Another feature of great influencers is that they are very clear about what and how they are influenced. This self-awareness equips them to be able to move more effectively as they seek to influence others. By thinking about why they do things for other people, they will be able to reflect these observations back and question, why would somebody else do something for me?
One of the great things about this sort of self-reflection is that you don’t have to worry about not getting the full story. When you’re asking someone else, there is always an overlay of caution in their answers — they may hold back on the full truth. After all, why should they tell you how to influence them? Of course you could be deluding yourself; yet the more you think about this the closer you’ll come to the really potent answers.
Take action on this secret…
- Make a list of 10 times when you recently did something that you initially would have resisted.
- Include times that a salesperson has sold to you, or when someone approached you with an idea that you initially resisted.
- For each, work out what motivated you to change your mind.
- What was it about the person, the idea, the proposal or the situation that convinced you to do something different?
And remember, we are all human animals and many of the things which influence us will also be useful when attempting to influence others.
