You only have to look at some of our global leaders today to understand the importance of leadership.

As leaders do, so people follow. Which is possibly why some feel it is OK to express racist remarks, be violent and say things that were unthinkable not so long ago. In part this is because at the top some leaders are doing this, and so "permission" is granted. Whatever leaders do filters down. Their behaviour shapes the thinking, behaviours and actions of those below and around them.

In my work with senior leaders, I've noticed they are often unaware and even surprised by the wide-ranging impact and power of their behaviour. Often this is because leaders don't see themselves as that important. It’s useful for leaders to consider that people make meaning from each and every signal they send … and the ones they don't. Even the absence of communication is interpreted. The bottom line: as a leader you are always communicating, whether you intend to or not.

A brief story comes to mind here: a few years ago I worked with a team which was led by one of the most senior leaders in the organisation, a group of high performers and achievers who were keen to demonstrate they have what it takes to excel. In my diagnostic interviews with them I learnt that people felt their holidays were not respected and, given how hard they worked, it was important to protect that time. They booked holidays, only to cancel them at short notice if work required, letting their families down and abandoning their plans. When my client read this in my report, he was surprised. He looked at me and said: "I don't understand what people mean, in all the years of leading this company and doing this work, hand on heart, I have never cancelled a holiday. Not once!" I thought about this for a moment and then asked him to explain what he considered a holiday. His reply? "Well, I travel to the holiday destination and, yes, I take calls as and when they come in." "Ah," I said, "I think that is what people are referring to. Not everyone is happy to take calls on holiday. You are, and your behaviour is making it mandatory for others." This was a new perspective for him.

The backpack you carry into every room

Sometimes I simply observe meetings so I can see my clients in action. Over the years I've noticed that often what the senior leader says goes. As the leader you might have an idea in a meeting about something. Let's say you are talking about a new office layout; it's a side note on the agenda. You happen to like the colour yellow and so you throw that out as an idea, but because you are THE leader, this isn't heard as an idea, but as an edict. Before you know it the rest of the organisation is busy painting everything yellow, no questions asked. Obviously, this depends on the culture you have set but this illustrates how what you say has more weight than you think.

This is called positional power, the power bestowed upon you by the organisation through your job title. When I facilitate programmes designed to help leaders develop the push and pull skills of successful influence, I often describe it as a backpack. While asserting yourself will be necessary and appropriate in some situations, how much assertion you use may vary, depending on the audience. As a leader every room you walk into you essentially walk in with a backpack of power.  The power you hold might mean people defer to you and may be nervous about sharing their views and opinions with you. You can mitigate this by being open about something, essentially making yourself a bit more human and thus balancing the positional power you hold.

Humans communicate all the time but often unconsciously. Leaders are naturally focused on strategy, decisions and actions, and less on the narrative their leadership creates. If you demonstrate a high need for speed and control, that is the signal you send. People will mirror that, and thinking, pausing, reflection and even debate might take a back seat. Over time that might shape culture in ways you never intended.

There is the one-liner that summarises it all for me: As above, so below. In other words, whatever you do or don't do, people will make meaning of it and probably copy it in line with their interpretation or understanding. The way to handle this? Become conscious of the messages you send with your behaviour. Awareness is the precursor to being able to change anything. Once you can see something clearly, you can choose to adapt your behaviour and start shaping the behaviour of the people around you, using your power effectively to serve the organisational agenda.

Four reflective questions for you to ponder:

What behaviours are you seeing in your team/organisation that you like or don't like?

• Reflecting on your behaviours, how are you contributing to this?

• What are you enabling, disabling, giving permission for?

• How would you like people in the organisation to behave, and how could you adapt your behaviour to start to enable that?