The hottest Influence Substack posts right now

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Musical Heresies (Part 2)

Secretum Secretorum • 429 implied HN points • 25 May 23
🎶 Music Influence
  1. Recorded music can have harmful psychological effects, suggesting music should be performed live and reserved for special occasions.
  2. Ancient cultures viewed music as a powerful force for transformation and knowledge, with musicians being revered as heroes.
  3. The historical significance of music extends beyond entertainment, as it played a crucial role in shaping societal worldviews and countercultures.

Cut-ups

Dada Drummer Almanach • 72 implied HN points • 07 Jan 25
🎶 Music Influence
  1. Can was a unique rock band formed in 1968, made up of musicians with diverse backgrounds in classical music, jazz, and even astrology. They aimed to create spontaneous music that broke traditional boundaries.
  2. Their approach involved improvisation and experimentation, often pushing the limits of what rock music could be. This made their albums innovative and influential on many modern artists.
  3. One of the band's interesting practices was to leave their instruments recording in a room to capture unexpected sounds, showing their commitment to spontaneity and creativity in music.

The First Domino Principle

DruGroup • 59 implied HN points • 26 Jul 23
🚌 Education Influence
  1. To influence others, you need to start by focusing on a specific group or person, rather than trying to reach everyone at once. It's like knocking over the first domino to set off a chain reaction.
  2. Choosing a clear target audience helps you tailor your message and connect better. For example, if you write for someone relatable, like Truck-driver Rick, you'll capture the interest of others around him too.
  3. Identifying your first domino can shift how you approach your work and communication. It makes it easier to make meaningful connections and adjustments in what you're doing.

Communication Isn’t Optional: A Self-Audit for Influence

Beyond the Screen • 6 implied HN points • 19 Nov 25
🚌 Education Influence
  1. Communication is really important and can greatly impact how people feel and act. It's not just a nice skill to have; it's essential for understanding and managing relationships.
  2. Understanding yourself is the first step to influencing others positively. Knowing your traits, values, and biases can really improve your communication.
  3. Influence can be used for good or bad, depending on your intentions. It's about building trust and aligning with shared goals instead of just having power.

Where Have the Good Oligarchs Gone?

God's Spies by Thomas Neuburger • 55 implied HN points • 24 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Influence
  1. The real Left opposes the idea of the rich ruling over everyone else. If they don't get rid of the oligarchs, true self-rule won't happen.
  2. Oligarchs are gaining more power, especially with political figures like Donald Trump. This shift is concerning for democracy.
  3. Some political groups appear to embrace certain wealthy individuals, calling them 'good billionaires.' The actual Left wants to challenge and limit the power of all oligarchs, not just pick favorites.
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Short Thoughts on "Getting It"

Autoscriptorium • 39 implied HN points • 05 Aug 23
📖 Philosophy Influence
  1. Understanding and aligning with the shared 'it' within a group is crucial for individuals to navigate collective reality.
  2. Diverse interpretations of the same 'it' can lead to significant discord and fractures within groups.
  3. The concept of 'getting it' is dynamic and ever-evolving, requiring individuals to adapt their understanding to avoid becoming outdated.

Misconceptions About Influence

Suzan's Fieldnotes • 39 implied HN points • 13 Jun 23
💼 Business Influence
  1. Influence is not about playing politics or being the loudest voice in the room.
  2. Effective influence is about building relationships, knowing your audience, and aligning around goals.
  3. You don't need to give speeches to be influential; strong relationships are key.

So you’re a millennial female autist substacking about your special interest

Sex and the State • 21 implied HN points • 21 Jun 25
🎭️ Culture Influence
  1. Choosing a clear topic helps you find your audience better. Having a specific niche makes it easier to write and connect with readers.
  2. Getting attention is crucial for your writing to be read. You can either pay for ads or create content that sparks strong emotions to get more people talking.
  3. Experimenting with different strategies helps you learn what works best for your content. Using advertisements can teach you valuable lessons for your organic outreach later.

Judging myself by likes

Kyle Chayka Industries • 195 implied HN points • 22 Jul 23
🎭️ Culture Influence
  1. Likes can impact how we judge our online success, but their significance varies across platforms.
  2. Algorithms on social media have changed how engagement is measured, making it harder to interpret likes as a true reflection of content quality.
  3. The age of likes is evolving, with platforms like TikTok shifting focus away from visible likes but still using them to influence content.

A decade of disappointments

Thoughts on Writing • 179 implied HN points • 24 Nov 21
🎭️ Culture Influence
  1. The inspiration behind the Disappointments Diary stemmed from a reaction to the overwhelming positive messages on social media, highlighting the importance of addressing toxic positivity and embracing emotional realism.
  2. The Negative Path to Happiness, as advocated by authors like Oliver Burkeman, suggests that embracing uncertainty and insecurity can lead to a more lasting form of contentment than relying solely on positive thinking.
  3. Navigating the ups and downs of a creative project involves quixotic optimism, distribution challenges, and the contextual nature of optimism, especially in the realms of social media and politics.

