Lin's sudden ascent from undrafted benchwarmer to global superstar is crushing records. He outdueled Kobe Bryant. He scored more points in his first five starts than anyone since 1976. His No.17 jersey quickly became the top seller in the NBA, even though the humble Lin didn't even know it was available.

The Tiawanese-American has taken a bottom-feeding team and singlehandedly transformed it into the league's must-see team. The NBA is thrilled. Linsanity has helped the league overcome the ugliness of the season-starting lockout and is making an impact in the coveted Chinese market. Most importantly, Lin's spirit has raised the psyche of Asians around the globe. Even Taiwan's President, Ma Ying-jeou, is asking his cabinet to emulate Lin and work together as a team. 

Lin's talents are inspiring his teammates and fans alike. He came from nowhere to become a top trender on Twitter. And his team's web traffic has grown an astounding 3,000% in a week.

But what explains how a guy who rode the bench is now carrying this off? I believe the answer comes from one of his former Harvard coaches, Bill Holden. Holden has said, "The bigger the stage, the more he brings it."

Now we're getting somewhere. Beyond his ball-handling skills, the secret sauce is Lin's ability to embrace his own influence. If you're a person whose talents have been unrecognized or under-appreciated, here are a few tips to help you "bring it" when you get your big break:

• Influence begins within. When faced with an opportunity, first convince yourself that you're worthy. You are.
• Inner boldness is key. When the stakes are high, rise up. Don't hold back. Be fueled by a sense of purpose, not a fear of failure.
• Tap into your higher purpose. Believe there's something greater in play than just you. There always is.
• Don't allow ethnicity, gender slights or lack of recognition to derail your efforts. Own your talents.

Jeremy Lin is proving that he can handle more than a basketball. He's handling the spotlight and all the pressure that accompanies it.  You can, too. Influence begins within – embrace it. You'll see success coming – even if no one else does.

Ever lost your voice? I've been silenced by a case of full blown laryngitis this week and am under doctor's orders to stay completely silent for 48 hours. No speaking. No whispering. Not so much as a gentle throat clearing.

You'd be surprised at how much you learn about your ability to influence when you're suddenly silent – and what others imply by your stillness.

My silence thrust a bank into high alert. Blame my upbringing, but while making a deposit at my local bank branch, I slipped the teller a note apologizing for my silence. When I looked up, I spotted the camera zooming in really tight on me. Hold-up note, anyone? Lesson learned - never overcompensate when a red panic button is on the line.

I learned that I deeply value and miss sharing exchanges with strangers like "thank you" and "you're welcome." I missed chatting with my college daughter on the phone. I missed the ability to call my dad. And to exchange quick pleasantries with the flyer in the next seat. My doctor-induced silence felt foreign and borderline rude, apology notes notwithstanding.

Of course, my friends and family had a different viewpoint. My son found my predicament ironically funny since I wrote a book entitled "Talk Less, Say More." Now he's playfully re-titled it "Talk Less, Write More."

How does my laryngitis relate to your influence? More than you'd think. As an executive coach, I witness a world full of people who aren't using their voices. They're withholding when they should be contributing. Sadly, they're being misunderstood and losing opportunities for advancement as a result. Not to mention that their organizations are missing important contributions. Some quick tips:

• Don't be invisible. Get in the game  – contribute with an assertive voice
• A habit of staying silent while decisions are being made damages your credibility
• Withholding well thought-out ideas sabotages your power
• Don't let perfection prevent you from contributing your ideas.
• Think excellence, not perfection.

Others make judgements about your leadership abilities from the way you contribute. People size you up to decide if you merit their support. Use your voice. The alternative is a real pain in the neck.

Then came cancer. 

Doctors hoped to redefine the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year as Mark Herzlich, cancer survivor. Finished with football, yet alive and well. But Mark disagreed.

He had a goal.

Always ambitious, he was still determined to become Mark Herzlich, NFL linebacker. Cancer be damned. He's my Influencer of the Week because he inspires and models this mindset: A goal is a dream with a deadline.

After his devastating diagnosis of Ewing's Sarcoma, Herzlich set a deadline: September 4, 2010.  That's the date when he would beat his rare form of bone cancer. That's the date when he'd get back on the field at Boston College.

Not only did he accomplish that goal, but he set and reached another goal, and another. That's why he's now Mark Herzlich, New York Giants linebacker. Mark Herzlich, Super Bowl player. Turns out, the former face paint fanatic was not so crazy, after all.

