Personal Influence: The Secret Engine of High-Performing People and Companies
In top-performing organizations, personal influence is a key force. It begins with a sense of responsibility and evolves into deep self-development (SD). Along this journey, individuals discover whether their comfort zone serves or sabotages their potential. If their zone is misaligned, Self-Reinvention (SR) becomes necessary. When it’s simply broken, Self-Recovery (SR) offers repair. Either way, transformation begins with the Personal Influence Scanner (PIS).
Personal Influence Scanner (PIS)
The PIS system has two main diagrams:
- Comfort Zone Mapping: Refer Figure 1
- ICP (Individual Comfort Point): Your private performance baseline.
- PCP (Public Comfort Point): How others perceive your comfort zone.
- The Nkinga Diamond
- A 2-axis grid formed by:
- IS (Individual Spectrum): Powered by Si + CiMi.
- PS (Public Spectrum): Powered by Ei + CiLi.
- These create 9 performance zones on the PI-Spectrum—ranging from “Casuals” to “Masterminds.”
- A 2-axis grid formed by:
Personal Influence Illustration
Figure 1: Personal Influence Scanner (PIS) Elements
As illustrated in Figure 1, there are two diagrams: 1) Two Comfort Zone Points (ICP and PCP), Individual Comfort Zone for ICP, and Public Comfort Zone for PCP. 2) the Nkinga Diamond having two axes (IS and PS), an individual spectrum for IS, and a PS for the public spectrum. The next step is to scale ICP as the IS and PCP as the PS in order to create the Nkinga Diamond grid.
Therefore, Nkinga Diamond becomes a set of points characterized by IS and PS points. The resultant grid, as shown in Nkinga Diamond, gave rise to nine separate performance areas known as the PI-spectrum zones. Based on what we see in Nkinga Diamond’s from Casuals to Masterminds, the nine zones indicate individual habits. In micro-leadership, you can find the details about these zones.
Understanding these zones helps in micro-leadership.
What Is Personal Influence?
According to Katz & Lazarsfeld, “Influence is the ability to motivate others into action.” In the Ultimate Enterprise Model, Personal Influence is redefined as a measure of one’s virtuous influence on society—rooted in four human intelligences:
- Si – Spiritual Intelligence (Direction)
- Ei – Emotional Intelligence (Guidance)
- Ci – Cognitive Intelligence (Capability)
- Mi – Moral Intelligence (Integrity)
Together, these form your Personal Influence Scanner (PIS).
The Power of the Scanner: IS vs. PS
Individual Spectrum (IS):
- Formula: CiMi (Power) vs. Si (Direction)
- Si sets your internal compass—what’s true, meaningful, or worth striving for.
- CiMi gives you the willpower and cognitive strength to act on that truth.
Public Spectrum (PS):
- Formula: CiLi (Capability) vs. Ei (Emotional Compass)
- This is how your actions are perceived and qualified by others.
- Ei helps navigate emotions and social cues; CiLi equips you to lead effectively.
The PS is essential for leadership, teamwork, and building trust in business settings.
Habit Formation
Habit is the fusion of experience, intelligence, and unconscious performance. It is shaped by repeated use of:
- Si: Your purpose.
- Ei: Your ability to regulate emotion.
- CiMi: The power to execute with morality.
- CiLi: Your social and intellectual capital.
A broken habit loop causes stagnation, failure, or deception.
The Real Enemy: Self-Deception
When cognitive load becomes too high—often from unresolved desires—people deceive themselves to avoid pain or truth. This is when Personal Influence turns vicious.
Final Insight: Trust vs. Self-Deception
Personal Influence = Self-Decision ↓ + Trust ↑. High-performing businesses overcome failure by building trustworthy relationships—internally and externally. The PIS helps leaders diagnose the root of performance, morale, and ethical culture in any setting.
I hope this helps you understand the concept of Personal Influence better! If you have any specific questions or need further details, feel free to ask. 😊
