How to Compound Your Influence (Even While You Sleep)

Dear {{ first name | Legend}},

Have you ever felt this way? 👇🏽

“Oh I didn’t get the promotion? Damn it! I’ll work harder.”

“Oh Jim got the award for best marketer? I’m just as capable. No matter, I’ll get even better results next year.”

“Oh Julie was profiled in an interview with the Finance magazine? I’m pretty sure I have more experience than her. It’s alright, I’ll take on a high-visibility project.”

If so, you are not alone. If you’ve never had this experience, don’t worry, it will happen eventually.

You see, there is a belief many talented professionals quietly hold.

It sounds reasonable. It even sounds noble.

“If I do great work, success will come.”

So you keep your head down. You work harder. You deliver great results.

And you hope.

You hope your manager notices your effort.

You hope prospects see your value.

You hope opportunities eventually knock on your door.

But nothing happens.

Think about this.

You want the spotlight, but you are not willing to shine it on yourself. So you wait for others to shine it on you, but when they don’t you’re disappointed.

This philosophy will not only cause you grief, it will starve you of success.

But how should you think about attention?

You don’t need to chase attention and shine the spotlight on yourself for the sake of getting attention. You don’t need to be an influencer.

Instead you start with the value you want to give, to the people you want to serve. Become a person of service, a person of influence. Someone known for solving a problem.

When your intention starts with giving, shining a spotlight on yourself doesn’t feel so icky and greasy.

In fact, it just becomes a critical step to serve more people, because if you don’t you’re actually denying someone of your gifts.

Don’t be selfish. Shine a light, serve your people.

But getting attention is only the first step to compounding your influence.

This system takes advantage of the flywheel effect: when small, consistent actions build momentum over time, making each turn easier, faster, and more powerful than the last. (See short 2 min 22 second video explaining what this is)

The first step is simple: get seen.

People can’t choose you if they don’t notice you.
And in a noisy world, attention doesn’t go to the best—it goes to what stands out. So go where your people are and give them something they have never seen before.

Key idea:
If they don’t see you, nothing else matters.

Attention fades fast. Memory is what lasts.

People don’t remember everything—our brains are wired to remember what matters, what’s emotional and what’s simple. When they see you, make sure you are memorable.

Key idea:
People remember what’s easiest to remember.

Before people buy, they decide whether to believe you.

Trust isn’t built slowly—it’s earned and inferred through signals. Competent, authentic, reliable and empathetic. Where and how can people trust you more and more? (Newsletters are a great way to build trust. I’ve written and sent an email every Sunday for 2.5 years, or 952 days. This is issue #137!)

Key idea:
People only believe what you say, if they believe you.

Buying doesn’t mean you are selling a product. Buying you means an exchange of value. It could be money for service, or it could be time for value.

People choose what feels easiest, clearest, and safest. So first remove all the barriers (physical and psychological), then motivate the choice.

Key idea:
It’s not about tricking people into choosing you, it’s being the easiest and best choice for them in that moment.

A referral means they are putting their social reputation on the line. They are advocating your work, your idea, you so they have a higher standing (consciously or subconsciously.)

People share what reflects well on them, so make it easy for their advocacy.

Key idea:
People share what makes them look good.

Lastly, how can you connect a referral to more people seeing you?

Think of your advocates are distribution channels. Do they have access to people you wish to serve?

Don’t think of influence as an event, think of it as capital that you can compound over time.

If you like this issue about increasing your influence, check out:

Change behavior, change lives 🤘🏽

Howie Chan

Creator of Influence Anyone

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P.S. If you haven’t already, go take the free assessment and find out your preferred influence style!

Ever feel like your message makes sense… but doesn’t actually move people?

In this episode, I sit down with storytelling expert Karen Eber to unpack what’s really happening in the brain when we hear a story and why logic alone isn’t enough to influence decisions.

In this conversation we unpack:

• How storytelling triggers oxytocin and builds trust at a neurological level
• Why your brain is wired to be lazy and what makes it actually pay attention
• The hidden “factory settings” that shape how people interpret everything you say

If you’ve ever struggled to get buy-in, felt like your ideas aren’t landing, or wondered why some messages stick while others get ignored…

This conversation will change how you think about storytelling and how to use it to influence others (and yourself).

🎧 Listen to the full episode on Apple, Spotify, the web, or wherever you get your podcasts.