Increase Your Effectiveness Today

Influence is often the most powerful tool you have for building a successful project, career or company. Are you a thought leader in your world? What can you do to increase your influence, increasing your overall effectiveness? Here are some areas you can concentrate on in order to keep expanding your influence (and therefore, your actual authority).

1. Give your social network a check-up. Widen the boundaries of your influence, and give yourself a chance to make connections that you may not otherwise make. Look at how your LinkedIn or Facebook profiles are positioned and give them a facelift. Actively search out new connections or professional groups in your industry.

2. Repair damaged relationships. Once a professional relationship has been damaged, it can be difficult to know where to begin the process of amending it. Instead of concentrating on resolving past issues, try tactics such as offering genuine flattery and bringing up opinions that he or she previously expressed. The genuine flattery will go a long way toward softening the edges of your past interactions and remembering his or her opinions, especially in a public setting, will show general respect and regard.

3. Focus on others’ positive attributes. This is the age-old practice of fanning the behaviors that you want to see more of, and tamping down less positive attributes. If the people you communicate with feel that you “understand and respect” their passion or skills, your influence will be increased.

4. Let others know how you can benefit them. This one may sound like bribery, but here is the rub: People are generally self-serving. If you can let them know who or what you know that might benefit them, you will see your influence take off.