Influence. It’s the secret that sets the leaders apart from the doers. It’s the ingredient that turns ideas into action. It’s that je ne sais quoi that separates the tastemakers from the followers. And it’s the reason why you may not be making the difference you could be.
Do you want to create a sea change but find yourself stuck in the shallow end? Do you have a big vision but keep falling down on execution? Getting heard requires more than high ideals, good ideas or even cold hard cash. It requires influence. Here’s the good news. Influence can be learned. This I know from experience. When I started the trek from eco-activist to ecopreneur and author, I had to start from scratch. I had no platform, no environmentally-based education, no sustainability-specific experience, no green credentials and no real contacts to speak of. Or so I thought. Only after spending the past four years studying the most successful leaders in the world did I come to realize that I had everything I needed to make a unique contribution. And so do you.
Here are six simple steps that I’ve observed for gaining the influence to get your green plan off the ground. But “simple” doesn’t always mean easy. Then again, who ever said that changing the world would be?
