The Secret Sauce - Influence

Influence is the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behaviors, opinions, etc. of others.

It's a very powerful thing, and the driving factor between success and failure, not just in business, but also in life. Klout seems to think they have a way of measuring someone's influence by the number of connects and interactions you have on social media. Phooey! Influence isn't a score, it's an ability - maybe even a gift. There is no systematic and universal way that people must invite or accept friend requests to make their data even remotely useful. It's a gimmick that has lots of people scurrying to try to raise their Klout score so they will feel important.

I've had teachers, coaches, ministers, friends, relatives that have influenced me in major ways, and none of them - at the time - even knew what a Facebook or LinkedIn or Twitter was. They influenced me because of the human touch and the investment that they made into my life. I felt as though they had wisdom, and that they cared enough about me that they wouldn't steer me wrong.

As a recruiter, as a sales guy, as an executive - a big portion of my job is to influence others. I influence potential new customers to deal with me because they find me to be a man of integrity, someone who keeps his word, and has a solution that solves a problem. I influence candidates to trust their careers to me as I introduce them to key leaders at organizations and guide them through a hiring process. I influence my team by letting them see that I care more about them as a person than I do about the bottom line. In each case, I invest myself in them, and in return, it gives me some layer of influence.

As the generational workforces shift, and Gen Y becomes an even larger focus, influence will be the key. The days of the typical recruiter will be done. Instead, we will hire influencers. The crowd we will be trying to reach demands human touch, collaboration, relationships. At the heart of it all - it demands HONEST influence.

It would be very cool if there was a way to just rank people with a score to see just what kind of influence they really have. Shoot, I was sucked into the Klout game myself when it first came out. But no longer. Influence can be seen in a very tangible way...the lives impacted and by those who seek you out at critical moments in their life. If no one is coming to you, I would suggest that maybe you lack the investment in others.

Thoughts? (I'm just waiting for someone from Klout to come on here and blast away at me...hahaha!)

Comment by Paul Alfred on September 13, 2013 at 10:01pm: Hmmm ... Influence in social media is also about how folks you interact with are influenced by your thoughts - like this blog or a post you made on facebook or a tweet you sent out or a pin you uploaded on Pinterest. Brands pay alot of attention to folks who can influence others around a common interest. I would take a second look at really what Klout actually measures ,,,

Comment by Richard Peterson on September 14, 2013 at 3:18pm: Social Media basically owns us and influences everything we do. Prior to the Internet, we relied on the people around us. Today, it's too easy to be "Liked" and have anyone publish anything they want anywhere. We need to return to our roots and stick with the folks we trust.

Social Media owns us. It influences everything we do. Today, it's too easy to be "Liked". It's time to stick with the folks that we trust.

Comment by Richard Peterson on September 14, 2013 at 3:18pm: 1.) Influencers

Social Media basically owns us and influences everything we do. Prior to the Internet, we relied on the people around us. Today, it's too easy to be "Liked" and have anyone publish anything they want anywhere. We need to return to our roots and stick with the folks we trust.

Social Media owns us. It influences everything we do. Today, it's too easy to be "Liked". It's time to stick with the folks that we trust.

Comment by Richard Peterson on September 14, 2013 at 3:19pm: 1.) Influencers

Social Media basically owns us and influences everything we do. Prior to the Internet, we relied on the people around us. Today, it's too easy to be "Liked" and have anyone publish anything they want anywhere. We need to return to our roots and stick with the folks we trust.

Social Media owns us. It influences everything we do. Today, it's too easy to be "Liked". It's time to stick with the folks that we trust.

Comment by Richard Peterson on September 14, 2013 at 3:26pm: Social Media basically owns us and influences everything we do. Prior to the Internet, we relied on the people around us. Today, it's too easy to be "Liked" and have anyone publish anything they want anywhere. We need to return to our roots and stick with the folks we trust.

Social Media owns us. It influences everything we do. Today, it's too easy to be "Liked". It's time to stick with the folks that we trust.

Comment by Maren Hogan on September 16, 2013 at 1:45pm: This reminds me of a few years ago when all the practitioners turned into consultants who were offering strategy. While strategy is super valuable and not enough people think strategically, it can do nothing without tactics driving it forward. I think the same thing about Influencers. While I like getting put on lists and having people talk about my work, the truth is, influence only means so much without the actual PEOPLE doing the things. Put another way, if in the future, an influencer drives me to apply for a position with a certain company and no one follows up or reads my resume or even acknowledges that I tried, then what good did that influencer do really? So the typical recruiter, instead of ceasing to exist, will have to evolve -- that is, do many of the same tactical things, while still building influence externally (and internally with HMs too!)

Comment by Malaika Dutt on September 23, 2013 at 1:19pm: Influence scores over Power.

But how do Influential people manage to do it ?

Read this nice and crisp article to understand it -

25 Things Influential People Do Better Than Anyone Else

- Malaika Dutt | Promoter - FormalContacts | Fast track your Career !