The true measure of leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less.
Your ability to lead depends on your degree of influence. If you have no influence, no one will follow you. Think of a leader who has influenced your life – a parent, a boss, a coach: you followed them willingly because you trusted their words.
The law in detail
Four steps through the law: understand, check, connect, apply. Open any topic to read more.
The core messageWhat the law says – and what it doesn’t
Whether you lead shows in whether others follow you – not in your title or position. Influence is the measure of your leadership.
- It does not say
- That a position is worthless. It gives you a start, but lasting followership has to be earned through trust and contribution.
- That every kind of influence is good leadership. Pressure and manipulation also change behavior – leadership also needs character and a good goal.
- Strictly speaking
- “Nothing more, nothing less” is a definition, not a finding. What is established is that influence is the hallmark of leadership; whether that leadership is good, research also judges by the team’s results.
- Influence does not grow evenly. It builds over time, can be accelerated by deliberate action, and can be lost through a single breach of trust.
- Applies to
- Every role in which others are meant to listen to you: at work without formal authority, as a volunteer in church or a club, in the family, and among friends.
The explanationInfluence is always at work – for better or for worse.
Influence is always at work – for better or for worse.
- Three observations about influence: it builds naturally over time.
- It can be built faster through deliberate action.
- And a single breach of trust can wipe it out almost instantly.
Influence works upward, sideways and downward – even without a title or formal authority; that is how leadership is measured, along with what people achieve together. John C. Maxwell’s 5 Levels of Leadership describe how this influence grows step by step.
The signs3 signs the law is at work · 3 that it is missing
- People seek your advice even though you cannot give them orders.
- Your suggestions are taken up and acted on even where you are not in the room – in other teams, departments, or boards.
- You pay attention to how you gain influence and do without pressure and tricks.
- Things only move when you bring your position into play or apply pressure.
- In a club or church, where you have no power, hardly anyone listens to you.
- After a broken promise, you notice people going around you – and you don’t ask why.
The research4 sources: 2 primary studies, 1 review, 1 meta-analysis · 1990–2017 · with the limits of the research
- low
- moderate
- high
Moderate – Leadership as a social influence process; influence tactics and effects.
- 1990Gary Yukl & Cecilia M. Falbe
Describes and measures upward, downward and lateral influence tactics.
- 2008Robert B. Kaiser, Robert Hogan & S. Bartholomew Craig
Leadership should be measured by the performance of the group led, not by attributions alone.
- 2009Cameron Anderson & Gavin J. Kilduff
Influence in groups arises largely through perceived competence.
In research, influence is the defining feature of leadership. “Nothing more, nothing less” is a definition, not a finding; research also measures leadership by team results.
The originJohn C. Maxwell · “The Law of Influence”
- 1998OriginJohn C. Maxwell
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Law 2
- The Law of InfluenceIn essence: Leadership can be measured by nothing other than the influence a person has on others.
- todayWEGVISOR: The Law of Influence
The WEGVISOR version, the Law of Influence, keeps the core statement unchanged: influence is the true measure of leadership. Research confirms influence as the core of leadership but also judges its quality by results – and influence alone says nothing about the goal.
The related laws and qualitiesQ02 Charisma · L06 Solid Ground · Q04 Communication
Charisma is one path to influence: you win people over to yourself and your cause. Because it can be learned, you can work on it deliberately.
Trust is the capital of your influence. One breach of trust can reset it to zero in a moment.
If you explain complicated things simply, you are understood and listened to. Clear communication turns standing into real influence.
The action points5 stages of growth – from first awareness to passing it on
- Become aware Think of someone you gladly followed and write down three things they did that made you trust their word.
- Lay the foundations This week, ask someone you trust where people follow you out of conviction and where only because of your position or role, and listen to the answer without arguing.
- Make it a habit Every Friday, briefly note where you moved people this week through trust rather than instruction, and where it went the other way.
- Deepen deliberately Move a project forward where you have no formal authority, then ask one person involved what convinced them and what didn't.
- Pass it on Encourage people around you – colleagues, volunteers or leaders – to build influence through relationships and trust, and once a month discuss with them where they still lean on title or position.
The reflection questions5 questions for you or a conversation with others
- Who would follow me if I lost my position or role tomorrow?
- Where do I have influence without using it deliberately – and what do I use it for?
- What is my influence based on: trust, competence, or my position?
- When did I last squander influence, and how did I rebuild it?
- How can I tell that my influence serves our shared cause and not just me?
Take your time with one question. Write down your answer – or talk it over with someone you trust.
The picture to rememberInfluence spreads out from the center in waves. Whoever the wave reaches realigns.
- Influence spreads out from the center in waves.
- Whoever the wave reaches realigns.
What the Law of Influence looks like in practice
An insurance lawyer negotiates the Cold War
James B. Donovan has neither office nor power when he defends Soviet spy Rudolf Abel fairly, against public opinion. In the end he trades Abel for Francis Gary Powers and also wins the release of Frederic Pryor.
The general who contradicted Saddam
Georges Sada was not part of Saddam Hussein’s innermost circle, yet he stood up against immoral orders at the risk of his life. His reputation for honesty and his expertise as an air force strategist still earned him a hearing with the dictator.
The Monday meeting at the Chancellery
As head of the German Chancellery, Peter Altmaier regularly met senior politicians and advisers in a group that was not an official body. There, positions were aligned before issues ever reached the official meetings.
