STRONGER TOGETHER: Choose your influences wisely

"STRONGER TOGETHER" is a weekly column where Tanya explores key issues. This week, Tanya discusses the importance of being selective about who we listen to, and why credibility, experience and proven results matter more than popularity when seeking advice and guidance.

By IMPACT Community Services Managing Director Tanya O'Shea

We live in a world where influence is everywhere.

Social media feeds, podcasts, books, YouTube videos, articles and conversations all compete for our attention. Every day, someone is telling us what to eat or how to invest, train, lead, parent, build a business or live our ‘best life.’

The question is not whether we are being influenced. The reality is that we all are. The real question is therefore whether we are being influenced by the right people and the right information.

Too often, we accept advice because it is popular rather than because it is credible. Someone has a large Instagram following, speaks confidently, has written a book or is recommended by a person we trust, so we assume they must know what they are talking about.

Yet popularity and expertise are not the same thing.

Research suggests that we are naturally drawn to confidence. We often interpret confidence as a sign of competence, even when there is little evidence to support it. The challenge is that confidence can be persuasive without necessarily being accurate. In today's world, confidence often gains more attention than expertise.

Before accepting advice, it is worth pausing to ask a few simple questions.

Where is this advice coming from? Is this person best placed to speak on the topic? What qualifications, experience or expertise do they have? Most importantly, have they achieved outcomes that align with the goals I am working towards?

The older I get, the more selective I become about whose advice I seek.

If I wanted to improve my fitness, I would seek guidance from someone who has demonstrated a long-term commitment to health and wellbeing. If I wanted to become a better leader, I would learn from someone who has successfully led people through challenging situations. If I wanted financial advice, I would want to hear from someone with both the qualifications and a proven track record.

For me, three indicators help determine whether someone is worth listening to.

First, credibility. Do they possess the knowledge, qualifications or expertise relevant to the subject?

Second, experience. Have they done the work, faced challenges firsthand and successfully navigated the obstacles they are advising others to overcome?

Third, results. Have they achieved success? What outcomes have they achieved that demonstrate their approach actually works?

When credibility, experience and results align, advice is far more valuable. In a world overflowing with opinions, content creators and influencers, one of the most valuable skills we can develop is the ability to choose our influences wisely. After all, the quality of our decisions is often determined by the quality of the voices we allow to shape them. And over time, those decisions shape the direction of our lives. In a world filled with competing opinions, those who fail to choose their influences wisely may find their future being shaped by priorities that were never truly their own.