The most influential people in the world who can inspire action

Abha Chaudhary

What is influence? Simply put, it is the ability to inspire action unobtrusively. Whether a parent, a teacher or a leader, we all need the persuasive power of influence! To get an agreement from others by the way you are – righteous and well-behaved. That’s it.

The most influential people in the world who can inspire action and can cause it are often those who have internalised the personal power of correct behaviour. Influence is a dynamic concept and it needs to be built from the inside out. It all starts with the ability to inspire yourself to take action. It is all about the psychology of overcoming procrastination and increasing your self-discipline. It is about personal growth. How do you get yourself to do the things that you should be doing, even when you don’t feel like doing them? Unless you walk the talk, no one would follow you. It is then that you begin to influence another person to take action. And this is commonly known as persuasion. It is the psychology of what you say and how you listen. And how do you use your words and your non-verbals in your communication to inspire, not to force, not to coerce, not to pressurise, but to inspire another person to take action.

Personal growth

How do you multiply time? Personal growth and productivity are two areas around influencing yourself, getting yourself to take action, getting the most out of your own life, and getting the most out of your own time -talks about your strategy to success. Prioritise and learn to say ‘no’. It is a complete sentence. Ignoring your career also weakens your influence on others. Take on a high-profile project. The way you climb up the ladder of success makes others want to follow you. Master your social networking skills. Increase your internal network. Not responding to requests on business networking platforms indicates you don’t care. Pay attention to details before submitting projects. Do not downplay your executive presence. Dress for the next position. Adjust your verbal and body language. Maintain a professional distance. Stick to your commitments. While interacting, engage and listen.

(Chaudhary is a Chandigarh-based image and style consultant)