The Ripple Effect of Leveraged Leadership
Ever skipped a stone across a lake? Or tossed a pebble into still water and watched the ripples dance outward? It’s one small action, but it sets off a chain reaction that travels far beyond where the stone landed.
That’s what Leveraged Leadership looks like. It’s the ripple effect of leadership done well.
When leaders are REAL - Resilient, Empathetic, and Aligned—they create the conditions for Leverage. Not the “do more with less” kind, but the kind where your actions, words, and presence ripple outward - amplified by those around you.
Leveraged Leadership isn’t about working harder or being everywhere at once. It’s about who you are and how you lead. It’s the art of building momentum that continues long after you’ve stepped away.
The three disciplines in our Leverage Leadership model are:
1. Influence
This is where it starts. Not because you have the loudest voice, but because people trust you. They listen because you’re authentic. Real influence comes from alignment - when your actions and values match. You don’t need to control everything because people choose to follow you. Liz Wiseman calls leaders like this Multipliers. They don’t hoard intelligence; they amplify the smarts and capabilities of everyone around them. And the ripple? It’s people stepping up, not because they have to, but because they want to.
2. Empower
When you empower others, you hand over the stone. You invite others to make their own ripples. You don’t need to have all the answers. You create safe spaces for people to think bigger, try new things, and even fail forward. You back them. You believe in them. Think of Verges Kurien, the man behind India’s White Revolution. He didn’t just build a dairy industry; he empowered millions of rural farmers, especially women, to own and run their dairy cooperatives. His leadership multiplied through others. One ripple became waves.
3. Collaborate
And then there’s collaboration - the ultimate amplifier. You can only go so far on your own. Real collaboration means shared goals, trust, and commitment. McKinsey found that 45% of a leader’s success can be attributed to their ability to build strong relationships and networks. That’s not about LinkedIn connections; it’s about genuine trust and mutual support. When you collaborate, you connect your ripples with others’ and together create something bigger.
So, how do you be this kind of leader?
Start by being REAL. When you’re Resilient, Empathetic, and Aligned, people feel it. They trust you. You’re not performing leadership; you’re living it. And from that place, you create leverage.
Your words carry more weight. Your actions inspire action in others. Your leadership extends far beyond your direct reach.
Like that stone tossed into the calm lake, Leveraged Leadership creates ripples. You might not always see how far they go - but trust me, they do.
What kind of ripples are you making?
#LeveragedLeadership #RealLeadership #RippleEffect
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