You are in a meeting with co-workers and every time you contribute to the conversation, your ideas don’t garner respect or attention. Perhaps this is even true when you share ideas\u00a0with a client who has hired you.\u00a0Does this sound familiar?<\/p>\n
When we sense our ideas or opinions aren’t met with respect, we begin to hypothesize why. “Maybe my\u00a0co-workers don’t respect me. Maybe my\u00a0boss doesn’t take me\u00a0seriously. Maybe there is something being said about me\u00a0when I’m not around.” No matter the excuse, you are most likely looking for your answer in the wrong place. You’re looking at\u00a0external dynamics. You need to begin looking at internal realities.<\/p>\n
Our most influential authority figures\u00a0have something\u00a0in common – they know<\/em> what they’re talking about.\u00a0They don’t approach their keynotes, writings or interviews with a wishy-washy attitude. Rather, they speak with certainty and do not second-guess what they say.<\/p>\n Authorities don’t lean on\u00a0the phrase, “I think.” Neither should you when it comes to being an authority in your niche.<\/p>\n When I ask clients to tell me what they are really good at they usually have a hard time because they don’t want to sound prideful. They will rely on, “I think,” in order to avoid being perceived as bombastic.\u00a0I tell them to be honest, not modest<\/strong>. This natural\u00a0attitude\u00a0of modesty misplaces the focus\u00a0on the idea of not sounding arrogant. The desire to be honest is a desire to focus\u00a0on providing real feedback in order to help others who need our expertise.<\/p>\n Going from, “I think,” to, “I know,” isn’t as scary as it seems when you do it in the spirit of being honest about how you can help people. “I know,” sets you up to be seen\u00a0as an authority.<\/p>\n So, next time you’re working with a team or you’re presenting to superiors, be honest about your skills and stay away from the phrase, “I think.” Share what you know and be confident as you give your best to those around you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Those of us who are building a platform in order to gain influence in a particular niche the one thing that we need in the minds of our potential readers, clients, bosses, etc., is authority. When you are viewed as an authority your words are authoritative, however, you must use your words to gain authority as well.<\/p>\n There is a simple mental shift that you can make on a daily basis which will give you the ability to gain influence using words as well as speak with authority.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9140,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[75,86,95],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBecome the Authority<\/h3>\n