You’re always influencing. And you’re always being influenced. There’s no such thing as a neutral presence.

The moment you become aware of this, it brings with it a deeper moral responsibility.
Especially with those you’re closest to and with whom you’ve formed unconscious rapport.
Because the ripple of it rarely ends with you. It moves through your family, your relationships, your teams and sometimes, entire organisations.

And once you see that, you can no longer afford to stay unaware.
Influence is not always a choice. But how consciously you direct it, that is.