10 Powerful Ways to Influence People in a Positive Way

Become an authority in the area in which you seek to lead others.

Most people are predisposed to listen to, if not respect, authority.

Personal narratives, testimonials and impact stories are incredibly powerful. 

Your stories should be related to the issue or concept you are discussing. They should be an analogy or metaphor that explains your topic in ordinary terms and in vivid detail. 

To influence people in a positive way, we must lead by example, lead with intention and execute with excellence.

It is incredibly inspiring to watch passionate, talented people at work or play. 

Catch people doing good. Once you do that, name and notice their contributions.

Look for often overlooked, but critically important things that your peers, subordinates and managers do that make the work more effective and more enjoyable.

Celebrate the unique attributes and skills of your colleagues.

Learn to quickly and accurately assess what people are doing well and then let them and their colleagues know.

For people who lack confidence, or people who prioritize the opinions of others, being right is important. But in the quest to be “right,” we can hurt other people.

The antidote to that is to prioritize kindness above rightness. And you can be kind and still stand firm in your position.

The best way to influence others is to appeal to their logical, emotional and cooperative needs:

• Their logical need is their rational and educational need. 
• Their emotional need is the information that touches them in a deeply personal manner. 
• The cooperative need is understanding the level of cooperation various individuals need and then appropriately offering it.

Operate from your place of expertise. Leave everything else to others.

You cannot positively influence others if you are more preoccupied with what others do well versus what you do well.