Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, the founders of Google... their creative ideas hold such sway that they shape the world around us. But how do these visionaries cast a spell and what can aspiring business leaders learn from them?

Author Dan Brown has reportedly earned £170m from sales of his book, The Da Vinci Code. While the novel has made Brown extremely wealthy, it has also had an impact on a wider scale. It's proved to be a cash generator for spin-off books, notably in the travel, conspiracy theory and religion genres. As a source close to the writer told The Times: "Dan Brown is so successful that anything he says in relation to his work can spawn a whole publishing industry in itself." When his widely anticipated sequel was provisionally listed under the title, The Solomon Key, a succession of books was published such as the imaginatively named The Guide to Dan Brown's The Solomon Key.

For his publishers, and embattled bookstores around the world, the release of the eagerly anticipated The Lost Symbol in September can't come soon enough. Brown may just be doing what any author attempts—selling millions of books and providing a rollicking good read. But, similarly, he's appeared in Time magazine's The World's Most Influential People list and has been cast more than once in the press as the man who will save publishing. So how do such influencers come by their power. Is it possible to replicate? And are there parallels in the business world?

Business names that make it on to those ubiquitous "100 Most..." lists have remained consistent. Bill Gates, Sir Richard Branson and Steve Jobs are regulars. Of those stalwarts, it's probably Jobs who continues to hold as much sway as he ever did, in terms of influence. He's number one in Fortune's 25 most powerful people in business because "at this moment, no one has more influence over a broader swathe of business than Jobs. He's upended five industries—computers, Hollywood, music, retailing, and wireless phones." Apple shares nosedived when he announced he was stepping down from day-to-day management because of his health.

Management and strategy guru CK Prahalad, often hailed as the "world's most influential professor", rarely fails to make the lists. As the world becomes ever more complicated, reasons Jo Owen, author of How to Influence People published later this year, even the most sophisticated businesspeople desperately search for simple solutions. And there are plenty of business school gurus with the next great idea. "Businesspeople want someone to come along and say, 'Here are your three steps'. They know it's snake oil, but they happily go into that transaction because they want to believe in it and it's better than doing nothing," explains Owen.

A host of celebrities can also influence how we think, what we do and how we behave. Retail billionaire Sir Philip Green knew what he was doing when he teamed up with supermodel Kate Moss—whatever she wears is quickly imitated on the High Street. The average "metrosexual" male still follows footballer David Beckham's lead, so brands pay him handsomely to front their campaigns. And the celebrity status of chef Jamie Oliver, combined with his expertise and campaign to improve the diet of schoolchildren, has made him popular, but also a man people feel they can trust.

A crop of bloggers has acquired influence by using the internet's reach and accessibility to attract a huge readership. At the height of his fame, Michael Arrington, co-founder of Silicon Valley blog TechCrunch, allegedly had the influence to make or break a tech start-up. Such power catapulted him on to Time magazine's "Most influential..." list and prompted magazines such as Wired to call Arrington one of the most powerful people on the Net. Hot on his heels is Scottish blogger Pete Cashmore, who started Mashable when he was 19. He's now based in Silicon Valley and is in demand as an expert on how to use, consume and profit from social media. The blog is a must-read for anyone involved in the tech industry.

So what ties these people? Is there a common denominator among them? Influence is a complicated thing, admits Professor Martin Clark, director of the Cranfield General Management Development Programme, not least because there are so many sources. And if it were that easy to pin down, wouldn't we all try to leverage it immediately? But in simple terms, influence is getting somebody to do something they might otherwise not have done.

Clark is confident that he can narrow an influencer's make-up down to four things: the ability to be a good role model; their social competence; knowledge; and success. "You could probably account for people's influence both at a micro, organisational level and at a bigger, societal level using these ideas," he says, adding that the media and a worthy cause are key enablers.

He offers Joanna Lumley as a timely case in point: "She's an attractive role model, she's good at getting on with people and comes over well, she's knowledgeable [about the plight of the Gurkhas], plus she's got a worthy cause. Multiply that by the media machine and you've got a very influential campaign."

So can directors learn more about aspects of their own influence and develop those? Absolutely, suggests Clark. He's not alone. Blaire Palmer, author of The Recipe for Success, says that seemingly opposite personalities often share key traits. She cites creativity, the ability to make or break rules (as Jobs once said: "I skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it's been"), impeccable manners, and a tolerance for, and good judgement of, risk. Some or all of these can be acquired, Palmer points out, although those with a knack for extrapolating good business ideas from trends have a head start.

From her work inside corporations, she's also noticed that people of influence have often surrounded themselves with a good team. Talent is overrated, she claims. "We know from our own careers that the people who get ahead aren't always the ones that have talent. I'm pretty sure that Dan Brown isn't the best writer and Kate Moss isn't the most beautiful model. Take Sir Alan Sugar—he has his left and his right-hand people and he doesn't make a decision without them." From that position, she adds, they build up high levels of trust.

Owen's research has brought him to a similar conclusion. He reckons that those who emerge into positions of influence have at least two qualities—a claim to fame and the ability to build a network of trust and influence. "The claim to fame and the network go hand in hand," he says. "Once you've got the network you can go on and do greater things, which gives you a bigger claim to fame, then people want to get into your network." They're mutually reinforcing.

If we're using Dan Brown as our model, then it's "98 per cent claim to fame", says Owen. The network has come to him as a result of the book. If you look at people who are influential but appear to have no claim to fame—but they have valuable board-level positions—then they're 98 per cent network. These people know how to treat those that are important to their success. They're intelligent about how they work with others.
As Palmer reiterates, those who get ahead do not get there alone. "You need people opening doors for you, introducing you to the right people." she says. "People who will make up for deficits in your personality and not tell anyone else they've done that."

So where should you start? Simple things that are done well can make it a lot easier for directors to make a difference, says Owen. Once you've engendered trust and reliability, act the part—be the person individuals want to work with, be around and for whom they will go the extra mile. On a more subtle level, be generous with your praise. "Instead of claiming all the credit for some success, recognise that everybody else has done a great job. It creates a lot of allies," he says. Call it politics or schmoozing, but flattery gets you everywhere.

But be warned: "The problem with looking at the Dan Browns is that they are so extreme. The recommendation could be 'go and write a book and you'll become a millionaire like JK Rowling and Dan Brown'. But you won't. You'll be lucky to even get published," says Owen.

Nevertheless, the consensus is that somebody who comes up with something new, exciting or different, who challenges the norms, is a potential influencer. As Professor Clark observes, Branson stood out because he bucked the system. "He's been quite public about trying to reposition things; to counter the way that most people would approach things. He's both part of the establishment and slightly against it—there's always a role for that because that's how change happens."

A contemporary influencer is Barack Obama, says leadership guru Paul Bridle. "He's personable. He does things differently. He's a man of the people. If you come up with something, particularly at a time when everybody's losing faith and questioning things, that creates a certain amount of influence," he says.

With the media giving everyone a shot at prestige, how our next influencers will make an impression is intriguing. Clarke's guess is that "someone who can bring together the zeitgeist of corrupt politicians and the economic downturn, and provide a clear line through that" should seize the opportunity now. And Bridle adds: "There's a difference between short-term influence and sustainable influence. Where will sustainable influencers come from? Anybody who can influence the next generation, who are looking for answers; who are lost, fed up about how they've been handed a world that is broken, disconnected and ecologically unsound."

But as Owen concludes: "In terms of the really influential ones that are going to make a difference, we only discover them when they hit the jackpot. Look at Google—they went from being nothing to world-beaters in 12 months. You can't predict the winners."