Leadership=Influence

Last night while checking out at Wal-Mart I was reminded of John Maxwell’s definition of leadership that he set forth in his book, Developing the Leader Within You:

The lady who checked me out was the fastest checker that I have ever seen at any store of any kind in my life. We struck up a brief conversation talking about how quickly she gets customers on their way.

She told me, “I figure you have a lot better things to do with your time than stand in line here at Wal-Mart so I do my best to get you on your way as quickly as possible.” This lady had a great servant attitude that impressed me greatly.

She also related that she normally works in another part of the store and rarely works check out in the front of the store anymore. She stated that when she comes up and works in the front that it speeds all the other checkers up because they hear how fast her beeps are going and it challenges them to try and keep up.

This is a great example of how one lady doing her job with excellence influences her coworkers to do a better job. This is leadership on display. Her leadership not only impacts the customers she provides excellent customer service to in her line, it also improves the customer experience of people in other lines due to her positive influence on the other checkers.

Could the same be said about you in your work place?

Do you exert positive influence over those who work around you?

Do you inspire others to reach higher levels of productivity due to your example?

At home, do you influence your family in a positive manner by the way you live and conduct yourself as a family member?

How are you leading today?