“A leader affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops”. Henry Adams

Building a long lasting influence with people: Influence matters. The ability to influence is one of the essential skills for leaders at all levels.

Influence is power. No matter who you are, where you work, or what your professional goals are, achieving more influence in the workplace is critical for success. Gaining influence on a team can help you work together more effectively.

Influence has countless advantages, but gaining that influence, like learning a skill, takes time and effort. Fortunately, there are many strategies you can use to cultivate this characteristic.

Give honest and sincere appreciation

Appreciation is one of the most powerful tools in the world. People will rarely work at their maximum potential under criticism, but honest appreciation brings out their best. Appreciation, though, is not simple flattery, it must be sincere, meaningful and given with love.

You can make more friends in two months by being interested in them, than in two years by making them interested in you. The only way to make quality, lasting friendships is to learn to be genuinely interested in people and their interests.

Listen to Others

Study after study has shown that listening is critical to leadership effectiveness. Influence is a two-way street. The more you believe in the people around you and incorporate their ideas into your vision, the more they’ll believe in your ideas and incorporate them into their work habits. If you want to build up this kind of relationship with your co-workers and employees, you first have to listen.

The ability and willingness to listen is often what sets a you apart. Hearing words is not adequate; you truly need to work at understanding the position and perspective of the others involved in the conversation.

Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain

Human nature does not like to admit fault. When people are criticized or humiliated, they rarely respond well and will often become defensive and resent their critic. To handle people well, we must never criticize, condemn or complain because it will never result in the behavior we desire.

Get to understand your natural orientation and the appropriate styles to influence those around you, figure out where you’re on solid ground and where you need to shift gears and use a different approach to be more effective.

Smile

A smile costs nothing, but creates much. Research has shown that it takes thirty-two muscles to frown and two muscles to smile.

Therefore why frown and stress your entire muscles when you can smile and still maintain your body architecture.

Happiness does not depend on outside circumstances, but rather on inward attitudes. Smiles are free to give and have an amazing ability to make others feel wonderful. Smile in everything that you do. A smile is contagious and it’s an inexpensive way to improve looks. A smiling face is always welcomed.

Don’t compromise your values

Values are ideals which you choose to live with. It helps shape your future and enable you to make proper decisions. To influence people, you should never be swayed from your values no matter the pressure mounted on you.

A little personality goes a long way, especially when you’re trying to build influence in the workplace.

Nothing diminishes the dignity of a man quite like an insult to his pride. If we don’t condemn our employees in front of others and allow them to save face, they will be motivated to do better in the future and confident that they can.

Source: http://www.walktallarena.com/building-a-long-lasting-influence-with-people/