How Moral Authority Makes Leaders Better The true measure of leadership is influence—nothing more, nothing less. —The Law of Influence, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. I’ve been known for my definition of leadership for more than 45 years: Leadership is influence. If you’ve led people for any length of time, you probably know instinctively that this is true. But have you ever wondered where the influence comes from? No Authority I found myself asking that question in my first leadership job. Just a few weeks out of college, I became the pastor of a small rural church in the farming community of Hillham, Indiana. The word community almost makes it sound bigger than it really was: 11 houses, two gas stations, and a little country store. It was a job I thought I could handle in an environment where I could learn the ropes. The church wasn’t big, it wasn’t in a city, and there were no titans of industry to deal with. I would be a medium fish in a ...