A goal is a dream with a deadline.  Have you set a deadline to make your dreams come true?

Apparently not many. Brewer's book rocketed from No. 343,000 up to No. 7 in Amazon book rankings as a result. That's an astonishing literary leap. She transformed a digit on her right hand into a handy digital sales tool.

Was it coincidental that the testy-looking exchange was about her recently released book? After the photo surfaced, Brewer's camp quickly informed the media that the finger-wagging fun centered on the President's reaction to her depiction of an earlier tête-à-tête in the book. The President says it was no big deal. It's a political he-said, she-said. But one thing's for sure: If you're an author – quick – find a way to get a testy-looking photo of you taken with a celebrity whom you knock in your manuscript. Book publicity doesn't get any more magical than this.

As for the whirlwind of emotions and etiquette discussions the photo is influencing, that's wide open to personal interpretation.

You decide whether it's disrespectful. You decide if the President looks tense or amused. You decide how finger-pointing sits with you.

But the bottom line is that no one can argue with the book bump. Governor Brewer created a moment of impact and capitalized on it. The tarmac tiff photo-op influenced the country to discuss Brewer's book – and flock to buy it.

The site's massive one-day protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) stopped something, alright. It stopped the Hollywood-inspired bill in its tracks. The political sponsors quickly turned tail after a tribe of Wikipedia-influenced constituents weighed in. In Wikipedia's words, its supporters "shut down Congress's switchboards and melted their servers." According to the website, 162 million sets of eyeballs viewed the protest page. Within hours, the dominoes started tumbling. One by one, senators and representatives announced their new found opposition to the bill. Even the bill's co-sponsor renounced his SOPA support.

The world's fifth most popular website deserves a victory lap for beating Hollywood at its own game.

Wikipedia successfully influenced the issue because it connected with its tribes' value of free knowledge, conveyed a cautionary tale about a world void of free material, and convinced its followers to take a specific step.

Ironically, the tech wonks created an effective new form of lobbying against the traditional lobbyists and storytellers – the very media companies who make their livelihood bringing compelling stories to your screens. Go figure. Hollywood got beat at its own game. And by geeks, no less.

Here are 5 lessons learned on how to influence successfully:

• Resonate with your audience's values
• Be bold in your approach
• Share a compelling story
• Simplify to amplify your message
• Transfer ownership of the idea to your tribe

If traditional media wants some revised form of the SOPA or PIPA (Protect IP Act) bills to become law, they must now transform the language significantly. But first, it would be wise to transform the way they attempt to influence the world. Otherwise, old school media is at risk of getting schooled by the techies again.

With that in mind, here are my picks of the 10 Least Influential People of 2011:

1. Reed Hastings, Co-Founder and CEO, Netflix. Hastings' influence took a massive hit when he announced two decisions that infuriated customers – a 60% price hike and his now-aborted plan to separate on-line and DVD rentals. 800,000 subscribers revolted by cancelling their subscriptions. Once known for his innovation and staggering growth, Hastings is now struggling to rebuild public trust after investors abandoned the company and shares plunged. Netflix's market capitalization is currently a quarter of what it was before the missteps.

2. Herman Cain, GOP Presidential Candidate. The Herminator's ego got the best of him. First of all, bestowing a nickname upon yourself is never a good sign and smacks of narcissism. It wasn't just the sexual harassment allegations or the alleged 13-year affair that brought his campaign to a screeching halt. In the end, Cain's "CEO of Self" pet phrase rang hollow. His extra-marital activities revealed a grandiose sense of self-importance, an apparent belief that rules don't apply to him, his impulsiveness, and a lack of morality when no one's looking.

3. Rupert Murdoch, Media Mogul. The News of the World phone hacking fiasco revealed that Murdoch's now-shuttered newspaper empire was more than just unethical – it was colossally creepy. Murdoch and his son James have been hauled before Parliament, journalists have been arrested, shareholders have revolted and the scandal is still unfolding. You know you've lost influence when your wife has to jump in front of a pie-wielding attacker to save you. On the plus side, this big kahuna of privacy issues opened our eyes to how easy it is for others to siphon our private information.

4. (tie) Penn State Leadership. The Jerry Sandusky sex scandal revealed how deeply the school's football-first culture had ran amok. Head coach Joe Paterno wielded more influence in Happy Valley than the school's entire leadership team. Penn State football made more than $53 million in profit last year, leading the institution to turn a blind eye towards Sandusky's disgusting behavior. Despite the accusations swirling around Sandusky for years, Penn State's leadership team stayed silent for fear of damaging the too-big-to-fail brand that football built. How's that working for them now?

