Many people have great visions for their companies. Very few put them into action. Fewer still do it successfully. If you want to be one of the rare few who brings their business vision to life, you’ve got to get the power of Influence, Inspiration and Intention working for you.
The Power of Influence Doesn’t Start Where You Think
Most people go directly to the ways they can influence others with their vision, which is why they’re at a disadvantage from the get-go. The place you actually need to start is your level of influence with yourself, which can be determined by three seemingly simple questions:
Where are you right now?
Many people don’t like where they are, so they avoid looking at it. However, the reality is that no matter what vision you want to bring to life, you must be clear on the resources you have at hand – time, money, etc. – and you need to know what resources you will need to bring in.
Where do you want to go?
This needs to be clearly and tangibly defined. If you can’t define your business vision for yourself first, how will you ever be able to explain it to someone else well enough to influence their actions?
What are you willing to do to get there?
The “If you build it, they will come,” idea of business is a huge myth. It takes dedication, determination, and a lot of hustle. The greatest business people in the world don’t “hope” their visions become a reality. They do what it takes to make it happen, and the place everyone has to start is in mastering the internal game of influence over themselves first.
If your vision isn’t something you live and breathe every day; if it doesn’t completely fire your heart and soul, so much that you’re willing to do just about anything to bring it to life, then it won’t happen. Realizing this has been pivotal in my journey with Kardia Financial Group.
Inspiration Is an Inner and Outer Game
When your passion for your vision lights you up, it will have the power to light other people up too through your excitement. You have to love everything about it — the perspective, the paradigm change it brings, and the difference it makes in the world. When you have that kind of passion for it, you will inspire others too, as long as you also have:
- Clarity – People can’t get inspired by something they don’t understand. Make sure it’s so simple and so clear that an 11-year-old can get it right away, otherwise, you’ll lose them.
- A Compelling Message – Your message needs to make them say, “I don’t have that and I want it!” How is what you do going to make a difference for them that they just can’t live without?
- The Next Step – It’s all well and good to get someone fired up, but that will only last for a few minutes or a few days if you’re lucky. If you want to make a real difference, give them an obvious way to take the next step with you.
Intention and Follow Through
If you want to put your vision into action, you have to take action. Ideas are great but they don’t go anywhere without implementation, and that’s where your intention (the purpose behind your big vision) and the follow through on it come into play. But you can’t do it blindly. You need a strategy, and that takes reverse engineering.
That means you need to start with the end goal in mind and work your way backward, tracking the goals and milestones for every stage of your vision’s journey, back to where you are right now. Then, once your intention is set and your strategy is in place, taking action is the only way you’ll bring your powerful vision to the world.
To Wrap It All Up
Influence, inspiration, and intention. They are the three factors you must activate inside yourself first before you’ll ever be able to activate it in others. When they come together, they create a powerful combination that pulls people toward your vision as much as it pulls you. And that’s how you’ll get to put your vision into action.
Christan Hiscock is the CEO and co-founder of Kardia Financial Group, which was born from the desire to change the financial services industry through heart-centered services that focus on what’s truly important; the people. Based in Calgary, Kardia Financial Group believes that the financial services industry should not be solely focused on dollars, but on helping people truly get to the heart of their financial goals. Kardia Financial Group offers community building, real estate acquisitions, financial advising, accounting services, mortgages, credit solutions and more. www.hellokardia.com
Influence power stock photo by melitas/Shutterstock
