Every single thing you do and say has a degree of influence on you and on others. You are part of their external environment. You even exert a small degree of gravitational force on others, indeed, you exert gravitational force on the planet! Not a lot admittedly, but your mass does attract other mass. You knew that you should have paid attention in science class now. Just as aside, it's quite a useful factoid for use when you have gained a few pounds of weight - you do so in order to become more attractive! That's put paid to the glamour magazines.

The same is true for other people exerting their influence over you. Everything that other people say or do is a part of your external environment and that exerts an influence in turn over your behaviour.

The external environment beyond other human beings, also has some influence over you. It is quite likely that you alter your 'normal' behaviour when it is raining by carrying an umbrella or wearing a rain-proof coat. You know for sure that the weather can have a major influence over your golf. When there is lightening, you would wisely move away from the fairways under the trees or into the clubhouse. Being struck by lightening is one influence that everyone can do without.

The problem with influence is that human beings have a tendency to assume that there is little you can do to change the way something influences you. Well, let me put this straight. You can and you do. Let us take an example of something that influences us and we do something about it - almost fight its influence on our lives. One that affects us all and that is our friend gravity. You see, gravity is ever present in our lives - there are a few exceptions but since that involves travelling into space I think I can safely assume that does not include you. If, by chance you have traveled into space - my question is - how far can you hit a drive out there? Must be awesome.

Back to earth. Gravity is a pretty constant force acting on our bodies - in order to combat the effects of gravity we develop muscles and utilise energy to stand against it. We truly appreciate how much effort is involved in keeping our body upright and moving only after suffering some physical damage, such as breaking a leg, even stubbing a toe let alone paralysis. When we are reasonably fit and well, we think little or nothing of getting up from a chair and walking, and most of the time, we do all this unconsciously. We have programmed our brain to take care of operating the correct muscles, keeping balance, walking, and all the while supplying those muscles and cells with energy through breathing and circulating our blood. If you had to consciously work out how to do everything we take fro granted, your conscious mind would be so occupied, nothing else would get done.

What's the point of this? Well, it's simple really - there are many many things occurring in your life, including when you practice and play golf, that influence your behaviour. Some things, like gravity, the weather, daylight, animals we cannot change. and we can choose to what extent we allow such to affect us and our behaviours. We can choose to be at cause for ourselves or at the effect of the environment and others. In other words, I'm disabling your potential for 'excuses'.

Five Levels of Influence

There are, according to John C. Maxwell, five levels of influence - each with their own rights and each with their power to influence.

Level 1 - Position - This is when you have the positional authority (aka power) over someone else and they have to follow because of the power relationship. The most familiar situation when this is displayed is between children and their parent - in the never ending cycle of "why do I have to?" the exasperated parent running short of arguments or more frequently, time, responds "because I said so!" never an effective nor motivational response, but it sums up how leaders finally resort to this positional power to cause someone else to have to do something.

Level 2 - Permission - based on relationships - where people follow because they want to as they have a good relationship with you

Level 3 - Production - based on results that you have demonstrably achieved for the organisation. People follow because of what you have done for the organisation

Levels 4 - People Development - based on reproduction - people follow because of what you have done for them personally. This is the top level for most people and is only achieved with those you have personally developed - though your reputation for enabling others to excel will allow a superior level 3 (results)

Level 5 - Person-hood - based on respect - sadly very very few people will ever achieve this. Though its the level that many aspire to have or rather believe in themselves that others should simply respect them (usually these are disenfranchised level 1 leaders who demand 'respect' from authority rather than earn the genuine respect and admiration of others through their actions and continual display of care and concern for others, the organisation and standing up for forthright and important values.

Your ability to influence others is often misunderstood at best, and reliant on 'luck' at worst. Few leaders in the world understand their position of influence with each of their constituents and fewer still, work a deliberate plan to increase their influential effectiveness with others.

In a future article I'll discuss how you lift your level of influence...

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