Why Some People Cut Through the Noise While Others Go Unheard
Nothing teaches you the power of influence more than when you don’t have it.
I learned this —not from books, or business school,… or workshops, or… ‘expert advice’, but from those humbling moments of transition when I discovered that previous recognition meant little in new territory. We’ve all felt it: that disconnect when awareness doesn’t automatically translate to impact, when the metrics we’ve built suddenly don’t equal meaning.
This week, I’m tackling the fundamental question at the heart of every business strategy, marketing plan, and career trajectory:
What is influence, really?
The Conversation That Never Changes
The moment I mention studying influence, I can predict the response with uncanny accuracy—assumptions about social media tactics or connections to celebrity culture. This immediate association reveals something profound about our collective blindspot:
We’ve confused the vessel with what it carries.
Attention has become our obsession, elevated to almost mythical status in business conversations. And yes, awareness matters—you can’t influence someone who doesn’t know you exist. But in a landscape where the average professional toggles between seventeen different apps before finishing their morning coffee, mere visibility has become table stakes, not victory.
I’ve distilled years of observation into an equation that feels almost too simple to be meaningful:
Influence = Attention + Trust
What Lies Beneath Our Decisions
The most dangerous trap is believing influence is something you possess rather than something you earn. In my upcoming video, I break down the three leverage points where trust amplifies attention exponentially – and why missing any one of them renders the others nearly worthless.
The surprising truth? The person with the most impressive resume often wields less influence than someone who simply feels familiar, aligned, and invested in our success.
This explains the disconnect we’ve all experienced—why brilliant ideas sometimes fall flat while simpler ones gain traction. Why being right isn’t always enough to be heard.
See you next week,
P.S. If you’ve ever experienced the frustration of being most qualified, deserving and/or hardest working but going unheard, this framework is for you.
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