Ep 2 Leadership Influence: The Mid-Career X Factor

00:00:15 Speaker 1: Influence is the bridge between ambition and achievement, connecting your dreams to reality And reality. 00:00:17 Speaker 1: All great leaders are amazing influencers too. 00:00:21 Speaker 1: And the good news is that influential leaders are not necessarily born but can be made. 00:00:28 Speaker 1: That means you too can be influential. 00:00:33 Speaker 1: So in today's episode, 00:00:35 Speaker 1: leadership influence the mid career X factor, I'll be decoding some important aspects of influence building 00:00:45 Speaker 1: six steps to help you build influence, which will give you the edge over others and fast track your growth from mid to senior level. 00:00:56 Speaker 1: By the end of this session, you will have better clarity on influence building and you'll also learn actionable strategies to make influence your X factor. 00:01:09 Speaker 1: Hello, everyone. This is Shrijith Krishnan and you're listening to my podcast Excellence Unboxed. 00:01:15 Speaker 1: This is where I talk about career growth and leadership and I'm on a mission to empower mid career professionals to redefine their career and become unstoppable. 00:01:27 Speaker 1: So make sure to check in every week for fresh episodes where I offer practical insights that will drive real progress in your professional journey. So follow the show and stay updated on future episodes 00:01:42 Speaker 1: that being said, let's dive into today's topic, 00:01:46 Speaker 1: leadership influence the mid career X factor. 00:01:50 Speaker 1: But before that, let's have a sneak peek into the top three benefits of building influence in your career 00:01:58 Speaker 1: benefit. Number one, leadership opportunities, 00:02:01 Speaker 1: building influence directly, correlates with more opportunities to step into leadership roles. As you gain the ability to inspire and motivate others, you become a natural candidate for positions that require strong leadership skills 00:02:20 Speaker 1: benefit. Number two, team effectiveness, influential leaders can foster a positive and productive team environment 00:02:29 Speaker 1: by building relationships, communicating effectively and demonstrating integrity. 00:02:35 Speaker 1: an influential leader can create a cohesive team that collaborates efficiently towards common goals 00:02:44 Speaker 1: benefit. Number three, career advancement opportunities, 00:02:48 Speaker 1: influential individuals often find more doors opening for them, 00:02:53 Speaker 1: your ability to communicate, persuasively, build strong relationships and lead by example, can lead to promotions, increased responsibilities and overall career advancement. 00:03:09 Speaker 1: So as a mid career professional, you may either be a new leader or an aspiring one building influence is a sure shot strategy to fast track your success. So let's talk about the cool topic. How do you become an influential leader? 00:03:29 Speaker 1: Now, there are six ways or six strategies 00:03:33 Speaker 1: using which you can become an influential leader. 00:03:38 Speaker 1: The number one strategy is to establish credibility. It's a foundational step in building influence. Now, how do you establish credibility? There are three ways to do it. Number one, you need to develop your expertise. 00:03:53 Speaker 1: So you have to identify a niche within your field where you can become an expert. So once you become 00:04:02 Speaker 1: a specialist that sets you apart from the crowd and that enhances your credibility. 00:04:09 Speaker 1: The second way to establish credibility is by showcasing consistent results. So you need to document and communicate your accomplishments in a tangible way in a measurable way, whether it's about meeting targets, completing projects ahead of time or driving revenue growth. 00:04:30 Speaker 1: Consistency in delivering results builds trust. 00:04:34 Speaker 1: The third way to establish credibility by expanding your network, which you can do by participating in industry events, seminars, conferences. Now, by attending networking events, you get different perspectives, lot of opportunities come your way and you are also exposed to potential mentors who can guide you in this journey of influence building. 00:05:01 Speaker 1: You can also expand your network by improving your online presence over platforms like linkedin, where you can connect with industry leaders, share your insights and engage in meaningful discussions. 00:05:19 Speaker 1: Now, the second way to build influence is by building meaningful relationships. So how do you build meaningful relationships? You can do that by being an active listener, 00:05:34 Speaker 1: strive to understand others perspectives by being an active listener, by listening with empathy, 00:05:42 Speaker 1: try to ask open ended questions which which makes the other person talk and it also makes the other person believe that you are listening to him. 00:05:54 Speaker 1: So this is one way of building meaningful relationships. The other way of having meaningful relationship is by fostering genuine connections, be authentic in your interactions, be genuine, 00:06:08 Speaker 1: authenticity, builds trust. 00:06:11 Speaker 1: So you need to share your experiences, your value systems. You can even share your vulnerabilities if required. 00:06:20 Speaker 1: The third way of building meaningful relationship is by expanding your network. 00:06:25 Speaker 1: So building relationship should extend beyond your immediate team or department, connect with professionals from different areas of expertise 00:06:34 Speaker 1: because this will give you varied perspectives around different topics. 