Success Advice

5 Steps To Becoming An Influential Person

Published

8 years ago

Feb 10, 2016

Charismatic individuals who have mastered the art of influencing others not only find the road smoother for their daily conquests, but they can easily convince others to collaborate and communicate more openly. Without influence, you cannot be a good leader, yet few people pay much attention to this valuable skill.

If you want to grease the wheels for your next business venture, now is the time to start cultivating a wider influence with others around you, whether they’re your colleagues, business associates, employees, or customers.

Here are five simple steps to help you start gaining traction with them:

1. Project confidence

Self-assurance and confidence put other people at ease. There is nothing worse than hearing someone stumble over his or her words or try to shake your hand with a weak, sweaty, palm. To project confidence, practice assertive body language and posture, either alone or with someone.

In the book Silent Messages, the studies conducted showed that 55% of all communication is nonverbal. Only 7% of messages were relayed through the actual spoken words. When you’re engaged in a conversation, make sure to convey confidence by speaking clearly, smiling when appropriate, and keeping eye contact. Another technique that will add to your boost of confidence is keeping a positive mental attitude.

It will charge you with positive energy others will respond to. If you have a hard time practicing these tactics, try imagining a successful, confident persona and play that part. It takes a lot of practice and devotion, but as you persist, it becomes second nature.

“Confidence comes from discipline and training.” – Robert Kiyosaki

2. Really listen

It’s always pleasant to be the center of someone else’s attention. So the next time you speak to someone, really pay attention to what they’re saying and stay present as they’re engaged in their story. Don’t just wait for your turn to speak or drift off trying to come up with an appropriate remark. Ask questions if you need clarification on the message.

You can even rephrase their message and repeat it to them to show that you have indeed listened and are interested in what they have to say and to make sure you understand correctly. Besides paying attention to the verbal message, follow the nonverbal cues as well. If you mirror the stance of someone talking to you, it will convey rapport. This increases the perception that the speaker is being heard.

3. Show respect

Respect tends to be a mutual exercise. If you disrespect someone, they are likely to scorn you. However, if you show respect, they will feel safe and trust you more. To show respect, it’s important to understand the social customs of the group or an individual.

For instance, if you go to Japan on business, you must learn intricate social cues and perform them well, like bowing to gain respect. However, for business done in America, you can simply show respect by remembering the names and details of the people around you. If they’ve achieved something, make note of it and congratulate them sincerely.

Ask them for advice when appropriate and this will ingratiate you to them as someone who values their opinion. They may also take your opinions more seriously since you had the good taste to acknowledge their value.

4. Take the initiative

It’s easy to sit back and blend in with the crowd, safely getting by in your comfort zone. However, successful leaders blaze their own path, they are proactive and aren’t afraid to take the initiative. You may need to work on developing self-confidence if you find it hard to take the initiative. In that case, follow some of the hints elucidated in the first step.

Once you get the hang of this, you will be able to express opinions, ask questions, and make decisions even when they may not seem likely to be accepted readily. If you learn the art of influencing others, those ideas will still be considered seriously. Nothing will be thought of as trivial.

5. Stay informed

Nothing degrades influence more than being seen as ill-informed. It pays to read the news and stay on top of current events, in particular if you want to be considered an expert or an authority figure. By being informed, you’ll not only be able to conduct an intelligent and meaningful conversation with your peers, but you’ll be able to form your opinion on matters and stand your ground, even if others don’t agree with you.

Make it a daily habit to catch up on the news and current events. If you don’t know the answer to something, you can always say you will give an answer once you’ve thoroughly researched the matter.

“I think we risk becoming the best informed society that has ever died of ignorance.” – Ruben Blades

Practicing these five steps will help you establish credibility, which in turn leads to a myriad of opportunities to influence people around you. You gain their respect, as well as their willingness to collaborate with you, regardless of the circumstances. Work on your skills until they become second nature and watch your influence grow naturally. It will do wonders for both your personal and professional life.

Which step are you going to practice to become an influential leader? Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below!

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Lisa Michaels is a freelance writer, editor and a striving content marketing consultant from Portland. Being self-employed, she does her best to stay on top of the current trends in the business world. She spends her free time trying out new recipes or reading Scandinavian crime novels. Feel free to reach her @LisaBMichaels

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How to Break the Cycles of Mediocrity and Manifest Your Greatness

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity

Published

4 weeks ago

Nov 16, 2023

Jamelle Sanders

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In just a few weeks, we will be wrapping up 2023. Can you believe it? This year has been absolutely incredible for me.

