Sheldrake wants to be the man who defines the business of influence. He suggests firms should reorganise to cope with this increasingly important area, kicking off with a long list of all the professions involved.
His central claim here is that the very act of being in business means you are in the business of influence, and so the concept should be placed at the heart of all organisations. But traditionally influence has been left to marketing and PR professionals. And as Sheldrake makes clear, neither of these professions have done a great job in defining what they are meant to be doing and as such have been unable to measure their success, or influence.
Sheldrake trained as an engineer and his rigorous approach is a welcome change from the attitude of many marketing experts who eschew a scientific approach to strategy.
He wants marketing to be left to a new official in a role he calls "chief influence officer". It's unlikely many organisations will act on his suggestions, but marketing professionals would do well to consider his message about integrating influence into strategic planning.
