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TRANSFORMATIONAL INFLUENCE. The Unexpected Changing of Lives in the Midst of Hurricane Harvey
As a Native Houstonian, I am experiencing survivor’s guilt. It is heartbreaking to see family and friends suffering, houses being lost from flooding every day. I moved from Houston 6 years ago, and there is very little I can do but pray and encourage. I am also a first responder in my heart. God has given me the talent to keep people safe, and I am unable to do that. Even though there are things I can do to help and support (and I am), I know that friends and families are struggling, anxious at not knowing what the future brings. As of writing, there is still the possibility of an additional 15-30 inches of rain. Pray for their safety, peace, and sanity. Pray that they will know that ultimately good will come out of this catastrophic disaster.
In fact, I already see the good being done. In a nation where there is a focus on the debate over race, religion, and income equality. In a time where the country criticizes every decision made by local, state and federal governments. Where unity is but a distant hope, I see the people in the nation’s fourth largest city and surrounding areas, banding together in solidarity to help their neighbors, friends, and family.
I see the rich and poor, people of all ages, races, religions and rising up 
and becoming leaders within their homes, families, and neighborhoods. I see leaders taking time off of their jobs and coming from all over the United States to support and save lives. I see leaders donating money, food, clothes and goods and their time for those who have lost everything. I see leaders risking their lives for others. I see churches and organizations opening their buildings up shelter, clothe and feed those in need. I know there are some working and staffing those shelters that are facing or have lost their home, have family in desperate need and are experiencing the same anxious thoughts as anyone else. But rather sulk in their despair and hopelessness, they chose to serve others and make a difference.
I SEE PEOPLE SACRIFICING THEIR COMFORTABLE LIFESTYLES FOR THE BETTER GOOD OF MANKIND!
What the Houston area is witnessing is called, Servant Leadership. Serving others unselfishly with little or no regard to their circumstances. Out of this Servant Leadership, I see something much deeper occurring. I call it Transformational Influence. Leaders making a difference in people’s lives by influencing through their generous serving of others, and positive and encouraging conversations. They possess a positive attitude regardless of the situation or circumstance. Transformational Influence is a term I created from witnessing the transformation of people’s lives through conversation, prayer, and commitment to others. Transformational Influence occurs when we affect the way a person thinks, acts or behaves through our conversations, personal actions or simply our intention.
How can you have Transformational Influence in a time of crisis?
- Be genuine in your relationship with those you encounter – Focus on the individual’s needs and desires. You can only do that by being sincere, involved and curious.
- Be intentional – Go out of your way to get to know a person. See someone hurting or sitting alone? Go sit with them and let them share their struggles with you. Ask to pray.
- Be a servant – Serve them with your whole heart. Make it a priority to help them get settled.
- Be humble – Realize that you are not them. You are not feeling what they are feeling.
- Be encouraging – Encourage through your conversation or simply just be there for them. Sometimes the most encouraging thing you can do is simply sit there and not say a word.
- Give them Hope – Regardless of the situation or circumstance, there is hope. Hope shines brightest when the hour is darkest. Let them see and hear hope for something better. Hope is our greatest asset and the greatest weapon we can use to battle our losses. Without hope, there is nothing.
- Pray for Them, Daily and Often – Prayer changes people. Prayer changes situations. Even if you don’t pray with them, pray earnestly for their salvation and their success in life.
Use this catastrophic and tragic situation to transform the lives of others through your Servant Leadership. Have Transformational Influence on those you come in contact with.
To the people of the greater Houston Area……..Continue to UNITE and Serve One Another! Show the world why Texas is the Best!
To those who have traveled to the area to assist……THANK YOU! Your commitment and service will be remembered for generations to come.
GOD BLESS HOUSTON, TEXAS!
Listen First, Listen Second, Speak When You Understand
Listening, a task I struggle at. As a coach, trainer and speaker, I tend to be a problem solver. In fact, I think I’m so good, I’ll finish your sentence or thought for you. Why should you waste valuable oxygen. However, I’m finding the oxygen we breath gives a person the ability to take a breath and speak their thoughts, concerns and ideas. In fact, when I allow people to finish their sentence and thoughts, I find many provide valuable solutions or ideas. So as I continue to learn how to control my attention and listen more, I am finding that; from listening comes knowledge and from knowledge comes a true understanding. From understanding comes the wisdom to support or help. And from wisdom, comes the ability to solve problems. The common saying; “God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason”, continues to be true throughout the ages. Learn to listen, and you will be more successful.
