Influence is often mistaken for authority. But real influence, which leads to lasting impact, depends on something deeper than command. According to Ted Klein, a facilitator for leadership development programs across public and private sectors, influence works best when it reflects personal integrity.
When he teaches the Influencing with Integrity and Impact course at Concordia Continuing Education, Klein helps learners understand what integrity looks like in practice. He explores how empathy, ethics, and active listening shape leadership that inspires and empowers others.
“They know I’m going to give them tactics of persuasion,” Klein says. “But if they don’t have a foundation of integrity, there’s no point in learning how to influence.”
Classes begin with reflection. Klein asks learners to explore ethics not as abstract theory but through personal experience. They are asked to share personal examples of difficult decisions and explore the real-world consequences.
“These ideas aren’t academic,” Klein notes. “They’re not separate from their life. It’s the life they’re living every day.”
He then introduces a core values exercise. Students build long lists of what matters to them then narrow those lists to just a few non-negotiables. After identifying those values — which often come down to ideals of truth, kindness, and justice — they’re asked to examine how these actually show up at work. For some, the gap is motivating. For others, it’s a wake-up call.
Ted Klein, leadership and organizational development facilitator
Whether or not a learner holds a formal leadership role, Klein encourages them to recognize their ability to shape the workplace culture of their organization.
“No matter what their position of authority is, they do have the power to influence their organization,” he says.
The ability to influence grows when people learn to listen. For Klein, real influence is about drawing insight out of others. To illustrate this, he introduces six leadership styles — from coaching to commanding — and shows how effective leaders adapt their approach based on the situation.
In moments of crisis, command may be needed. In periods of growth or tension, listening is often what makes the biggest difference.
Klein asks his classes to estimate how much effective communication depends on listening.
“Then I put it on the screen: 100 per cent,” Klein says. “Because even when we’re the ones talking, we need to be listening.”
In his classes, students get to practice their active listening skills. They record themselves in live conversations and review the footage to evaluate their own habits.
They work on clarifying without interrupting, staying present without shifting the conversation and reflecting back what was said before responding. Many discover they interrupt more than they thought. Some realize they rarely feel heard themselves.
“Every single student who does these listening workshops is like, ‘Oh my god, this is going to change my partnership, my family my work,’” Klein says. “It’s unnatural at first to practice good listening. Even I benefit every time I teach it.”
Klein sees listening as central to workplace cultures rooted in integrity. When leaders listen well, people feel safe speaking honestly. That safety promotes reflection, reduces defensive reactions and leads people to act with empathy.
“There are three types of empathy,” Klein says. “Even in a command-and-control moment, you still need cognitive empathy.”
Cognitive empathy is the ability to understand what others feel. Emotional empathy is feeling it with them. Compassionate empathy involves taking action to help. Influencing with integrity means knowing which kind of empathy a moment calls for and using it with purpose.
Research supports this approach. Klein introduces students to Project Aristotle, Google’s study on what makes the best teams succeed. The findings challenged executive assumptions.
The highest-performing teams weren’t defined by experience or technical expertise, but rather shared conversation and social sensitivity. These top teams consistently shared the floor in discussions and paid attention to one another.
When those qualities are present, integrity becomes visible. People bring more of themselves to work. They feel aligned with their roles, their teams and their goals.
For Klein, influence is about matching your actions with your beliefs, listening with the intent to understand, and helping others bring forward their best.
These are long-term habits that help organizations make integrity visible. But he sees his students committed to practicing them.
“Students realize they’re over-relying on one communication style, or avoiding the one they need,” Klein notes. “And then they go back to work and try something different. That’s where influence begins.”
© Concordia University
