"To discover to the world something which deeply concerns it, and of which it was previously ignorant; to prove to it that it had been mistaken on some vital point of temporal or spiritual interest, is as important a service as a human being can render to his fellow creatures..."
John Stuart Mill, "On Liberty"
Scott Fitzgerald wrote of Gatsby, “that if personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promise of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. This responsiveness had nothing to do with that flabby impressionability which is dignified under the name of the 'creative temperament'--it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person.”
What is it that gives someone those qualities? Is it their bearing, their dress, the way they hold their hands or the words they use? Clearly some people have it, and others don’t . But can it be learned?
Matthew Kohut explains how people can find power and influence beyond just their KLOUT score. He argues that we can find that something that makes us into Compelling People: The Hidden Qualities That Make Us Influential. My conversation with Matthew Kohut: