6 Steps To Increase Your Influence

Leadership and influence go hand in hand. A leader without influence is not an effective leader. Leadership has nothing to do with your title, bank account or car that you drive. Leadership is a mindset and influence is a big part of it. Being aware that you can influence your surroundings is something everyone needs to embrace. Knowing that you can, independent of the title of your name card, influence your business by who you are and how you do business.

The power of influence is crucial and available for everyone. These are 5 ways to increase your influence in every sphere of life:

Step 1. Take lead and be proactive.

You got to move forward. Influence does not come when you sit still. Your influence cannot change if you remain in the same patterns and habits that you currently have, or surround yourself with the same people. Be intentional and proactive about trying new things, forming new relationships and meeting new people are all ways to become more influential.

Step 2. Listen to understand not to reply.

Listening is one of the most important skills of an effective leader. To be influential you need to be a good listener. When you sincerely listen to people to hear that opinion instead of waiting to reply, you can make true connections. Listening builds trust and makes it easier for other people to align with your causes.

Step 3. Be consistent.

People notice consistency and being consistent builds trust. Consistency is a catalyst for influence. The more consistent you are, the greater your influence will be. The same applies the other direction. The moment you start being inconsistent, and people never know if you keep your promise, that's when lack of trust and influence will happen. Consistent people are reliable and are the first ones trusted with new tasks, ideas, projects, and responsibilities.

Step 4. Have clarity for the future.

Clarity precedes Mastery. ~ Robin Sharma

I'm such a believer in this as well. To grow your influence, people should have the feeling you know where you are heading. You have a clear vision of the future for yourself and for the company. Leaders and influential people need a goal and a direction in order to put their contributions to proper use. There is no such thing as being an influencer that doesn’t know in what direction he or she is heading. Have a clear view of the future.

Step 5. Ask the right questions.

Often times we come in situations where the first question is why? Why did this happen? The danger is to get stuck in this mindset instead of immediately jump over the proactive side and ask how you can make it better. Proactive questions to ask are:

1. How can I improve the current situation?
2. How can I enlarge my network?
3. How can I inspire the people around me?
4. How can I provide a solution to this problem?

Step 6. Be passionate.

Passion is contagious. Passion shows and attracts people. Rarely you’ll see unpassionate leaders that are influential. Seeing evidence of your passion for your vision or progress towards whatever you are trying to accomplish will alert people to the fire inside. Your enthusiasm for what you do will also draw others alongside you in your quest.

Conclusion

Influence does not need authority. We all have the power to influence whether we are an entrepreneur, corporate warrior, managing director, administration staff or Starbucks employee. Let's use it wisely and improve what is in our hands. Hope the above-mentioned steps will increase your circle of influence.

To your success,

AS

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Andrew Senduk is an Amsterdam entrepreneur currently living in Bali with his lovely wife and two sons. He is a highly sought-after keynote speaker, worked for billion dollar corporations, built several multi-million dollar companies and has a burning passion for millennial leadership, digital transformation and entrepreneurship. He is also on a journey to do 10 handstand push-ups.

For speaking engagements or inquires please contact [email protected] or visit www.andrewsenduk.com for more information.