Influencing Others
Clarity of Thoughts and Clarity of Actions is very important when it comes to influencing people around you.
The how do you get clarity of thoughts and clarity of actions?
Staying in the trenches yields insights.
Continuously reflecting yields clarity and fuels new ideas.
Trying to teach others help in formulating and articulating your thoughts.
Last but not the least, working with smart people helps you become a good influencer.
Working with smart people is very important because they don’t just ask you “Why?” but they also ask you “What is the alternative?” or “What are the trade-offs?”. Lot of times, I get into the mode of “This is THE way to do this”. And when faced with the alternative or trade-off question, really forces me to think. This really helps me find new, interesting ways to solve the problem or at least helps in clarifying my thoughts.
I find “Leading by Example” is a great way to influence others. I see a lot of people trying to influence others by pointing at their mistakes and trying to correct them. But they themselves don’t walk their talk. This form of influencing is very harmful and short-lived. Agile Consulting is a great example of this.
