Being a Person of Influence
We are constantly influencing others. Sometimes it is for good and other times it can be for bad, but never forget that we are always having influence. One of the greatest responsibility we have is to understand the power and possibility of influence. The word of God says,
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others,
as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
1 Peter 4:10 niv
When we realize that our influence is a gift from God (the above scripture reminds us of this) and that we have a mandate to use it for God’s glory and good.
Last week’s blog Masters Moments was really about “Catering to people through excellent execution with gratitude.” For a week now I have been fielding calls from people about the importance and implementation of this theme, and I must confess that I was a little bewildered by the confusion this caused, but then I realized that I had not communicated very well. Let’s break down into three bite-sized chunks the truth I was attempting to share.
The idea of “catering” implies and includes our pouring in to the people for whom we are responsible. Catering to means far more than just caring for or caring about people because both of these are our obligation. It is only when we begin to cater to people that we have the opportunity of more influence because we are giving them more than they deserve and offering them exactly what they need. You see the catering is a matter of grace. Remember, grace is aptly defined as “something needed but not deserved.” Just as we have received the grace of God, so are we responsible to graciously cater to others.
As we cater we have responsibility to show this through excellent execution. This means that we must give our very best in connecting with the people around us by being an excellent listener. Most of us are too quick to speak. The half-brother of Jesus wrote,
My dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be
quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger,
James 1:19 hcsb
As we are listening we are giving grace and fulfilling the requirement of the word of God, all the while we are gaining the right to offer aid and help to the person to whom we are catering. The people around us are hurting and they are often feeling helpless and, worst of all, hopeless. It is said that Teddy Roosevelt first quipped, “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” As you listen to them you are giving them the hope and help they need so remember, catering involves generosity.
Catering to others is often challenging because we fail to remember the foundation of gratitude. You have heard me say many times that gratitude is the game changer in all of life. It is impossible to cater without gratitude. Every person in our circles of influence should know that we are grateful for them. When others see this in and through us, our influence will increase. So here is the question:
What are you grateful for today?