I believe there are a number of ways in which you can become more influential in everything you do. One of the benefits of reading 15-20 books on the topic of influence and persuasion is that you start to ingrain these lessons into your ever day decisions without having to think of them. Here are a few ways to become more influential:
- State both the negative and positive sides of any argument, sometimes over-stating the negative upfront and then balancing that with the positive aspects can show that you have done your research, realize that you are not the cure to all cancers and trouble in the world and it adds a sense of trust or legitimacy to what you are suggesting.
- Always act with integrity and be genuine, it is more simple than trying to act a certain way or act "the right way."
- Think Long-Term: You will influence more decisions and long-term outcomes by thinking long-term. Try to act and treat others as a long-term investor might, not as a day trader. In other words can increase your ability to influence decisions by thinking of both your long-term interests as well as those you are attempting to influence.
- Interview, Quote and Associate with Experts. There is no substitute for the knowledge, wisdom and benefits received from networking, being mentored by or working with a group of absolute experts in your field. Don't have access to them right now? Write a book by interviewing 10 of them and analyzing the common ground between their stories. Don't have a book offer on the table? Self publish.
- Read and Invest in Your Brain 1 hour a day. When you work hard 50 hours a week you feel like you deserve an hour or two of movies, ice cream or intoxication. Sometimes this is needed but if you really want to break through and be more effective you should spend at least one hour each day learning more about time management, self improvement, positive psychology, influence and persuasion and specialized knowledge related to your field. If nothing else, who does not have the time to learn more about time management?
- Do the hard work. Ideas are cheap, hard consistent work is rare. Speak with your actions and invest your time in taking actions towards meeting your goals, stop planning and start failing so you can learn and improve on what you have started.
Tags: tips on how to be more influential, influence, influence and persuasion
