Influencing is an art that can take many forms – creating a solid foundation that others cannot dismiss as irrelevant , then build on this by seeking buy-in from those who are more willing to move outside the comfort zone of the well-known, work with them to transform the idea into reality and from that point onward, hard work to keep the idea on its feet and to keep the momentum going – the latter being actually the hardest as any new ideas need constant work, and often continued pivoting, to succeed in the long term.