How to Build Influence at Work
There’s this common assumption that influence comes once you’ve got a fancy job title.
Manager. Lead. Head of Something. Director of Whatever.
But if you've spent any time in the working world, you'll know that’s not always true. Some of the most influential people in an organisation don’t have a team reporting into them, they don’t sit on the leadership team — and yet when they speak, people listen. When something needs to get done, their name comes up. When there’s a tricky project that needs sorting? They’re the one getting tapped.
Because real influence has nothing to do with hierarchy. And everything to do with how you show up.
So if you’re early or mid-career and want to start building your influence now — not in five years when someone finally gives you the official title — here’s where to focus.
1. Be Known for Something (And Make It Useful)
You don’t need to be great at everything. But you do want to be known for something.
That might be:
- “They’re the one who can simplify anything.”
- “They’re brilliant at dealing with difficult stakeholders.”
- “If you want something delivered on time, go to them.”
Pick your lane. Make it specific. Then double down.
It’s not about being the best. It’s about being the person people trust with that thing. That’s the start of building influence: becoming the go-to person for something that matters.
2. Ask Better Questions
You don’t have to talk the most in meetings to have the most impact. In fact, the people who are really respected are often the ones who don’t say much — but when they do, they cut through the noise.
So next time you’re in a meeting, instead of defaulting to vague “I’m not sure about this” type of feedback, try asking:
- “What’s the biggest risk if we go ahead with this?”
- “Before we move forward, can we align on what success looks like?”
- “What’s the problem we’re actually trying to solve here?”
Those are the questions that shift the conversation. That’s how you start becoming someone who adds value — not volume.
3. Be the Person Who Brings Clarity
If there’s one thing most organisations lack, it’s clarity.
People spin their wheels for weeks because no one knows who’s doing what, or what the next step is. Influential people are often the ones who fix that.
They’re the ones who say:
- “So what I’m hearing is this — is that right?”
- “Do we all agree this is the next step?”
- “I’ll write this up and send it round to make sure we’re all aligned.”
It’s not admin. It’s leadership. It’s helping people move forward when they’re stuck. And people remember it.
4. Don’t Just Work Up — Work Across
Everyone early in their career focuses on impressing their boss. Which is fine. But don’t forget about the people around you.
Build relationships with:
- Your project peers
- People in other teams who rely on your work
- The colleague who’s been around for years and always knows what’s really going on
Because influence isn’t just about impressing the person above you. It’s about building trust and credibility with the people next to you. And when they start backing you, that’s when your influence starts compounding.
5. Don’t Just Spot Problems — Start Fixing Them
It’s easy to say:
“This process is broken.”
“We should totally change how we do this.”
“This doesn’t make any sense.”
But if you’re not also saying:
“Here’s a rough idea of how we could do it better.”
“I’ve mocked up a simple fix — want to take a look?”
“What if we tried X instead?”
Then you're just making noise.
Influence comes from action. Not from pointing out what’s wrong, but from taking the first step to make it better — even if it’s not perfect.
You don’t need permission to do that. You just need to care enough to try.
6. Deliver. Consistently.
This one’s not flashy, but it’s probably the most important.
You can ask smart questions. You can be great in meetings. You can write the best post-it note summaries known to man — but if you don’t consistently deliver the work, your influence will always hit a ceiling.
The people who get trusted, picked, promoted, and listened to? They follow through. They do what they say they’re going to do. They make their boss’s life easier. They don’t drop the ball on the basics.
Sounds obvious. But it’s where most people fall down.
7. Make People’s Lives Easier
Want to be someone who’s respected, included, and invited into more interesting work?
Help other people win.
That doesn’t mean doing their job for them. It means being someone who:
- Shares useful info at the right time
- Flags risks before they become problems
- Jumps in to help when someone’s drowning
People remember how you made them feel. And if they associate you with support, clarity, and progress — that’s influence right there.
You Don’t Need A Title
You don’t need a title to be respected.
You don’t need a promotion to lead.
And you don’t need a team under you to start having an impact.
You just need to show up as someone who:
- Brings clarity
- Solves real problems
- Builds trust with the people around them
- And delivers — consistently
Do that, and the influence will come.
And the title? That usually follows.
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