Influence and power

I would imagine you wonder why someone who runs a company that makes soap and paint silk would want to talk about influence and power. There’s a good reason. It’s part of every day life for all of us whether we pay attention to it or not.

It could be something simple as sharing a favorite restaurant or something more complex like guiding someone else in the rough and turbulent peace of life advice. Each of us have some influence on one another.

If we were really honest we would say that we would like to have influence over others for a positive. But there’s so much more that goes into the idea of having influence and power. And it starts simply with trust. But isn’t that the core of any relationship – developing trust on a simple basis and as the relationship grows so does the trust, earning The respect and reputation a person develops over time.

I just started listening to a new book on audible.com titled “power Moves” by Wharton school of business professor Adam Grant. It is a fascinating take on what is power, who possesses it and how it is shifting as our culture is changing. I am only through the third chapter so it’s early to share big lessons. The reading is causing me to look at life through this lens.

The old standard of power was the ceo- at the top of the heirarchy of the organization…. but with the rise of social media, and the breakdown of the social barriers to power the new standard is networking. Tech nerds with a wide reach in social media can change the world, modify how we live and behave far beyond that traditional ceo would imagine.

So the question is what is influencing you? How is your life changing?

I plan to write a series of posts based on lessons gleaned from this book. I hope you will find it of interest!