What makes someone influential?

May 28, 08 Comments

TIME Magazine recently released its fifth annual list of The World's Most Influential People. Who made the list and why?

There are leaders, thinkers, heroes, artists, scientists, builders, and even entertainers in that list.

Among the great leaders, the Dalai Lama stands out for being "happy in the midst of chaos and turmoil," in reference to the Tibet-Beijing struggles.

About Barack Obama, they say: "We often hear about the size of the crowds he attracts, as a measure of the excitement about his candidacy. It's the variety of the crowd that is the real phenomenon: ...Farmers in overalls next to people in business suits. Every race, religion and creed. Every political party and no party at all."

Hillary Clinton is also in that list as a "courageous, passionate and committed fighter for [America's] children." On the other hand, Evo Morales, Bolivia's president, is recognized because "his presence in the presidential palace will inspire indigenous people throughout Latin America."

Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie made the list as heroes. And rightly so, as they have "served as goodwill ambassadors worldwide... brought help to Pakistan in 2005... tended to the poor and sick in Africa... and worked tirelessly through the United Nations on behalf of refugees around the world."

Another hero in the list is the best cyclist ever, Lance Amstrong, who "spearheaded the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which made a yellow plastic loop a statement of resistance and strength across the entire planet."

In the science and technology department, there is Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft. He is "head of the Allen Institute for Brain Science, which was founded in 2001 with the goal of mapping the brain, cell by cell and gene by gene." Mark Zuckerberg also made it into the list. The creator of Facebook is regarded for remaining "true to his vision, focusing on building a community rather than on a mere exit strategy."

Some of the entertainers in the list include Miley Cyrus (for her "huge fan base"), Robert Downey Jr. (for his "genius acting"), the Coen Brothers (for their "fine movies"), Mariah Carey (for her "truly wonderful voice and sexy classiness"), and George Clooney (for "being prolific as hell and breathing believability into his roles").

A few businessmen also made the list. PepsiCo's Indra Nooyi is described as a "world class leader" for her "sharp strategic mind, tremendous market insight and humanitarian contributions." Rupert Murdoch is mentioned not only for being "the world's most influential newspaper publisher," but also for his companies' involvement in films, video news, entertainment, books and Web content.

Finally, Steve Jobs's genius and creativity obviously make him one of the Most Influential People.

I have only mentioned 18 out of these 100 leaders, the ones I admire the most. But the other 82 are just as amazing and I truly believe there are thousands, if not millions, of people worldwide who have a strong, positive influence over the rest of us.

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