How are you influencing others?
I never thought I was influential. I have learned over the years that I have influenced a few things, throughout my life and career. As a teacher and team leader I have helped make changes in our educational planning or procedures. As a school administrator I helped influence major changes to an organization. On the other end of this conversation, I have had important people in my life influence me and my decisions. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for those important people who influenced me. Influence is an important part of life. Of course, there are positive and negative influences in life that we should pay close attention to. When we can influence others or be influenced, I think it helps make great improvements for everyone. The topic of influence has been on my mind this week and I thought it would be an excellent topic to share out.
Finding the right people that influence us in a positive way can be difficult. We must be cautious who we follow and whose opinions we value. We all know power players or mentors in our professional fields. These are the individuals who we study and learn from. Our mentors help us answer the tough questions we face and challenge us in specific areas of life. Their influence helps us improve or grow in areas we struggle in. Their expertise allows us to learn at higher levels, as they assist us in our endeavors. Influence from our mentors is important to our abilities to become people of influence.
We can influence others in numerous ways. We must be looking at how we can assist others with their needs. We can only influence people if they trust us. To build this trust we must be of service to them. When we make the lives of others better, they choose to follow us and listen to our opinions. Being a person of influence is about listening to our people and meeting their needs before our own.
We help our organizations when we can influence the decisions made. The term buy-in, is associated with getting everyone to agree with a plan or idea we believe to be important. Communicating effectively is key to being an influential person. Communicating once is not effective enough. We must bring the decision to the forefront often to profoundly influence our people. The biggest value we gain from being a person of influence is growth. If our influence is working correctly, we are adding value to our people and the organizations we serve.
Knowing we are positively influencing others can be a great feeling. It affirms we are helping our people grow and that we are a valued member of our communities. As we influence others, our professional relationships are enriched. Influence causes perpetual growth of ourselves, our people, and the organizations we all serve. When our influence helps others, they in turn can influence us or someone else in other ways.
Who is an influential person in your life and why?
In what ways could you influence those around you?
Why is it important to be a person of influence?
Why does it feel good know you are a person of influence?
I like to think I am influential in a positive way. I know I can influence decisions on a lower level and can only dream of influencing major decisions that make life improvements for people around me. We all can help others as we influence decisions. I hope you have a positive influencer in your like and can help others with your influential abilities. Thanks for checking in on this post. I hope the questions provided give you an opportunity to reflect on the topic of influence.
Steven C. Bucks- Leading Conversations
