Having Influence vs. Being an Influencer

In this session, Coach Yu shared his thoughts on what it means to have influence versus to be an influencer. He explained how social media has changed the way we view “fame” and the current landscape has the wrong people getting famous for the wrong reasons. 

Focus the first few years of your career on creating something of value that you love and the praise and recognition will follow. This way, you’ll become better known because you’ve accomplished something of significance so it’s the network you build and admiration garnered that puts you in the spotlight. 

Spend time perfecting your craft and becoming an expert instead of selling, earning your customers and reputation organically. Before even setting out to become famous, ask yourself why you want popularity and what you want to get from having a platform. Is it superficial or is it something you’re really passionate about? Is it something you’ll stick with, even if things go south? Know your objective– Jeff says that fame usually comes right when you achieve that objective. 

Social media has introduced a new method to self-promote, but you don’t necessarily need to self-promo and certainly shouldn’t rely on it. “Think about how you can become better known by honoring other people,” Coach Yu advises, adding that when you shine a light on others, you’re shining a light on yourself without realizing. Ironically, he says, you become famous by lifting up other people and they do the work for you. Jeff’s take is that humans are natural influencers and naturally influenced but it has become a buzzword that has lost its significance– influence is influence, regardless of follower counts. It’s the positive relationships with people you’ve worked with and the mutual respect and admiration that give someone a platform. 

“Influencer is a business buzzword, influence is a human term.” 

Jeff Sass

Check out the full session above to hear more about navigating the world of influencing without compromising on authenticity.