You don’t have to be a world-class athlete, a Fortune 500 executive, a pastor or a media personality to influence people. In fact, you have gifts that are unique to your very own personality that can make a difference in the lives of others.
It starts with service. How you serve others is a step toward influence. You can lead by serving. When you assist others or help them with something that is important to them, you are building the type of trust that leads to influence. You can have a positive impact on many lives by serving only a few. People see your heart toward others. They gain an understanding of how you care and that you want others to succeed in what they are doing.
A good football coach might win games by coaching fundamentals and calling the right plays during games. A great football coach works in service to those on the team, showing them how to be successful and caring for their well-being. A great football coach inspires athletes by example, by stirring their passion to play the game, by establishing a standard of excellence and holding accountability. A great football coach wins games not because winning is the focus, but because building great teammates, athletes of tremendous character, and sound fundamentals. Winning becomes the result of values and inspiration rather than the only goal. It is in this way that the great coach becomes an influencer of lives, not just winning games. Many of my best coaches over the years, influenced me as a person. They taught me values and skills that to this very day influence my work ethic, my love of family, and as a husband, father and grandfather.
Your example influences people. It really comes down to the Golden Rule—treating others the way you would like to be treated. Martin Luther King, Jr., for example, influenced people with great vision, powerful speeches, and the passion to be a change agent. Those who knew him, however, followed him because of his compassion and empathy for their life’s situations. He inspired them to attain something great beyond themselves because he treated others no less than what he believed to be fair and just for himself and his loved ones.
You, too, can be that change agent. You can be that model of doing right unto others. You can be that spark that motivates people to achieve their dreams. You can influence people to new heights. Serve others. Be an example of what is right and good. Show your heart by the very things you say and do. Treat others the way you would like to be treated. In doing these things, you can become irresistible to those who want to be the kind of person you are. Be an engine of positivity that drives people to excellence. You can inspire others by being who God made you to be, and from that inspiration comes great influence that impacts lives and makes a difference in the world.