3 Ways to Be a Role Model and Influencer

Quick. Name an influencer or role model you adore. Someone you follow on social media, or listen to their podcast, or read every book they’ve ever written.

You may think you are so far from becoming that influential. And you’d be dead wrong.

My dear friend, coach Jamie Greenwood has said in the past that we get to be culture makers and culture changers. And my book The Empathy Edge was all about being a role model for success within your own sphere of influence.

You impact many more people than you realize. Your family, friends, colleagues. Those you interact with at the coffee shop or grocery store. Those you volunteer with. Those you run into on the street.

You don’t have to be some famous influencer to impact change. Here are 3 ways you can be a good role model:

Motivate with love: You can ditch the old “command and control” methods and show how positive motivation far outweighs punitive action. How do you parent, lead a meeting, manage others? Examine which gets you better long-term results, engagement, and loyalty.
Treat yourself with compassion: When you model that you are gentle with yourself, you show others that they can be gentle with themselves as well. This does not mean you lower standards. It means you minimize negative self-talk and give people permission to take risks, make mistakes, and get things wrong so that they can learn and improve for next time.
Prioritize fluidly: Do you set the right boundaries and model to others that this is a path to success? Being able to prioritize differently as life comes at it is what we should strive for – not perfect balance that does not exist. Sometimes you work late when there’s a deadline. Other times, you don’t schedule meetings at 3 pm because you have to pick up your kids. When you perform and achieve while being clear on priorities, you show others what’s possible.

You have the power to define success differently. To manage your work differently, to behave differently, to love yourself differently.