Self-Leadership, My Most Difficult Challenge
Why is leading myself more difficult than leading others? I ask myself this question EVERY SINGLE day!
Why do I say or do things I know are wrong (there is a biblical reference here)? It happens at home, work, with my wife, with my co-workers and those I love and lead.
The answer is simple. There are areas I don’t see until they sprout up. In fact, I believe there are times I don’t see myself from a realistic point. I see myself from my intentions, AND others see me through my actions and words. I should probably also admit that I see my intentions from the training and talks I give.
While I speak of myself, I am sure I’m not alone. But how does one address this issue? Answer, look for the blind spots and deal with them! However, how do we identify the blind spots? I look personally to three source for my self-leadership:
- Scripture
- My wife
- Co-workers and staff
These sources provide direct and/or indirect insights to the areas I need to change or improve. With this information, I can apply these five principles.
- Control Emotions – Like anyone else, leaders have emotions. In fact, I believe a leader’s emotions can be more powerful due to the passion and desire for success they possess. However, a good leader knows how to control their emotions and display or delay them based on the situation.
- Meditate – Leaders are achievers. And that means they hit the ground running, which leaves little time to stop and think. Spend 30-45 minutes every morning mediating on the things that matter and planning your day.
- Focus Your Effort Where it Matters– A good leader wants to achieve more. They are never satisfied with their achievements. For me, I tend to want to fix everything and solve everyone’s problems. However, to be effective we must learn to focus our efforts on what really matters. I heard John Maxwell say, ” You can’t be 100% all the time.” I find that statement very true. We must identify the times and events where we need to be 100% . Everything else gets a good effort, just not our best.
- Serve Others – Zig Ziggler said, You can have everything in life, if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” I am finding this to be very true. Not from a selfish perspective, but simply from putting others first in every action or decision. Throughout my career, I have seen and reaped the benefits of putting others first by gaining their respect, commitment and dedication. I simply look at it as, “you reap what you sow.”
- Get a Coach and/or Mentor – We all need to keep our minds sharp and our thoughts and ideas flowing freely. Our minds can freeze or we experience those “blind spots” that throw us for a loop. As a Coach and Mentor, I see the benefit from asking stimulating questions and the ability to seek wisdom and advice from others. I personally have at least five mentors that I can rely on for helping to address questions or walk me through situations. I sleep better knowing I have access to these individuals. I also can call several coaching colleagues for encouragement and guidance when needed.
Take the time to evaluate the effectiveness of your self-leadership to these five principles. Then establish a process where you consistently work to apply these principles and improve where needed.
A leader’s greatest challenge and most difficult task, is self-leadership. If you lead yourself correctly, you will influence others and they will follow. Failure to manage your self-leadership will create a loss of respect and the inability to influence, causing people to leave and follow others.
8 REASONS I’M A PASSIONATE PERSON
I’ve been told many times I’m a passionate person. I guess that’s accurate. I have a passion for my marriage, my family, for employees to work safely and I have a passion for leaders to lead . In fact, pretty much my entire life seems to always reflect my passions. I can’t go anywhere or have a conversation with anyone without talking about my wife, my grand daughter, safety or leadership.
I want to passionately influence people!
Passionate people sustain their efforts until they make a difference. It drives them to do more, accomplish more, learn more and put up with more. One thing I often tell my coaching clients is,
“If you love what you do, you’ll do more of it, so find what it is you love”
I recently became intrigued as to why people think I am a passionate person. As I sat down and begin recalling conversations and asking questions, I found that most answers pointed to 8 reasons why I am a passionate person.
Here they are:
- I love what I do!
- I strive to remain positive
- I inspire to motivate
- I bring the sunshine
- I seek to to grow spiritually, personally and professionally
- I persevere
- I am determined
- I strive to maintain a servants heart
We have all been passionate about something. But maybe the passion has died or subsided through out the years. My purpose for this blog is not to arrogantly announce that I am a passionate person, but rather it is an attempt to show you that passion is found in what you love. Find what it is you love, cherish and hold tightly to.
John Maxwell ask these three questions to help others find their passion:
- What do you sing about?
- What do you cry about?
- What do you dream about?
What are you passionate about?
TIPS TO GET BETTER AT SMALL TALK
I recently published a blog titled, “8 Personal Habits That Will Ensure A Good First Impression.” Number 8 on that list was “Initiate Relevant Small Talk”. I discuss the need for relevant small talk and how it can create a connection and lead to building a relationship. Effective small talk can provide clues in providing a deeper understanding of that person.
