In today’s digital age, the world is fast evolving into a large global attention economy. Whether it’s an individual or a business, the kind of influence you have on others gains paramount importance. So, how do you determine what kind of influence you have on others? While there are services such as Klout which provide a good indication of your level of influence, it is largely based on your social media influence only.
Last week, I posted a video about the 3 rules of engagement in the attention economy. In this post, I talk about the 7 levels of influence that you need to be aware of in today’s attention economy.
The Leader
A leader leads by example and influences others around him. However, leadership is also a two-way sword. A leader can influence others to follow/ obey him. On the other hand, it’s easy to get intimidated by a leader’s aura and maintain some distance. Therefore, being a leader can have varying influence on various people.
The Winner
Winners are the been-there-done-that individuals and businesses. They’ve established a name for themselves by sheer virtue of their achievements. In most cases, they’ll have a positive influence on others influencing them to achieve more.
The Innovator
An innovator influences others by the virtue of his out of the box thinking. He’s a person who doesn’t follow run-of-the-mill stuff and somebody whom you can associate with producing the next big game changer in any field. I consider Mark Zuckerberg – Facebook’s CEO as a true digital age innovator.
The Believer
A believer stands firm by what he believes is correct. He’s a person who can make others believe in him by the sheer virtue of his strong thinking. However, a believer must match his beliefs with action.
The Follower
A follower is someone who looks up to others for guidance. He’s more likely to be influenced by others. A follower can in turn influence others by his words or actions.
The Caregiver
A quick look at human history testifies that most people are likely to be influenced by those who care for them. Whether its individuals or a business which cares about its customers, those who take good care of others are likely to be influential.
The Visionary
A visionary is one who thinks beyond the obvious and acts beyond the conventional. He has no fear and influences others with his far-sighted vision. Steve Jobs, the man who turned Apple’s fortunes around and gave us several bestselling products like the iPhone, iPad and iPod will always be remembered as a true modern age visionary.
What are your thoughts on the levels of influence in today’s attention economy? Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment.
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