Tips For Building & Sustaining Human Influence

AI versus HI at Dancing Elephants Press

As an advisor to philanthropists, the most important tool I have is not money but influence. This is a domain that A.I. cannot master because this kind of influence which includes an ability to get past the gatekeeper, requires a human touch.

To achieve and maintain business success, you must have a personal understanding of power and influence.

Influence is a general term used to describe any event or process where one entity (be it a person, corporation, government, religion, media organization, etc.) can change either directly or indirectly another entity’s thoughts, feelings, or behaviors. Where there is power, change is precipitated. All A.I. can do here is gather and manipulate data.

With human beings, this change will generally take place concerning a belief, an attitude, the possession of physical wealth, and/or the use of influence in its various forms.

Much of what creates and sustains power and influence is emotion and disposition. These two factors may affect an individual’s likelihood of conformity or anticonformity. Dysfunctional emotion, what Eckhart Tolle calls the “pain body” and what many personal development advocates call cellular memory is the foundation of fear and increases the chance of agreeing with a group On the other hand romantic love or lust increases the chance of going against the group. It is important to note that certain chemical factors in the brain feed into romantic life, and these can be influenced through sexual seduction.

Social networking has changed, magnified, and expanded many of the elements that create influence and power. A social network is a social structure made up of nodes (representing individuals or organizations) that are connected (through ties, also called edges, connections, or links) by one or more types of interdependency (such as friendship, common interests or beliefs, sexual relations, or kinship). Social network analysis uses the lens of network theory to examine social relationships. Social network analysis as a field has become more prominent since the mid-20th century in determining the channels and effects of social influence. For example, Christakis and Fowler found that social networks transmit states and behaviors such as obesity, smoking, drinking and happiness.

Identifying the extent of social influence, based on large-scale observational data with a latent social network structure, is pertinent to a variety of collective social phenomena including crime, civil unrest, and voting behavior in elections. For example, methodologies for disentangling social influence by peers from external influences — with latent social network structures and large-scale observational data — were applied to US presidential elections, stock markets, and civil unrest.

No manual will ever be accurately called the definitive work of the art and science of influence. There is just too much new research and too many revolutionary approaches arriving on the scene. However, I know if a serious student studies these guidebooks, reading them repeatedly and putting the principles into practice with positive intentions and ethical applications, he or she will immediately notice a shift in the quality of life. These students will see the world through new eyes. It will happen quickly and seem much as it must have seemed to Moses when the Red Sea parted in response to his command.

How long does it take for a particular type of influence to become ingrained? When does a consciously repeated pattern become a habit? It depends upon the behavior you are looking to influence and how much detail is involved in the activity. Becoming a great tap dancer will take more time than remembering to turn on your television for the six o’clock news. Of course, this time frame shifts completely if the behavior you are attempting to influence is connected to physical addiction or a deeply rooted emotional pattern. Eliminating addiction through influence may require a multiplicity of influence models.

In our present times, where the ability to predict the future and control events is of ever greater interest to those with power it is not surprising that influence has become a rapidly expanding field of study and psychological research. As we come to the close of this exploration, several things should seem clear. Ultimately, most masters of influence possess, either consciously or unconsciously, a profound understanding of personality types, culture, the dynamics between the mind/nervous system and language (linguistics), and how their interplay affects our bodily function, body language, movement patterns, and behavior (programming.

Though a vast body of scientific evidence now exists on influence, power, persuasion, NLP, and how, when, and why people say “yes” or “no”, research in counseling psychology has had mixed reports about the efficacy of varying types of influence theory. Thus, much of what is taught about influence is derived from personal experience, anecdotal evidence, analogies, and testimonials.

While any conscious person will recognize the importance of influence, there is no single unified theory on how people are influenced. Rather, there are many systems, all valid for defining and applying influence.

The Takeaway

To achieve and maintain business success you must have an understanding of power and influence.

Influence is a general term used to describe any event or process where one entity (be it a person, corporation, government, religion, media organization, etc.) can change either directly or indirectly another entity’s thoughts, feelings, or behaviors. Where there is power, change is precipitated. With human beings, this change will generally take place concerning a belief, an attitude, the possession of physical wealth, and/or the use of influence in its various forms.

In a sense, we are always being influenced no matter who we are. This is because humans are in essence social animals. We cannot live without other people. Just look around — we look strangely at hermits and most of us naturally “take to” other people for some kind of connection. No matter how advanced technological society becomes, we depend on or rely on people. The quality of the people we choose to become involved with professionally can define the difference between a life of joy and celebration, and a life of struggle.

This story is an excerpt from my course “How to Become Really Wealthy”

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©Lewis Harrison, all rights reserved.

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Before you go…

I am Lewis Harrison, a successful entrepreneur, and advisor to philanthropists. I am also the award-winning author of over twenty books on business, leadership, personal growth and strategic thinking. For over a decade I was the producer and host of the show “What’s Up” on NPR-affiliated WIOX FM in New York.

Now, aside from writing on Medium, and connecting personally with my readers, I teach seminars and speak on personal development, and life strategies throughout the world.

Here are links to three of my best-selling business books: