Where are your new managers coming from? What are the odds that you have promising prospective managers on your staff now?
You may already have the potential for a good manager on your team. But, as a plant cannot thrive without sunlight and nutrients, future managers cannot develop without proper training and education. And that should start before they put on their manager cap.
“Leadership is influence. Nothing more, nothing less.” – John Maxwell
Jenny, your CSR, diffuses an angry customer and helps her get expedited service. Jenny demonstrates positive influence and leadership.
What would your team look like if you trained for positive influence? If they are management material, they have a leg up. If management isn’t in their future, guess what? They’re still a positive influence on your customers, your community, and your other team members. Bonus point: they’re a positive influence on their families.
Learning to be a positive influence
Let’s visit with John Maxwell, who, with over 60 years of experience, is one of the most accomplished leadership teachers and practitioners today. He wrote the book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, in which he devotes a separate chapter to teaching each of the 21 Laws.
We’ve established that leadership is influence. So to teach your people influence, teach them leadership.
The following are six of his 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. They form a solid foundation for educating and inspiring your entire team. I recommend teaching from The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership book.
The law of the lid: How well you lead determines how well you succeed
Leadership ability is the lid that determines a person’s level of effectiveness. The higher your ability to lead, the higher the lid is on your potential. The lower your ability to lead, the lower the lid is on your potential.
When a company hits a plateau and can’t advance, the leader needs to take a good look in the mirror before doing anything else.
The law of influence: The true measure of leadership is influence
True leadership cannot be assigned. It comes from developing influence. The following factors determine our level of influence:
- Character: Who you are
- Relationships: Who you know
- Knowledge: What you know
- Intuition: What you feel
- Experience: Where you’ve been
- Past Success: What you’ve done
- Ability: What you can do
These are thumbnail sketches. You can increase your influence by learning, studying, and, most importantly, applying the 21 Laws.
The law of process: Leadership develops daily, not in a day
An old adage says, “If you want to know who a person is or who they are becoming, watch what they are doing every day.”
Is it better to attend a leadership seminar or learn leadership principles and apply them daily? Most people overestimate the importance of an event and underestimate the power of processes. Daily learning and application compound; events do not.
The law of addition: Leaders add value by serving others
Leaders add value to others when they:
Truly value others – Focus on others before focusing on yourself, also known as Servant Leadership. We value others when we believe in them.
Make ourselves more valuable to others – You can only do this when you have something of value to add. And to add value, you need to be on a path of continuous growth. The more intentional you are at that, the more you have to offer.
Know and relate to what others value – The servant leader listens and learns before leading. Consistent, ongoing communication provides this type of information. The ideal conversation is what the Gallup organization calls Quick Connect conversations: 5 to 10 minutes once a week.
The law of solid ground: Trust is the foundation of leadership
Leaders cannot repeatedly break trust with their people and continue to influence them.
When leaders lack competence, they can’t accomplish anything. When leaders lack good values, they can’t be trusted. When leaders aren’t trustworthy, they lack character. Without both competence and good values, they can’t get anyone to follow them. – John Maxwell
Character communicates consistency, potential, and respect. We improve character via integrity, authenticity, and discipline.
The law of the picture: People do what people see
Leaders need to lead themselves before leading others. If change and improvement are imminent in an organization, the leader needs to improve and change themselves first.
You can issue all the memos and give all the motivational speeches you want, but if the rest of the people in your organization don’t see you putting forth your best effort every single day, they won’t either. – US Army general Colin Powell
Leaders set the tone for the entire organization by living its values. Be the example you wish to see in your people.
Teach, lead, and live the preceding laws. Build a pipeline of managers with leadership potential by teaching positive influence.
ACCA members can read this article and more in the Spring 2026 edition of ACCA Now Magazine online.
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