This month’s topic is about Influence.
Influencing others is something that you probably do every day, but you may not think that much about it. The simple definition of influence is to move someone to take an action without telling them to do so. Some words that could also be used here are aligning, persuading, engaging or inspiring. You are either influencing others or they are influencing you all the time.
There are so many things that are influencing us on a daily basis. People, places, conversations and information that we hear and see all have the ability to influence us into taking some action. Think about advertisements as an example of influence. They are trying to influence you to buy a product or make a decision about something that they are selling. You will see them everywhere and sometimes multiple times a day. These messages come in and go against your beliefs, values, experiences and knowledge. You decide if you agree or disagree with the message and if you want to listen to it or discount it.
Influencing is a much more subtle way of getting someone to do what you want vs forcing them to do it. It isn’t a bad thing. It can be a very effective tool to use and can help you proactively move things along that may be stuck. Pay attention to the conversations that are happening around you today. How many of them are using influence to make something happen? Who is using influence to get you to do something for them?