Powerful people have a strong point of view. They lead with clear direction.
Are you powerful?
If you want to be perceived as a powerful leader, you must establish a reputation as a confident and knowledgeable expert with the experience to guide others.
You can become more powerful. In many situations, if you want to gain influence, you must become more powerful.
To be powerful, you have to:
- Be prepared to lead. What will you say to inspire this leadership? What do you confidently know is true, based on your unique knowledge and experience?
- Be ready to make decisions. How do you make your most powerful decisions? What are those decisions based upon?
Do you naturally use Power? You can find out here, by taking the Fascinate test. If Power is one of your main personality Advantages, you have a strong sense of control and authority.
What if Power is NOT one of your main Advantages? Can you grow your strength and influence? Yes, absolutely– if you create messages that gain control of your environment.
This is easier than it seems. You’ll start by subtly applying your opinions of authority.
YOUR “OPINIONS OF AUTHORITY”
You already have opinions. But you probably aren’t articulating them to build your influence with the Power Advantage.
An “opinion of authority” is a strongly worded viewpoint.
It is not a statement of fact, but rather, a firm belief that reflects your expertise. It must be rooted in your area of experience, and reflect a personal sentiment. It can also be contrarian, or counterintuitive. Remember, the Power Advantage isn’t always about building consensus, but about increasing personal influence.
Your opinions of authority shouldn’t be obvious. In fact, the more distinctive your point of view, the more memorable it will be.
You won’t stand apart from your competition if you don’t first take a stand.
What do you believe with such conviction that you can advise your customer with full confidence?
EXERCISE: BUILDING YOUR OPINIONS OF AUTHORITY
To be perceived as powerful, find the opinions that you can stand behind confidently, and emphatically. Increase the perceived difference between you and others.
START THINKING ABOUT YOUR OPINIONS.
Let’s begin by jotting a list of your own personal opinions. Your most opinionated opinions. You know you have them… and now it’s time to clarify precisely what they are. (Look, don’t be shy. Write them down. It’s just us here.)
Give yourself permission to exert your beliefs.
A GOOD PLACE TO START
A good place to start is to look at the state of your particular industry. Begin with what you know well.
Imagine a new employee asks you to lunch, to learn from you. They have less experience than you, and they want to understand the potential pitfalls of your industry. What warnings would you give about the way that business is usually handled in youFOUR QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF:
The biggest problem in the industry right now is:
________________________________________________
And, the way I would fix this problem is:
________________________________________________
Things used to be better when we used to:
________________________________________________
The best improvement we could possibly make as an industry would be to do this:
________________________________________________This is a place to start. Continue to develop your opinions of authority.
Take a stand.
Stand out.
Now, it’s your turn. What’s an example of YOUR opinion of authority?
Tell us here, in the comments below!
