Community Engagement Executive
Former Halogen Intern in year 2014
What does influence mean to you?
Influence is the ability to have an impact on someone, whether consciously or unconsciously. Influence is when you manage to convince another person of your perspective, belief or opinion. It is when you allow someone else to understand where you’re coming from, therefore at its core, allowing another to empathise with you.
What are some memories/experience of influence being exercised in your life? (Share a halogen memory if applicable)
I don’t think this individual knows it, but during my internship, there was a fellow intern who was extremely positive, open and bubbly. Her high-spirited demeanor was not only infectious for everyone in the then-small office, but also made me more positive, which had a ripple effect on the work I do and interactions with colleagues!
How has your time with Halogen impacted the way you exercise influence (in your everyday life)?
It was at Halogen, and while I was teaching a class about the building blocks of leadership, that I also understood that leadership is influence. It can be wielded for both good and evil. I remember my supervisor would always encourage us to delve into our own personal life for examples of influence to make it more relatable for the audience. This made me reflect and consider the far-reaching consequences of my own actions, and strive to influence positively the people around me.
What do you think is the potential of influence?
Influence can be wielded in many different way – for good and evil. Influence has the potential to rally large amounts of people behind a cause. History and present day produce a plethora of examples where influence has been wielded to convince people of bigotry and therefore hate crimes, yet it has been used to rally people to protect human rights and freedoms. So, definitely influence is a two-sided coin that can easily go awry if not managed properly.
