Leadership Perspectives: The Power of Influence

By definition, influence is the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something.

When I read this definition, there are so many people that would fit into this category and be considered an influencer. Some examples could be family, friends, teachers, managers, mentors, peers, and coaches to name a few. They share their lessons, ideas, and beliefs with us every day and influence us.

We are not only influenced by the people in our life at work and home, but also through marketing, social media, and the shows that we watch.

Developing Your Leadership Perspective

With so many influencers all around us, how do you decide what your own beliefs are? How do you decide what your own point of view will be on a subject? Is it really yours or the idea of someone else that has influenced you and you have adopted it?

It is good to step back and look at the thinking that you have as a leader. You want to be viewed as a thought leader yourself, not just the person who shares what others think.

Recently, two of my clients have taken time to look at the beliefs that they have and what they want to share with their teams. We brainstormed ideas and they created their own leadership point of view. Now they can share the words to give this insight to their team, but also demonstrate it through their actions.

Using Other Influencers to Propel Your Ideas

The most important thing when you have an idea is to get it implemented, right? Does it matter to you if you are the one to sell the idea or if someone else does it for you instead?

You may run into a situation where the person that you want to influence isn’t someone that you know well and you haven’t established enough credibility with them yet. This doesn’t mean that you can’t make it happen. You just need to use your leadership influence to find another influencer that can bring you together.

You can build an alliance with an influencer that the decision-maker already knows and trusts.

The decision-maker will listen to that influencer and because they vouch for you, it helps to bring some of their credibility over to you. This support can be bridged to you through an introduction or you can have the meeting with them together.

Not everyone has close ties with every person in an organization. This is where you need to get creative and leverage a third person to help you. They can help you sell the idea and give you ways to have a conversation with a person that you want to influence. This approach helps you sell your idea and now you also have a new relationship with this decision-maker for future discussions.

Creating a Positive Influence

Not all influence is about getting your point across or propelling your ideas forward.

Let me share a story that I recently heard. Gloria was in the grocery store line and had six cans of beans in her cart. She put her six cans on the conveyor belt. Suddenly, the cashier stopped her. He said, there is a limit on the beans. You can only buy four cans of beans, so you have to put two of them back. The woman didn’t know that there was a limit of only four cans per person in effect. She had missed the sign. Her focus was on the ingredients she needed to buy to make her grandmother’s soup recipe. She had planned to make the soup for a family friend with a large family who was dealing with a lot right now due to Covid.

She looked up at him in surprise. She shared the story of what she needed the beans for hoping it might sway him, but he didn’t budge. He really meant it! He was only going to let her have four cans. She didn’t want to take anything away from others, but she needed all of these to make enough soup. Just then a couple behind her spoke up and said we will buy her the other two cans. Other people who heard the story asked what they could donate to help out this family. Before she knew it, she soon had a full cart of groceries that she could bring to this family. All of these people could have done nothing, but instead they stepped up and made a difference for this woman and the family she was helping.

Always consider how you can positively influence someone else.

I believe you make a choice each morning of how you show up in the world. You could be the one that offers to help people when they need it. Opportunities will show up and you can decide what you want to do to help.

It could be a kind word, or something more like an offer to purchase groceries for them. Support can come in many forms and sometimes it is just being there to listen.

How will you influence the world today?

Susan M Barber, President of Susan M Barber Coaching & Consulting, LLC, works with individuals, teams, and organizations to build skills that leaders need to attain breakthrough results. Her passion for coaching and leadership development is driven by seeing the transformation of leaders as they reach far beyond their own ideas of success. She continues to drive custom programs for groups that want to make changes in their careers to become more powerful leaders.