Leadership vs influence: Nobody should deny you of leadership you were born with | By Dr Emmanuel Eni Amadi PhD, MBA, MSc, PGDip, B.Pharm.

“Leadership is not about Power or Autocracy, but by influence through natural gifts.” - Dr Emmanuel Eni Amadi, PhD, MBA, MSc, PGDip, B.Pharm, MRPharmS.

When it comes to the concept or idea of “Leadership”, the average mind thinks of “Power and Authority.” And that Power and Authority are always over “other people” or political leadership or “Leadership By Position” in someone’s job. This one-sided idea of leadership is the reason why millions don't believe that they, too, are born as leaders in their areas of life. Including carpenters, babysitters, cleaners, or kitchen potters - everyone was born into leadership. However, leadership is not just about being in a position of power or having authority. It is also about influencing and inspiring others to follow a certain direction or goal.

Influence, on the other hand, is the ability to affect the behaviour or opinions of others without necessarily having a position of power or authority. It is a crucial aspect of leadership as it helps leaders achieve their goals by inspiring and motivating their team members to work towards a common objective.

The truth is that everyone is born with the potential to be a leader and to exert influence over others. Whether it is in the workplace, in social situations, or even within our own families, we all have the ability to inspire and motivate others.

One of the biggest misconceptions about leadership is that it is a skill that can only be learned through years of experience or formal training. While experience and training can certainly help hone leadership skills, the truth is that leadership is something that can be inherent in a person’s personality. Just like every seed is naturally loaded with all the ingredients it needs to survive the harsh conditions in summer or winter until it grows to become a forest - so are you - loaded with the skills to manifest as a true leader in your area of gifting.

In fact, some people are natural-born leaders without even realizing it. They have certain innate qualities or hidden traits that make them stand out and inspire others to follow them. These qualities can include charisma, confidence, vision, creativity, and the ability to communicate effectively.

The good news is that even if you don’t consider yourself a natural-born leader, you can still learn to be an effective leader by developing and honing these qualities. At Amadi Global Leadership Academy | Executive Education, our job is to help you in the journey of finding your purpose in life. The key is to recognize that leadership is not just about power and authority, but also about influence and inspiration.

So, don’t let the one-sided idea of leadership hold you back from realizing your potential as a leader. Embrace your innate qualities and learn to influence and inspire others towards a common goal. Remember, everyone is born with leadership buried inside – it’s up to you to bring it to the surface.

Dr Emmanuel Amadi holds a doctorate degree in Medical Sciences and specialises in Lung Cancer Genomics, Cancer pathology, Molecular mechanisms, Nanotoxicology of nanoparticles in drug delivery, COPD, asthma, and lung cancer. He’s the Founder of Amadi Global Leadership Academy | Executive Education, where he provides oversight for the development of future leaders. He is the author of 2 books on entrepreneurship and Leadership and is passionate about the transformation of today’s mindset into tomorrow’s leaders.

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