The Cost of Low Influence

When you hear the word “influence” you may think of influencer marketing but that is just one context.

If you are a leader of others or a business owner/entrepreneur – especially one where you are the brand – then you may want to focus on your influence. Why? Because I speak to leaders all the time who say things like:

• "I feel like my (brand) story is unclear"
• "I’ve got next-level challenges in my business now" (i.e. growth)
• "I’m not feeling confident" (in a new area)   
• "I want those around me to be more accountable"
• "I know I need to step into the leader that I really am" for my business 

When we work together, I usually find one of three things to be true: 1) they want to expand their impact and stand out, 2) increase their confidence and presence 3) they want to be perceived in a new way.

All of this points to increasing the level of influence you have in your brand – as a person – which mirrors your business brand leadership.

Defining Influence

So, what do I mean by “influence” exactly? Here are a few definitions to draw from. 
The American Heritage Dictionary, defines “influence” as:  

• a power indirectly or intangibly affecting a person or a course of events
• power to sway or effect based on prestige, wealth, ability or position
• a person or thing exercising such power for an effect or change…  
• (v) To cause a change in the character, thought or action 
  (bold emphasis added)

Another reference is from the book The Go-Giver where the authors note, “your influence is determined by how abundantly you place others’ interests first.” This shift in perspective directly speaks to the value of heart-led leadership. 

John Maxwell says, “Leadership is nothing more than influence.” So, influence is about increasing your abilities, owning your power and upskilling your persuasive positioning.

What is a Person of Influence?

Here’s what we know about people who are “influential.” They are:

• Great storytellers
• Bold in the actions they take
• Unafraid to disagree, when needed
• Prioritize other’s needs (heart led)
• Know the difference between criticism and critique
• Instill hope and empower others
• Motivate others to action

Becoming a person of influence means you have 360-degrees of communication confidence. You, as a leader, have a strong brand. Your show up with a confident presence, you are clear and concise and embrace the responsibility of difficult conversations while aiming to maintain the relationship.

 The Cost of Not Improving Your Influence

When we start a business it’s because we are good at something and that feels good. Being good at “the work” can feel productive but it also sets you up for patterns of sameness.

The brain likes sameness.
It doesn’t particularly like change.
It doesn’t feel great to do something different and new. And therefore, (at the beginning) not be very good at it.

So, you stay working “IN” the business and you forget to work on you and your own growth. 

You like your work. You like feeling productive. So you stay the same. The problem is – you’ve got next-level challenges showing up on your doorstep now and you’re stuck on the hamster wheel.

When you are willing to grow beyond doing what you are good at, you can achieve beyond what you’ve already accomplished.  

The cost of not improving your level of influence as a brand and leader is simple. If you don’t grow your level of influence, you’ll stay where you are – IN the business, never getting that bigger picture of impact and next-level achievement.

Opportunity for a Boost 

If you’d like to take advantage of an opportunity to jumpstart you on this path of increasing influence, you can apply for the Influence Audit – a free, 60-minute evaluation and boost to your level of influence.

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