Читать книгу People Follow People - Sam Cawthorn - Страница 9

How do you decide who to follow, who you will buy from, whose opinion you will respect, who you will learn from?

Do you base your decision on the number of likes or followers a person has on social media, or on how well known their brand is, or if they are famous and in the public spotlight? Or do you first seek to find out what that leader, influencer or teacher stands for — how they have chosen to contribute to the lives of the people around them, what they believe is important and what their values are? If this is the way you decide who you will follow, then it's probably also the way you want to lead and influence others. You want to become an influencer who stands for something, who will be there for people over the long term.

Do you want to change lives for the better, including your own, and to make a lasting difference? If so, you have the potential to be a leader and influencer others will choose to follow.

I believe this is the way many of us are now consciously deciding who we want to follow and whose influence we will accept. In recent years, and perhaps still today for some people, the idea of ‘influencers’ had negative connotations, bringing to mind social media celebrities doing makeup tutorials followed by millions on YouTube, the Kardashians on a reality TV show, Paris Hilton arriving at the latest party in a startlingly short dress, toned-up bodybuilders uploading photos of themselves, social media personalities aggressively promoting questionable advice. These really aren't the people who'll give the world a valuable and lasting legacy, are they?

The most important sources of influence, in my view, are increasingly individuals who are actually making a positive difference in the world — who encourage and empower others, whose opinions are progressive and inclusive, who stand up for diversity, who have the courage to call out inauthenticity and dishonesty, perhaps even challenging government or corporate unscrupulousness. Successful leaders and influencers, now and going forward, are those who are committed not only to making the world a better place, but to building strong character to lead others well.

In a decade that has started with the greatest upheaval in our lifetime, we want more from our influencers and decision-makers. Influence in the 2020s will be based on consciousness, progressive thinking, empathy, humanitarianism and strong character. We need leaders who will make a positive difference. And as leaders and influencers, this is what we should demand of ourselves. Whether in our own workplace or community, or in the wider marketplace, we want to invoke the power to successfully influence others and build trust in those in our sphere.

We want influencers and leaders who stand up for something beyond themselves, and we want to stand up for what we believe in.