Recently, I was a little taken aback by feedback I received from someone who worked in a different department. The feedback reads,<\/p>\n
I find Isabel rather quiet and possibly not as vocal with her influence as she could be. It is only when I am working with her directly that I see her strong influence at the company.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
It was a good feedback because it made me think. It made me question my approach and how I am being perceived by others. Does being outspoken equal being influential? If I was loud and proud and was always adding my two cents worth to every discussion, does it make me an influential person?<\/p>\n
The answer is, of course, subjective and many people will have different perspectives. I\u2019d like to share my perspectives on what being influential means to me.<\/p>\n
Being influential means having others wanting to hear my point of view and listen to what I have to say.<\/p>\n
Being influential means I make good decisions (more good ones than bad) and others trust me to make decisions that they want to follow.<\/p>\n
Being influential means having an open mind to listen to what others have to say and taking them into consideration.<\/p>\n
Being influential means knowing the difference between empowering and directing and when to do one over the other.<\/p>\n
Being influential means choosing where and how I want to make an impact because as with anything, quality always trumps quantity.<\/p>\n
Being influential means knowing myself and knowing my values. I need to know where I stand and what I care about before I can be influential in an area.<\/p>\n