How to Find Your Voice

Neckar’s Notes • 105 implied HN points • 02 Mar 24
🚌 Education Influence
  1. When writing, be true to your unique voice to create engaging, magical content that resonates with readers.
  2. Identity crisis in writing can stem from trying to mimic others instead of embracing one's own style.
  3. To find your voice as a writer, avoid labeling yourself and simply write a lot, experimenting with different topics, forms, and influences.

Poetry is an Art of Sound

Dada Drummer Almanach • 115 implied HN points • 21 Nov 23
📚 Literature Influence
  1. Poetry is an art of sound and speech, an art performed by the reader.
  2. Keith Waldrop emphasized the importance of combining different elements in poetry, like verse and prose, to create a new language.
  3. Music was a significant influence for Keith Waldrop, who admired composers like Monteverdi, Mozart, and Indian Carnatic music.

Steve Jobs Has Fallen off My Pedestal

Kartick’s Blog • 35 implied HN points • 03 Nov 24
🎭️ Culture Influence
  1. Steve Jobs was seen as a hero, but his negative traits, like being manipulative, change that view. It's okay to admire someone's work but not their character.
  2. Elon Musk is also not a role model due to his unethical behavior and overconfidence. People often glorify individuals who don’t truly deserve it.
  3. We can learn useful lessons from anyone, even those with bad character. For example, effective leaders understand and connect with people's emotions.

A Leader Worth Following

Critic at Large • 19 implied HN points • 04 Aug 23
🎶 Music Influence
  1. Hip-hop's golden era in the late 1980s and early 1990s shifted focus to addressing issues of race, culture, and philosophy, with Rakim being seen as a significant figure in the genre's evolution.
  2. Rakim, through his album 'Follow the Leader,' showcased complex lyrical forms and addressed themes of culture, identity, history, and race with revolutionary approaches, leaving a lasting impact on hip-hop.
  3. Rakim's influence, along with his peers', played a pivotal role in elevating hip-hop from a form of entertainment to a platform for addressing social and intellectual issues, shaping it into a globally influential musical genre.

Building a Lasting Organizational Influence (Feat. Wayne Schmidt)

DruGroup • 79 implied HN points • 20 Jul 21
💼 Business Influence
  1. Organizations can have a lasting impact if they're built and managed well. Unlike ideas or people, organizations are resilient and can grow even when individual members come and go.
  2. Great leaders ensure continuity by preparing their organization for the future. This means recognizing and nurturing the leaders behind them and creating structures that last beyond their own involvement.
  3. It's important for leaders to balance their presence and absence strategically. Sometimes being there gives support, but not showing up can allow others to take the lead, which benefits the organization.

The End of Democracy: "What I’m Describing is Military Rule"

Who is Robert Malone • 36 implied HN points • 17 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Influence
  1. The discussion sheds light on the potential threat to free speech and democracy from the influence of the military and national security state.
  2. Efforts to control narratives and censor information are not just limited to previous eras, with modern censorship affecting freedom of speech without regard to accuracy.
  3. The conversation highlights the interconnectedness of various entities like the government, tech platforms, and media in shaping public narratives and potentially restricting democratic freedoms.

Powerful and Powerless Minorities

Cremieux Recueil • 48 implied HN points • 06 Oct 23
🎭️ Culture Influence
  1. The joke about vegans highlights their cultural influence, even though they are a smaller group in society.
  2. A study compared the size of various groups, showing surprising results about the number of vegans compared to others like gamers or transgender individuals.
  3. Vegans demonstrate three key traits needed to be a successful minority group, influencing industries like food and clothing.

Why Political Leaders Lean On Journalists and Sports Coaches Do Not

House of Strauss • 28 implied HN points • 01 Mar 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Influence
  1. Politicians often rely on writers and intellectuals for ideas, while sports coaches do not look to the media for advice.
  2. Political leaders delegate the ideas portion of their projects to others, like writers, as they seek power for its own sake.
  3. In contrast to politics, sports coaches consider the media intellectually useless and mainly rely on internal expertise within their team for strategic decisions.

Three Domains of Legacy, Part 1

DruGroup • 59 implied HN points • 29 Jun 21
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Influence
  1. Leaders have influence through three main domains: ideas, people, and organizations. Understanding which domain you excel in can help you focus your efforts.
  2. Each person affects the world in a blend of these domains. It's common for someone to be strong in one area and still have an impact in the others.
  3. A leader's influence can be both intentional and unintentional. It's important to communicate clearly to avoid misunderstandings about the influence being exerted.

Announcing: Re-launching "Impact through Influence"

The Caring Techie Newsletter • 9 implied HN points • 29 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Influence
  1. The course 'Impact through Influence' focuses on helping tech professionals build their influence without needing formal authority. It's great for engineers who want to lead and motivate their teams.
  2. Participants will learn how to build their reputation, foster trust, and persuade others effectively. The course includes practical exercises to apply what you learn in real situations.
  3. This re-launch includes new features like hands-on exercises and cheat sheets for every module. It's designed to make the content more accessible and directly applicable to everyday challenges.

