Are you an Influencer?

I recently read an article about the top Instagram influencers in India; the Top 5 names were Priyanka Jonas Chopra, Sunny Leone, Jacqueline Fernandez, Urvashi Rautela, and Kapil Sharma. It made me reflect on “influencing” as a topic and the power of Influencers.

The word influence has its roots in Latin. It is a combination of 2 words “in” and “fluere”, which means “into flow”. This was originally referred in the context of “a flow of water” and was used for “flowing in” from an astrological perspective.

Over the period of time, starting from medieval English, the word was being referred to “the power or capacity of causing an effect in others”.

With the advent of digital media and people consuming zillions and zillions of gigabytes on social platforms, there are new categories of Influencers that have emerged, which is linked to the number of followers you have:

• Nano Influencer – If you have 2,000 to 9,000 followers
• Micro-Influencer – If you have 10,000 to 50,000 followers
• Middle Tier Influencer – If you have 60,000 to 1,00,000 followers
• Top Tier Influencer – If you have 1,00,000 to 5,00,000 followers
• Mega Influencer – If you have more than 5,00,000 followers

Interestingly, the reach and influence of the above influencers allow them to create content and communicate with their followers on a real-time basis. More the number of followers, higher is the reach of the messaging.

The words that are very important in the definition of influence is Power or Capacity and I see that these influencers are using the lever of their Personal Power to drive change in others. The change could be a lifestyle change or could be product consumption change.

Now, none of the Top 5 names above are folks that are super famous in public lives. So, why are they the top Instagram influencers and my research revealed 2 reasons – (1) they are being authentic in their posts and (2) they continuously engage with their followers.

As I think of this in the context of the organizations we work in, I realize that to be an influencer in an organization – leaders will have to display these 2 important behaviors consistently –

(1) Being authentic – no one wants to be influenced by a person who always has a “mask” on. Are you able to share your vulnerabilities as much you are able to display courage? Do you mean what you say? Do your actions match your words? Being authentic means, you remove your own mask.

(2) Engaging continuously – for any behavioral change to happen, it needs constant communication, change management, and motivation by a leader. Are you only seen communicating on Annual Days’/Town hall? How much are you seen? When are you seen? Are you catching people doing “right things” yourself and applauding them in the corridors, cafeterias, or even in Zoom calls, elevators and parking? Continuous engagement is critical.

So, if you are a leader who is wanting to move up from being a Nano Influencer to Mega Influencer in your organization – it’s time you start doing the above. Being authentic and engaging continuously doesn’t come naturally to all of us; it will need some practice, some patience, some perseverance, some self-motivation, and probably some coaching as you start this journey.

About The Author

• Author Name: Pankaj Gupta
• Title of the Blog: Are you an Influencer?
• About the Author (a short description of yourself): I am an avid reader and a lifelong learner.
• Program Attended with CTT: ICF Coach Certification Program
• Reason for taking this program: To become more self-aware myself and assist others to reach their potential.
• What worked for you: The simplicity of the concepts and importance of these concepts in making a difference to remove interferences/noise from our mind.
• What benefits you got: Gained deep self-awareness and insights of my strengths. Ability to listen without judgment and being in the moment.

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Coach-To-Transformation or its parent company.