The Power of Strategic Influence!: 10 Success Factors of Highly Influential Leaders @power_strategic

About the Author

Gary C Laney
“In The Power of Strategic Influence, Gary C. Laney distils a career’s worth of wisdom into a relatable guidebook that walks you through each of the critical spheres of influence. You reap the benefits of his influence through the inside advice from other business and entrepreneurial heavyweights. His positive, proactive tone makes this a great read. No matter where you are in your career, pick up a copy and start your own journey to becoming a person of greater influence. You won’t regret it.” – J.J Hebert, #1 bestselling author featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Business Insider

Gary C. Laney is CEO of Success Masters, author, and serial entrepreneur of 20+ businesses. Industries include business networking, online media, e-commerce, and intellectual property. A dynamic speaker, Gary has been recognized as a top presenter, motivating tens of thousands of entrepreneurs, professionals, and salespeople. Prior to his entrepreneurial run, Gary spent 25 years as an executive in corporate high-tech and commercial publishing. He is known for his ability to turn around businesses and create dramatic revenue growth. Gary has a triple major MBA from Northwestern Kellogg in finance, marketing, and policy.

Is There a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?

This book taps into the growing awareness among business leaders that while personal influence is necessary for success, once influence is developed, it must be used in a way that’s socially responsible. It is the powerful antidote to the obsolete belief that “greed is good.” Success and power are good–but only if you give back. 

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

If you mean, is it complicated or controversial, I would have to say “no.” The book is progressive in that you begin with the concept of having no influence, then step-by-step, you learn how to access, utilize, develop, expand, and ultimately use your influence to give back. 

How many books have you written and which is your favourite?

 Though I’ve been writing throughout my career, this is the first commercially published book. I hope to write more.

If You had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?

This is a non-fiction, business-related book so no characters, or plot. With that said, it does have a storyline of a man or woman travelling by ship who is redirected to a strange island where upon arrival, finds himself or herself in a circumstance with little clothing, limited money, and the need to find a way to survive. You as the reader assume the role of this person, the main character, on this strange island and is faced with having to start from scratch, learning how to find a way to fill the basic needs of food, clothing and shelter. Thereafter you must learn how to become self-reliant, how to develop relationships, how to develop a reputation, how to become influential enough to advance in your career and one day when you have attained sufficient influence, to be of the mind to want to give back and share your influence.  

When did you begin writing?

I’ve written business content for 30 or more years but only have been a professional writer for the past two years. 

How long did it take to complete your first book?

Once I got serious about it, approximately 8 months 

Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?

Stephen R. Covey

What is your favourite part of the writing process?

 The point was when it became clear that the message and the writing were in sync, and I could envision the light at the end of the tunnel.

Describe your latest book in 4 words.

 Strategic Relationship Influence Mastery

Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the future for your writing?

 Current work is my first professional book which focuses on helping business leaders and future business leaders to understand the influence landscape, and that influence marketing, or influencer marketing, as we know it today, is not a good fit for companies who want to have a long-term, strategic relationship with influencers. Current day influencer marketing is a short-term, transactionally-based approach. As a company, you hire an agency to locate influencers who are willing to promote your company for a single or sometimes multiple occurring campaigns. In most cases, the company never meets the influencer. The influencer typically does not have industry knowledge that would allow them to speak with conviction, having no to little expertise in the industry, and is hired for a short-term gig. These types of influencers are not strategic to the company hiring them and will never add real value to the company. A strategic business influencer on the other hand in most cases is an influencer in a certain industry and has invaluable knowledge and contacts that can make a big impact on the company hiring them. Their approach is relationship-based, with a long term focus.