<Table> <Tr> <Td> "</Td> <Td> <P> The Time 100 is a list of the world's most influential men and women, not its most powerful, though those are not mutually exclusive terms . Power, as we've seen this year, can be crude and implacable, from Vladimir Putin's mugging of Crimea to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un's summary execution of his uncle and mentor Jang Song Thaek . Those men made our list, but they are the outliers, and not just because we generally seek to celebrate the best work of the human spirit . The vast majority of this year's roster reveals that while power is certain, influence is subtle . Power is a tool, influence is a skill; one is a fist, the other a fingertip . You don't lead by hitting people over the head, Dwight Eisenhower used to say . That's "assault, not leadership ." </P> <P> To assemble the list, we rely on our journalists around the world and our Time 100 alumni (many of whom are as influential as ever). </P> <P> If there is a common theme in many of the tributes, it's the eagerness to see what some engineer, actor, leader or athlete will do next . As much as this exercise chronicles the achievements of the past year, we also focus on figures whose influence is likely to grow, so we can look around the corner to see what is coming . </P> </Td> <Td>" </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> "</Td> <Td> <P> The Time 100 is a list of the world's most influential men and women, not its most powerful, though those are not mutually exclusive terms . Power, as we've seen this year, can be crude and implacable, from Vladimir Putin's mugging of Crimea to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un's summary execution of his uncle and mentor Jang Song Thaek . Those men made our list, but they are the outliers, and not just because we generally seek to celebrate the best work of the human spirit . The vast majority of this year's roster reveals that while power is certain, influence is subtle . Power is a tool, influence is a skill; one is a fist, the other a fingertip . You don't lead by hitting people over the head, Dwight Eisenhower used to say . That's "assault, not leadership ." </P> <P> To assemble the list, we rely on our journalists around the world and our Time 100 alumni (many of whom are as influential as ever). </P> <P> If there is a common theme in many of the tributes, it's the eagerness to see what some engineer, actor, leader or athlete will do next . As much as this exercise chronicles the achievements of the past year, we also focus on figures whose influence is likely to grow, so we can look around the corner to see what is coming . </P> </Td> <Td>" </Td> </Tr> <P> The Time 100 is a list of the world's most influential men and women, not its most powerful, though those are not mutually exclusive terms . Power, as we've seen this year, can be crude and implacable, from Vladimir Putin's mugging of Crimea to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un's summary execution of his uncle and mentor Jang Song Thaek . Those men made our list, but they are the outliers, and not just because we generally seek to celebrate the best work of the human spirit . The vast majority of this year's roster reveals that while power is certain, influence is subtle . Power is a tool, influence is a skill; one is a fist, the other a fingertip . You don't lead by hitting people over the head, Dwight Eisenhower used to say . That's "assault, not leadership ." </P> <P> To assemble the list, we rely on our journalists around the world and our Time 100 alumni (many of whom are as influential as ever). </P>

The most influential person in the world 2017