The Value of Influence

When I log into social media, I get this feeling that we’re all in some invisible battle over presence—a tête-à-tête over perceived authority. Like we’re playing a game of king of the hill, but instead of trying to fight it out at the top of a dirt mound in our childhood backyard, we’re trying to be the top influencer online and in our community. This has become so important that it seems most of my peers spend what little free time they have serving on multiple boards, groups and local organizations in their bid to get noticed. Fortunately for me, this hasn’t been necessary. Thanks to my presence in the community with my investments creating positive changes, simply putting my name in a search engine gets me all the attention I need. And the comments over the years, from people calling me crazy to wondering if I’ve got a crystal ball up my sleeve, have been inspiring.

 But I’m not standing here polishing my nails on my accomplished chest just yet. Instead, I’m keeping my head down and looking for the next deal. Because that’s what’s made me a leader in this community to begin with, and it’s what will help me continue to lead the pack—which is something I’m proud of.

 I’m a first-generation American Greek. We’re conditioned with loads and loads of pride. Not to frown on pride, but it can become an obstruction. It’s something I use to keep me motivated but not to start thinking I’m a superhero. Over the past 25 years, I’ve seen extremely rich individuals lose their wealth, most often because they allowed themselves to feel invincible. To avoid this, we all have to remember that we are in a service industry—every single one of us. But sometimes our focus on service (which is often a product) gets lost in our focus on profit and sales.

 As developers, it’s easy to see that our service is to the individuals, families and business owners who rent and buy the spaces we create. It’s also to communities that we help define through our developments. But really, this is true of every business. From banks to automakers to tech companies, all products eventually lead to servicing the needs of families, individuals, business owners and communities.

 As influencers, this is what we should focus on—helping in the betterment of productive evolution, challenging science and technology in ways that are important to us all. Going forward, this is how we will all reposition our brick-and-mortar communities, make major investments and create jobs. And luckily, with Amazon opening a new fulfillment center in the city, we can be firsthand witnesses to the influence something virtual has when it becomes “reality.”