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669. Influence Is Always On — The Myth of Neutral Leadership · Daily Influence

• 0:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: Welcome to Daily Influence, your daily dose of positive influence.
• 0:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm Brian Smith founder of IA Business Advisors and co-author of the Iain team series.
• 0:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: Each day we share stories and insights to help you find be and build your influence in a positive and responsible way.
• 0:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm Greg Kleeneau, partner at IA Business Advisors, and co-host of Daily Influence.
• 0:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: Be sure to follow, subscribe, and share Daily Influence with someone who could use a little extra positivity today.
• 0:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: And make us part of your daily routine, whether it's during your commute on a walk or an quiet moment just for you, because you're influenced matters.
• 0:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: Hey, everybody, Brian Smith here with the Iain Team Series and your Daily Influence.
• 0:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: So excited to talk to you about influence what I'm really going to talk to you today about is the myth of neutral leadership and you know this is going to be a great topic we are moving into a new set.
• 1:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: discussion points for us here at Daily Influence.
• 1:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: Specifically for me is I dive again deeper into what influence really means individual influence, positive influence and responsible influence, but I'm going to get deeper.
• 1:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to talk less about growth mechanics, less about tactics,
• 1:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: maturity and you know ultimately with leadership legacy and for years we've talked about building influence finding it
• 1:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: being at building it.
• 1:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: But maturity requires a different conversation.
• 1:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: And, you know, as we evolve, we hopefully mature.
• 1:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: And because influence is not something that you turn on when you speak, it is something that you carry.
• 2:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: Even when you don't.
• 2:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: And today we're going to challenge one of the biggest myths and leadership, the belief that you can stay neutral.
• 2:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: Because at the end of the day,
• 2:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: There is no off switch for influence, only conscious or unconscious use of your influence.
• 2:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: So look, staying out of things is still a decision.
• 2:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: Many leaders believe that by not commenting, not choosing, not engaging, not acting, that they're remaining neutral.
• 2:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: But neutrality is not the absence of influence.
• 2:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: it is influence without ownership.
• 2:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: And when you avoid addressing tension, when you refuse to clarify standards, stay silent in moments of misalignment, delay a hard conversation, you are not staying out of it, you are signaling.
• 2:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: You are signaling what is tolerated, what is protected, and
• 3:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: Silence communicates values and mature leadership understands this.
• 3:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: Influence is constant, silence is directional.
• 3:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: In a smart lens, specific and relevant leadership requires clarity avoidance as neither of that.
• 3:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: So what is the real cost of silence?
• 3:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: Silence feels safe in a moment,
• 3:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: Teams create their own narratives, power shifts informally, and culture forms around interpretation rather than intention.
• 3:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: And here's the difficult truth.
• 3:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: Silence usually protects the system, not the people.
• 3:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: Silence protects comfort familiar patterns, establish hierarchies, and the avoidance of disruption, but it often leaves individuals exposed.
• 3:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: In responsible influence,
• 4:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: If you see something and choose not to engage in it, you're not neutral.
• 4:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: You are participating in its continuation.
• 4:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: Mature leadership asks, what is a long-term cost of my short-term comfort?
• 4:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: that is a legacy question.
• 4:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: What neutrality often serves is stability, not justice.
• 4:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now, this is where maturity deepens.
• 4:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: Many leaders equate neutrality with fairness, but neutrality often maintains existing power structures.
• 4:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: It says, let's not rock the boat.
• 4:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: It will work itself out, and I don't want to take sides, but when systems are misaligned, neutrality favors the status quo, and status quo almost always favors the strongest voice, not the most vulnerable one.
• 4:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: This is where influence becomes a responsibility, not emotional, not reactive, not performative, intentional.
• 4:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: Influence is not about choosing sides impulsively.
• 4:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's about choosing awareness consciously.
• 5:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: You do not need to be loud, you do not need to be political, and you do not need to be dramatic, but you do need to understand.
• 5:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: You are influencing whether you intend to or not.
• 5:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: The only question is, are you doing it consciously?
• 5:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: There is no neutral leadership.
• 5:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: There is only conscious leadership and unconscious leadership.
• 5:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: There is no off switch for influence, only responsibility for it.
• 5:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: As we move through this season, and by this season, I mean, influence, maturity, and responsibility, I want you to reflect on something very simple.
• 5:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: Where in your leadership are you calling something neutral, that is actually a choice?
• 5:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: Because legacy is not built by intention.
• 5:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: this is daily influence and influence, whether we acknowledge it or not, is always on.
• 5:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: I hope you've enjoyed today's episode of Daily Influence and I look forward to talking to you again soon as we dive deep into how influence is so important to understand for us and how it is the foundation of leadership and all of us.
• 6:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: Have a great day.