Over the years people have asked me for references for various people and groups for help in different areas and situations. This inspired me to write this brief article on the continuum of influence as a tool to grow and develop personally.
Leadership and Influence By definition a leader influences others. Hopefully, this influence is a positive influence. Here is more of an explanation to this involving details like specialization and degrees of influence. Specialization and Influence I look to a variety of people to learn and grow who “have fruit on the vine� in various areas. Some specialize in business, some specialize in counseling, others specialize in political/social issues, and so on. However, if someone seeks to give me their opinion on a matter outside their area of expertise and influence, I chose to carefully weigh what I'm hearing. I know that we all have opinions, but let's be honest, some of us have much more wisdom gathered from many learning experiences in key areas. Degrees of Influence Explained Through a Continuum Not only are there areas of specialization, but there are also degrees of influence. From lowest to highest influence, we have four positions if you will: Informant-An informant is someone who presents others with pertinent information. This can occur through various mediums like articles, books, websites, or even in person.
Teacher- This is more of an instructional position where someone invests time into teaching others in an area they specialize in. This could occur through the same kind of mediums that an informant uses. Mentor- This is more of a “hands on" position where the influencer not only presents relevant information, but also interacts with the learning process of the people they are instructing. This can be done through the same mediums previously mentioned with varying effectiveness depending on the individual being mentored. Healthy Holistic or Spiritual Influence- This is the highest and most comprehensive position of leadership and “fades" into matters of holistic and/ or spiritual leadership. All I will say in this particular article is that with this level of influence over someone's life, we can only hope that the leader is genuine and the influence is positive and healthy. An Area of Development in My Life One area of development in my life has been business. I have found two groups that I've enjoyed working with and are helping me develop in these areas so that I can create the life I would like to live as I build these businesses. For more information on how to create the life of your dreams by building businesses like these, check out these links: https://theinspiredandinformedlife.com/start/home http://SteveKMartin.arbonne.com/
In Summation
Bringing it together, there are various areas of expertise in leadership influence and there are also degrees of influence. These degrees are informant, teacher, mentor, spiritual/holistic. Your Life So who influences your life, to what degree, and in what areas? How well do you use the continuum of influence to grow and develop personaly?