Recently I came across an article titled; “15 Tips to Get Better at Small Talk”written by Patti Johnson with SUCCESS Online.
I wanted to share it with you as I found it to be a great companion article addressing the issue of small talk.
1. Get your mind right.
If you spend the week anticipating and worrying because you know you will feel uncomfortable, you’ve set yourself up for failure. Remember why you are going—to celebrate a friend on his or her special day, to meet others who share your interest or connect with your co-workers.
2. Decide who you’d like to meet before you go.
Take a look at who else will be there and plan to meet those who might share something in common. This might be someone who knows a mutual friend, a fellow baseball fan or a business owner living your dream.
3. Make a game out of it.
Trick your mind into making it seem easier and more fun. Commit to at least an hour. Plan to meet at least five people. Challenge yourself to learn two new things This mind shift can help tame the anxiety and make the conversation more fun.
4. Take responsibility for meeting others.
Don’t wait for others to approach you. Say hello first. When you expect others to make the first move, you’ll be disappointed. And the more you do it, the more comfortable you’ll be.
5. Don’t be the sidekick.
Rather than being the shadow of the one person you already know, branch out.
6. Have your “go-to” questions ready.
Starting a conversation with a new person can be hard. Try, “How do you know _____?” “What is keeping you busy these days?” or “What brought you to this area?” It doesn’t have to be complicated, just something to get you started if you you’re new acquaintances.
7. Be interested. Listen more than you talk.
Asking questions is the secret ingredient to interesting conversations. Stay away from yes/no questions. You can naturally start with easy questions that feel natural, but listen for an interesting comment to explore and build upon.
As an example for how your questions might flow:
- How do you know Allison?
- I didn’t realize you were a graphic designer. What kind of design do you do?
- Why did you decide to get into graphic design?
- Oh, I went to school in Miami, too! Where are your favorite places to go when you go back?
- Do you think of Miami as home? How did you make the move from there to here?
Within a few questions, you can move to more substance and a real conversation.
8. Be yourself!
No one likes the fake networker. In the interest of being more outgoing, don’t be someone you aren’t. Putting out effort doesn’t mean being fake.
9. Compliment and shift.
Find something that you can genuinely compliment the other person on and then shift to a question so it isn’t awkward.
10. Plan a graceful exit.
Every conversation runs its course, but a natural end is hard. Just say, “It’s been great to meet you, and I hope you have the best vacation next week.” Excuse yourself to do something else and move on.
11. Look for others who want to connect.
I recently went to a large celebration event and only knew the busy host. I noticed another guest taking her time at the snack table and introduced myself. We had a great conversation while those around us caught up with longtime friends.
12. Be an introducer.
If you are talking with someone and another guest looks a little uncomfortable, invite him or her into the conversation. Remember the times when you were that uncomfortable person and try to include others.
13. Don’t be the “hammer looking for the nail.”
Your favorite topic isn’t everyone else’s. You might love your new grill or your favorite book or TV show, but don’t assume everyone else is interested. Gauge the conversation and flow with it.
14. Don’t expect too much.
Not every get-together will result in new friends. That’s OK. You still accomplished your goal of going when it was easier not to—you were there supporting a friend or a co-worker. And that is enough.
15. Get in the habit.
Don’t constrain this habit to social events. Say hello to the person next to you on the plane before you grab your headphones (I’m working on this). Talk to your waiter. Ask your Uber driver about his day. The habit of saying hello and listening is a muscle you can develop by working on it every day.
Try some small talk. You might be surprised where it takes you.
REALLY, YOU LEAD PEOPLE?
I read an article the other day that touched on leadership behavior. It sparked an abundance of memories, thoughts and questions that have rolled around in my head for many years. Quite frankly it made me look deep inside of my soul and check my heart to ensure my actions and motives line up with my moral convictions.
Look, leaders are people. In fact, many are good people. There is a very small percentage of leaders that act and behave poorly. I feel I’ve probably worked for more than most. My career has been full of poor leaders. Heck, there are a lot of my past and present employees that might say the same about me.
The whole reason I began my leadership journey was to do everything I could NOT to make the same mistakes or do the same things I have witnessed or gone through.
