The greatest ability in business is to get along with others and to influence their actions.
– John Hancock

People influence us everyday whether they know it or not. It could be dad who holds the door open for everyone at school or your spouse or your friends. Influence comes in all shapes, sizes and forms. They are our influencers.

In business, we have people we admire and their actions influence us each and every day. It could be the way they engage with their community or the content they publish. If they make a lasting impression on you, then they influence you. Of course we are only talking about good influencers here.

I get asked a lot who I look up to in business or who influences me. It’s not an easy list to come up with. I’m influenced by many in my life, but in business, I tend to be more selective. See, in the social media industry a new “Expert” pops up everyday, some with 10,000 Twitter followers and some with 1. You really have to weed through all the wannabes (sorry, but it’s true) to find the real influencers. Different sites do their own social media influencer lists and most are a popularity contest based on the number of followers they have. The amount of people following them doesn’t always mean they are a person of influence.

Now what should you base your definition of an influencer as? Here are some things I look at…

1. They should be approachable. Do they comment back or answer questions that are posted?
2. The content they publish should be current and not full of fluff.
3. They handle themselves professionally under pressure, especially when a lot of dissenting opinions are thrown their way.
4. Do you find value in the content they publish online (could be their blog, social media accounts, etc.)?

Everyone has their own way of determining who influences them. No one way is correct.

So who influences me professionally? Here’s my short list…

1. Warren Buffet – Who does he not influence? I admire his business sense and how he’s built his company.

2. Donald Trump – For all the flack he gets sometimes, you cannot deny he is a savvy businessman. They way he’s worked his way through bankruptcy, divorces and changing times shows his true grit.

3. Mark Schaefer – Mark just gets it. He is a speaker, author, social media consultant and a professor. He is constantly interacting with his community and is one of those people that makes you want to up your game. I really love his blog as well. Great content + community engager = influencer.

4. Neal Schaffer – Neal is another one of those people who just knows social media. He engages with his community and his approachable. You’d never know he was always off speaking overseas. Just look at his social accounts – they speak for themselves.

5. Ray Hiltz – He is the true Google Plus officiando. If you want to learn to use that platform better, then follow him!

6. The Social Solutions Collective – This group has taught me a lot. Working with other social media professionals, we’ve been able to discuss business and help each other find solutions to our challenges. I appreciate their support and friendship.

7. Jon Loomer – With an advertising background and covering social advertising for the Social Solutions Collective, I read every word he posts! Jon is a true Facebook advertising pro and is always keeping me up to date on the changes.

There are a lot of people I truly admire and respect in my industry. These are the ones who take the top spots.

Let me ask you – who influences you?