HOW TO BECOME A PERSON OF INFLUENCE

John Maxwell explains Leadership as influence, nothing more, nothing less. Now, that’s contrary to what tradition says, that’s contrary to popular belief because if you go to Webster’s dictionary they define leadership as a position, place, office, or title of leadership.

WITHOUT TRUST, INFLUENCE IS NOTHING MORE THAN COERCION AND MANIPULATION.

When there is trust, the team knows that they are there for each other and for the shared interests of the team. Marcus Buckingham, co-author of Now, Discover Your Strengths says that establishing trust is “the one thing that changes everything” in both business and life. In his best-selling book, The Speed of Trust, Stephen M. Covey says that “trust is the very basis of the new global economy. 

LEAD YOURSELF BETTER AND OTHERS WILL FOLLOW

You keep dealing with the same things inside the office here because you refuse to take time to pause and think daily on what it is that you’re doing. You have to take time to reflect. What went right? What went wrong? What can I do differently? So you can grow by taking time to think as a leader. Lead yourself better and others will follow

LEADERSHIP IS ABOUT PEOPLE NOT ABOUT POSITION

See, you have a platform even if you don’t think you do. You have a social media platform. You have influence with others. You have people that look to you in certain situations. They follow your leadership. They follow your voice. They follow your words. 

We have the ability to shape the way other people think, feel or respond to life through our communication. We are all given a platform. People give you permission to speak into their life. You influence more people than you realize.

DO YOU CARE ABOUT ME? CAN YOU HELP ME? CAN I TRUST YOU?

Now what do you think undermined the ability of the managers to convince the workers that it was in their best interests to work harder? Lack of trust or course! Without trust, any attempts to influence others comes across as manipulation.

We all know that there are too many people who want to be leaders only for the perks without paying the price of leadership. We see this in politics. We see this in business. We see this in the church and we even see this in our own families. Ultimately people will more likely follow and be loyal to leaders who can correctly demonstrate the answer to these 3 questions. Do you care about me? Can you help me? Can I trust you?

Source : How to become a person of influence By Dr John C. Maxwell