00:06:40 Speaker 1: You can also expand your network by attending networking events. 00:06:46 Speaker 1: The third way to build influence is by communicating effectively. So you need to hone your storytelling skills. So craft or create stories that resonate with your audience. You can use real life examples to make your message more memorable and relatable. 00:07:05 Speaker 1: You can also communicate effectively by tailoring your message to your audience. So first understand what your audience's preferences, expectation or knowledge level is and then accordingly deliver your message. And this will lead to a better connect. 00:07:21 Speaker 1: The other way of communicating effectively is by expanding your communication channels. You have to utilize various platforms. So beyond verbal communication, you can also leverage written communication, visual medium, use technology. 00:07:36 Speaker 1: Basically, you need to choose the most effective medium for your message. 00:07:43 Speaker 1: Moving on the fourth strategy to build influence is by demonstrating integrity. 00:07:51 Speaker 1: You need to uphold your ethical standards. 00:07:55 Speaker 1: You need to assess the potential impact of your actions on all the stakeholders and choose the course of action that actually aligns with high ethical standards. You cannot compromise on your ethics. 00:08:11 Speaker 1: The other way to demonstrate integrity is by being authentic and genuine, be yourself in personal and professional settings, 00:08:20 Speaker 1: consistency in your values and behaviors fosters trust as people can rely on your authenticity. 00:08:29 Speaker 1: The other way to demonstrate integrity is by being 00:08:34 Speaker 1: responsible for your actions. When mistakes happen, take ownership without blaming others, 00:08:41 Speaker 1: acknowledge your role and work towards resolving that issue. 00:08:46 Speaker 1: Now, once you take accountability of your actions, it builds trust 00:08:51 Speaker 1: and shows that you are committed to learning and growing 00:08:56 Speaker 1: the fifth way by which you can build influence is by leading, by example, you should set high standards for yourself, strive for personal excellence by setting ambitious goals and demonstrate a commitment to high standards which will inspire others to reach for that level. 00:09:15 Speaker 1: The other way to lead by example, is to showcase a strong work ethic. So being consistent in your efforts 00:09:22 Speaker 1: by meeting deadlines, putting consistent efforts and exceeding expectations. 00:09:28 Speaker 1: So when you put in your 100% it becomes a benchmark for others to follow suit. 00:09:35 Speaker 1: The other way by which you can lead, by example, is by inspiring through your actions. 00:09:41 Speaker 1: So stay positive, maintain a positive and optimistic outlook, even in challenging situation 00:09:48 Speaker 1: and celebrate both individual and team success, 00:09:53 Speaker 1: recognize and reward hard work to build a culture of achievement. 00:09:59 Speaker 1: You can also support others by investing in their professional development. 00:10:06 Speaker 1: So these are some of the ways by which you can lead by example. 00:10:11 Speaker 1: Now the last strategy to build influence is adaptability. So you need to embrace change, proactively, 00:10:19 Speaker 1: cultivate a positive mindset towards change, see it as an opportunity for growth and improvement rather than a disruption. 00:10:27 Speaker 1: And this sets the tone for the team to embrace challenge with 00:10:34 Speaker 1: enthusiasm. 00:10:36 Speaker 1: The other way to show adaptability is by developing a culture of innovation, 00:10:43 Speaker 1: encourage creativity 00:10:45 Speaker 1: and innovation often comes from diverse perspectives and collaborative thinking. So you should foster a culture of innovation. 00:10:54 Speaker 1: The third way of 00:10:57 Speaker 1: showcasing adaptability is a leading through difficult times. So during times of uncertainty, provide clear and transport, transparent communication. 00:11:13 Speaker 1: So during times of uncertainty, provide clear and transparent communication, 00:11:19 Speaker 1: keep the team informed about what's happening. So that kind of reduces the anxiety. And this allows for a more focused and adaptive approach 00:11:32 Speaker 1: and always be prepared to make decisions swiftly and adapt your strategies as required. 00:11:38 Speaker 1: So there you have it, the six strategies leading you to one goal that is to build influence which will help you skyrocket in your career. 00:11:48 Speaker 1: Let's recap all the six strategies strategy. Number one, establishing credibility, number two, build meaningful relationships. Number three, communicate effectively. Number four, demonstrate integrity, number five lead by example and number six being adaptable 00:12:08 Speaker 1: now go on and start implementing these strategies to build an influential profile, which will prove to be your X factor as a mid career professional. 00:12:19 Speaker 1: I hope you found today's session value packed. 00:12:23 Speaker 1: And if you are committed to rewriting your growth story and building skills for a future proof career, register for my upcoming webinar trust me, this webinar has the potential to reshape your career. The registration details can be found in the section below. 00:12:40 Speaker 1: Don't miss my next podcast where I'll talk about the power of strategic networking in accelerating your career. 00:12:49 Speaker 1: Thank you once again for joining me on this episode of Excellence unboxed. 00:12:54 Speaker 1: Until next time, this is Shrijith Krishnan signing.Stay Influential and Stay Empowered 00:13:03 Speaker 1: Bye bye.