SHOCKER – gaining influence isn’t about being the smartest person in the room. You don’t even have to be the best looking or have the most money or the biggest title. Influence ISN’T about any of these things. Your influence is your ability to affect the outcome of a situation. You can have massive amounts of influence. It starts RIGHT NOW!
- Make a list of the people you know. If you have any sort of social media account, you already have the list made!
- Be the person that finds, creates and invites connections between people.
- Watch your influence grow.
It’s that simple! Malcolm Gladwell, in his book The Tipping Point, puts a name to this type of person who adds value to any situation by bringing the right people and ideas together – a Connector! As Gladwell writes, “sprinkled among every walk of life . . . are a handful of people with a truly extraordinary knack of making friends and acquaintances. They are Connectors.” Gladwell says that connectors are eternally curious, enjoy stepping outside of their comfort zone for the sake of new connections, and collect acquaintances and people for the sake of future connections!
For me, the people that have made the most difference in my career and business are the ones who see an opportunity for an introduction and make it on my behalf. Besides the difference that those introductions made, I am forever indebted to these Connectors. I am so grateful for their generosity in sharing the people in their lives and trusting me to care for them as clients and friends. Gaining influence is about me being this type of connector for others!
Entrepreneur.com contrasts networking to connecting and describes the difference as transactional versus a genuine love of people and ideas. With this difference there is always a risk of failure. Success for a Connector is making connections that work and provide results. When a connection doesn’t pay off or goes wrong, it can be a real downer for a Connector. However, because the ultimate goal is exploring possibilities between people and ideas, the risk is worth it in the end.
Now what?
- How can you be a Connector for the people and ideas in your life? Try it out and see what happens. Did it change your influence in your network?
- How can I be a Connector for you? Do you have a problem/challenge/opportunity that I can help move forward with the right connection?
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