Through my experience, I have identified 9 things that define poor leaders. Here they are;
- IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU– No it isn’t! In fact, we probably don’t
care what you did or where you went. It is about those you lead. When every conversation and situation is about you, it limits the interaction and contribution of others. I’ve had many leaders more concerned about how situations affect them, than the one(s) involved or affected. - HEY BUDDY -Considering those you lead as friends. Not good. Leadership is about relationships, not friendships. When friends and buddies don’t perform we tend to “sweep” it under the rug or make excuses, rather than hold them accountable. This creates descension and frustration with other employees. Build relationships, not friendships. I’ve seen many leaders lose credibility over the hiring or advancement of friends or relatives many times. I am not saying you can’t hire employees from the past or those who supported and assisted you at other jobs. I was the best man at my Director of EHS’ wedding 29 years ago. However, I bet he will tell you that he is held to the same accountability level as anyone else. In fact, I expect more out of him, than most.
- HORRIBLE LISTENER – blah, blah, blah……. This leader doesn’t care what you have to say. They are only concerned with what’s coming out of his mouth. Their EGO gets in the way. Hey man, you were given 2 ears and 1 mouth for a reason. You need to listen twice as much as you talk. Give people a chance to say something. Who knows, what they have to say might solve the problem.
- WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? -Poor communicators can reduce and harm aculture and frustrate employees quickly. Many employees complain about the lack of communication from leadership. What are my expectations,
How is the company performing?, Will there be raises or bonuses this year? As I coach leaders, I encourage them to have weekly or monthly communication meetings. This is a time where all they do is communicate key information and allow employees an opportunity to ask questions. - DON’T TEXT ME -Technology is great, but technology has created a diminishing environment of face to face communication. How many times have you received a text or email and interrupted it as negative? Texting and emails are very difficult to communicate a tone. A face to face visit is the best way to properly communicate. I can see your facial expressions and body language and I can react or change my tone or words to ensure effective communication. If you can’t meet face to face, call them, and don’t leave a voice mail to cover your items.
- REALLY? –Hear’s a thought……Get both sides of the story before you make a decision. One of the most frustrating things for employees is when a leader makes decisions based on a one sided conversation. One of the traits of a leader is to be open and accessible.
However, that doesn’t mean you base your decisions on the conversations of one individual. I found many times, my accessibility and openness has allowed individuals to voice their displeasure with a supervisor, rule or practice only to find out in my follow-up conversation the individual was disciplined or held accountable for failure to comply with or follow directions, etc. - THAT WILL NEVER WORK– Being cynical is not a trait of a leader. In fact, it is totally opposite. I think cynical leaders feel threatened. They must discount or even put down a person’s ideas because they feel as if they are not a leader if they don’t have
the answer. Cynical leaders say; “No, that’s not going to work” or, “I don’t know why we are doing this; this is stupid.” Look, if something is stupid, then the leader needs to fix it. If something is not worth doing or is going to create major problems, it’s your responsibility to facilitate other ideas. Regardless, you must thank and encourage those who offer ideas and opinions, not BELITTLE them! - THAT’S DISGUSTING! –Just because you can say it, doesn’t make it right. Foul language is wrong and unprofessional. For some reason, leaders feel they have the right to use foul language and tell questionable stories in front of their staff or employees. I recently had a leader use very disgusting language in reference to a football game. It stunned the group. No one knew how to react. I have had several occasions where leaders would use foul language in an email or text. Regardless of the communication, it is WRONG! Some have told me, “you have to talk in the language of the industry”. What? Come on man!! If that is the case, then we need to clean up the industry! It doesn’t matter if you are playing, it is your normal language or if you are angry, foul language is wrong, no matter what! Whether it’s anger, disgust or this is how you talk to your friends, you can’t bring it to the office.
I can tell if a person has leadership qualities by the way they talk to others. - YOU CROSSED THE LINE! –Leaders who compromise their integrity for business or profits are FOOLS! A lack of integrity from leaders doesn’t just annoy employees, it appalls them. In fact, when a leader shows a lack of integrity, employees become de-motivated. When a boss breaks or fudges the rules, cheats, lies or indulges in behaviors that reveal a lack of moral principles, he loses respect.
respect, you can’t influence. If you can’t influence, you can’t lead. In addition, when a leader lacks integrity, he gives employees permission to do the same. I’ve seen leaders compromise their integrity and moral values to be validated by others. I have personally seen this take place and the destruction it causes. A true leader will never comprise their moral integrity for validations.
Being a leader is about doing the right thing and leading by example. You simply cannot have one standard for yourself and one for everyone else. Treat people the way you would want to be treated.
