Hi Joanne,
What exactly is “influence” and why is it important? Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines influence as: “the power to change or affect someone or something; the power to cause changes without directly forcing them to happen; a person or thing that affects someone or something in an important way.”
In practice it means that you must be able to move people to action if you’re going to achieve the goals you’ve set out to reach. To bring others to your way of thinking without force or coercion so you can work together on common goals.
Influence is an important skill for anyone who is in a leadership role situation, whether it’s to build a business, do a team project, plan a family vacation, support a candidate running for office, or bring to the world a movement or cause that’s close to your heart.How does it work? It’s a lot like herding cats…In fact, that’s why I call my book and course materials on the 12 steps to influential leadership, The Art of Herding Cats: Leading Teams of Leaders.
Probably the most valuable of the 12 steps is developing deep relationships. It means getting to know your people well. Some quick tips:
- Take the time and the intention to get to know them.
- Learn how they want to be treated - not how YOU want to be treated, or how you THINK they want to be treated.
- Ask questions - and truly listen to their answers.
- Be and stay curious - and keep track of what they share with you.
- Show that you care about them and how they feel (and they’ll show the same to you).
Then you will know how to invite them to come along on your journey, and you become joined together in the same passion, motivation, and vision. A powerful formula for sustained success!
To dive into this topic further, read: “Command vs. Influence.”
Influence is key to making change movements! If you have a vision to bring change to the world, by using your influential leadership, you can begin to change the fabric of our world for the better.
Don’t let your cause slip like a genie back into the bottle because you don’t know what to do or how to do it. There is help out there – connect with me, tell me about your vision and let’s create a movement that will impact the world.
Be courageous - Dare 2 Lead!