The Inspiration and Influential Index Find out whether you are inspired and whether you have the ability to influence and inspire others. Very inspirational and influential. You appear to be someone who has strong intrinsic or internal motivation. You do not need somebody standing over you constantly telling you what to do and how to do it. Because you have a strong sense of motivation, you work to engender a similar quality in others. You are likely to work to inspire and empower your subordinates in the workplace. It is very unlikely that you abuse your power and use manipulative tactics. Instead, it is likely that you use your influence in a consistently positive way. You are also likely to be skilled at influencing your superiors at work, such as your boss, by using advanced skills such as “managing up” or “benefiting your boss.” Both inspirational to others and who is inspired yoursel You probably do not frequently struggle with becoming motivated to pursue important projects. You recognize the importance of inspiring others to do their best, particularly because you often push yourself to do your best. You may be more or less skilled in influencing certain people. For instance, you may be better at influencing your subordinates at work than influencing your superiors or vice versa. Overall, you are able to communicate your inspirational message to others and positively influence their behaviors. You have some strength in your inspirational and influential abilities and some areas to work on You are likely to be fairly motivated in general but to have some difficulty getting energized or motivated at certain times. Because of this, you are likely to assume that others have similar situations and you may monitor their progress or behaviors more than you may need to. You may have difficulties with effectively using your influence at times. For instance, you may overuse it to the point that it is perceived as manipulative or may underuse it and be perceived as passive. If you can become aware of the times you are optimally inspired, you can build upon those times and use those experiences to learn how to effectively influence others. You are significantly lacking in your inspirational or influential characteristics. You may have difficulty staying internally motivated and may require outside supervision or support. It is likely that you are not effectively communicating your inspirational messages to those below you or above you in your organization. You may want to work on effectively involving others in projects, influencing your boss by providing him or her with specific benefits, or increasing your own self-motivation. In the past month, at least one person has commented on how dedicated and motivated I am. I am skilled at “benefiting my boss”, that is helping her to achieve more than she would have been able to achieve without my help. When I want to influence other people, I try to help them see why they may want to do what I say. I never or very rarely use retribution strategies, such as threats of negative consequences, to get people to do what I wish. I am highly motivated to achieve my career mission. The people who I supervise tend to come up with many initiatives and innovations. I am typically able to assertively defend myself from abuses of power. I am good at selling an issue that I think is important to my boss so he buys into it as a critical issue. My coworkers would report that I appear highly knowledgeable and that I speak in a compelling manner. I have been told that I am a very persuasive speaker. I frequently rely on using issues such as my organization’s long-term strategy or future directions to sell issues to senior executives. As long as I can remember, I have been someone who has been internally motivated and achievement-oriented. When trying to influence others, I typically look for common goals and values. When I think that something is truly important, I have little difficulty conveying my message to others. I have no problem speaking up to make sure that my views or the important views of others are heard. I have not been told that I am “rough around the edges” or aggressive at times. It is common for me to look for ways to influence my boss by providing him with benefits such as problem solving or speed of delivery. It is typical for me to build momentum and excitement in others around a new project. I have been told that my energy and dedication is motivating to them. When influencing others’ behavior, I sometimes use a strategy of reciprocity in which I would trade resources with the other person. I really enjoy expressing my ideas to get others enthusiastic and involved. When a behavior is inappropriate, I help the person to see why it is not effective and to think of other ways of behaving. It is not typical for people to resist my requests or my efforts to make changes. It is not typical for people to resist my requests or my efforts to make changes. Words that people would use to describe me include: “energetic and driven”. The people I supervise or manage do not seem to need a good deal of surveillance or monitoring. They seem to be internally committed to getting the job done. It tends to come naturally to me to want to excel in my performance and to want to help others to excel too. I often work to improve my influence skills by cultivating my own skills, creating a professional appearance, and increasing my knowledge base. The people who work under me do not often need me to hold them accountable because they commonly hold themselves or each other accountable. When I see others acting manipulatively or being coercive, it bothers me and I attempt to do something about it.