Growing leaders takes a combination of skill development, experience, and building influence. Influence is essential for leaders; a form of capital that can be used to accomplish goals and achieve vision. Building influence occurs in everyday actions and special opportunities. The workers’ compensation industry is driven by relationships therefore building influence externally can be important for organizations looking to grow the next generation of leaders.
Influence can be gained from activities such as speaking / teaching opportunities, charitable service, participation in a trade association / industry organization, cross-functional projects / committees and contributions to podcasts, publications, and or other communications (internal/external). Giving employees opportunities to build influence is a great way to develop professionals. However, this is an investment of time and resources for the company. It is important to remember these opportunities are not about sales or marketing of the person or the company but about exposing individuals to new perspectives and developing knowledge and relationships.
Most employees do not begin their career with hundreds of LinkedIn connections. These relationships are built over time through many channels. Cultivating influence, especially outside your organization, can be a valuable way to build professional skills and develop new ideas. This session’s panelists will share strategies on how they built influence, what they gained, and how it benefited their organization.