"Thermostats and Thermometers"
St. Charles
Lwanga Catholic Parish in Mutundwe held its annual day for the married congregants
on 31st July 2016. It was such a joyful event, graced by wives
immaculately dawned in white "busutti" with yellow sashes. The men
too graced the day with the symbolic leadership attire .the "Kanzus"
with black coats. Who was fairest of them all? Isn’t a question I could easily
answer, because the sea of couples seemed to have been matched in heaven. They
were gorgeous!
The
speeches were well prepared to suit the theme of the day which was “effective
communication in homes: A key to national development."
Focusing
on external appearances can be deceptive. We had a colorful function but there
was serious tension that had built up over the last 2 weeks of preparations
between the Parish executive committee members and the sub-parish
representatives. Majority of the sub-parish representatives had failed to
mobilize contributions from individual couples including themselves.
The
sub-parish representatives failed to influence the sub parishioners as they did
not lead by example. According to majority, the contribution of UGX 10,000/=
required from each couple was considered exorbitant to spend on a church
function! This experience set me
thinking deeply about the issue of personal influence. How do you build this
quality as a leader? My reflections led me to think of a leader with personal
influence as a thermostat as opposed to a thermometer.
When
I used the term Personal Influence what does it mean to you?
In marketing
language, Personal influence is the power of an individual or group to control
the purchasing power or decisions of others.
John Maxwell a leadership guru in his book
entitled the 21 Irrefutable laws of
Leadership states, “the true measure of leadership is influence – Nothing
More, Nothing Less”
Personal
influence is both internal and external. External personal influence involves
social interactions between two or more persons such as husband and wife, Toastmasters
and guests at a meeting for example, I invite at least 5 guests to our
Toastmasters meetings with the aim of interesting them to join the Club. I use
personal influence to prevail over them by colorfully presenting the benefits
they could derive from the interactions with the members of the Club.
Personal
influence can also be internal whereby the decisions one makes are influenced
by mental processes that have to do with other people or groups. For example, a
teenager may choose to smoke due to peer influence or pressure for acceptance by
his or her peers. I will share with you another example. I confess that I devote
much time to prepare my speeches so that I appear as eloquent and organized as
other Toastmasters.
The
foundation in both cases of personal influence is the degree of trust the
people have in you. As a leader, without trust, the people you intend to influence
may comply outwardly to your wishes when physically present but are much less
likely to conform privately by adopting similar values, cultures and mission of
the organization or group; just like in the case of sub-parishioners.
How
can you build trust and increase your personal influence as a leader?
- Raise your hand!
Yes, raise your hand to new opportunities for growth and projects that
contribute to the growth of your group or organization. Be among those few
people in your group or organization who have developed a reputation for
volunteership. It is leaders like you with a volunteership spirit that
raise their hands at any opportunity to be involved with something they
think is important for the group. This gives you a chance to make
connections and develop new and valuable skills that you in turn use to
influence others to think differently.
- Groom other leaders,
develop protégés, and mentor others to do what you do and to do it even better!
President Theodore Roosevelt said that People don’t care how much you know
until they know how much you care! As a leader, make it your business to
help other people grow and develop their skills. In this way you are
planting seeds that will soon sprout and grow in ways beyond your
imagination. If you want to grow your influence, focus on growing others
and the influence will flow naturally. Just like respect, influence is
earned! You got to invest time into building your personal influence.
- Become a navigator; “Anyone
can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course” Before
embarking on a journey of influence, a good leader goes through a planning process in order to give the trip the
best chance of being a success. This process may include among others,
drawing on past experiences, examining conditions before making commitment,
listening to what others have to say and ensuring that conclusions
represent both faith and facts.
- Join
Toastmasters! At Toastmasters we learn the art of public speaking. Good
public speaking skills allow you to convey your message in a clear and eloquent
manner that allows it to come alive for your listeners. For example, as
the head of fundraising, you might be tasked to communicate an idea to a
potential funder who has limited knowledge about your field of expertise
yet has the authority and funds to determine your next project. Your
ineffectiveness to communicate the idea might cost your organization this
huge grant.
A
quick reminder about the 4 points to help you build trust and increase your
influence as a leader; Raise your hand to new opportunities for growth, Groom
other leaders, become a navigator and
join Toastmasters.
Think
about the difference between a thermometer and thermostat, most leaders in many
organsations including homes are thermometers. They can tell you what the
temperature is .They understand the environment they are in. However, Influential persons are thermostats. They
sense the temperature, and adjust accordingly. In other words they set the
temperature and change the environment. These persons are the ones who
influence their organizations day by day. Be a thermostat not a thermometer.
Irene
Naikaali Ssentongo
CC2
speech
We're holding our second annual speech contest on Thursday 17 November at Protea Hotel. Cards are on sale at 25,000/- Contact Serukwaya on +256 777 391277
Join our launch of the Bukoto Toastmasters Club on Tuesday 1st November at the Goethe Zentrum Library on Bukoto Street from 6:00pm. Call +256 751 703226
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