4. (tie) Jerry Sandusky, Former Penn State Assistant Football Coach and Founder, The Second Mile. (See above.)

5. Carol Bartz, Former CEO, Yahoo. "Hello?" "You're fired." Being axed over the telephone is a sure sign that your influence has gone south. Calling your fellow board members "doofuses" in an interview afterwards sealed the deal. Insiders believe it was a fitting end to Bartz's tenure, saying she decimated the culture during her rocky two years at the top. When Bartz began in 2009, many hoped the tough-talking leader could whip the company into shape. But instead of a being turn-around chief, she failed to improve revenue growth and Yahoo lost even more eyeballs and advertising dollars to Facebook and Google.

6. Jon Corzine, Former CEO, MF Global. A pile of money walked off from MF Global and along with it, Corzine's reputation. This compelling story has become the "Where's Waldo" of client cash, with $1.2 billion missing. Corzine, also the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, has recently been on a tour of congressional hearing rooms, testifying that he swears he doesn't know where the money is. He has come across as unprepared and confused, with a shocking inability to answer even the simplest of questions. Amnesia, anyone? For the sake of the clients, let's hope Corzine's cluelessness isn't contagious.

7. Andrea Jung, CEO and Chairman, Avon. The head of the world's largest direct-sales cosmetics company was forced to relinquish her CEO title in a shake-up after years of sluggish sales. Profit is off, cash is short and Avon's share price plummeted 40% this year. If that's not bad enough, the Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether Avon engaged in improper communications with analysts and, separately, bribed officials abroad where the company generates 80% of its revenue. Jung's predecessors are leading a movement to prevent her from staying on for two years as Chairman.

8. Anthony Weiner, Former New York Congressman. The disgraced politician's career crashed and burned in an embarrassing scandal that forced his resignation. Weiner, who had an eye on higher office, exposed his lower naughtiness with his cell phone lens. The usual mix of sex and power didn't trip up this leader – he was taken down by the impulsive risks of Twitter pics. His photos will live forever on the Internet, alongside Brett Favre's. Unlike Herman Cain's scandal, this made-for-the-tabloids headline – dubbed "Weinergate" – was apparently sexless, but humiliating enough to undermine his influence.

9. Alec Baldwin, Actor. Baldwin's fracas with a flight attendant over his desire to continue playing a game on his phone prior to wheels up trumped his fellow flyers' ability to get airborne. Once again, Baldwin revealed his selfish side, furthering cementing his reputation as a jerk. Public backlash was so swift and strong that it caused him to de-activate his Twitter account. The winner in this dust-up was the dork-chic app called "Words with Friends." Too bad Baldwin wasn't friendly with the American Airlines crew who kicked him off the plane – or with his fellow passengers who were delayed in reaching their destination.

10. Kim Kardashian, Reality TV Star. The speedy demise of Kardashian's televised "Fairytale Wedding" has been a nightmare for her public relations team. Alas, courting adulation is risky business. Her marriage to athlete Kris Humphries lasted just 72 days, but the negative impact will span far longer. Her quick pullout stirred up a media storm due to the enormous amount of marketing and money involved. The Kardashian brand has taken a hit, eroding its influence over many fans who are now convinced that the so-called reality show marriage was a sham.  Before death do the Kardashians and their show part?

Those are my picks of the worst influencers alive of 2011.  Who are yours?

My list of the "Top Influencers Alive" may surprise you.  That's my point.  Despite conventional wisdom, influence and persuasion are not the same animal.  After decades of advising top leaders, I've concluded that persuasion is a self-centered skill – it's manipulation fueled by a personal agenda run amok. Influence is a balanced approach to changing hearts, minds and results.

There are three dimensions of a true influencer. How do you measure up?

• Inner confidence (Influence begins within. You live your values with a defined sense of purpose. You're courageous and driven by positive resolve, not fear.)

• Outer presence  (Your presence is how you make others feel. People are drawn to you because they sense you have credibility, integrity, likeability and live with congruence.)

• Compelling communication (You deliver messages that connect with others' values, convey with portion control to gain clarity, and convince others to commit to action.)

