By Felix C. Veroya
Two weeks ago, I was invited to deliver a talk to graduating students of a leading university here in the Philippines. My topic is about how one can be prepared for their first job interview which I shared also here about a week ago. During the breakout session, one student asked me about how I start building the influence that I utilize today.
Below is the list of six simple skills to build influence.
- Openly communicate. I have reiterated in my articles here that communication is one of the most critical skills of today’s workplace. Through building a good communication skill, a professional can express his / her thoughts about an idea, argument or topic being discussed. If you are successful in communicating with others in various forms (written, verbal and non – verbal), you can establish the credibility thus building influence.
- Be genuinely inspiring and visionary. When trying to ask someone to do something for the sake of a goal, always make sure that you have explained to him / her the importance of doing so. Explain to the people involved, the big picture or rationale or vision of why they must do it so they will feel that they are part of it and not just blindly following what is being told to them. Creating a shared vision and genuinely inspire them will bear positive results as you go through whatever activity or project you must do.
- Be likable and emphatic. Empathy is a skill that is used to explore opportunities that leads to breakthrough solutions and innovations. It is putting your shoe in the shoes of whoever you want to understand. To create influence, one must learn how to understand the needs, wants, pain points and / or motivations of the people around. It easy to agree and follow with a person that understands how you feel.
- Leading by example. It is hard to convince someone if he / she sees you not doing what you are talking. We must walk the talk to influence people to do the same. Always play the role model and emulate what we are asking people to do.
- Give and take. Reciprocity is key to successful interactions and integrations. Always try to offer something in return if you are asking someone to something for you. Let’s say, you asked a team member to go to work on a weekend to finish some urgent deliverables, offer him / her a day off in exchange.
- Providing tools and support. People will be persuaded to do something if they are provided with tools and necessary support. Always ensure that people have access to necessary resources or help them to find ways on how to make this happen. As a great influencer, necessary tools are required as well as a good support system to your team members.
I hope you can find value in these nuggets of wisdom that I have shared to you.
Let’s continue to be #significantlybetter influencers, together!
Do you want to talk? Get in touch with me thru fcveroya@asklexph.com.
