Master the Art of Influence

As a Leader who wants to make a significantly positive difference to your region, department or business, one of the key skills that you have to master is the Art of Influence.

As Anthony Robbins says the most important skill that a leader requires is influence. The only thing that can change your region, department or business for the better are leaders. Leaders solve problems and leaders maximise resources. To solve problems you need others, otherwise, you would have sorted them out yourself. You have to get others to help you to resolve the issues. That requires influence.

If you cannot influence, you cannot lead

Some basic tips to become more influential in your region and stores:

1) Ask good questions

Questions such as the following will make you stick out more as well as increase your influence:

• What is our goal here? What is the outcome?
• Who will be impacted if we do or don’t make this decision?
• Who is accountable for making this happen?
• What capabilities and resources do we require to make this happen?
• What milestones will indicate that we are making progress? How will we measure our progress?

2) Law of reciprocity

“If you do something for me, I will do something for you”. There is an obligation to give when you receive. For e.g. a friend invites you to a party, there is an obligation that you are to invite them to a future party. If a colleague does you a favour, then you owe that colleague a favour. If you require something from a franchisee or an employee give it first. This means that people are more likely to say yes to people that they owe. The key to reciprocity is first to give something personalised and unexpected.

3) Be the connector

If you are the connector in your region (which you should be), you rise in the region’s power structure. Be the individual who knows all your franchisees/operators’ desires and strengths and connect people based on those things. The more people you know and the more people you connect with, the more influence you have.

4) Ask these 3 questions to challenge yourself

a) Is what I am developing and contributing truly distinct?    

b) Is this my absolute best contribution?

c) Am I and my work demonstrating heart and emotion?

5) Express positive expectations

Roger Bannister who thought it was impossible to go below 4 minutes a mile said that the only reason how he managed to set the record was because his coach Franz Stafeple said something that changed his mind. He said, “You can do a 3:56 mile”. Roger further said that everything changed after he heard those words. That comment broke him through the real barrier, the mental barrier.

What’s your 4-minute mile?

Your thinking creates your reality

Your “impossibility thinking” becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy

A great coach sees you not as you are, but as what you can be

Sometimes, this common sense isn’t common practice.