How do we create influence in our lives?

As we transition through the SAGE Leadership model our next field of study is Influence.  Influence is an action!  Influence is created by the daily actions we show and do in our everyday life.  Let’s talk about ways in which we can create an influence on others.  

 

Have you ever noticed how easily people with a positive attitude can influence you?  Very quickly you realize the people who are optimistic or pessimistic, whether their cup is half full or half empty.  Influence is not power, it is more a sharing of wisdom or knowledge.  The SAGE Leadership model is about recognizing the wisdom within ourselves.  As we grow to be a leader it is by our actions and not necessarily by our words that we develop Influence.  It is not having power over others but rather having discipline over our thoughts, words and actions. 

 

Three of my “Ten Daily Actions to Live By” are directly associated with Influence, the first is:

 

“I choose to have a great attitude.  I am a happy person

and I will have a positive attitude toward others.”

 

I designed this Action to create a discipline of self; enabling you to influence others and share yourself within the community of people you impact daily.  My second Action states: 

 

“I know where I want my life to go. 

I have chosen my path to follow daily.”

 

True leaders lead themselves first before they ever try to influence others.  Do you have a plan for your life?  Have you created goals? Have you created a discipline to follow the path you have chosen?  I authored this quote and it has helped me;

 

“Goals are like having your headlights on,

because you know where you are going”

 

My last Daily Action impacted by Influence is choice; how we choose to live our life with others: 

 

“I will greet every day with a forgiving spirit. 

I will forgive myself and others.”

 

As we are able to forgive ourselves and others our influence grows and the people we impact daily expands.  Why is it so hard to forgive?  The main reason is pride, it gets in our way.  Whether we recognize our pride or not, others see it and it lessens our influence.  When we forgive openly we begin to create a deeper relationship with our self and others.

 

As we grow stronger in our faith we influence our self, enabling us to be stronger in all of our relationships.  Why?  Because, when God is our center, we develop greater clarity or understanding of self.  He then helps us visualize ways in which we need to grow in our relationships with others.

 

The first action we must take is to Influence our own life and then our impact will multiply, infinitely influencing others.

 

Gary

The SAGE Leadership Model

As we work our way through the SAGE Model we transition from Energy to Connections.  Looking at the connections in our life we begin the process of examining ourselves, evaluating our identity so to speak and the roles we play. 

First we must examine our personal identity; asking the question, Who am I? By examining ourselves emotionally and physically, we begin to understand our true identity. Self-examination allows us to recognize our strengths, weaknesses and unique passions for life.  Take an inventory of the roles you play in your life; like husband, father, boss, leader, son, faith leader, friend and business associate.  This process allows us to recognize the connections we have to others.

Two of my Daily Actions directly deal with connections.  The first is,

My life is about loving and helping people.  I have a caring and decided heart.

 

As we develop this action in our life, it allows us to impact everyone we come into contact with.  Just think if your mindset for everyone you come in contact with was to love and help?  The key is we must have the caring and decided heart to make this happen. 

 

The second action is,

 

I make people and things flourish by the amount of time and care I give them.

 

Analyze the inventory you took of your roles.  These should be the people you connect with on a regular basis.  Do you give them your time and care daily to help them flourish?  If not, look at ways you can increase your time and care with those who are important. 

 

Story:  When our children were young my wife and I established a nightly bedtime routine.  We would read to our children and then put them each into their bed.  We then spent some one-on-one time with each giving them a back rub.  I never understood why my wife felt this routine was so crucial, but she explained that this routine gave her peace and she wanted to convey that peace to each of them as they went to sleep.  One weekend after attending a Cursillo weekend (a short course in Christianity) she heard of a person that also blessed her children before bed.  So, we added that practice to our nightly routine.  Still today our children want us to tuck them in bed, give them a back rub and bless them.  Over the last 6 months I have added a practice I read about at a conference, I say: 

 

I feel and sense the magnificence in you.

 

These rituals create a connection between mother, father, son and daughter.  Remember your connections are passed on and are a reflection of how others view you.

 

So, how do your connections view you? Positively or negatively?  Remember your emotions are also conveyed by your actions, are you mad, sad, happy excited etc…?  Your connections are directly linked to who you are.

 

Gary

SAGE Energy

In the Sage Leadership model we say SAGE is a very wise person.  How does a person become wise?  It starts with the mindset for a willingness to learn and grow, to be a Leader. 

The first area you as a SAGE leader, must consider is Energy.  Energy is the fuel required for us to become the Leader we want to be.  What are the sources we consider when we want energy?  Determining our passions creates energy. 

As we determine our purpose in life, energy begins to build.  Health and exercise allows our body to create physical energy.  The friendships we share in our lives and our faith will produce mental energy.  As we create disciplines and habits we produce the energy necessary for our life.  This energy allows us to grow our knowledge and learn new things which in-turn increases our energy. 

The second Daily Action is:

“I take responsibility for who I am. 

I am responsible for my past and future.”

As we accept responsibility and own our lives, it gives us the energy to make changes and live the life we truly want.  Take ownership today of what you want to achieve for your life.

The third Daily Action is:

“I am a person of action. 

I choose to seize the moment and I choose now!”

This discipline of choosing or choices will be the future energy in our life.  As we choose our direction, goals and faith; our energy will follow that path.  The discipline we create in our life through deliberate, focused choices, will determine the results.  As we create disciplines they become habits, as they become habits they become daily routines that allow us to grow to become the person we choose to become.  If you want to create more energy in your life, look at one way today you can choose to create a habit that will change something in your life in a positive manner.

Gary

What is SAGE?

You thought I was referencing a spice, didn’t you?  Well I wasn’t, Sage is also defined as a profoundly wise person.  So, my question is:

“How do we become a wise person?”

I believe wisdom comes from within, molded by our experiences, learning and growing daily in our lives.  We grow in our daily lives by increasing our knowledge in areas like education, leadership, faith and health.  As we want our life to grow, we must also grow the time spent within these areas.

A colleague and I have been working on a new Leadership model that I feel will walk you through the necessary steps toward becoming a true SAGE Leader.  The SAGE Leadership Model develops the wisdom from within ourselves allowing us to pursue our passions.  To develop and learn the skills we need in our life, guiding us in becoming the person we want to be. 

Wisdom is the first action we must seek to truly find our passions, giving us the energy, connections and influence necessary to get greater results daily.  As we become aware of this Wisdom, it allows us the freedom to seek different ways in which we can attain knowledge.  A true Leader does not always have the knowledge but they are always willing to learn and grow in the search.  This process follows the first of my Ten Daily Actions:

“My Life is a message.  I will make it what I want it to be.”

 

The person who discovers their message is well on their way to becoming a SAGE Leader because they have established what they want their life to be.  Over the next several weeks we will talk more about how you can incorporate the Sage Leadership model into your daily life.

 

Gary

PS.  My contact information is:

Gary Wilbers

Executive Coach

573-644-7300

gwilbers@ascendbusinessstrategies.com