Magnetic Influence Diagnostic

People won't believe your message unless they first believe in you as the messenger.

Why it Matters

Have you ever worked with someone who just had that X factor with people? When they speak, people listen. When they make a suggestion, people act on it. When they lead a team, people are willing to follow them into battle. What is it about them as a person that inspires passionate followership?

According to a rich and deep history of social psychology research, these people display two qualities: Warmth and Strength. These people are universally admired, respected and influential, across cultures. The paradox? They are rare.

Michelle Rushton and Shaun Kenny, co-founders of Influence Engine, call this The Smiling Ox Paradox® (yes, it's actually a registered trademark!). Smiling represents Warmth. Ox represents 'strong as an ox'. The paradox is that people are typically seen as either warm or strong, but not both.

What it Measures

This diagnostic has been developed and refined since 2013 and has been completed by thousands of leaders. Leaders don't find out how they see the world. They discover how the world sees them.

Warmth Strength
Dimension Archetype Dimension Archetype
Trustworthiness Safe Harbour Competence Expert
Connection Connector Commitment Driver
Giving Giver Composure Rock
Encouragement Cheerleader Assertiveness Commander
What we measure for each dimension
  • How do you communicate?
  • How do you behave?
  • How do you behave under pressure?
Magnetic Influence · 360°
Sample Excerpt
Senior Leader · Q3 2025
How the world sees you (Warmth & Strength).
Warmth
62
Strength
84
Seen as strong, less so as warm. The paradox to close.
Trustworthiness Safe Harbour
Rated across three lenses
Communication 68
Behaviour 71
Under Pressure 49
AI Insight
"Seen as strong (84) more than warm (62). The classic paradox. On trust, this leader communicates and behaves dependably, but trust slips under pressure. Holding steady when the stakes rise is the fastest way to build the warmth that makes influence magnetic."
Showing 1 of 8 dimensions · Trustworthiness
What you get
Diagnostic report
For the individual leader
  • ✓Report – a beautifully presented, clear, detailed and practical report accessed through the Influence Engine portal (or exported to PDF)
  • ✓Future state – a clear vision of what great looks like
  • ✓Current state – a precise picture of how others experience your leadership currently
  • ✓Gap – identification of the gap between your intention and your impact
  • ✓Insight – AI-powered insight informed by benchmarking data and personalised to your profile
  • ✓Roadmap – specific behavioural development priorities for increasing Warmth and Strength
  • ✓Reinforcement – periodic behavioural nudges delivered to your inbox to reinforce and encourage specific, practical, continuous improvements
Dashboard
For the organisation
  • ✓Clarity – a clear, beautifully presented dashboard depicting patterns across a cohort (individual identifiers removed)
  • ✓Current state – see the spread of specific leadership behaviours and their impacts at a glance
  • ✓Trends – track behavioural trends over time: the shifts in leadership behaviours and leadership impact
  • ✓Insight – AI-powered insight informed by benchmarking data and personalised to this cohort
  • ✓Roadmap – development priorities across the cohort, and the actions the organisation and executive can take
Senior Leadership Cohort
54 Senior Managers
⚠ Low Warmth
Warmth54
Strength79
Key pattern: this cohort projects strength but reads lower on warmth. Warmth is the lever with the most headroom for trust and influence.
What you also get
Guidance from experts

Each personal profile is debriefed in a group workshop setting by Shaun Kenny or Michelle Rushton. This is usually part of a leadership development program, team offsite or at a leadership conference.

Shaun and Michelle are co-founders of the Influence Engine platform and the leadership consultancy People of Influence. For over sixteen years, they have worked closely with executives and their teams, helping them uplift their leadership impact. They have been administering the Magnetic Influence diagnostic (formerly known as The Smiling Ox Paradox®) since 2014 to companies across the globe.

This diagnostic pairs with the Magnetic Influence program that Shaun and Michelle deliver in leadership development programs, at team offsites and at conferences. At one particular conference all 500 conference attendees received a personal report!

Shaun Kenny
Shaun Kenny
Co-Founder, People of Influence & Influence Engine
Michelle Rushton
Michelle Rushton
Co-Founder, People of Influence & Influence Engine
Who's it for

This diagnostic is powerful across the entire organisational hierarchy.

Executives Team Leaders People Leaders Individual Contributors
How it Works
Assessment Sources
Self-assessment
Manager
Peers & other stakeholders
Reports
Manager
Leader
Self-assess
Peers & other stakeholders
Reports
Two ways to work with us

Influence Engine is the platform for diagnostics, dashboards, roadmaps and AI insights.

Contact Influence Engine →

People of Influence is the consultancy through which Michelle Rushton and Shaun Kenny deliver leadership development programs, team offsites and facilitate impactful conferences.

Visit People of Influence →