#101: Leadership and Grabbing Attention

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With the current election happening, it doesn’t take long to realize that we are in the middle of a leadership problem. In fact, it has been the only election that has made me consider eventually running for office. No, this isn’t a podcast about this political election, but about leadership as a whole, so I won’t go into my thoughts on it here. But just know that I think this election has been an absolute circus. If you think that we are looking at the best candidates in Trump and Clinton, you are sadly mistaken. What we are looking at are the candidates with the deepest pockets; nothing more. Maybe the best candidates are holding out to run next time? I sure hope so.

I’m now going to jump from talking about Trump and Clinton to the Kardashians, because there are two very important similarities between these individuals: attention and influence. I think it’s safe to say that the Kardashians are the most influential family in the world as of right now, which is sad, but true. And if leadership is controlled by the amount of influence one has and gives, then this further solidifies the fact that we have a leadership problem. If people are allowing the Kardashians to influence their lives more than anyone else, then this shows that they are learning from them, allowing their desires to be influenced by them, and also wanting to emulate them in some way. This is the reason that we have the current selfie generation, amongst other self-perception issues, but there’s a solution to this.

Once people stop paying attention to a particular story that is being shared, media moves on. Of course, this would take people to do this as a collective group, but if it happened, the overwhelming popularity of someone would cease to exist. Although it may now be too late to implement this idea in the presidential election, if it would have happened at the beginning, the popular candidates would be different than they are now, and no amount of money could have stopped it. What this doesn’t mean is to turn a blind eye to someone who is doing wrong, but if no one is paying attention to a presidential candidate or tv personality, a political party moves on, or ratings become so bad that a tv show is canceled. It’s the truth and it’s the way this world works.

Don’t like Trump? You should have stopped talking about him, good or bad, and stopped supporting his businesses long ago. Don’t like Clinton? You should have stopped talking about her, stopped funding the big businesses who fund her, and stopped commenting about her on Facebook long ago, as well. Don’t like the Kardashians? Stop watching their show and stop following their story. Attention of any kind will only continue to fuel the madness.

All of this is to say that we must be very careful as to who we allow to speak into our lives. Influence is a powerful thing, because it requires individuals to open their hearts and minds to receive the message that one is spreading. But the most important question in all of this is, what opens the door to influence? What creates the opportunity to influence people in 2016? The answer is attention. This is the single most important factor in both influence and leadership, and it will only become stronger as social media continues to become more popular. Media sees what is trending and then amplifies what is popular.

Attention + Influence = Leadership Share on X

By no means am I the best entrepreneur in the world, as I’ve come to find that the best entrepreneurs as far as wealth builders and operators are those who are able to devote their full time and attention to one thing. But, I can say that I’ve successfully garnered attention, which is the gatekeeper to leading in a specific area. This is the one thing that has allowed me to influence millions of people over the last ten years, but this doesn’t mean I know everything; it just means I know how to successfully grab attention and use it for good. (When you gain attention, you have the choice to use it for good or bad.) If there’s any leadership secret I can offer, that’s it — grab attention, use that attention to speak wisdom into people’s lives, and repeat the process often.

Grab attention, use that attention to speak wisdom into people's lives, and repeat the process often. Share on X

Both Trump and Clinton have both used their money to grab the attention of media and people, and so far it has worked for them and their agendas, whether you think their proposed policies are good or bad. As for the Kardashians, they too have used their ability to gain attention to grow their own agendas. I say all of this to show you just how important that grabbing the attention of people can be, but please spread a good message when you gain attention. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to do so.

So, how can you grab the attention of more people to influence them? Here are three ideas to gain more attention, right now:

First, go where your audience is.

When I first started blogging, I focused mostly on growing my twitter following, because that’s where people were, and it paid off. Currently most people are on Twitter and Facebook, but it seems that more and more people are starting to use Snapchat, Youtube, and Instagram. Wherever the audience is that you want to speak to, go there. I promise that doing so will pay off.

Trump and Clinton know they cannot forget about the states that have voted Republican or Democrat before. And the Kardashians know that their audience is across every social network. They all use their demographic to their advantage, and doing so has helped them succeed. Further solidifying relationships that you already have and going where you know your work will be accepted is the easiest way to build attention.

Second, extend your reach outside your current sphere of influence.

I’ve dabbled with different social networks and business ideas to not only expand my reach and audience, but to stretch myself and make me better at cultivating new ideas. Trump and Clinton have both visited areas where their political parties haven’t done so well in the past and have picked up new supporters along the way because of it. And the Kardashians have grown in the fashion industry and in the technology space where they weren’t previously trying to break new ground in and have found success because of their new ventures.

Many times, gaining attention from others means that we stretch ourselves and make mistakes along the way. This is necessary to finding where one excels. You can move outside of where you currently are to find new avenues for your talents.

And third, constantly communicate what makes you different from everyone else.

I know that in the business landscape there isn’t anyone else who cares about relationships like I do, so I built my brand on it. I have a passion for this truth, and I feel the responsibility to share my convictions with others. When I began doing this, people took notice and my brand grew exponentially. All it took was for me to know the way I am wired and to tell others just how important other people are.

You can see how Trump and Clinton have communicated their own differences throughout their campaigns. They have some sort of idea about who they are, and are constantly pointing out the things that make them different from everyone else. And the Kardashians are always pointing out what makes their fashion, their cars, their music, and their family so different from everyone else. It’s why so many people watch their show and are always looking for what’s next, trying to keep up with their lifestyle.

Now, please hear me when I say that I don’t endorse any of these individuals, but I am using them as examples for this podcast on how to increase attention. They all know how to grab the attention of others, and for that one thing, we can learn from them.

If you are trying to grow a business, attention matters. It is what opens the doorway for you to have influence in the lives of others. When you grow attention, you will grow your audience.