"We grow up believing that if an idea is good, it will naturally rise to the top. Yet that's rarely, if ever, true. To make an impact, you need to understand power and influence. It isn't about titles, authority, or formal position. It's about understanding how decisions actually get made, how people get mobilized, and how systems really change. To do that, you need to master three forms of power: hard power, soft power, and network power. Hard power compels. Soft power persuades. Network power amplifies."
"Nikolai Tesla was a revolutionary thinker with bold, transformative ideas. Yet it was George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison who shaped how electricity was brought to the world. The personal computer was invented at Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center), but it was Apple that brought the Macintosh to market. William Coley pioneered cancer immunotherapy, but James Allison made it a reality."
Good ideas alone rarely determine which innovations or movements prevail; other actors often shape how those ideas are implemented and adopted. Influence depends on mastering three forms of power: hard power that compels, soft power that persuades, and network power that amplifies. Combining these forms creates real influence capable of mobilizing people, shaping decisions, and altering systems. Historical examples show inventors and pioneers whose concepts were realized by others with influence and resources, and grassroots movements like Otpor demonstrate strategic organization can challenge entrenched authoritarian power.
Read at Fast Company
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