Measure Your Influence

Social media interweaves into so many aspects of our lives. A question I find myself asking lately is:

Does this pervasiveness of social media cause us to lose sight of how we actually influence and impact people and the world around us?

Yes, it’s true: the number of friends and likes on Facebook, the number of followers, RTs, and mentions on Twitter, the number of connections on LinkedIn and Google+, and even your Klout scores indicate how many ties — though some would say “weak ties” — we have.

But influence is altogether something else. Influence is measured by much more than how many people we reach via virtual face time.

Influence is measured by who we touch and what they do.

Influence is measured by the actions people take and by the mindset, the beliefs they come to hold that result directly from our actions. To have true influence and make a real impact requires personal availability, thought leadership, engagement, connection, and commitment.

As we think about our personal, professional, and societal goals — as we consider what we as women want to achieve in the workplace and on the global stage — we must ask ourselves:

When was the last time I reached out personally to make a difference? And frankly, have I spent enough time doing so? And for me, what do I want my influence to truly be about?

consider that true influence requires:

Expanding your knowledge, skills, and expertise to become a thought leader on the topics you wish to influence.
Personally connecting and interacting with the groups of people or with individuals one-on-one who you wish to impact.
Understanding the naysayers, challengers, non-believers, and those who ignore what you wish to change.
Nurturing, Mentoring and Sponsoring others
Promoting the positive actions of others as examples of what you wish to impact or influence.

Then, ask yourself:

Who has taken action as a result of my influence? What has been the impact of that action?

I don’t know about you, but there are days when I find myself sucked in and spending what feels like too much of my time on my social media assets. I am trying to catch myself when I lose myself there. I remind myself that social media is only part of my engagement. The opportunity for real influence is stronger, deeper, more personal, and it will take much more of me.