Anton Guinea
Entrepreneur, Speaker, bestselling author, and founder of The Guinea Group of Companies. For over 15 years, Anton has helped leaders move their teams to become psychologically safe, physically safe and overall better versions of themselves.
Have you ever stopped and asked yourself whether your influence is lifting people up… or quietly weighing them down?
I think about this a lot.
Influence is not about authority. It is not about your title. And it is definitely not about being the loudest voice in the room.
Positive leadership influence is about how people feel after they’ve interacted with you. Do they feel clearer? Braver? More willing to act? Or do they feel smaller?
Over the years, I’ve seen one truth play out again and again. You can’t force behaviour. But you can shape belief. And belief drives action.
If you’ve read my thoughts on motivation and inspiration in leadership, you’ll know I make a clear distinction. Motivation pushes. Inspiration pulls. One is pressure. The other is possibility.
Influence that inspires action starts with safety
If your team does not feel safe, they will not feel motivated. Full stop.
I’ve walked into too many boardrooms where leaders are asking, “Why won’t they step up?” My first question back is simple. “Do they feel safe stepping up?”
There’s strong research behind this. Google’s Project Aristotle showed that psychological safety was the number one predictor of team performance. Not IQ. Not experience. Not strategy.
Safety.
And if you want a deeper look at what that means in practice, I’ve written about why psychological safety is the foundation of high-performing organisations. Because without it, your influence turns into compliance. And compliance is fragile.
Sparking motivation in teams begins with this question. Can people speak up without fear? Can they admit mistakes without humiliation? Can they challenge ideas without being punished?
If the answer is no, influence becomes control. And control eventually breeds silence.
How to motivate others as a leader without manipulating them
I’ve said this in workshops before and I’ll say it here. If you have to manipulate someone to get performance, you’ve already lost.
Real motivation sits inside three human drivers. Autonomy. Mastery. Purpose.
There’s solid work on this in self-determination theory. People are wired to move when they feel choice, growth and meaning.
So when leaders ask me how to motivate others as a leader, I don’t give them tricks. I give them responsibility.
Give people ownership of the outcome. Let them shape the process. Show them how their work connects to something bigger than the next quarter.
If you want to go further, I unpack this idea in cultivating an empowering leader mindset. Influence begins internally. If you don’t believe in people, they feel it.
And they shut down.
Your language either lifts or limits
I’ve coached leaders who were technically brilliant but unintentionally crushing morale with their words.
Influence lives in language.
A simple shift from “Why did you do that?” to “Help me understand your thinking” changes everything. One sounds like accusation. The other invites reflection.
I’ve explored this in leading your team through effective speaking. The words you choose build belief systems inside your team.
There’s also interesting work on how messages persuade people through different mental routes. The elaboration likelihood model explains that some people respond to logic, others to emotion, and most need both.
If you’re serious about influence that inspires action, you must adapt. One message does not fit all.
If you’re ready to strengthen how you communicate and influence across every level of your organisation, join our Presenting with Influence Workshop to build confidence, structure your message clearly, and inspire real action in the rooms that matter most.
Recognition fuels belief
I’ve seen tough mining crews light up when a leader genuinely recognises effort. It costs nothing. But it changes everything.
Recognition is not fluff. There’s evidence linking meaningful praise with higher engagement and performance. Gallup’s work on employee engagement consistently shows that feeling seen matters.
Here’s my take. If your team only hears from you when something goes wrong, they stop associating you with growth. They associate you with threat.
Leadership that lifts others pays attention to effort, progress and courage. Not just outcomes.
If you want to build that muscle, explore how leaders can build a culture of appreciation. Because appreciation is a behaviour. And behaviours can be trained.
Influence is emotional before it is rational
I’ve learnt this the hard way.
After my near-fatal workplace incident, I thought facts would change behaviour. They didn’t. Stories did.
When people feel transported into a story, their resistance drops.
That’s why in my keynote sessions, I don’t start with statistics. I start with lived experience.
If you want influence that inspires action, tell stories that show vulnerability, courage and consequence. Don’t lecture. Connect.
Empowering leadership strategies in practice
Let me be direct.
If you want empowering leadership strategies, focus on five things.
Clarity
Say what matters. Remove fluff.
Consistency
Behave the same on your worst day as you do on your best.
Calm under pressure
Your nervous system sets the tone. I talk about this in staying calm under pressure.
Curiosity
Ask before assuming. Listen before directing.
Courage
Address the issue early. Silence spreads.
If you’re ready to take this further inside your organisation, book me to work with your leaders. These are skills that can be built with intention.
The influence you carry shapes your culture
I often remind leaders that culture is not a poster on the wall. It is the emotional residue of repeated behaviour.
Your tone in meetings. Your reaction to bad news. Your patience when someone is learning.
I unpack this more deeply in how your influence shapes the culture you create. Because culture is not accidental.
If your team hesitates before speaking, that tells you something. If they lean in and offer ideas, that tells you something too.
Influence that lifts creates upward energy. People leave interactions with you thinking, “I can do this.”
Are you lifting or lowering the room
This is the question I want you to sit with.
When you walk into a toolbox talk, a board meeting, or a strategy session… does the emotional temperature rise or fall?
Leadership that lifts others is a choice. It is daily. It is behavioural. And it is visible.
If you want support building leaders who influence with clarity and courage, reach out to me here. Let’s have a real conversation about what is happening inside your team.
I’ll leave you with this.
Influence is not about control. It is about belief.
And belief spreads faster than pressure ever will.
The question is simple.
Are you building belief… or breaking it?
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If you would like to learn more about Anton or The Guinea Group, please click here to book into Anton’s calendar, to:
UPGRADE your Mindset
UPSKILL your Leadership
UPLIFT your Teams