If They Don’t Feel It, They Won’t Follow: Influence Equation Series
Thu Nov 27 2025
This Week’s Playbook: The Move That Actually Builds Trust
You can write the best mission statement in the world.Design the perfect deck. Nail the speech.
And still — no one moves.Because people don’t follow words.They follow evidence — the kind they can feel.
If you’ve been following this series, you know the equation:Influence = Attention + Trust
Attention might open the door.But trust is the multiplier.It’s what moves people to act.
And the clearest signal of trust?Not charisma. Not clarity. Not even credibility.It’s time.
A Case You Should Study
A mid-sized B2B company. Revenue tanking. Attrition spiking.One team lost 80% of its people in a year.Burnout had calcified into apathy.The culture? The walking dead.
Then came a new CEO.
Not loud. Not glossy. No all-hands declarations.He just started showing up.
Not in boardrooms — in living rooms.
He got in a car and visited employees. Warehouse staff. Junior admins. Custodial crew.Played with toddlers. Met aging parents. Sat on fraying couches. Drank bad coffee. Stayed for more than five minutes.
“He knew my daughter’s name before my manager did.”
“He listened to my father talk about immigrating to America.”
Nothing changed on the P&L that quarter.But everything changed in the building.
Because trust doesn’t start with a slide —It starts when people feel you.
Why Time Is the Ultimate Trust Signal
You can’t fake time.You can’t scale it. You can’t automate it.And once it’s gone — it’s gone.
That’s what makes it so powerful.
When leaders spend time — not as theater, but as truth — it sends a signal louder than any keynote:
“I’m here. With you. When I don’t have to be.”
That’s what accelerates trust.And trust is what makes influence real.
What Real Leaders Spend Time On
• A hospital administrator pulled night shifts with nurses during COVID — not to fix anything, but to understand.
• A VP spent hours coaching underperformers others had written off — because development wasn’t a reward, it was the job.
• That CEO? He didn’t outsource empathy. He embodied it.
Leadership isn’t about scale.
It’s about signal.“I choose to be here.”
This Episode Goes Deeper: The Quiet Move That Makes Influence Inevitable
You can be the smartest person in the room.
But if no one feels you?
They won’t follow you.
🟣A Soft Challenge This Week
Give someone your time.Not a tweet. Not a comment.
Actual time.
Because that’s where trust begins.
And when trust is real —
influence is inevitable.
📚 ABOUT THE SERIES: This is Episode 5 of The Influence Equation—a framework for building authentic influence without faking it. We’ve covered trust and influence. Now we’re diving into the foundation: trust.
Previous episodes: Episode 4- The Hidden Power of Being Underestimated.Amanda’s Playbook is a weekly insight series for ambitious professionals and influential thinkers.
p.s. I would love to hear your experience and perspectives
Leave a comment
Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.
Share
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More
This Week’s Playbook: The Move That Actually Builds Trust You can write the best mission statement in the world.Design the perfect deck. Nail the speech. And still — no one moves.Because people don’t follow words.They follow evidence — the kind they can feel. If you’ve been following this series, you know the equation:Influence = Attention + Trust Attention might open the door.But trust is the multiplier.It’s what moves people to act. And the clearest signal of trust?Not charisma. Not clarity. Not even credibility.It’s time. A Case You Should Study A mid-sized B2B company. Revenue tanking. Attrition spiking.One team lost 80% of its people in a year.Burnout had calcified into apathy.The culture? The walking dead. Then came a new CEO. Not loud. Not glossy. No all-hands declarations.He just started showing up. Not in boardrooms — in living rooms. He got in a car and visited employees. Warehouse staff. Junior admins. Custodial crew.Played with toddlers. Met aging parents. Sat on fraying couches. Drank bad coffee. Stayed for more than five minutes. “He knew my daughter’s name before my manager did.” “He listened to my father talk about immigrating to America.” Nothing changed on the P&L that quarter.But everything changed in the building. Because trust doesn’t start with a slide —It starts when people feel you. Why Time Is the Ultimate Trust Signal You can’t fake time.You can’t scale it. You can’t automate it.And once it’s gone — it’s gone. That’s what makes it so powerful. When leaders spend time — not as theater, but as truth — it sends a signal louder than any keynote: “I’m here. With you. When I don’t have to be.” That’s what accelerates trust.And trust is what makes influence real. What Real Leaders Spend Time On • A hospital administrator pulled night shifts with nurses during COVID — not to fix anything, but to understand. • A VP spent hours coaching underperformers others had written off — because development wasn’t a reward, it was the job. • That CEO? He didn’t outsource empathy. He embodied it. Leadership isn’t about scale. It’s about signal.“I choose to be here.” This Episode Goes Deeper: The Quiet Move That Makes Influence Inevitable You can be the smartest person in the room. But if no one feels you? They won’t follow you. 🟣A Soft Challenge This Week Give someone your time.Not a tweet. Not a comment. Actual time. Because that’s where trust begins. And when trust is real — influence is inevitable. 📚 ABOUT THE SERIES: This is Episode 5 of The Influence Equation—a framework for building authentic influence without faking it. We’ve covered trust and influence. Now we’re diving into the foundation: trust. Previous episodes: Episode 4- The Hidden Power of Being Underestimated.Amanda’s Playbook is a weekly insight series for ambitious professionals and influential thinkers. p.s. I would love to hear your experience and perspectives Leave a comment Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it. Share Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices