Becoming A Person Of Influence
Posted on January 16, 2020 by Cynthia Spark, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
Who Do You Influence?
“Leadership is influence. Nothing more, nothing less.”
~John C Maxwell
Influence is not about position, it’s about people.
From worst, to best, some commonly implemented methods of influence are:
Force: There is no choice in the decisions.
Intimidation: “It’s my way or the highway!”
Manipulation: There’s a winner and a loser.
Positional: We follow because we have to.
Exchange: We both win.
For now, we’re going to discuss the method of intimidation and developing your own leadership, effectively and masterfully.
Intimidation, AKA “It’s my way or the highway” mentality is ineffective because intimidation only leads to disengagement.
“I have thought a sufficient measure of civilization is the influence of good women.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Why do you want to influence? What are the benefits?
Without trust, influence is nothing more than coercion and manipulation.
“Trust, and the speed at which it is established with clients, and employees, is the essential ingredient for any high-performance, successful organization.”
-Stephen M. Covey, “Speed of Trust”
People want to know three key questions when they’re looking for leadership:
1) Does this person care about me?
2) Can this person help me?
3) Can I trust this person?
Not only is trust critical in establishing a loyal following, but you must be able, ready and willing to add value to others. That’s where question two comes in: Can this person help me? When we add value to ourselves, we become more valuable to others.
Take a few minutes to reflect on your own experiences. What went right? What went wrong? What can you do differently from now on? Have you been leading yourself well? Keeping ourselves in check is leading the self. Once we master our own personal leadership, only then will others follow.
Mastering your ability to positively influence others is the key to personal and professional growth.I’d like you to work on gaining the trust of others this week. What’s in it for them to work with you? And most of all, keep it positive for the other person.
A wise woman once said, “When life gives you pie, always give the biggest pieces to those that are helping you, then your piece will taste that much sweeter.”
