In late 2018, we attended a conference where they spoke of the characteristics of an influencer and we wanted to give it our own little spin. And, this is for a couple of reasons;
- we believe that the word influence has been misconstrued due to social media and,
- influencers can come from all types of backgrounds.
See, we believe that the characteristics of an influencer won’t vary from one career option or venture from another. We are confident that with the traits, you can influence those in both your professional and personal life.
As a side note; we would love your feedback of your interpretation on the word influencer — and its characteristics.
4 Characteristics of an Influencer
As mentioned above, the 4 characteristics we want to touch on are ones we believe anyone in the entrepreneurship space can benefit from. We wholeheartedly believe they have contributed immensely to our own success and know they also can for you when learned and applied.
So, let’s get started;
Independence
An influencer is independent. Bottom line is they are going to take action and make things happen with or without you. As a result, these are powerful people to align yourself with. They are generally those you can count on because letting you down, would be letting themselves down.
Problem solvers
One of the best characteristics of an influencer is their ability to problem solve.
See, one of the things we know many leaders do with their sales teams is having the team member come to them with a problem and a possible solution. This behavior is demonstrated the most by influencers.
This doesn’t necessarily mean their proposed solution is the definitive answer however, it does mean they are prepared to be part of the solution. Additionally, if difficulties arise in their business and/or teams, influencers would much sooner handle this themselves, than involve unnecessary parties.
Consistent
We are pretty sure that you are not remotely surprised by consistency being among the top characteristics of an influencer. Think about it this way, how would you ever be able to create and grow a strong fan base or loyal following if you just popped in and out when you felt like it?
In the simplest terms, you wouldn’t.
Big vision
Have you ever experienced that feeling when the only person who can see the extent of your dream (vision) is you? Ever have those conversations where the other person is looking at you like you have 2 heads because your idea(s) seem so wild? Or maybe, you have seen so many other quit on a dream and you couldn’t ever imagine doing that?
If you’ve experienced these things, you already posses one of the characteristics of being an influencer. Sounds simple enough, right? But the truth is, entrepreneurship is a wild ride … requiring wild ideas and an unwavering commitment in a lot of ways.
When you possess influence, or when others look to you as an influencer — feel confident that you are halfway there.