If some of these sound familiar, then do something to correct them immediately. The longer you continue the easier it is to continue.
Don’t Be a Liar in 2016, Identify Principles, Not Resolutions
As you consider 2016, commit to what makes you better, not what makes you a liar.
Resolutions will make a liar out of you every time! Instead, focus on the things you can control and achieve. It is all about your principles.
Here are 11 principles I am committed to in 2016.
- SET WRITTEN GOALS – Have WRITTEN goals that are achievable, but stretch you personally and professionally. However, make sure you have some that are easy wins. The easy wins motivate me to attack the more difficult one’s.
- BECOME A BETTER COMMUNICATOR – Learn to listen more and ask great questions. I had this on my list last year. Biggest issue I have. I love to hear my own voice. However, I found I can help more people by listening more than talking and engaging that person with relevant smart questions. As a better listener, I can serve those I lead and company employees better and more effectively.
- BECOME MORE ENGAGED – I continue to believe that every professional must be engaged in the work of those they lead, or as a safety professional, we must truly understand what people do, how they do it and what barriers exist. You can’t influence if you don’t know how to add value!! I put over 35,000 miles on my vehicle visiting locations and employees!
- BE MORE PATIENT – Learn to be more patient with people and be more patient for the desired results. Another challenge for me. Realize that it takes time to see results. Leaders are leading to change a culture. It takes time to change the way people think. Know what you want the end result to be and work steadily and patiently towards that.
- BREAK DOWN BARRIERS – Identify what is creating friction. Is it a person? a process?, lack of communication? Departments or individuals with competing agendas can slow or stall goals and affect company and individual performance. Realize we are not in competition with each other, but rather we are in competition with the competition. Be transparent, share information and help others succeed. Zig Ziglar said;
You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”
- BECOME RESILIENT TO FAILURE – Along the same thought process as patience, you must become resilient to failure.
Learn to fail forward. Your approach to failure will have an impact on the outcome. Embrace the failure and use it to gain success. - BE PROACTIVE – Become more aware of trends within the organization. By listening to the talk and becoming aware of people’s actions, the words they choose and the trends within the industry, you can create or make changes to programs, goals and training that allows you to stay ahead of the “game”. For Safety Professionals like myself, that means a reduction of risk resulting in less incidents.
- TAKE MORE CHANCES -Ready, Fire, Aim!!! Doesn’t everyone in my group and company hear that a lot. Just ask them. I learned this term 25 years ago at another company. I believe if you don’t take chances, you won’t be successful. John Maxwell says, “first always wins”. Be creative. Think differently to solve problems or make things better. Identify what needs to be done, DO IT and we will improve it. If you never do it, you will never know the result.
- NETWORK MORE – Networking is the single greatest activity you can do to increase your net worth. My connection to an individual, put me in the position I hold now. I now make more money and have the best job I’ve ever had! It is frequently said that “it is not what you know but who you know”. It amazes my how many professionals do not make an effort to network. I lost my job in November 2008. It was through a former associate that I received my next job. Networking is crucial for career advancement and recognition as a true professional or expert. BE ACTIVE ON LINKED and keep your profile up to date. I am consistently surprised (shouldn’t be) at how many professionals (especially sales) do not even have a LinkedIn profile. You never know when you will need help and who can help!
- VOLUNTEER/SERVE MORE – Become active in your community, professional organizations, church , etc. JUST VOLUNTEER!! I volunteer on a couple of boards, I am President Elect (President in second half of year) for my local professional organization, AVP for the Regional Professional Organization, speak for free at multiple organizations and conferences, and volunteer my time with the local high schools in the OKC area. I believe this builds character and humility while making others better.
- INVEST IN YOURSELF – How can you lead others, if you don’t grow your yourself? You can’t!! READ,READ, READ…………….fiction and non-fiction. Reading stimulates the brain and expands your creativity. I use to hate to read, now I love it.
My goal is to read at least 1 new book per month. Reading gives me a lot of my ideas and creates a sense of knowledge for solving most problems. If I don’t know the answer, I read. Commit to attending meetings, conferences and training that stretches you and provides a greater expansion of your personal and professional knowledge.
I quit making New Year’s Resolutions a long time ago. Ok, Ok, Ok, I will eat less fatty foods, cut down on the sweets (maybe) and exercise more. I never succeeded or followed through with many of my new year’s resolutions. Instead, I’ve learned to identify things I would do daily, monthly or throughout the year to make me an overall better person.
