As a new leader, visionary or entrepreneur, your sphere of influence is your power circle. Influence is all about the people you connect with constantly. If you don't have one then you aren't leading. If you aren't sure whose in this circle you are leading the blind. The goal of all leaders should be to increase their circle and cater to the interests and needs of their circle of influence.
As a leader you should have a team who is dependent on your vision and leadership to guide them. This is your sphere on influence. Your energy is dedicated to the visions, the mission, and your team. You should know what is most important to that circle and how you are reaching them. You need to know how your circle receive information best and how frequently you need to contact them to keep them motivated.
To tap into your sphere of influence think about this:
- Who is currently in your circle of influence? Who do you currently connect to consistently? Do you share the same values, career, problems? What attracts you to one another? Think about if this is the group you need to sell the vision you have. If not begin to think about who you need to add to your circle.
- Who would I like to include in my circle of influence? Maybe there are a group of professionals who you'd like to market your vision to but you aren't currently. You have to study places they frequent and who they tend to gravitate to. You've got to do what you need to, to grab their attention and once you've got it give them all you've got. They need to leave understanding who you are, what you do, and why they should care. Think about this carefully before approaching new influences.
- What is most important to them? Know their values and principles. Know what problems they have, what makes them tick, and where they go to de-stress. You need this information to target and position yourself to be on their radar. Once you are speaking to them you have a few speaking points of their interest, and you can now transition into telling them more about you and what you do.
- How can I communicate what I know to that circle of influence? Once your initial contact how can you stay in contact with them. When you exchange business cards you can ask if they'd like to know more about the topic you discussed and get permission to add their email to your list. Now you have targeted exactly who you need to have on your list and you can win them into your circle of influence!
