Why Influencing is NOT a Dirty Word

27 september 2018

You don’t want to be a manipulator - I get it. Neither do I. And from what I hear from working with people, this is a common fear.

But influencing is not manipulating, if your intention is right.

Compare it to a knife: you can use it to open a package, cut your food, carve wood. You can also use a knife to hurt someone. The difference is in the intention, not the tool.

The same is true for influencing. Your intention decides the outcome.

What’s more: you influence others all the time, every day. Whether you speak up, or not. Whether you take action or not. Unfortunately you're often unaware that you're influencing others. So you don’t realize how you impact them.

If you embrace change, you subtly influence others to do so as well. If you complain about the change, you influence them to resist. If you speak respectfully about our customers, or if you gossip about them, you influence how your team perceives them.

The more you are aware how people can be influenced, the more you can make a positive impact.

Influencing is one way of improving the way we work. Do it consciously.