Based upon these three dimensions of true influence, here are my picks of the year's top influencers:

1. Tim Tebow, Denver Broncos Quarterback. Tebow's "flawed mechanics" and wobbly spiral are frequently criticized, but his authentic leadership is not. Tebow-mania has spiked the NFL's ratings and elevated those around him, stirring his team from the cellar to playoff contention. His unwavering faith and never-say-never resolve have captivated the nation, even spurring new terms such as "Tebowing," "Tebow-Time," and "The Mile High Messiah." Sure, religion polarizes. But Tebow demonstrates that integrity, confidence and humility are an influential combination.

2. Howard Schultz, Founder and CEO, Starbucks. Like the late Steve Jobs, Schultz returned to rescue the company he founded. The brand he built is once again soaring with record financial results. But Schultz morphed from business leader to social activist when he took a stand on Washington D.C.'s dysfunction. He influenced more than a 140 fellow chief executives to join him in a boycott on campaign contributions to incumbents, saying, "Business leaders cannot be bystanders." He rouses the troops with his affability and passion for job creation and the economy.

3. Gabrielle Giffords, Arizona Congresswoman. As a politician, Giffords has long fought for her constituents. But it's her personal fight after a bullet pierced her brain that has influenced the nation. Gifford's sheer determination and upbeat attitude inspire millions. Due to damage in her language pathways, her vocabulary is limited and she struggles to form sentences, but she makes it crystal clear that she's committed to rebuilding the connections in her brain and her community. Giffords' story connects with everyone – inner resolve trumps evil acts.

4. Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO, Chobani Yogurt. In just a few short years, Ulakaya's Greek-style yogurt company vaulted from nowhere to everywhere to become the third largest yogurt maker in the market. This modern day dairy king came to the U.S from a Turkish sheep and cow farming family to attend business school, but didn't finish. Instead, he bought a yogurt plant a competitor was closing and launched Chobani, which means "shepherd." He's committed to listening to customers and staying true to the vision to provide nutritious products at fair prices.

5. Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO, Amazon. Bezos' company is on fire with his new product, Kindle Fire. The man with the distinctive laugh took the company from Seattle's skid row to a gleaming headquarters on Puget Sound where, despite the company's enormous size, working teams stay small. Bezos masterminded the idea of the "two pizza team." He has said if you can't feed a team with two pizzas, it's too big to do amazing work. Part of Amazon's influence lies in creating consumer demand for additional product sales with personalized recommendations.

6. Jim Skinner, Vice Chairman and CEO, McDonald's. McDonald's has been on a tear since Skinner took over in 2004. Stock appreciation is soaring, same-store sales are rising and the company continues to create jobs in a down economy. It added 62,000 new jobs in its McJob fair earlier this year. Skinner also spearheaded healthier menu choices and customers the world over who are "lovin' it." Smoothies, wraps, parfaits and salads are a hit, let alone the new McCafé coffees, which are giving Starbucks a run for the money.

7. Oprah Winfrey, Media Mogul. Winfrey made a daring move this year, ending her long running syndicated talk show and launching her OWN cable network. She created a strong bond of trust with her followers by modeling authenticity and openness, without the trap of over-merchandizing herself. Unlike Martha Stewart, Winfrey has kept control of her image. While the new network is struggling in the ratings, she's launched many successful careers and shows leadership by juggling television, radio, a leadership academy for girls, a magazine and philanthropy.

8. Liz Strauss, Founder of Successful Blog and CEO, SOBCon. Strauss is a social web strategist and one of the most thoughtful, prolific bloggers on the planet. Her blog posts on leadership and life garner tens of thousands of comments. A teacher and community builder at heart, Strauss is all about interconnectedness, bringing great people and great ideas together. The blogosphere is her classroom, athough she hosts an annual high touch summit where as she says, "the virtual meets concrete" bringing top bloggers together to share their influence.

9. Warren Buffett, CEO Berkshire Hathaway. The legendary investor from Omaha created a buzz this year by arguing that the rich should pay higher taxes. He wants those who make more than a million dollars a year to pay the same percentage of their income as others in the middle class. Washington latched on, deeming his idea the "Buffett Rule." As an investor, Buffett moved back into technology, buying more than ten billion in shares of IBM. Others followed suit. Simply put, when Buffet talks, others take action.

10. John Mackey, Founder and Co-CEO, Whole Foods Market. Mackey launched his first grocery in 1980 and has since grown it into the country's top natural and organic food vendor. Profits are up more than forty percent this year. He's a visionary and outspoken leader, unafraid of taking on subjects he's passionate about such as healthcare. Mackey believes in conscious leadership, and is keenly aware that being the most visible person in an organization is a responsibility. As a result, he has created a high trust organization.

Those are my picks. How about yours? 

