The 2010 CRM Influential Leaders: An Introduction

Influence is a terribly elusive quarry: The more you actively try to pursue it—let alone wield any—the more it dissipates like so much gossamer. Those who are truly influential, of course, don’t go around twisting arms—in short, because they don’t have to. They lead by example as they blaze new trails, and inspire others through innovations of their own (or advances they cannily adopt and adapt—and sometimes steal outright—from others). So while we can’t presume to influence your opinions of the eight people we’ve named CRM magazine’s Influential Leaders for 2010, we’re confident we’ve built a compelling case for each of them. Influence is about more than mere intention, and more than mere reach. Influence is about impact—and no one can doubt the impact these people have had on CRM.

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