People follow leaders who are inspirational. One of the best ways to inspire others is to accomplish difficult things. People are moved emotionally when they see courage in the face of daunting obstacles. My sister is an example. To experience what I’m talking about, please take 5 minutes to watch the video. It […]
(Influential Leadership) Be Inspirational Read More »
Are you frustrated because you know you have a great solution for someone but they just aren’t acting on it? How can you get others to take action immediately? Here’s the technique we promised in our last blog entry. When trying to influence someone, remember that immediate pain is a stronger
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How can you get others to take action immediately? It was two days before the monster storm, Hurricane Sandy, was supposed to hit the eastern United States. The storm was tracked to directly hit us (which it eventually did). I went to the grocery store just to pick up a few things at
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Do you hate “selling”? You need to re-evaluate this if you want to be influential. Most people hate the idea of selling. I was speaking in South Africa, and after the engagement I thought it would be nice to check out the local sites. I stopped in front of a restaurant to peruse
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It’s easy to come into the office and treat every day as “just another day.” But what if you treated every day, every opportunity, like it was gold! Start each day with powerful questions like these: How can I make a significant impact today? In what ways can I go the extra mile and
(Influential Leadership) Make Impact Daily Read More »
To paraphrase something the Cheshire Cat said to Alice, “If you don’t have a goal, any path will lead you there.” I would add to this, if you don’t have metrics, it will take a much longer time to get there. Think about how this applies to achieving your goals and being seen
(Influential Leadership) Develop Your KPIs Read More »
It’s easy to ‘influence’ our subordinates and get them to follow. After all, we hold the purse strings, so they have a real incentive to follow, or at least to look like they are. We’re tackling a more difficult challenge when we seek to influence peers and others who don’t have that same
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Niche marketing is all about making your product a big fish in a small pond, so that everyone fishing there wants to catch it. Why not apply that to your own career objectives? Many people seem to fear niche-ing. They are afraid that if they don’t present themselves as qualified for a wide range
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Abraham Maslow said, “If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” This is especially true when it comes to your leadership style. Many managers approach every employee and every situation using the same approach – typically, a directive style. Sometimes that style may be
(Influential Leadership) Use Your Entire ToolBox Read More »
When I joined the Leadership Somerset program, we were all asked to name leaders. Out came the obvious choices: Colin Powell, Abe Lincoln, George Washington, Alan Greenspan, and a host of other presidents, historical and political figures, business leaders, and role models, including the general category of “my parents”. Then the facilitator asked,
(Influential Leadership) Choose Role Models Wisely Read More »