Improve your ability to influence people

Instructions

Bust the leadership myths.
Identify the leadership myths you’ve held in your life. Perhaps you’ve always thought leaders were: managers, entrepreneurs, pioneers, or people in position. Ask yourself why you’ve been susceptible to that way of thinking, and then begin to change it.
Rate your level of influence.
What do you usually rely upon most to persuade people to follow you? Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest) for each of these seven factors: Character (who you are), Relationships (who you know), Knowledge (what you know), Intuition (what you feel), Experience (where you’ve been), Past Success (what you’ve done), and Ability (what you can do).
Work on your weaknesses.
Determine how you can optimize or better utilize the areas with low scores. Leading in a volunteer setting is a good place to start. Since you’re unable to incentivize people’s behavior through pay, you’re forced to work on other ways to influence them.