Measuring the Immeasurable of Influence - Workology

Measuring the Immeasurable of Influence - Workology How to Measure Influence How to Measure Influence For decades, concepts like influence in the workplace were too difficult to measure because they were immeasurable, ambiguous, and elusive. But with the advent of social media sites and tools like Salesforce.coms Chatter system, quantifying an employees influence has become as easy as analyzing the way fellow professionals respond to their activity on social networks. Businesses both large and small have been gradually realizing the powerful role social media influence plays in the overall image and success of their companies, which is why determining which employees have the most widespread influence is important for employers to gauge the value of each member of the team. Whether youre working on your business degree or are already deeply rooted in the professional world, improving your influence is an excellent way to increase your appeal among employers and ultimately extend your professional radius. The following tips can help you get started on the right track. Become Self-Aware Before you use social media to project your image, you need to first be aware of what exactly this image is. Determine who you are both in a professional and personal sense to maintain a strong, focused and, more importantly, consistent influence. For example, if youre relatively new to the workforce or to your company, you may not know a lot about where you stand in this context. If you have any uncertainty about your role in the workforce, first pinpoint exactly who you are and what message you want to send, and introduce yourself as such from the moment you create your accounts. Be Positive In defiance of the axiom misery loves company, most people dont want to be exposed to negative people either in real life or via social media. Seek to be a person who brings inspiration to others, rather than someone who simply makes people feel bad about themselves and the world around them. Professionals love to read about stories of perseverance and hope in the face of hardship. With a struggling economy and high unemployment rates, it can be difficult to maintain a positive mindset. However, recognizing these barriers while looking at them through the lens of positivity can encourage and uplift your followers, which will make them want to continue to pay attention to what youre doing on your social networks. Capitalize on What Makes You Unique Several million people use social media sites every day, which is why you need to give your followers a reason to pay attention to you above all the noise already being generated on these sites. Determine your most unique and interesting attributes and use these to your advantage when honing your influence. Ask yourself what unique knowledge, skills and experiences you have that set you apart from others in both personal and professional contexts. Although keeping this originality in mind is a great way to increase influence, be sure to manage your ego and focus on promoting your ideas rather than yourself. The Value of Influencing Others Influencing others may initially seem like something reserved for only truly extraordinary people, but in reality, anyone can positively influence others with just the simplest statements and actions. With the outreach potential of social media, you can connect with virtually anyone across the globe by simply sharing your thoughts and ideas on these accounts. Set realistic goals in measuring your influence to guide, motivate, and follow.  Taking advantage of this potential can even help you discover just how valuable you are as a professional. Matt Herndon,  @Just_Matt_is a freelance writer. He lives in the Indianapolis area with his wife and kids.  He writes on behalf of  American InterContinental University.