What I find fascinating is that most leaders arrive at my coaching session oblivious to their unique asset. They don't see themselves as others do. I find great joy in helping leaders identify what's influential about them – and then help them amplify it.

If you identify and amplify your unique assets, you will become far more influential. More powerful. More authentically and satisfyingly you.

I recently taped an interview with Sally Hogshead, the author of "Fascinate," to help uncover seven qualities that she believes fascinates others. If, by chance, you're snickering over Sally's last name, she has a heartfelt, unique retort for you at the end of this video. As you'll see, it's part of what makes Sally so darned fascinating herself.

I hope you enjoy this quick video to learn which fascinating qualities YOU possess:

It was the silence heard around the world: Rick Perry's brain freeze. Perry's mental cramp during the GOP presidential debate stole the show and was quickly hailed as one of the worst memory meltdowns in history. It was a cringe-inducing 53 seconds as Perry scrambled to recall the name of the third federal agency he'd shut down, to no avail.

I'm not focusing on politics here. My interest is in YOU as an influential leader and how you can prevent your own case of message meltdown. After many year of observing and serving leaders, I'm convinced that brain freeze in public speaking is completely preventable, no matter how nervous you are. Many people's fear of public speaking and delivering presentations hinges on this issue, so I'd like to share three strategies to conquer it. (With a respectful wink and nod to Governor Perry, let's hope I don't forget the third.)

What's at stake when an episode of brain freeze strikes? Your credibility can disappear with your memory. Your confidence can take a profound, life-altering beating. In addition, brain freeze can either 1) create an unfavorable first impression of you, or 2) cement an unfavorable view that others already have of you.

Here are three tips to prevent you from drawing a blank when delivering a message:

Believe your message deeply. Your brain's frontal lobe is sensitive to anxiety. Psychologists say stress hormones can temporarily block your frontal lobe from the rest of your brain. You're frantically searching for a word, but like a computer file that's locked, your brain is blocking access to it. Fear is like a virus, infecting your thoughts. It's guided by self-preservation. The solution? Don't rely solely on your brain to deliver a message when the stakes are high. Believe your message deeply. A speech or presentation is a transfer of emotion. Engage both your head and your heart to share your message with others. Tap into your message both intellectually and emotionally. When you deliver from the heart, you free yourself of the susceptibility that anxiety will scramble your brain.

Beware of adding new information too close to delivery. Brand spanking new information leaves you vulnerable to drawing a blank. You haven't fully processed and internalized new info yet. You might as well send a party invitation to your brain inviting message meltdown when you add new information on the fly. But Connie, you ask – what if my boss gives me last minute information that I have to include? What if I learn something at the last minute that's important? Of course you should add this type of information to your presentation. But here's the antidote: write that information down and keep it right in front of you. Prominently. During Perry's meltdown, he frantically searched his notes, but couldn't come up with that third agency. Perhaps it was buried in his notes. Perhaps he was off-point. I don't know. But I do know that a prominently displayed, bulleted list would have saved Perry from this public humiliation. So save yourself. If you have new, unprocessed information to share, keep it written prominently in front of you. Think of it as an insurance policy.

Deliver boldly. Do you fear criticism? Does the concern that someone will take a shot at you linger in the back of your mind during delivery? This is pure poison. The good news is that it's self-induced, which means you have control over it. Confidence is the expectation of a positive outcome in a specific situation. Breathe deeply, visualize a positive outcome and let go of the fear. Forget perfection – think excellence. Don't morph into your boring, evil twin in front of an audience. No one wants an automaton delivering a perfectly rote message- they value a person with a passionate point of view.

The only true metric of public speaking is the audience's response. Embrace your opportunity to move others to action. Use these three tips and you'll replace brain freeze with liquid gold for your audience – and yourself.

Probably not. But that's what Bruce and Ester Huffman did.

Watch these grandparents as they try to figure out how to activate their brand spanking new web cam. Their granddaughter posted their adventure on YouTube and it went viral. Prior to this, the happy Huffmans had never even heard of YouTube.

Most people think the dynamic duo's video is merely comical. But the executive coach in me sees a lesson that could set you free and change how you interact with others.

Bruce and Ester accidentally schooled us in a highly influential communication skill: the magnetic power of authenticity. They reveal themselves, burps and all. That's why you'll love them. As you watch this clip, I'm asking you to ponder what I've taken to heart: revealing a bit more of your true self will draw people to you, too.

You'll resonate. And that's as real as it gets. Why not use this example to activate your influence, like Bruce and Ester?