Leadership Lessons from a Great Influencer – My Daughter By Jeff Chappell

My four month old daughter consistently influences me to do things I would rather not do – without saying a word. I think it’s worth taking a look at her methods.

The Power of a Smile

My daughter has the ability to cheer me up no matter how hangry, frustrated or tired I am. She does so with her smile. I dare you to look into the smiling, bright face of my daughter without smiling back. It’s impossible. Not only will you smile, but her smile will immediately cheer you up. It took me a while to realize that I have the same capacity. Smiling is contagious. Numerous studies have shown that your smile has the ability to increase the happiness of those around you. Words are optional when trying to brighten someone’s day; a smile might be just what they need.

Inspire from Within

There are not many things that get me out of bed at two in the morning, but my daughter has the uncanny ability to do just that. How does she do it? She makes me want to get out of bed at two in the morning. Now when you ask me the following day if I wanted to get out of bed at 2 AM, I will most assuredly tell you “no.” But in that moment, for just a couple minutes, her cry was enough to make me want to get out of bed and soothe her.
Through this perpetual experience I learned that people will only do what they want to do. Seems like common sense, but there is great power in this knowledge. If you want someone to do something, whether for your benefit or their own, you need to influence them to want to do it. Of course you can coerce them into wanting to accomplish the task through force or punishment, but that’s not the way great influencers motivate. Great influencers inspire from within.

Motivation through Perspective

Why would anyone buy a minivan when they could buy a sports car? The only plausible explanation is a change in perspective. My daughter altered my perspective on life. No amount of sleepless nights or temper tantrums could nix my desire for more kids. I know someday I’ll have more, and this new perspective motivates me to buy a car that aligns with my vision.
Increased vision equals increased motivation. Give a man a vision, and he’ll work vigorously towards realizing that vision. Sharing a vision can be done in many ways, but I believe the most effective method is through sharing personal experiences. As a human being, you have an innate trust in the experiences of others. Personal experiences show your peers the expected outcome of their actions, manifesting the benefits they will receive upon completion of their vision.
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Throughout my internship at Dell (#Iwork4Dell) I’ve had the pleasure of hearing from great influencers – even Michael Dell himself. (Yes, Michael Dell took the time to talk, in person, to the interns. I was surprised too.) All these great leaders had one common characteristic – the ability to influence their peers to act in accordance to the leader’s desires. As I pondered the different but effective methods they shared, I realized I had a powerful influencer within the walls of my own home. Her methods have taught me a great deal about the necessary leadership skill of influencing.
KINGSMITH.