Do you want to become influential in your industry or career? When people talk to others about the business you’re in, is yours the name that comes up as the expert in the field? Do others seek out your advice and follow your recommendations?
If you want that to be the case, you are going to have to work on a few different things that will skyrocket you to becoming an influencer. Every single leader in business has done these things, and by following the examples of the successful people that you look up to, you can become the person that people want to know and want to learn from. Here are seven things to do to become more influential within your field.
1. Speak Out
You are never going to get noticed if you don’t speak up. You could have the most important thing in the world to say, but no one will hear it if you don’t make yourself heard above the crowd (both literally and metaphorically). You need to make sure that you find a forum to express yourself. Don’t let social pressure or individual criticism stop you from expressing your uniqueness. The people who stand out above the crowd are going to be the people that others want to follow and be influenced by.
2. Put Your Own Spin On Things
Just because some topic has already been discussed, doesn’t mean that it can’t be freshened up — you just have to do it the right way. Find out what sort of topics in your industry are growing stale and find a brand new way to look at them. Make people see the value in these old ideas and your fresh, innovative take on them as you consistently add value to the conversation.
3. Learn To Speak in Public
Want someone to be influenced by you? Then get in front of them and teach them something valuable. When you’re a public speaker, even if you aren’t good at it to begin with, people will start to respect and notice you. As time goes on, you’ll get better and more confident when speaking to crowds, and that confidence will begin to bleed through into the rest of your interactions. It’s hard work, but leadership and becoming influential starts with getting noticed, making the circuit, and having your name recognized. It’s hard for haters and progress-interrupters to pull you down when you’ve built yourself a soapbox and established yourself as an expert — so get started!
4. Make Something Amazing And Learn From Kickstarter
You’ve probably heard of the crowd-sourcing website Kickstarter. People go on Kickstarter to raise money for their particular project or goal. You’ll notice that almost every single Kickstarter success actually has had something pretty amazing to show the people before they started, but you’ll also notice that what made these Kickstarters successful was the community they developed. Learn from Kickstarter — they’re one of the greatest examples of the power of social proof, but they also demonstrate that quality wins out. These people made something first, and then the support they found on Kickstarter helped them make more. You can do the same thing with whatever industry you are in. Make something amazing, get others talking about it, and people will begin to listen to what you have to say — becoming influential 101.
5. Give Value to Others Without Regard for Whether You’ll Get it Back
When you start off on your journey to become influential, you’re not going to be receiving much from others. That comes later, after they have seen you in action and have developed some respect and admiration for you. So, in the meantime, give to them as much as you can, especially if you don’t get anything back. You’re building a relationship, and while this tip in particular can feel drudgy and unimportant, the payoff at the end of the road is always worth it.
6. Become Influential By Teaming Up
A true leader’s strength comes from their ability to let go. Don’t be afraid to team up with others. You might want to be a leader and influence others in your field, but you don’t have to do it alone. Let me repeat that — you don’t have to do it alone.
Often, learning when to delegate can let you become influential faster and more efficiently by letting you focus on doing what you do best, and letting go of the rest. When you work with others, you begin playing off each other’s strengths and compensating for relative weaknesses. Not only does this make your product far better, it encourages others to engage with you productively. When people see that you are willing get to work and get your hands dirty, they’re far more likely to cooperate with and look up to you — it’s just human nature! Working with a team on a project is an awesome opportunity for you to develop your leadership abilities. If you take the lead naturally and your teammates allow you to guide them, you’ll learn a great deal about influencing people and even more about how to deal with crises.
7. Remember Who Helped You On The Way Up
Finally, don’t forget about those people who helped you on the way up. These are the people who believed in you and helped you from day one, when they had no idea what (if anything) you could do for them. They might not expect a thank you, but you should take the time to acknowledge them anyways. Loyalty is a precious commodity in this world, so guard it closely. Becoming known as a person who remembers those who helped out will encourage others to help you in the future. Never pass up an opportunity to to pay it forward when you have an opportunity to do something to help someone.
Featured photo credit: johnhope14 via imcreator.com
