Page 165 - The Power to Change Anything

154 INFLUENCER

But being respected and trusted isn’t enough. Opinion lead-
ers are also generous with their time. They frequently rub
shoulders with the people who look up to them, and when
doing so, they speak their minds in a direct, healthy way. For
instance, when we (the authors) examined the factors that con-
tribute to employees’ satisfaction in their relationship with
their boss, we found that the best predictor was frequency of
interaction. Long periods of absence don’t help. Bosses who are
accessible, talk openly, and spend informal time chatting
with their direct reports are far more likely to be influential
than those who maintain their distance. The same is true with
parents.
So when it comes to drawing on the power of social influ-
ence, think opinion leader. Identify opinion leaders, partner
with opinion leaders, and become an opinion leader in your
own right. If you want to be an opinion leader with your
coworkers, direct reports, friends, and family members, you
have to be both respected and connected. More often than not,
that calls for face-to-face dialogue where you jointly discuss
issues, work through differences, and come to shared agree-
ments.

THE POWER OF EVERYONE
Occasionally the problem you’re dealing with stems from long-
held and widely shared norms. Virtually everyone has done the
same thing for years—even generations. As these norms begin
to change, everyone needs to talk about the changes before any-
one can successfully act in new ways without facing ridicule
and eventual isolation. Changes in behavior must be preceded
by changes in the public discourse.
However, openly discussing certain norms is often consid-
ered taboo or at least politically incorrect. The chances for cre-
ating change in such cases are especially dim—unless, of
course, an effective influencer finds a way to partner with opin-