How are you increasing your power?

Your level of conversation will be impacted by what you consume through television, radio, podcasts, social media, blogs, books, etc. If you only consume pop culture, you will not be able to have intelligent conversations with Fortune 500 business owners about the economic impact of a potential recession. The converse is also true. If you only watch political news, you may not be able to relate to middle school kids whose primary interest may be the latest video games.

Whoever your target audience is, you should be able to relate to them and have intelligent, subject matter related conversation. Many people are surprised that I have written so many books. Guess what? I have a book for almost every audience that I speak to. My ability to share knowledge in multiple spaces increases my value in those spaces. If you are serious about having an impact in your industry, you have to not only consume information that will allow you to present yourself as knowledge but also share information that will present you as powerful.

What area would you like to be considered a subject matter expert? What are you doing to position yourself?