Generally, leaders are supposed to inspire and influence those they lead. However, the question is, how does one attain this? Experts define an influential leader as someone who, through powerful influence (as opposed to coercion), achieves effective results through people who choose to follow him or her. Alphonse Uworwabayeho, a lecturer of mathematics at the University of Rwanda’s College of Education says leaders with small visions have no power to inspire or move people and that instead of influencing others, they tend to fight for their attention. For this reason, he says it’s important to understand that for anyone to be able to influence others positively; they have to do more than assuming the role of leadership. Such individuals, he says, should always have an absolute core belief that they can bring their vision to life because having the ability to influence others always starts with conviction of oneself. Besides, Uworwabayeho notes that any leader who wants to influence others should be certain about what they do and want for others to emulate. “Certainty is a crucial component when it comes to influencing people around you,” he says. Moving forward, the lecturer mentions that knowing what influences others or those you lead is vital as it helps one to be able to make an impact in whatever they intend to do with their people or team. “As a leader or team player, the passion you have brings the energy and your effectiveness comes from knowing who your team or audience is and how to speak to them in a way that moves them; putting in mind that everyone is moved in different ways, so getting this right is crucial,” he says. On top of this, he mentions that setting standards or expectations is also important as an influential leader. Kevin Shema who heads a volunteering club at University of Rwanda, college of education says being able to inspire others to a new standard will differentiate you from a manager or mere leader. He says that having influential skills is more like communication. “Influencing skills are often a requirement for effective leadership; they are also vital when managing valuable and complex client relationships. Job recruiters are therefore likely to make influencing skills an essential job requirement,” he says. He goes on to add that to be able to influence someone, one may need to use certain skills to encourage them in embracing certain matters such as change. This is important especially when working as a team. Shema also notes that this can be applied when pitching a strategy to a client or sponsor to convince them to agree to something or do something they hadn’t previously considered. Growing these skills as a student Shema notes that as a student, considering getting a mentor is important. And that this could be perhaps through career-service-schemes or independently through a network. “With the mentors, one can discuss and talk about how they deal with people and observe how they influence others,” he says. For Diana Nawatti, a head teacher and counsellor, a good influencer clearly communicates the benefits of ideas and engages the audience rationally and logically as well as emotionally. She says that the strongest influencers are flexible enough to switch between appealing to the head and the heart as the situation requires. The head teacher goes on to note that those who are most influential are those that inspire confidence in others convincing them that they are professionally credible. “Influential leaders are also assertive in making their points - demonstrating conviction in their arguments by pursuing their points in an unaggressive manner,” she says. For students, Nawatti says to influence others, they should consider joining and actively take part in group activities. Also, they should consider volunteering in different projects, events or initiatives. “They should get involved in public speaking – for example, through joining the school debating society. Doing so will get them used to making compelling arguments and make them aware of how they come across to audiences,” she says. Alternatively, she says one can consider getting a part-time job that involves customer service or sales. “Through working with customers, it will develop a student’s emotional intelligence and give them an insight into how others think,” she adds.
