Create connections to benefit you & your business

You’re Invited

By Jon Levy

The people around us impact our success and path in life. Jim Rohn is famously quoted for saying, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” There are a lot of implications for your personal effectiveness and leadership in this quote. You can also think about this quote in terms of your business or company’s success. The influence from the right people can make or break a business or nonprofit.

You’re Invited is a new book by Jon Levy that focuses on how to cultivate influence from both a subjective and objective perspective. Levy is a behavioral scientist that brings his scientific research and reasoning to the real world. He has used his learnings and experience to bring together influencers in almost every arena for dinners and other events. This combination of science and real-world execution gives the book credibility and a level of practical applicability not always found.

Levy found that influence can be articulated using a sort of equation. He dubs this the “Influence Equation” and says that, “Our influence is a by-product of who are connected to, how much they trust us in that capacity, and the sense of community we share.”

Influence = (Connection * Trust) ^{Sense of Community}

The book walks through each part of the equation in more detail. The scientific approach may seem to bore some, but this book offers anecdotes and examples that keep it lively. Levy does not fall short on real-life examples. He uses several semi-famous examples or known brands, in addition to his own examples of network-building dinners, to share the what and why of building trust, connection, and community. A considerable number of the examples come from Levy’s clients who have hired him and his team. This use of known examples allows the reader to see not only the before-and-after but also the process which Levy used to make it happen.

Beyond examples and explanation, You’re Invited dives into how you can apply the principles to achieve influence for you and your entity. The book gets specific in the application section to focus on five specific arenas:

1. Business
2. Cause-based
3. Company culture
4. Social communities
5. Online communities

Levy includes comments and examples that are relevant for current times. A few of the examples discuss COVID-19 and the impacts it has. Cultivating communities, making connections, and enhancing influence look very different in a post-2020 world. One benefit of the book might just be reading how other companies have achieved or sustained success during the pandemic.