8 Ways To Be An Influential Man

Influential People

Men don’t need to be reminded that the notion of influence seeps into every facet of life. Those who are highly influential tend to leave a profound impression on every person they encounter, whether it be in work, relationships or transitional phases of one’s life.

What the Ali, Jobs and Zuckerbergs of this world exude on the outside however is only just a fraction of what’s required to reach this level of self-greatness. Innovative, confident, resilient, articulate, consistent and opinionated, these are the types of traits which make the impossible attainable.

If you’re in need of some motivation for the start of your working week, these are the eight simple traits you’ll need to step up as an influential man of this world.

Practice Self Belief

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Don’t roll those eyes just yet. There’s a legitimate reason that this cliche reason has stood the test of time. Influential people are known to have high expectations and in order to achieve those lofty goals, they first need to believe in their own ability and that nothing they want is out of reach. In addition to that, influential people also spread that belief to those around them in order to magnify that goal. Can one person really change the world? Some of the most influential people today started with just an idea and a lot of determination.

Response Over Retaliation

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Influential people have a unique ability to handle criticism when it comes to making a mistake or dealing with someone who has made a mistake. Rather than retaliating and lashing out emotionally at the first instance, influential people tend to take a moment to reflect, think and then deliver an appropriate response of action. The reasoning behind this comes from the fact that influential people know the value of relationships so will do their best not to burn bridges that could potentially help them in their goal. More importantly they also realise that emotional retaliation can have a negative influence on those around them.

Be Consistently Proactive

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Proactively seeking out the new is what influential people are wired to do. Rarely do they ever wait for new ideas or technology to find them, rather they actively seek out the latest trends to employ in their own personal pursuits. These people are also called early adopters, people who can forecast to a degree of what is about the be the next big thing. So keep your eyes and ears open and once you find it, be one of the first to spread it.

Prioritising What Really Matters

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Influential people will always face resistance in one form or another on the road to glory. The point to take away here is to see through those trivialities, detractors and negativities whilst focusing only on what matters. Once this is clear, influential people filter this message down to their team for effective action. If you look at someone like Elon Musk, pointless banter rarely enters his psyche. He has an important message, he shares it and then backs it up with action. This is the way of a truly influential visionary.

Use Your Networks

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A big advantage of influence is being able to connect and forge a lasting relationship with likeminded people. As such, an important skill of becoming an influential man is about knowing how to make connections and then capitalising on those with the connections’ of connections. In the end this all benefits the team behind you as invaluable knowledge can be shared in areas of expertise that one might not already possess. This can ultimately make one’s job a lot easier and faster.

Inspire Conversation

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If you look at some of the world’s most influential people, you’ll realise that they’re not only good at their jobs but also a master at creating conversation about their product, service or vision. More specifically, they raise awareness in issues that were once overlooked or entirely unknown. Influential people use this skill to inspire others to explore new ideas and ways of approaching challenges.

Be Disruptive For The Right Reason

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Being influential means that one rarely settles for the status quo in pursuit of something great. It’s always about pushing the limits and asking questions like ‘why not?’ and ‘what if?’ until a new result arises. Rarely afraid to take on the conventions of wisdom, influential people will disrupt an industry not just for the sake of it but to also make products or processes better.

Be A Lone Thinker

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Being influential means not being affected by the latest trends or public opinions floating about. The key is to form a single opinion derived from one’s own research and facts. That’s not to say to be stubborn, but more so that when the facts support a different view, to be open to changing one’s mind. An influential man isn’t swayed by what others think, only what he knows.