Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change, Second Edition, 2nd Edition

2The Three Keys to Influence

I wanted the influence. In the end I wasn’t very good at being a [university] president. I looked out of the window and thought that the man cutting the lawn actually seemed to have more control over what he was doing.

—Warren Bennis

So far we’ve claimed that influencers don’t randomly succeed at creating impressive and lasting changes in human behavior. The good news is that if they did rely on chance, we wouldn’t have a clue how to replicate their efforts. But they don’t rely on chance. Instead, they count on three keys to success—keys that all influencers adhere to and that you can use to your own benefit:

1. Focus and measure. Influencers are crystal clear about the result they are trying to achieve and are zealous ...