I have seen amazing doors opened, new relationships formed and I am seeing dreams realized in my life. While this seems like the hallmarks of a great year, this has also been the most challenging year of my life. With all of the change happening in my life, I have been forced out of my comfort zone and challenged to grow in every area of my life.

I can truly say that I have made the most of my moments this year and I have used everything as a catalyst for maximizing my greatest potential.

As a revolutionary leader, I have the pleasure of consulting and advising leaders around the world to fulfill purpose, realize their greatest potential and make an impact.

I want to share some insights with you that will help you to break cycles of mediocrity and manifest your greatness.

Everything legal must come through the matrix

I am sure that some of you are wondering why I am using the term matrix. However, what you have to understand is that I am trying to make a highly complex spiritual principle practical to understand.

Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, every life has an origin and I believe that origin is divine and begins with eternity. You are birthed from eternity and into time to fulfill a unique purpose and assignment in your lifetime and generation.

The matrix is simply the portal or vehicle that brings something out of the invisible realm and into tangible form. The problem with much of the teaching today is that it excludes the matrix. We are told to believe that success is instantaneous and overnight.

Nobody talks about how a dream progresses through stages beginning with visualization and ultimately culminating in manifestation. Without a matrix or portal then everything that you attempt to birth and build will be illegal.

The matrix not only makes you legal but it gives you the authority and power to function as the greatest expression of who you were created to be.

Every matrix has an incubation process

While many people admire and respect me today, I remember a time when nobody knew who I was or the significance of my message. How did I get to where I am today? I got here through an incubation process.

In other words, everything that has been destined for your life is incubating and awaiting a set time of manifestation. The problem is that most people live their entire lives idle and never initiate the incubation process.

What do I meany by that? Most people are living reckless and very few people are living intentionally. I am amazed at the number of people I have conversations with that have no vision, goals or strategies for their lives. They show great promise and they have undeniable potential.

However, without development they will die with their dreams still in them.

Everything that has been destined for your life must be incubated and converted to become realities born to time.

“Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin to build.” – Robert Collier

You must give expression to that which is not yet born to time

When you think about a matrix or a prophetic incubation process, you have to understand that potential is often unrealized and untapped. In other words, your potential is in raw form and your potential cannot serve you as long as it is untapped.

The thing that makes me valuable is that I have the ability to convert potential into power. I have done it in my own life and I have empowered leaders around the world to do the same. How do you convert potential into power?

First, it is important to note that you have to perceive potential. If you cannot perceive your potential then you can never cultivate your potential. In addition, you must take the time to cultivate your potential. We often get excited about our capabilities; however, we never expand our capacity in order to realize our greatest potential.

In other words, the strength of your potential is only discovered through your willingness to stretch. The more we are challenged the more we are empowered to expand our capacity for greatness. Most of all, you must begin to express your potential. The expression of potential is different for every person.

For example, the expression of my potential is best demonstrated through the thoughts, ideas, products, services, books, etc.

For another person the expression of potential may look like a screenplay, artwork, sports, scientific discoveries, medical breakthroughs, etc.

Regardless of the form of expression, I know that you will live empty and unfulfilled until you make the decision to express your potential. The expression of your potential gives voice to your dreams, life to your vision, significance to your moments and activates your true power.

You must manifest your greatness

As a revolutionary thinker and leader, my work has impacted people around the world. I am grateful that my life is a source of empowerment to so many people. However, before anyone could ever benefit from my life, I had to make a non-negotiable decision to become who I was born to be.

I wish I could tell you that this journey is easy and that you will get there overnight. However, in a world that celebrates us for doing we are often criticized for being. As a result, I wasted a lot of time trying to be who other people wanted me to be instead of being who I was born to be.

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity. It is through our bravery to be vulnerable that we ultimately manifest our greatness. We do not bless the world by being a duplicate. We bless the world when we honor our difference. When you honor your difference you honor your potential.

Ultimately, your difference is how you manifest your greatness.

When you present anything but your authentic self to the world, you are playing small and you are robbing the world of your significance. Manifesting your greatness requires you to master your gifts.