NOW I CAN SHARE the answers to these and other questions on this important topic. After reviewing hundreds of hours of media interviews from my book tour (Seven Secrets of Influence) allow me to share some highlights with you here.
[message type=”custom” width=”100%” start_color=”#F0F0F0 ” end_color=”#F0F0F0 ” border=”#BBBBBB” color=”#333333″]Neither WHAT you know (technical or professional expertise nor WHO you know (your network of contacts) will be enough to guarantee your success.[/message][su_spacer]
What WILL help are Influence Skills – or “Portable Power”, as I like to call it a set of skills which are yours, and you can take to any situation.
21st Century changes in technology, organizational structures and societal pressures require us all to have more refined Influence Skills to navigate the new and uncharted waters of a global business environment.
Understanding these conditions and why the mastery of Influence skills will help to improve your chances for success are the critical takeaways that you’ll gain from the discussion .
First, a definition of “Influence” – According to Webster’s;
[bctt tweet=”Influence is the power to affect others, seen only in its effect, without exertion of force or formal authority.” via=”no”]
An archaic definition of Influence is “the supposed flowing of an ethereal power or fluid from the stars, thought to have a magical effect on the actions and character of people”, which is kind of interesting, because while Influence may seem to be magical, we’ll soon see that like all good magic, when done artfully, it looks effortless.
The word “influence” is often maligned, especially in government, (we’ve all heard the term “peddling influence”) and thought to connote manipulation.
[bctt tweet=”Is there a difference? Is Influence the same as Manipulation?” username=”bizmastersglobal”]
A way to distinguish between the two is that while “manipulation”, strictly speaking, means “skillful handling” an interaction can be said to be a positive influence when the influencer has the intention to provide value, add benefit or enhance the experience of the other person. It can be called “manipulation” if there is an intention to exploit or mislead the other, or to misrepresent the product or service. Positive influence has as its result a “win-win” outcome. Both parties in the transaction reach their goals and sometimes even exceed them. If there is an outcome of mutual success, then it is Positive Influence.
Of course, I’ll be interested in your comments, questions, suggestions, feedback.
