{"id":995,"date":"2024-10-07T09:13:04","date_gmt":"2024-10-07T09:13:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/?p=995"},"modified":"2024-10-07T10:00:39","modified_gmt":"2024-10-07T10:00:39","slug":"influence-its-an-inside-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/influence-its-an-inside-job\/","title":{"rendered":"Influence – It’s An Inside Job!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority”<\/em>
 — Ken Blanchard<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I hear from many leaders who feel overwhelmed by their inability to drive positive outcomes with their teams. They have great plans, excellent strategies, and proven practices in place, yet they aren\u2019t experiencing the success they expect. So, how can leaders be doing all the \u201cright\u201d things but still get the wrong results? The answer lies within: despite their polished external appearances, they have a messy interior life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Influence Starts from Within<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter what strategies or systems a leader sets in motion, at the end of the day, people don\u2019t just listen to what you say\u2014they feel<\/em> who you are. Your influence isn\u2019t just a result of the plans you put forward; it\u2019s rooted in your internal mindset, attitudes, and beliefs. Influence is an inside job: what happens within you determines what happens through you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your inward position dictates how you relate to others. If you\u2019re struggling to gain influence, it\u2019s important to look inward and ask yourself: Am I operating from a place of authenticity and connection, or am I allowing internal turmoil to cloud my leadership?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hard Truth About Influence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a hard truth that I\u2019ve observed throughout my leadership journey: many leaders love their title more than their team members. When that happens, it doesn\u2019t take long for leaders to lose their position. Influence can\u2019t be sustained by title alone. True influence is earned through trust, respect, and genuine relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n

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“Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It’s about impact, influence and inspiration. Impact involves getting results, influence is about spreading the passion you have for your work, and you have to inspire team-mates and customers.”
— Robin S. Sharma<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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To be influential, leaders must have faith in people. That means we can\u2019t afford to harbor negative feelings like fear, contempt, or dislike. If we\u2019re afraid of our team, we\u2019ll be too intimidated to lead them effectively. If we dislike them, we\u2019ll fail to put their best interests at the forefront. If we look down on people, we\u2019ll treat them as inferiors. Influence comes from adding value to others\u2014but we can only add value to people once we see value in<\/em> them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Power of Relating to Others<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Throughout my leadership journey, I’ve learned that leadership isn\u2019t just about getting results\u2014it\u2019s about building relationships. I\u2019ve faced many ups and downs, and that has fueled my empathy for others. However, it\u2019s also made me less empathic to not make excuses for a lack of progress. I\u2019ve learned that the dreams and passions stored within people’s hearts are powerful sources of energy and motivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you make the effort to understand and encourage your team\u2019s dreams, you unlock their potential and earn their respect. With that respect comes leadership influence\u2014the kind that lasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(3) Takeaways to Help You Increase Your Influence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. People will follow you not just because of what you say but because of who you are. <\/strong>Reflect on your inner attitudes. Are you operating from a place of positivity, belief, and authenticity? Your internal state will determine your influence on the external world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. True influence isn\u2019t derived from holding a title or exercising authority. <\/strong>It comes from connecting with people on a human level. Make it a habit to understand, encourage, and support the dreams and goals of your team members. Lead with empathy, and they will follow you with trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Before you can influence others, you must first see the value in them.<\/strong> Influence isn\u2019t about controlling or manipulating outcomes\u2014it\u2019s about recognizing the worth of others and adding value to their lives. When you see and appreciate your team’s potential, they\u2019ll respect you, and your influence will grow naturally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Influence isn\u2019t about what you have on the outside \u2014 it\u2019s about who you are on the inside. <\/em>

Lead from within, build genuine relationships, and watch your leadership influence grow in ways you never thought were even a possibility!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority”  — Ken Blanchard I hear from many leaders who feel overwhelmed by their inability to drive positive outcomes with their teams. They have great plans, excellent strategies, and proven practices in place, yet they aren\u2019t experiencing the success they expect. So, how can leaders be … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":997,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,4,5,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-995","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-company-culture","category-leadership","category-motivational","category-ownership"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/995","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=995"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/995\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1003,"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/995\/revisions\/1003"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}