About - Influence Engine

Our Story

In 2013, Michelle Rushton and Shaun Kenny started developing their first diagnostic, The Smiling Ox Paradox^® (now known as the Magnetic Influence Diagnostic).

Their first paying client was Microsoft. It was 2014. The top 200 leaders in Asia gathered on Sentosa Island, Singapore, where they delivered the Magnetic Influence program and 200 paper-based assessments. At the end of that conference, we were told it was the highest-rated session across the three days - a real confidence boost in seeing how impactful a diagnostic can be in empowering and energising leaders. That year, we also delivered diagnostics to companies like Qantas, Australia Post and NAB.

Over the following decade, we refined our models, created new diagnostics, expanded our data set and helped thousands of leaders better understand their influence, resilience, motivation and leadership effectiveness. Along the way we delivered leadership programs, team development initiatives and diagnostics across a wide range of industries and organisations. We worked with the ASX-200, government departments and global multinationals. All of these sessions were delivered by Shaun Kenny and Michelle Rushton through their leadership consultancy, People of Influence.

Today, those same models, questionnaires and diagnostics live inside Influence Engine - our proprietary leadership intelligence platform designed to help organisations measure and improve performance at every elevation of influence.

2014

First Diagnostics Completed

Senior leaders from Microsoft, Qantas, NAB, Australia Post and other leading organisations completed our first leadership assessments on paper. Boy, did we collect mountains of paper! Over the following years we hired a student (also known as Michelle's brother) to diligently type the data into our database.

2016

Elevations of Influence Framework

The master framework was formalised after years of observing where leaders struggled most and grew fastest.

2018

Digital Transition

Our diagnostics moved online, living on a third-party platform, opening them up to organisations across Australia and the globe.

2020

Antifragility Advantage Launched

In April 2020 we launched the Antifragility Advantage diagnostic and delivered it virtually to dozens of teams, helping them through the adversity and uncertainty of COVID lockdowns.

2025

AI-Enhanced Insights

We started linking AI to our diagnostics. In all honesty, this would generously be described as 'dabbling'.

2026

Delivering in a War Zone

In what felt like a slightly full-circle moment, we delivered a series of Antifragility Advantage sessions for leaders across the Middle East dealing with the fallout of the Iran war, where life restrictions like homeschooling and lockdowns echoed COVID back in 2020.

Today

Leadership Intelligence Platform

11,000+ assessments completed. 500k+ data points. A complete system for measuring and improving leadership at every elevation. Fully integrated with AI, with beautiful online reports and dashboards. We’re only just beginning.

Built by Practitioners

Created by leaders who work
with leaders every day

Influence Engine was created by Shaun Kenny and Michelle Rushton, founders of People of Influence. They have worked with executives and leadership teams up close, every day, for over 16 years - across more than 2,000 client engagements.

Shaun Kenny

Co-Founder, People of Influence

For over 16 years, Shaun has helped leaders, teams and organisations measure and lift their performance. An economist by training, Shaun translates the latest insights of behavioural economics and neuroeconomics into practical tools that leaders can use for immediate impact. Shaun has also used his deep expertise in design thinking to help blue-chip clients embed cultures of empathy-driven innovation.

With an insatiable appetite for new ideas and driven to create fresh tools and programs, Shaun loves 'the craft' of creating experiences that light people up with laughter and learning. Just don't bother asking him if he is keeping up with admin... look, there's a squirrel!

Michelle Rushton

Co-Founder, People of Influence

Michelle spends most of her time with executive teams and senior leaders, helping them to elevate their leadership impact. She works across a diverse array of industries from the likes of PepsiCo, Wesfarmers and CBA to government and educational institutions. Michelle (GAICD) also works with boards on organisational strategy and team development.

With over 20 years of experience with tens of thousands of leaders, Michelle is a nationally recognised and award-winning educational leader, and has used this expertise to co-design all of People of Influence's programs and leadership diagnostics.

From Paper Assessmentsto Leadership Intelligence