WWIII: Winning the Peace

Dr. Pippa's Pen & Podcast • 32 implied HN points • 27 Oct 23
🌍 World Politics Influence
  1. Different conflicts around the world are interconnected and involve superpowers to varying degrees.
  2. Some wars, like those in space and underwater, are not as visible because they lack human casualties and photo opportunities.
  3. Contested regions are becoming more important due to valuable resources, leading to increased geopolitical tensions.

Beyond the cliché of being a "people person" (feat. Jo Anne Lyon)

DruGroup • 39 implied HN points • 13 Jul 21
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Influence
  1. People are really important to getting things done. Having strong relationships can lead to better results in any field.
  2. Knowing real people makes your purpose clearer and more meaningful. It helps if you think of your goals in relation to the people you're trying to help or work with.
  3. Solving problems often involves dealing with other people's issues. It's not always easy, but facing these challenges head-on can strengthen your connections with others.

How ideas can be a powerful influence (feat. Steve DeNeff)

DruGroup • 39 implied HN points • 06 Jul 21
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Influence
  1. Ideas are very powerful and can easily spread. Unlike organizations and relationships, ideas don't depend on complex connections and can be communicated simply.
  2. Effective communication is key for sharing ideas. It's important to connect with others and present ideas in a way that encourages discussion and adoption.
  3. Ideas need to be shared and discussed to stay fresh. If kept to oneself, they can become stale, so it's vital to engage others in conversations around them.

Friends and Coworkers

Fish Food for Thought • 15 implied HN points • 01 Mar 23
🎭️ Culture Influence
  1. Surround yourself with great people to leave positive traces on others.
  2. Be mindful of the company you keep, as they can greatly influence your success and values.
  3. Choose friends and coworkers who inspire and challenge you to become better.

The Trump Indictment, But With Jokes

I Might Be Wrong • 6 implied HN points • 09 Aug 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Influence
  1. The charges against Trump in the indictment include trying to keep ballots from being counted.
  2. Trump allegedly pushed state officials to change election results and tried to get fake electors to cast votes.
  3. The indictment argues Trump knew what he was doing and his intent, even if proving fraud is tricky.

Moral drain

Tom Thought • 1 HN point • 05 Jun 23
🎭️ Culture Influence
  1. It's important to consider the impact of good people leaving bad organizations, as it can lead to a decline in overall moral character within the organization.
  2. Loyalty to an organization, even when it does something wrong, has shifted from being seen as honorable to being perceived as weak and cowardly.
  3. To prevent 'moral drain,' it's suggested to either ensure organizations always do the right thing or encourage people of good character to stay even when the organization behaves badly.

Influencing with Intention: Driving High-Impact Outcomes through Collaborative Leadership

Leadership Tales • 4 HN points • 14 Apr 23
💼 Business Influence
  1. Effective leaders leverage networks for impactful solutions beyond just technical fixes.
  2. Influencing with intention involves tapping into the influence of others to achieve more impactful outcomes.
  3. Leaders can maximize impact by shifting from problem-solving to relationship-building, transforming crises into opportunities, and leveraging peer power.

The Journey of DC Rainmaker

The Healthtech Initiative • 3 implied HN points • 23 Aug 23
🎾 Sports Influence
  1. DC Rainmaker started as a triathlete and tech enthusiast, creating a blog to share insights on sports gadgets.
  2. DC Rainmaker is known for thorough and unbiased reviews of sports technology products, earning trust in the sports tech community.
  3. He goes beyond product reviews to explore trends, engage with his audience, and collaborate with sports tech companies.

Listen or Speak

Fish Food for Thought • 2 HN points • 21 Feb 24
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Influence
  1. Listening is a valuable leadership skill often overlooked in modern times, supported by research and real-world examples.
  2. Emotional intelligence (EI) is a critical element in effective leadership, aiding in maintaining composure, empathy, and fostering a positive work climate.
  3. Brevity in leadership communication is key; concise messages are more impactful and influential, demonstrating a mastery of language and the art of persuasion.

Kenneth Koch: The Elevation of Play

Joe Tourville • 2 implied HN points • 23 Aug 23
📚 Literature Influence
  1. Kenneth Koch blends modernist seriousness with postmodern playfulness in his poetry.
  2. Koch's poetry oscillates between profound and whimsical, using humor to reveal profound truths.
  3. Koch's work enriches our understanding of 20th-century American poetry by melding high modernism with playful postmodernism.

Art of Influence

Vasu’s Newsletter • 2 HN points • 30 Apr 23
💼 Business Influence
  1. Build relationships by getting to know, like, or trust people before trying to influence them.
  2. Know your audience's needs and craft your message accordingly to make a strong impact.
  3. Enhance your credibility by being honest, authentic, and avoiding common pitfalls like nervous energy or long sentences.

The Threat of Back to Normal

Trying to Understand the World • 2 implied HN points • 29 Mar 23
🌍 World Politics Influence
  1. Global power has always been distributed throughout history with complex patterns of influence.
  2. The perception of a unipolar world dominated by a single power is a recent fiction.
  3. The world is shifting back to a pattern of distributed power, where states cooperate based on shared interests rather than dominance.