The woman on the phone was in a mid-level leadership position. As we started the coaching call after a leadership development seminar she informed me she was content where she was and did not see herself seeking any higher level leadership responsibilities. But she wanted to know how she could become more influential in the company without striving for promotion.
That was a new question and I hadn’t really given the subject much thought. We talked about it and together we came up with some techniques that helped her.
That conversation got me thinking more about influence and how a leader can become more influential. Of course there is a natural level of influence that goes with one’s rank and position in the company, but what about those who had gained influence but not because of those factors? What had I done to gain influence? When did that work and when didn’t it work? How did people I knew who seemed to be influential get that way? Were they just smarter? In some cases definitely not! Were they just louder? Not usually. From my reflection emerged four steps that seem to effectively lead to becoming more influential.
I found four steps that seem to help one become more influential.
1. Get to know more people. Make an effort to get out of your professional silo and meet other people. Get widely known, but for the right reason. If you’re an introvert, like me, this can be difficult. Make the effort anyway. Be careful of your personal biases. I’m not suggesting you have to become great friends. Your effort to know more people results in more people knowing you.
2. Ask questions and listen for the answers. It isn’t enough to just meet people. You need to learn about them. When you ask questions about them and what they do you broaden your knowledge of other areas of the company. Plus, others will appreciate your interest. People like to talk about themselves. You must be genuine though. Faking interest tends to be obvious and turns people off.
3. Seek Feedback. Others will remember that you wanted their opinion and took it seriously. Just like with questions, people appreciate the opportunity to tell you what they think.
4. Be helpful. This might seem a little more difficult and I don’t mean always being ready to drop what you’re doing to help Jim in accounting take his cat to the vet. But, be on the lookout for opportunities to help other people. If there’s a need you can fill, and it doesn’t keep you from accomplishing your own responsibilities, offer to help.
These four steps will help you be seen as a serious person who listens and is interested in others. You’ll find other people will start to ask for your opinion and be there for you.
But there is an important consideration to influence. What do you use it for? Of course being influential is good for your career. But if that’s all you’re thinking about it tends to show and will begin to have the opposite effect. Instead, consider how to use your influence to help your team succeed.
Are you influential?