

Powerful and practical questions, David…good for both self-evaluation and for leading
others.

Reply

2.  David M. Dye  says:

July 26, 2012 at 1:02 am

 Kent,
Thank you for the encouraging words.
-David

Reply

3.  rick lamb says:

July 28, 2012 at 1:26 pm

This is one of the more compelling essays I’ve read in a long time. These questions get
to the deep, deep core of things, the crux on ones emotional state, daresay, the state of
one’s spirit. It is usually a damnable thing to question others’ motives, but as illustrated
here, it is a critical requirement to question one’s own. Thanks David

Reply

o  Paul Scott says:

July 30, 2012 at 2:25 pm

Rick, thanks for the reminder that critical leadership thinking requires as much
intellectual and spiritual integrity as we are capable of.

Reply

4.  David M. Dye  says:

July 28, 2012 at 3:27 pm

Rick,
You’re welcome.
And thank you for that wonderful quote: “It is usually a damnable thing to question
others’ motives, but it is a critical requirement to question one’s own.” – That’s
something I’ll adding to my lexicon.
Gratitude,
David

Reply

5.  Mentor Abiola Sojobi  says:

 August 2, 2012 at 5:26 am

This article is extremely self evaluating. And am believing in my quest to find answers to
this questions, I would be able to lead effectively in any sphere of my leadership. Thank
you for this positive insight.

Reply

o  David Dye  says:

August 3, 2012 at 12:27 pm

You’re more than welcome. A little more self reflection would benefit all of us, I
think.
Take care,
David

Reply

6. August #Leadership Development Carnival: Summer Reading Edition  says:

August 5, 2012 at 5:29 am

[…] Mike Henry at Lead Change Group shared a post written by David M. Dye on the “7
Practical Questions that will Multiply Your Influence” […]

Reply

LEAVE A REPLY
Name (required) 

Mail (required) 

Website 
Comments 

Submit Comment

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

   

Want articles like this delivered to your

inbox?
Join our mailing list & get updates via email

SUBMIT

Weekly Digest Monthly Newsletter

MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS

Mindful Values: Professing Or Practicing?

By Angie Chaplin

What’s so odd about being organized?

By Jane Perdue
Executive Director, The Jane Group
Boundaries gone amuck

By Jane Perdue
Executive Director, The Jane Group

© 2017 - 2021 LeadChange

RESOURCES

 Free Webinars
 Lead Change History

MORE INFORMATION

 View Our Contributors

 Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

CONNECT