Digitizing a thought I had written in a journal back in 2010 around the idea of a Centre of Influence (COI). I had defined COIs as those people we have relationships with who possess a level of influence over our decision-making. The influence is exerted by virtue of their primary relationship dynamic with their network. These are people trusted & networked as an influencer, and their advice is often taken with little further thought.
It's apparent that my then knowledge of personal/professional relationship dynamics was much more limited than it is today, but interesting nonetheless.
Here's the list I'd come up with back then:
- Five Star COIs
- Immigration consultant
- Power parent
- Religious leader (e.g. Pastor, Rabbi)
- Family doctor/physician
- Four Star COIs
- Accountant
- Lawyer
- Community leader (e.g. Strata)
- Martial Arts Sifu/Master
- Real estate agent
- Three Star COIs
- Hairdresser
- Nutritionist
- Nursing home staff
- Teacher/Instructor
- Government official
- Personal trainer
- Colleague
- Two Star COIs
- In-home caretaker
- Social worker
- Tutor (in-home)
- Sports/talent coach
Also, had made note of the characteristics that make for strong influencers:
- Highly trusted
- Important aspect of one's life
- Respected
- Knows the financial situation or other private personal information about others
How has this changed now that we're in 2018? Will be a ponderable when there's downtime :)