“I have achieved a position of influence.”
Alex had started a new job. In less than two months he was influencing his boss, his boss’s boss, and the team around him with his ideas. Highly unusual for the new guy joining an already established team with a strong leader and strong direction.
Alex didn’t talk a lot. He was good at getting to the point.
But there’s something about the way Alex speaks that causes people to see things they didn’t see before, to look at things differently.
When I talked to Alex to see how his new role was going, he said, “I couldn’t be happier. I’m not the most senior person in the room, but they treat me like I’m equal to that.”
When Alex started Beyond Persuasion, there was a list of people who weren’t listening to him, including his teenage son. At that time, whether he was talking to his son, his peers or his boss, his ideas met with resistance. They didn’t “get” him. It would have been easy for him to start doubting himself. It would’ve been even easier for him to dismiss it all by deciding that people are naturally resistant to new ideas.
But they’re not. Think about it. If people were naturally resistant, you would be too. Are you naturally resistant? No, you’re not. I’m not either. I know very few people who are. The vast majority are open to good ideas.
But, I can tell you loads of good ideas that have generated resistance. Haven’t you presented a good idea to someone and they pushed back?
It’s not the idea that’s generating resistance. It’s not that people are generally resistant. It’s not that they’re resisting you.
It’s that something about the way people are approached with new ideas triggers that reaction. And if you knew what that was, you’d know how to avoid it. It’s what makes people think “change takes a long time” and “people don’t like to change.” It’s not something most people know, which is why you hear so many complaining when their ideas fall on deaf ears.
Anyone who tells you resistance is a natural part of life doesn’t know how to handle it. Don’t make them your teacher.
You can communicate in a way that ignites enthusiasm. It has everything to do with what you say.
In Beyond Persuasion, you learn how to express your ideas in a way that creates success in a single conversation or meeting. It’s a very simple process that always works. But it does take time to master it.
Resistance is unnecessary. And that matters for a much bigger reason than simply getting people to agree with you.
If we look at the larger question of “Why are you here?” I believe you have a purpose. Only you know what that is. It’s not something someone else gives you. It comes from you.
But whatever you are here to do, you are not going to do it alone.
Your ideas have to reach other people. Other people have to be able to see what you see. And very often, they have to go from being “skeptical” to being very willing to act as a result of your ideas.
That happens only through communication.
When you excel at communication, your ideas stop living only in your own mind. Other people begin to see what you see. They get enthusiastic.
That is what happened to Alex. He was the new member on a team, without the seniority or position that normally gives someone influence. But people began listening to him. They began seeing what he saw. And that changed what became possible for him. Even more importantly, it happened in his relationship with his son.
We tend to think destiny is something that happens to us. I think we create far more of it than we realize. Every time you communicate an idea and, because of that, another person sees what they didn’t see before, something becomes possible that wasn’t possible before, a new path has opened up and a willingness to walk it.
That is influence.
And over a lifetime, those moments determine what happens next. In that sense, communication creates destiny.
So, whatever you are here to do, dedicate the time to learn enough about communication to do it, to fulfill your true purpose and create the destiny of your dreams. If you want any help with that, we’re here for you with Beyond Persuasion that will teach you the best way how over the course of three months. Starts September 15.
Be the cause!