Actually, the big shots have been waiting for someone to come and leverage their influence, because their power is too great for one person to handle alone. Resources in hand are dead assets; only by finding the right people to activate them can they be monetized and expanded into larger opportunities.

However, many people want to take shortcuts and ask first: How do I connect with the big shot?
You're wrong. Connecting is about seeking help; leveraging influence is about entering the game.

1. Entering the game before leveraging influence
What does it mean to enter the game?
It means you become a piece on the big shot’s chessboard.
Being a piece is not a derogatory term; it means you have value that can be utilized.
The big shot’s game has a threshold, and that threshold isn’t money—it’s their judgment:
Is this person worth bringing in? Will they cause chaos or generate value?
Your appearance consumes their credibility or helps them land deals?
This judgment begins from the first time you meet.
Your tone, your approach to doing things, your reactions to responses, even your state of silence—all are being observed.
Entering the game is the first narrow gate to leverage influence.

2. Leveraging influence is not “taking,” it’s “borrowing”
Many think that once they enter the game, they can reach out and demand resources, connections, or endorsements.
Wrong.
Entering the game is just a ticket to the table; it doesn’t mean you get chips directly.
The core of leveraging influence is two words: give and take.
When you borrow his reputation to talk to clients, does the deal benefit him?
When you borrow his resources to get things done, do you give him feedback afterward?
When you borrow his network to build bridges, do you let him know the outcome?
Every “borrowing” is a “test.”
It tests whether you understand the rules, whether you know how to behave, whether you can go far.
If you use it and then disappear, forget what you took, and keep the benefits for yourself—
Your “leverage authorization” will be instantly revoked.
In serious cases, it can lead to a direct settlement.
Leveraging influence is not a one-time withdrawal; it’s the beginning of long-term cooperation.

3. The highest level: Let the big shot’s influence appreciate because of you
Entering the game is a threshold; leveraging influence is a skill,
but making the influence grow in value—that’s the true level.
What does it mean to make influence appreciate?
You use his reputation to accomplish something, and what he hears back is: “The people you brought out are really capable.”
You use his resources to open a new chapter, and what he sees is: “This move was the right one.”
You play a connecting role in his game, and he feels: “With you here, the board is more stable.”
At this point, you are no longer just borrowing his influence,
you become part of his “power.”
You’ll find that he starts actively pushing resources your way:
“This matter, you handle it; you’re more suitable than me.”
“Contact that person; they’ll listen to you.”
You become his “amplifier,” and he becomes your “booster.”

4. Summary: The three levels of leveraging influence
First level: Enter the game
Make yourself worth being used, become an active piece on the board.
Second level: Borrow influence
Borrow with the intention to return, use with the intention to reciprocate, turning each borrowing into credit for the next.
Third level: Create value
Make the big shot’s influence grow larger and more powerful because of you.
Those who can reach the third level
no longer need to borrow influence—they are the influence themselves.

Final honest words:
Don’t always think “how can I get the big shot to help me,”
but rather think “how can I make the big shot use me smoothly, trust me, and see my value.”
When you become the brightest active piece on the big shot’s chessboard,
you’ll realize,
it’s not you seeking to leverage influence,
but he actively hands his influence over to you.