Under the (right) influence

Today, most of us have a smart phone. They notify us of activity, otherwise known as ‘push technology’. Notifications are pushed to your phone without you having to do anything. With pull technology, on the other hand, you have to make a connection and draw down the information… email used to operate like this – you’d ‘connect’ and the info would come down. Websites are like this. You have to pull the information off the site rather than having an app which sends you a message.

I notice that the people who have come into my life can have the same push or pull effect.

‘Push’ people notify you of progress and they spring up in your life when something notable happens. They push you forward into your destiny rather than trying to pull you out of position. Ultimately, they leave you stronger.

Conversely, ‘pull’ people will often try and take you back to where you used to be because it makes them feel more comfortable. They may well be intentioned but they’ll hold you back and take you away from who and what you are supposed to become.

It’s easy to get distracted by the past, especially by past decisions. Equally, it’s easy to listen to others encouraging you to make decisions based on circumstances rather than on your vision. I’ve learnt over time that circumstances can be used as an excuse not to make difficult choices. Crises are intimidating, but the right advice from the right people will help you to make the right choices. Crisis is often a lack of knowledge about the situation you find yourself in. Your challenge is to find people who have prior experience of the situation and know how to overcome it. Listen to them and move forward.

So much has been written about fear of failure but I think that we have a bigger problem when we apologise for success. Sharing about your success isn’t wrong. Success can corrupt but not if you are accountable to someone. Push people are your accountability. They can see the potential in you now and they won’t be threatened by your success when it comes because they always believed in you anyway!

You need to envision yourself as the ‘successful you’. Major on your strengths because they are your God-given superpowers. Your weaknesses can be dealt with effectively by bringing push people with you on the journey to fill in any gaps. Success breeds success.

> Some will join your team and help you for a reason

> Others will teach you for a season (a period of time – not forever)

> Beacons – they are the ones that know the way, show the way and help you to live a better day.

Reason People

Push people are compatible with you, they connect with you and the ensuing relationship brings mutual help and leverage. You add value to each other and you’re stronger together. It’s all about collaboration, mutual opportunities, friendship and connections. These relationships help you to increase your reach and expand into different areas, they bring new perspective and different ways of working. They will align with your mission, vision and values and were probably initially attracted by your shared values before you even shared your vision and mission with them.

Season People

Some push people are not always in your life, they’ll come in for a season, whether it’s a season of growth, struggle or a time when you need to be ‘up skilled’. Take your lecturers at a university or college of further education for example. They were there for that moment and they made a great impact on your life, perhaps such a great impact that you’ll refer others to them. These sorts of people really help lift you when you need it most but they won’t be there forever. A boxer preparing for a specific fight with a different kind of fighter would consult a coach to learn the style required to win that fight. That coach won’t be around forever and you are both comfortable with that. They impart specific knowledge at a specific time.

Beacon People

Beacon people are inspirational, at the top of their game. You may not ever get to meet them as they might teach you via a book, through the words on a page, images on a screen or even a recorded voice in your ear. They will inspire you to believe for bigger, greater and better from a position of personal experience. They have been through tough times and prevailed and that’s why they are inspirational. They are people of character, conviction and courage. Ultimately, they represent the type of people that you want to become, with a similar level of influence.

Under the right influence

It’s often been said that if it wasn’t for people many of life’s problems would go away, but people aren’t the problem, it’s having the right people around you. I am so grateful for the people that have come into my life over my years in brand marketing and, rather than pulling me out of position, they pushed me into purpose.

Finding the right people can be problematic. A great place to start is by being very clear about who you are, aligning your business with your mission, vision and values and then partnering with people who think like you. If you’d like to partner with us at Cre8ion to define your brand narrative, please contact us today.