Two ways to gain power:
- Sheer will and effort
- By being indispensable to those around you (i.e. make others successful)
When in a conversation where someone expresses a need, think if you can help the person. If so, help without being asked. And immediately.
(This conflicts with my experience - people often don’t appreciate being helped without being asked. It may not be a negative, but is often not a positive either).
The help could be to connect them to others.
An “average” person doesn’t have the resources to meet top folks - why would they want to meet him? Do it by sharing knowledge in targeted venues. Don’t write a book/manual for a wide audience (e.g. business folks). Target it to a particular team. Targeted material has a larger impact on the target leading to better connections.