What are the key qualities of an influencer?

Grant Leboff: In your book you talk about the qualities needed to be a good influencer. What, for you, are the top qualities of an influencer?

Warren Cass: From my personal experience, the best influencers are people who have taken time to invest in their communication techniques. They're great communicators. They are students of other people. They've got great self-awareness. There is no delusion there at all. It's funny we live in a time of reality TV where 50 per cent of everybody they bring on board are bat shit crazy and the other 50 per cent might be half decent. I'm paranoid that I fit in the Bat shit crazy character category. [laughing] So I surround myself with people who stopped me from becoming deluded and tell me how is. And I would absolutely say - become a good student or people and that starts with yourself.

So your communications skills are essential.

The second is around integrity because, ultimately we have to demonstrate and show our values. The thing that affects reputation the most is our integrity, it's the thing that people will talk about. So I would definitely say that. And the last, the best influencers I've ever witnessed are deeply intuitive, so they can they can sit down with people and have a real understanding of the core of who that person is and, therefore, adapt and be with them and be present with them. So if you are asking me for the first three characteristics off the hoof, I would say integrity, intuition and then communication.

Grant Leboff: intuition is interesting because I agree with you. I always think some of the best politicians I've ever witnessed are just incredibly intuitive. They kind of stand up and seem to know what the room wants to hear at that particular time. How do you develop that? Is there a way of developing that in any way? Because for some people it's just a natural born skill isn't it. They just kind of have it.

Warren Cass: It is. And I think it's something you can develop by just choosing to sit and be aware. Don't get me wrong, it will take practice but you mentioned politicians. People like Tony Blair were great at it. Regardless of whether you liked his politics or not, Tony Blair was very empathetic, very intuitive and the Northern Ireland peace process is a prime example. I love what William Hague said about him very complimentary. William Hague had become the student of the details of the agreement. Tony Blair rocked up with without necessarily the same level of knowledge but he utterly empathised with people. He intuitively knew how to communicate the message - and that was the thing that he stood shoulders above everybody else in that particular process.

Grant Leboff: So as well as intuition, one of the other things, the qualities you mentioned - you mentioned several - is persistence and resilience. And I think that's really key isn't it, because these things take time to build and people often want quick results. They want to blog a couple of weeks and suddenly you and I became friends in their field. And that's not going to happen. So how important do you think it is to be resilient just to have the courage to keep going?

Warren Cass: Well we're dangerously close to a soapbox subject of mine now and it's a short form video, but there are actually two very different things so persistence; having the tenacity to see something through. As a society now, we've got shorter attention spans, we want immediate gratification and that's not necessarily the way to build influence. Influence is something that needs to stand the test of time. And so being consistent and committed to your strategy, is definitely one of the ways forward. Resilience is an interesting - other- point because again we seem to, culturally as a society, have more extreme views on both the left and the right and less tolerance of those opinions. And from a business perspective, not getting drawn into such conversations, is a great starting point.

Personally I've always felt common sense lies in the middle. But choosing not to be offended and being just that little bit more robust in your own point of view, and the acceptance of other people's point of view, is a starting point because the point is; the moment you start getting out and communicating your message and persistently communicating your message, you are going to get people come and challenge your point of view. It's not personal. And in fact every single question you get asked is a learning opportunity or a potential topic of another blog that you can go an write.

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