As an emotional intelligence competency, influence refers to the ability to have a positive impact on others, through conscious conversations, positive encouragement, and influential engagement.
I would suggest that it’s not something many people give a great deal of thought to – but they should. This is not just for sales managers and teams. It’s for all of us who wish to build our leadership muscle.
You are also influencing people through your social media channels and this is an important area to assess.
So, where to start? Firstly I would look at your circle of influence, or those with whom you work/interact daily. Your stakeholders, your employees, your boss, and most importantly your clients or customers.
Look at each person and ask yourself – on a rating from 1-10 with 10 being the most positive – how positive is my influence in relation to that person/group of people?
If it’s a 5 or below you know you have some serious work to do. Influence starts with trust. Perhaps you haven’t been communicating as much as you would like with them. Of you have been procrastinating on an important issue that you know matters to them because you don’t have an answer.
Firstly, start communicating clearly, honestly, and openly and see the trust build. In my opinion, you don’t have to have all the answers – you can tell them you are working on it and will do your best to keep them up to date on the situation.
Secondly, use empathy to see things from their perspective. No matter how challenging. It will provide insights into how to better persuade them and how to engage at a deeper level.
Finally, develop into the kind of leader you want to be. What is your leadership style? Are you a visionary leader, where leading with the vision is of paramount importance to you? Or perhaps you are more of a coaching or mentoring leader. It’s worth taking a look at Goleman’s Six Styles of Leadership to see where you land.
If you want to develop your influence it starts with awareness and improves with practice and learning to develop connections in a meaningful way. It leads to much more fulfilling interactions and who doesn’t want that?
If you’d like to get a measurement of your levels of influence as well as 7 other traits that predict success in the workplace, book in for a free 20-minute consultation to see how you can use the EBW to improve performance, productivity, and personal awareness. Here’s the link to book and there is no cost: https://calendly.com/proactivejustine/book-in-for-chat-re-assessment-and-consultation
Thank you! 
Goleman’s Six Styles of Leadership. For further information check out his book Primal Leadership. If you take the EBW assessment we can also map your leadership style.
