5 Ways to Become a Positive Influencer

There’s that old axiom: A leader without followers is just some guy out for a walk.
It’s a simple analogy, but certainly a true one. Leaders need to have confidence and credibility in order to inspire those around them into adhering to their ideas — or else those plans would never see the light of day. It’s easy decide that you have ideas and ambition enough to become a thought leader; the trickier part comes when you need to convince others that you’re worth the time and effort of listening and following. Finding people who will listen — much less buy in — to your vision can be a long and frustrating process, especially for those without years of experience to lend their words credibility.
Aspiring leaders need to become people worth following — and for that, they need to learn how to become positive influencers in their working and personal lives.
Courageousness
Influencers can’t hide in their bedrooms and Netflix the day away, promising themselves that they’ll write that business plan tomorrow. Rather, they have to take risks and put themselves in the glare of public view. Encountering resistance and setbacks is a necessary part of professional development — and aspiring leaders need to have enough moxie to overcome hurdles when they arise.
Confidence and Humility
Positive influencers are capable of counter-weighing their strong sense of self-confidence with a healthy dose of humility. Not only will this balance aid in their own development as professionals, but will additionally inspire trust in those around them. According to a report from Harvard Business Review, employees who witness altruistic behavior in their managers are more likely to feel involved in their teams and manifest greater engagement and dedication to the work. Confidence is undoubtedly a necessary quality for leaders; however, if it isn’t balanced out by humility, that assurance can easily soar into arrogance.
Authenticity
Be authentic! Attempting to force yourself into adhering to principles or beliefs that you don’t hold in order to appeal audiences never works out well. At best, you seem as though you’re trying too hard — and at worst, you come off as manipulative and fake. Stand by your passions; even if others don’t agree with your position, they will respect your authenticity.
Empathy
Empathy is a must for positive influencers. Leaders need to know the people they lead — otherwise, they fall out of step with the needs of those they attempt to guide. Moreover, the cutthroat cultures of non-empathetic workplaces have been tied to astronomical rates of employee stress. According to statistics published by Entrepreneur Magazine, hard-driving, unsympathetic companies usually spend 50% more on healthcare than empathetic company due to high volumes of stress-related accidents in the workplace. Positive influencers need to be empathetic — for humane reasons, if not for leadership purposes.
Becoming a positive influencer can be a long process, and require a great deal of interpersonal work. However, if proper effort is put towards developing necessary qualities and characteristics, even young thought leaders can find success.
Originally published at davidpereira.us on July 25, 2017.
