What does your work mean to you? Do you go to work just to pay the bills, or is it a place that inspires and interests you? Do you go to work because you have to and the best part of your day is gossiping with colleagues? Or do you go to work because you believe you are making a valuable contribution, and you believe in what your workplace does? Perhaps you are fortunate enough to run your own business, and you love what you do and what you can give to other people. I think that to value your work and to be valued by your workplace you need to be an influencer, not a follower.
What makes someone influential in business, socially, even in the family? At the end of the day it’s a combination of being real, being enthusiastic and being outward looking. I don’t think there is one fool-proof formula for being influential, but let’s look at some traits.
1. Influencers are real and true
Be true to yourself, trust in yourself and know that you have something to offer. What are your strengths? What can you offer others? Have courage and put yourself forward, step up and contribute at work and home
2. Value friends and colleagues
Believe in yourself and believe in others. Rather than being competitive and jealous, influencers are a friend to all and seek to work with others to achieve. Be a team player, and strive to help others reach their potential.
3. Be an original thinker
Share your ideas with others. Never be afraid to contribute. Know that you have something to offer and put forward your thoughts. Not every one of your ideas will be a winner, but eventually you will come up with some gems. Just by contributing to conversations at work and with friends, you are giving others food for thought and something to chew on. You mightn’t even realise the impact you have on others. You might inspire more than you realise.
4. Never fake it, and make sure your interest is sincere
Actions speak louder than words, so rather than just saying the right thing, do the right thing. Step up whenever you can. Always be real, and show a sincere interest in others. That means learning about their lives and interests. Knowing their names, and respecting their dreams.
5. They are politely disruptive
Influential people are never afraid to rock the boat, but they do it in a polite way. They put forward radical ideas, and say why not? They don’t do it to draw attention to themselves. They do it because they are seeking improvements at work.
6. They are active listeners
Influencers are not just talkers, they are also great listeners. When other people are talking, they are not just in their own heads finessing their ideas, but actively listening to other members of the team – seeking inspiration to improve their own work. A good way to actively listen is to ask intelligent questions and to summarise what other people say. The classic, “so you are saying that if we increase output we can cut costs long-term”. Good listening requires us to curb the urge to ‘think ahead’ at meetings.
7. They are never defensive
Influencers are never afraid to say, “I was wrong”. They do not react defensively when people disagree with them. Instead they listen with interest and even try to see themselves from the perspective of the dissenter. As an influencer you care more about the end product and your team than personal gains.
8. Influencers are optimists
Influencers always look on the bright side and take responsibility for their work. They have the courage to dream big and set big goals, knowing they can be achieved.
9. Influencers are networkers
Most influencers are natural people, always making friends and establishing new contacts. They leverage their networks, calling in favours when they need to but also generously doll out favours and advice when others need it. Influencers are professionally generous.
10. Influencers do not fear change
Influencers never shy away from change, but embrace it as an opportunity for growth. They love new technologies and are always exploring new ways toward efficiency. they adapt easily to new tech and always have the latest software and apps. Influencers are also keen to share what they have learned with colleagues and improve their working lives. Of course everyone in the office loves influencers because of what they bring to others.
11. Influencers give credit where credit is due
Rather than being on a quest for self-promotion, influencers are genuine team players, happy to acknowledge the accomplishments of others. They congratulate others sincerely on their accomplishments, which of course is always appreciated.
12. Influencers have friends from all walks of life
When you are putting a team together, it never pays to just recruit people with a similar skill set. A strong team will have people with complementing skills. There will be the creative, the organised, the systematic, the driven, the force-of-calm. Influencers also collect a diverse team of friends, so in life they have a full skill set to draw on. Their friends come from different ethnic backgrounds, they are different ages, they have different levels of education and work in a variety of occupations.
13. Influencers are self-aware
A good influencer knows his or her strengths and his or her weaknesses. They also know their leadership style. They know their strength is to lead by expertise or care or sometimes just charm. Influencers also know that personal integrity is the core of their being, and they are not who they are to impress others. At their core they have values and will never compromise.
14. Influencers are always seeking to continue their education
Influencers are consciously aware that they need to keep improving or they will die! They are prepared to invest in themselves. That means everything from buying quality clothes to continuing their formal education. The more competent you are, the more others will respect you.
At the end of the day, influencers are graduates of my prosperity mindset philosophy.
They realise that they are a ‘work in progress’, and are always seeking to grow – financially, spiritually, physically and emotionally.
Let’s face it, we are all ‘work in progress’ and will be until the day we die.
ABOUT PAT MESITI
Pat Mesiti is a best-selling author, coach and educator in the area of personal development. Having built some of Australia’s largest people-driven organisations, Pat understands the power of harnessing human potential. He has shared the stage with some of the world’s great business minds and has sold over millions of copies of his books and materials.