Lead Others to Think Differently

“Don’t adapt to the energy in the room. Influence the energy in the room.”

During difficult or uncertain times, we not only have an opportunity to lead others, but for many, it is our duty to do it. Especially for those who know they have people who look to them for guidance. So how do you really influence people? That’s the topic of this post, as we dive deeper into our series on influence. But first, think about someone in your life that has been highly influential to you. It could be someone in your personal life or your professional life, someone from your past or someone recent. How did they demonstrate influence?

Was the first person that came to mind someone that influenced you in a positive or negative way? Examine that for yourself for a little while. It might have a big impact on how you perceive influence. If the experience was negative, you could see influence as a negative thing. (And it can be for some.) Which might make you shy away from being influential with others. But if you remember what I stated last week, influence is not something to be taken lightly and whether we realize it or not, we are influencing others by how we show up. So the thing is not to stop being influential, it’s to start being influential in the right ways! Which is why we must show up with integrity and always strive to be the best version of ourselves.

Note: This doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. It’s okay to make mistakes and have struggles. It’s in how you handle it all that people watch and learn from. And right now, people are stopping what they are doing and they are watching. They are searching for guidance. Searching for someone to lead them. It’s what happens when we feel uncertain or fearful about something. And let’s face it… in the last few years, we have currently been filled with uncertainty and fear. Which is why right now, more than maybe ever before, we must level up and lead.

Now back to that person that is/was highly influential in your life… How did they influence you? And why do you think they were so influential? Did they teach you a new way to think or behave that was a benefit to you? Did they challenge you to grow? Or did they role model the way by how they were showing up in their own lives?

Odds are, it was one of the above ways… These are the most common ways people lead and influence others. They teach us how to think, they challenge us and they role model the way.

So if you were going to start influencing people to think in a more positive way, where would you begin? What beliefs or perspective would you have that you’d want to share? How would you get them to think differently about their problems? Or more importantly, how might you get them to think more about their possible solutions? What change in perspective or belief might benefit them? And how? What would the benefits be?

Let me give you an example: When facing uncertainty, it's easy to get stuck in overwhelm and fear of all the unknowns and lack of control over the situation or the outcome. But what if I helped you think about the situation differently?

Let's think about it like this... In reality, we truly have never had complete control nor known with full certainty what the future holds. We like to think we do – but when it all boils down to it, we don’t know for certain nor can we control anything but ourselves and how we think, believe, act. I’m sure you can remember many times in your life when you’ve made it through uncertainty and fear. So how is this time any different? At the core it isn’t really. So just like in the past, you can still show up with courage, confidence and hope for the future in this new uncertain situation; believing that you will get through whatever it is you are struggling with. 

Hopefully making this point gets you to think differently about your next uncertain situation. Instead of fearing it or feeling anxious about the uncertainty, to realize that you’ve been through uncertain times before. You go through them all the time really. And you make it through. So, you can do this now! This new way of approaching uncertainty can also move you to focus on the benefits of realizing that in any situation, you can control yourself and how you show up. And the benefit of doing that far outweighs giving up or letting fear consume and control you. 

So if you were going to get people to think differently… what would you want them to think about? How would this new perspective or change in beliefs benefit them? Think about that and then start having conversations… with your children, your friends, your staff, your clients, your co-workers, your students, your significant other. Start talking, start leading and start influencing in a positive way.

Just please always remember this… Being in a position to influence and lead is an honor. Be committed to always do it with the upmost integrity. Your job as an influencer is to guide people in a way that will make their lives better.  

Next week, we’ll focus on how to challenge others to step up and be their best. Don’t miss it! 

***Want to become a better leader and influence those in your life in a greater way? Let me help you get started! CLICK HERE to schedule a short Discovery Call to see if you're a good fit to join the Success Mastery Community. If you qualify, you could be eligible to receive one of FIVE scholarships I’m giving out to new members this month.