Many leaders don’t understand their potential power and impact.
This is tragic.
Not realizing potential power and impact diminishes your results, contributions and legacy. And it can leave a leader with regrets.
Remember these truths:
1. You have great leverage. Use it wisely.
Leadership is one of the few roles where your impact is multiplied through others. That’s the opportunity and the responsibility.
You can add value. But your people can add even more.
A leader who improves ten people by 10% doesn’t just get a 10% gain. They get exponential impact. That’s leverage.
Go beyond asking, “What can I get done today?” and start asking, “Who can I help get better today?”
That creates leadership leverage.
2. You affect the lives of those you lead far more than you realize.
A friend and colleague of mine, Mike Staver, once reminded me of something simple but profound: leadership messes with people’s lives.
To put it more formally, it creates significant consequences beyond the workplace.
Think about the best boss you ever had.
Chances are, they didn’t just make work better. They made life better. You went home with more energy. More confidence. Maybe even more patience with the people you loved.
Now think about the worst boss.
That influence didn’t stay at the office, did it? It followed you home. It showed up at the dinner table. It affected your mood, your relationships, even your health.
Leaders don’t just manage performance. They shape experiences that ripple far beyond the workplace.
That’s a sobering thought but it’s also an incredible opportunity. Every interaction is a chance to lift someone up or weigh them down.
The question is, which are you doing?
3. You can’t over-appreciate.
I’ve never had a leader tell me, “I think I appreciate my people too much.”
But I’ve heard plenty say, “I wish I had done more.”
People want to feel seen. They want to know their work matters. And when they do, they give more: more effort, more creativity, more commitment.
The key is sincerity. If you do it insincerely, or only for personal gain, it isn’t appreciation, it is manipulation.
4. You can’t make people do anything, nor should you want to.
Control is overrated.
Yes, you can use authority. You can enforce compliance. But you can’t command commitment.
And in today’s world, compliance isn’t enough.
The best leaders inspire commitment, enthusiasm and ownership.
They create clarity. They build trust. They connect the work to something meaningful.
When people choose to give their best, everything changes.
So instead of asking, “How do I get them to do this?” try asking, “How do I help them want to do this?”
That’s a very different kind of leadership.
5. You will be evaluated primarily on two things: your relationships and your results.
Everything else is secondary.
You can be the most likable leader in the world, but if you don’t deliver results, you won’t last.
You can drive incredible results, but if you leave a trail of broken relationships, your success will be short-lived, or costly.
Great leaders refuse to choose between the two.
They understand that relationships fuel results and results validate relationships.
It’s not either/or. It’s both/and.
How can you consistently act on these ideas?
Each days ask yourself, How can I make the best or biggest difference today?
When you start your day with that question, you’ll focus your energy where it matters most.
You have leverage. You affect lives. You can’t over-appreciate. You can’t force commitment. You’ll be judged on relationships and results. And every day gives you a chance to make a meaningful difference.
That’s what leadership is about: making a difference that counts.
Mark Sanborn is an international speaker and advisor to leaders and is the Leadership Expert in Residence at High Point University, the Premier Life Skills University which challenges students to “choose to be extraordinary.” For more information about his work or to book him to speech, visit www.marksanborn.com.
