You Can Be an Influencer – Part VI: Are You an Opinion Leader?
The ability to influence begins with us. Believing that we can influence change is the first step and then taking responsibility to change key behaviors is next. But, if you try to tackle change as one person, your impact will be limited. The story of the “lone ranger” is fiction. However, when you read the stories of real leaders, you see that a hero is not an individual but a team.
When looking at enlisting the help of others around you, the book, Influencer, points out 3 critical areas: Making use of opinion leaders, changing unhelpful group norms, and creating a culture of support.
Making Use of Opinion Leaders
Opinion leaders are the individuals in a group who are respected and socially connected. They represent only 13.5 % of the population; however, over 85% of the population will follow their lead. In fact, the majority of the population will not engage in the new idea until these opinion leaders do. So, who do these opinion leaders tend to be?
First, who do opinion leaders tend NOT to be:
- They may not be the person with the Title.
There is a difference between authority and power. Just because a person has a title or a position of authority in the organization does not mean people will follow them. When the person with the title speaks, do people mock him or do they stop and listen? Watch to see how people respond when a designated leader speaks. This will show you if that person is an opinion leader.
- They also will not be the Innovators.
Dr. Everett Rogers describes innovators as those who are very open to new ideas and willing to adopt them quickly. However, they tend to be seen as different from their peers in visible ways and often their actions are seen as disrespecting traditional methods. Therefore, they get labeled as being a threat.
Dr. Rogers gives the example of a farmer who wore Bermuda shorts, drove a Cadillac and was willing to try the newest seed developed. He got great results with his crop yields through the new seed; however, none of the other farmers would try it because he was an Innovator. He was visibly different and a threat. The messenger was more important than the message.
So who are the real opinion leaders? They tend to have three characteristics:
- Knowledgeable
Opinion leaders know their area of expertise and continually keep connected to resources to learn more in their expertise. In a book called, What’s Your Genius?,the author conducted a study of professionals across the world. What differentiated the top performers from the rest was that the top performers knew what they were good at and remained authentic to that expertise.
- Trustworthy
Others see opinion leaders as having their best interest in mind.
- Generous with their time
Opinion leaders don’t just make appearances. They build relationships with people. They are accessible, open to discussion and are willing to talk about formal and informal topics.
How do you find the opinion leaders? You ask people in the group, who are the most influential and respected. In an organization this can simply be done by conducting a survey.
How do you become an opinion leader? I love this quote from the Influencer, “If you want to be an opinion leader with your coworkers, direct reports, friends, and family members, you have to be both respected and connected. More often than not, that calls for face-to-face dialog where you jointly discuss issues, work through differences, and come to shared agreement.”
Changing Unhelpful Group Norms
When you want to bring about change across a group of people, you have to first make the current social norms discussable. The problem is that often there is a conspiracy of silence around social norms. With my background in counseling psychology, I often saw this in families and communities where dysfunction and abuse were permitted as a part of the social norm. In families the abuse kept going because of a rule that “You do not talk about it.”
However, the “Don’t talk” rule is also seen in organizations. For example, at a hospital, staff that does not follow the hygiene rules may not be called out on their behavior because admitting the behavior could lead to a lawsuit. However, this is actually promoting the “Don’t talk” rule. Processes to improve an organization can never be improved unless people are first encouraged to talk about what goes wrong.
One of the first steps in changing unhelpful group norms is to encourage frank discussions. The “Don’t talk” rule must be done away with. It is important for those in power to demonstrate that speaking up does not bring about punishment but instead is encouraged. This is also a case where you can get the opinion leaders on board and use them to encourage frank discussions among people in the group.
Creating a culture of Support
The Delancey Street Foundation is an organization that helps addicts and felons become productive members of their communities. In fact 90 percent of those who graduate from the program keep these changes for the rest of their lives. One of the keys to their success is that they have created a culture of support. They have a group of formal and informal leaders who encourage the right behaviors and confront the negative behaviors. In fact everyone is called to hold each other accountable. And the “Don’t talk” rule is strictly not allowed.
When setting a goal, let others know about it. Research has shown that just an email from a friend checking in on your progress with a goal will help you keep on the path to change.
How do you engage social support? I would love to hear your successes and also challenges in these areas. Please call me at (812) 881-6862, email or connect on the Imajine Unlimited Facebook page.