Page 203 - The Power to Change Anything

192 INFLUENCER

SUMMARY: SOCIAL ABILITY

In an interdependent, turbulent world, our biggest oppo-
nents—the mortal enemy of all families, companies, and com-
munities—may well be our inability to work in concert. Since
rarely does any one of us have all that’s required to succeed with
the complex tasks we face every day, we desperately need to
build social capital.
However, that’s certainly not the message we’ve been fed
for years. The movie and TV heroes of the last half century
have fought the enemy within—the big bosses, the establish-
ment, “the man.” This constant celebration of the rugged indi-
vidualist has had an enormous dampening effect on people’s
willingness to draw on others to enable change.
Savvy influencers know better than to turn their backs on
social capital. They’re quick to consider what help, authority,
consent, or cooperation individuals may need when facing risky
or daunting new behaviors. Then they develop an influence
strategy that offers the social capital required to help make
change inevitable.