Anyone at any level of an organization can be influential. You don’t need a recognized leadership title to make a positive impact. How do you know whom you influence? How can you leverage it to benefit both you and your organization?
Collaborate
To identify whom you influence, understand your role relative to the entire organization. Influence happens through relationships.
Interactions
Peers: Do your decisions affect their processes? For example, if you’re a software developer, your code may directly impact a quality assurance teammate’s testing.
Managers: Does your input guide any of their decisions? For example, would having an intern help your team make the deadline on your current project? A well-reasoned suggestion in a meeting can influence high-level outcomes.
Cross-functional Teams: Do any teams outside your immediate work group rely on your deliverables? For example, do product teams use your reports to guide which features they prioritize?
Stakeholders: Does your work affect the user’s experience? For example, if you design workflows, who implements them?
Observations
Notice how people respond when you share ideas. Do they act on your suggestions? This signals influence.
Track Your Ripple Effect: Look for indirect outcomes. Did a new process you propose save time for other teams? Did a colleague adopt a tool you recommended?
Solicit Feedback: Ask peers and managers how your work impacts their tasks or decisions. Their responses can reveal areas where your influence might not be obvious.
Informal Mentoring: Pay attention to who seeks your opinion. Influence often shows up in casual ways like being the go-to person for advice in a specific area. For example, let’s say you’re a data analyst. Your influence may include other analysts who use your frameworks.
Empower
Leadership is about actions, attitudes, and the ability to both inspire and guide others.
Model: Lead by example. Qualities like ethics, expertise, and empathetic interpersonal interactions positively impact your team and your overall work environment. If you want to want to work with a team who has integrity, resilience, and enthusiasm, then you must demonstrate those values every day.
Recognize: Amplify the strengths of your peers. Say positive things about them in front of their managers. Value ideas from all levels of the company, not just from people at the top of the Org chart.
Catalyze: Leverage your networks to drive initiatives that are aligned with your organization’s goals. For example, be the hub that anchors multiple teams’ efforts and moves projects to completion.
Own
Part of owning your influence is aligning your team’s expectations.
Communicate: Clear and open communication is essential to influence. Transparency helps information flow freely within your team. Identify challenges and propose solutions to them even if they fall outside your immediate responsibilities. Actively listen to your coworkers, support their contributions, and encourage them to share their perspectives.
Mentor: Everyone needs mentors. Offer assistance to your peers, especially those less experienced. Look for people who are currently doing work you aspire to do and ask them about their career journey. Mentoring fosters a positive culture and strengthens relationships.
Reflect: What drives you? What skills do you have? What are your strengths? What sets you apart? Where do you see yourself in two years professionally? Armed with this self-awareness, you can make informed decisions about whose expectations you align with and whose you should respectfully disregard.
How does your influence show up at work? Please share in the comments.