Influence vs. Authority

Very often when I speak to groups I ask the question when you were in school how many Teachers left a lifelong impact on you? The highest count I usually get is three. Why is it that number is so low? When you think about the dozens of teachers that you had in your school career from Kindergarten to high school or college that percentage is alarmingly low. My opinion is that it's because the Teachers that left a lifelong impact were Influencers not Authoritarians. Whether you are a Parent, Teacher, Entrepreneur, or CEO of a major corporation, you can lead by influencing others by first of all modeling the attitudes and behaviors that you would like others to demonstrate. Emerson said it best; "What you do speaks so loud I can't hear what you say." As an Influencer it is important to catch people doing things right. So often we all have a tendency to focus on what people are doing wrong. When that's the case then the people you want to lead and/or influence are closed to most of what you say expecting the negative influence. In order to influence you want people around you to be receptive to what you say when you interact with them. Influencing them is about helping them to move in a direction that empowers all. Parents want to influence their children to do the right thing and make good decisions and choices. Teachers want to influence their students to stay focused, and work hard on their school work. Business owners want to influence their employees to be independent thinkers and self starters. When it comes right down to it you can get more accomplished through influence rather than force.