That’s how I came up with these 11 things. This isn’t the first time I wrote these. This has been my life for the last few years. These 11 principles continue to mold and shape me and will make me
a better husband, father, GRANDFATHER (in April), professional, leader and overall a better person.
What about you?
10 ACTIONS TO INCREASE YOUR INFLUENCE
Want to increase your influence? I think the 10 actions and concepts below will help you. As you have probably heard me say or read John Maxwell’s writings, he defines leadership as Influence,Nothing More, Nothing Less. I work daily to increase my influence. However, I’ve come to realize that influence takes time. It requires consistency and tenacity. Try these actions and concepts. Practice them often and stay you will increase your influence.
Read it…….it’s less than a 1000 words!
- WANT TO INFLUENCE? FIRST THINGS FIRST, ENCOURAGE – Start every conversation with something positive about the person or group you are addressing. I’ve learned this over the years. People are motivated by encouraging words.
- INFLUENCE BY UNDERSTANDING – Although you have a responsibility for self-leadership, leadership is about others. When I think about what needs to happen or take place, I think about how my actions, my conversations and my vision will affect others. I’ve realized that my performance is a direct reflection of my leadership.
- INFLUENTIAL LEADERS EXPERIENCE THE WORLD OF THOSE THEY LEAD – They look at the bigger picture, they understand the trials and troubles they go through. Good leaders become someone who listens to their people, not to reply, but to understand. Get in tune and understand the people you lead and you will increase your influence.
- INFLUENTIAL LEADERS REALIZE EVERYONE COMES IN DIFFERENT SHAPES AND SIZES – They realize that Good Leaders Ask Great Questions (read this book from John Maxwell). The right questions will uncover a person’s interest and what motivates them. I think it is important to connect by finding common ground and nurturing relationships. This process will allow the leader to develop relative questions that will reveal their desires and interest.
- INFLUENTIAL LEADERS HELP OTHERS – I think we get so consumed with our own desires and agendas that tunnel vision occurs and we don’t see the needs of others. I have learned when we are first to offer assistance and help, we begin connecting in such a way that our relationship allows us to influence. Zig Ziglar said, “You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want”. Look at those you lead, take action and watch your influence grow.
- INFLUENTIAL LEADERS ADD VALUE – People who are in it for themselves will never achieve anything great. Those who look for ways to add value to others will influence. Add value by finding out what is important to those you lead. Value will look different in every situation. A good leader will ask great questions to identify what value looks like. Treat value independently to the person.
- INFLUENCE WITH STORIES AND EXAMPLES – As a speaker, I’ve learned the importance of sharing good relevant stories. As a leader and professional, I’ve recognized the importance and effectiveness of sharing good stories with those I influence. People want to see the human side of leaders. I believe stories create a sense of belonging and connect us through life’s similarities. Leaders who learn to master the art of good storytelling are the one’s who attract followers.
- INFLUENCE BY GIVING OF YOURSELF WITHOUT ANY STRINGS ATTACHED – Give without any strings attached. I believe it is very important to be in “in tune” with those you lead or have potential influence with. Christopher Reeve said “Success is finding satisfaction in giving a little more than you take”. When we give without any strings attached, we will benefit professionally and personally and professionally.
- PEOPLE OF INFLUENCE KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF A NAME – What is so important about a person’s name? It is how we identify them. Sure there are many people who have the same name, but what happens when you call a random name in a crowd? People respond. Learn the names of those you meet and associate with. Few sounds are as sweet to a person as hearing their spoken name, few sounds are as irritating when you refer to someone by the wrong name. Remembering names, shows you value them.
- INFLUENTIAL LEADERS PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGE STRENGTHS – I think one of the best ways to gain influence is to acknowledge a person’s strengths. Areas within their personality or employment that seems to tie them well to the organization. When people are recognized for what they do well, they gain an enthusiasim to do more and do it better. In fact, they will want to “Exceed Expectations”, not just meet them. When people exceed expectations, everyone wins! Recognize what people do well in front of others and you will be surprised by the growth of influence.
We all have influence, big and
small. We all have things we are gifted or good at. Things we leverage by adding value to others. Whether it is our attitude, problem solving skills or simply just our ability to laugh, we should be sharing our knowledge, experience and influence. Employees respond to influence. We should work hard to increase our influence by adding real value everyday. Do this and you will increase your leadership. You’ve heard it before, Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. Go have influence on others!!
LEADER INFLUENCE 