In business and in life, influence can feel like a magic key. It opens doors, secures meetings, fast-tracks approvals, and brings attention where others struggle to be noticed. Connections to power—be it through elite networks, political access, or strategic patronage—have always played a role in how opportunities are distributed.
But there’s a truth that time, markets, and history eventually reveal influence has limits. It may get you started, but it won’t carry you forever. At some point, your product, service, work ethic, or personal integrity must take center stage. What you offer must speak for itself.
Influence peddling often looks like name-dropping, leaning on powerful allies, or using personal relationships to secure contracts and attention. It can feel efficient—and at times, even essential—in environments where competition is fierce and visibility is scarce.
But influence is not a strategy. It is a tactic, and a fragile one. Once a product or service enters the marketplace, no number of handshakes or boardroom favours can hide poor performance. Customers vote with their wallets, users spread their experiences online, and the market rewards value, not vanity.
The same goes for individuals. Those who climb through sponsorship rather than competence may find themselves exposed when the training wheels are taken away. Over time, talent, hard work, and results are what sustain success. Without them, influence becomes a hollow shell.
In many societies, especially where informal networks and patronage are deeply entrenched, people often rise through the support of so-called “godfathers”—political patrons, senior executives, or powerful figures who lend their weight to someone’s ascent. This system can seem like a fast track. But it’s also a trap.
The problem is that the godfather’s power doesn’t transfer competence. It doesn’t bestow skill or innovation. And when conditions change—when the godfather loses influence, retires, or simply grows tired of defending underperformance—the individual is left exposed. What remains at that point is the person’s own capacity to deliver. And if that isn’t strong, the fall can be swift and unforgiving.
Proof that Influences isn’t everything. Nowhere is this principle clearer than in the rise of China as a global economic force. When China began opening up and engaging with the world economy in the late 20th century, it had virtually no global influence. Unlike the West, it had no former colonies, no global financial institutions under its sway, and no geopolitical alliances built on dominance.
While Western countries often traded on influence—relying on historical relationships, colonial legacies, and privileged access—China did something different. It produced. It manufactured, scaled, and exported. It focused on delivering value—first in cheap labour, then in complex manufacturing, and later in infrastructure and technology.
Today, China is a dominant player not because it peddled influence, but because it earned relevance. It made itself impossible to ignore by producing what the world needed—faster, cheaper, and increasingly better. That influence, once absent, is now built on economic performance.
Value endures, while influence fades. Influence is most dangerous when people begin to mistake it for real capability. It creates the illusion of success, masking the hard work and continuous improvement required for lasting impact. Worse, it can breed complacency: why innovate or improve when connections keep bringing in opportunities?
But the world is too fast-moving—and too transparent—for influence to sustain poor value. Digital platforms amplify feedback. Global competition intensifies scrutiny. Today’s market won’t tolerate mediocrity for long, regardless of who is backing you.
The long game is to let your work speak. In the 21st century, durable influence is not bestowed; it is built. It is not negotiated behind closed doors but earned in open markets. The world is listening—not to who you know, but to what you deliver.
The most successful people and businesses use influence as a lever, not a crutch. They may tap networks to gain early momentum, but they build their foundation on quality, reliability, and consistent delivery.
If you’re in business, let your product speak. If you’re in leadership, let your results build your reputation. And if you’re trying to rise in any field, make sure you’re doing the work that makes you indispensable—with or without anyone pulling strings for you.
Because when the lights are brightest and the stage is yours, you don’t want to be seen as someone who simply knew the right people. You want to be known as someone who earned the right to be there.
