Influence Improves When You Learn New Things - Here's How

Would you rather learn from someone that is using stale information or from someone that is always pushing the boundaries of innovative thinking? Said that way, it seems like a no brainer. Think about how often we are exposed to people or other leaders that continue to work from history and experience alone. Don’t get me wrong; there is value in prior lessons and tried and true wisdom. But there is equal value in seeking new options and opportunities.

Influencing those around us is a critical role for every leader to play. It is what makes us leaders. To remain positioned at the forefront as a leader, your thinking must lead the way. That requires ongoing learning and exploration. How often are you influenced into action with only historical data and not the promise of a new outcome from different thinking?

Paraphrasing a story I recently heard - A student is walking to school early each day and notices the light of his teacher’s home office on, well before the sun rises and prior to the school day. Upon returning home late a night, he again notices the light of his teacher’s office on. It is well after dark and long past the end of the school day. One day, after seeing this for quite some time, the student asks the teacher, “I always see your light on in your office and you working. You keep long hours studying, why is that?”

The teacher replies, “would you rather learn from someone that only knows the past or someone that can help you understand the present and future? I study to keep pace with current trends and ideas to share with each of you.”

Personal Growth

It is our duty as leaders to continue to develop ourselves. We must always be exploring new ideas, finding fresh perspectives, and looking for innovation where there are voids. Personal development leads to much more than our own gains. Our growth can become exponential when we use it to help others develop. Exposing ourselves to new ideas and thinking can open up substantial possibilities both for our own career as well as how we can support those we lead.

Share the Journey

That growth and those possibilities only become multipliers if we share the knowledge we gain. Through experiences and teaching, we can turn that information into wisdom that can lead to new, improved outcomes. Imagine if we assumed that everything we did was already at its full capacity for potential. The phones we have in our pockets, the tablets we check email on, or the TVs we watch for fun would not exist if people assumed that the early forms of those ideas could not be improved upon. Many of the projects or tasks we work on in our retail world are very much the same. We must continue to share new ideas to push the boundaries.

Create the Thirst

Ideas are just ideas without someone bringing them to life for others. It is not enough to share ideas; you have to create an environment where people want to hear about what opportunities lie ahead. Not everyone will take a journey for the sake of the trip - some people need to know what lies ahead and what they may experience along the way. As leaders, we must create that enthusiasm for growth through our actions and words. Creating that excitement is where real influence can come into play. We can change the course of a store, district, region, or more through the vision we cast and the knowledge we share along the journey’s path.

People want to follow others that will help them get better. You can help them understand new concepts and learn more ways they themselves can be successful. Continue to develop yourself using new methods, share your learnings along the way, and get people excited about what could be. That is what real leadership is about. That is the power of influence.

How do you connect your personal development to your ability to influence others?

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