Look across a packed room (someday in the future when that’s a thing, again). What’s the most reliable indicator of who is the most powerful and influential person in the room?

1. The loudest and most flamboyant?
2. The one with a crowd gathered around them?
3. The person with the most Instagram followers?

It’s none of the above.

Usually, it will be the person who’s leaning in, mouth shut, listening intently to their neighbor.

When the party’s over, which person do you want to reconnect with, invest in, or do business with? Is it the one who was fascinated with themselves, or the one who was fascinated with you?

Power is full of paradox.
The most powerful person in the room is usually the person who’s most interestED rather than the most interestING.

But how much effort do we put into trying to be interestING!!!

This isn’t a rant against interesting people. Being interesting is fantastic when it’s earned. Please, be interesting! And keep in mind, typically, the most interesting person in the room isn’t fully aware of the power they possess. They achieved it by being interestED, asking great questions, learning, and searching for connections that lead to the next great discovery.

For authentic power that withstands the potholes of life, dedicating yourself to being the most interested person will never fail you. How much are you investing in being interestED?

Need a role model?
To that end, my friend, Steve McCready, has figured out where the power is. He’s an interesting human for sure. Yet, he’s using his skills of being incredibly INTERESTED for our benefit by launching The Sensitive Rebel podcast.

Steve’s turned asking provocative questions and listening deeply into an art form. He’s a masterful interviewer that brings his guests’ insights to life so we can learn from them.

I know this from first-hand experience.
Steve interviewed me for his latest podcast episode. His interest and his questions got me talking about some things I definitely hadn’t expected to. Please tune in. And please, treat yourself by listening to the other episodes as well. I’ve started to binge-listen after hearing his first two.

If you need a role model for being interested, check out Steve and The Sensitive Rebel podcast. FYI, he’s an excellent coach, too.

Lean into the people around you with interest.

Mind open. Mouth shut. You can change your world!