Several years ago, my husband and I received some unexpected news. I remember sitting in the doctor’s office, when she told us I had cancer.

As my husband and doctor talked about the next steps, my mind drifted to work. I remember thinking, this was not a good time to be sick.

Now I know what you are thinking, really Kim! You just received a diagnosis of cancer, and you’re thinking about work? Yes, I was thinking about work! I thought “how I am going get to get everything done before I have surgery and while I recover.”

Why wasn’t I concerned about by my health? Because God had already given me peace! He provided a wonderful team of doctors to take care of me and an awesome husband to manage this situation. So, I was free to think about work.

When I went to work the next day, I informed my boss I was going to have surgery in two weeks, and I would be out for at least four months. As you can imagine, he was surprised but very supportive. He told me not to worry about work, but of course, I was concerned.

Over the next two weeks, my co-workers rallied around me. They divided up my work, so I could relax and not worry. When I left work the day before my surgery, I was still concerned but I was confident the major tasks would all get done.

[callout]My co-worker’s support was critical to my recovery.[/callout]

Because of my co-worker’s actions, I could focus on getting healthy. Today, I’m happy to report I am cancer free. Praise God!

One of my favorite quotes is from my mentor, who said:

[shareable cite=”Dr. John C. Maxwell”]Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less.”[/shareable]

To achieve your goals, you must increase your influence. When a leader helps others achieve their goals, they increase their influence.

How will you support others to increase your influence? In their article, Increase Your Power and Influence, McIntosh and Luecke offer the following five steps you can implement to develop a network of support:

  1. Be trustworthy and reliable with others
  2. Provide support and do favors for team members
  3. Return favors done for you
  4. Contribute ideas and leadership
  5. Work toward shared goals

When we help others, not only do we feel good, but we also help ourselves. Les Brown said, “Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours.”

How do you increase your influence by supporting others?

Your friend,
Kim

Dr. Kim Moore | Your Leadership Guide | kimdmoore.com

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Dr. Kim Moore

About the author

I'm Kim, your Educational Leadership Guide. I equip educational leaders with research-based and experientially learned educational leadership principles and best practices to promote student success.


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