How to Be an Influencer at Work and Wield Informal Power

It doesn’t take a person long in their career to realize that one’s assigned formal title only gets them so far. In reality, negotiating with suppliers or external partners, presenting a wildly innovative idea to the boss, or wrangling a team of peers with no defined leader, requires something much more powerful; and that’s ability to influence, in another words, informal leadership.

What is informal leadership?

Informal leadership is when certain individuals naturally gain influence and authority in a group or organization, without having an official title or position.

Influence in the workplace is a sort of informal power that allows anyone, regardless of their title, to lead, direct, or achieve. It depends on one’s track record, relationships, and ability to articulate their vision clearly. While some people are naturally gifted influencers, for many of us, this is a soft skill that takes time and intentional effort to build influence with people at work

If you are not yet in a position of leadership that inherently demands respect and agreement, then there are actions you can take to build your informal influence within the workplace. 

What Does True Professional Influence Mean?

The ability to influence others at work extends beyond merely driving tangible goals like completing tasks. Influencing others plays a crucial role in facilitating collaboration, promote creativity at work, building strong relationships, and navigating complex workplace dynamics. 

Effective influence can lead to greater teamwork, innovation, and overall success within an organization.

Influencing people at work involves:

• Persuading others to adopt your ideas, suggestions, or viewpoints.
• Motivating colleagues to take specific actions or approaches.
• Gathering agreement and getting everyone's support for projects or ideas.
• Inspiring teamwork and collaboration toward common goals.
• Cultivating positive relationships and rapport with coworkers.
• Leading by example and serving as a role model for desired behaviors.
• Fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment.
• Encouraging professional growth and development among colleagues.
• Contributing to a culture of trust, respect, and open communication.

How to be an Influencer at Work?

Influencing others at work is not just about having a fancy job title; it's about mastering the art of professional influence and informal leadership. By understanding the dynamics of influence and seizing opportunities to lead informally, you can enhance your impact and drive success within your organization.

Here are simple yet powerful strategies to help you become an influencer in your workplace:

1. Let Others Speak and Become a Good Listener
2. Check Your Intentions
3. Show Tack
4. Make Others Feel Included
5. Encourage Contributions and Recognize Others
6. Continually Build Relationships

Let Others Speak AND become a good listener

Practicing informal power and building influence with people at work do not mean you have to have the loudest voice in the room. Sometimes those with the greatest influence in the room seldom speak, but when they do, those around them listen to every word and give those words honest consideration. That is what you are looking to achieve. That is a true influencer at work. So, if you want to influence others, you may need to spend time listening to them first.

What Types of Listening Do You Need to Communicate Better?

Check Your Intentions 

Is what you are trying to influence based on your personal bias, or is there a legitimate, even proven, reason for your suggestion? Before you step into a situation where you draw on that informal power to influence a colleague or leader, ensure your intentions are aligned with the values and needs of the team and the greater organization.

Show Tact 

Brutal honesty is best saved for someone you trust wholeheartedly in your personal life. However, in the workplace, it can strain relationships, hinder collaboration, and jeopardize projects. To be an influencer at work, it's crucial to assess the validity of the original idea or plan, identify reasonable gaps or challenges, and present a realistic alternative. While the content of your message is important, the way you deliver it is equally crucial. Therefore, strive to communicate authentically while showing tact to minimize any potential fallout with colleagues.

Make Others Feel Included 

Many companies today emphasize collaboration and teamwork more than ever before. This means that very little can be accomplished without input or contributions from at least one other colleague. Therefore, when you seek to influence people at work, consider that your idea could be improved upon. By initiating an initial idea or thought and discussing it with others, it can evolve and become much better collectively. This approach makes others feel involved in the idea and invested in its success, thus increasing the likelihood of their support for putting it into action. 

Encourage Contributions and Recognize Others

If a colleague remains quiet in a meeting, but you had previously discussed a great idea with them, ensure to give them credit where it is due. Acknowledge if the idea was solely theirs and shine the spotlight on them. Even if the idea was not yours, highlighting others and uplifting them is a great way to demonstrate informal influence to your team and leaders, showing that you value their opinions, ideas, and contributions. This increases the likelihood of reciprocity in considering and crediting your ideas in return.

Continually Build Relationships 

You can't simply build a relationship with a colleague or leader based on mutual respect and trust and consider it complete. Just as much effort as you put into cultivating that interpersonal bond, you also need to maintain it. If you suddenly stop the actions that initially built the relationship and begin demanding that they listen to all your ideas and follow your lead, they might feel used or deceived. If you established the relationship around certain activities or topics, it's essential to maintain them authentically in order to uphold your informal influence.

Quiz: Are You Giving Employees Reasons to Trust and Respect You?

Conclusion: Exercising Influence at Work Is Key to Getting Things Done

Bottom line, just because a high-profile job title has not been bestowed upon you, it does not mean you cannot be an influencer at work and gain informal power. By developing a personal track record of success and building relationships with colleagues and leaders, you can eventually draw upon both to wield influence and informal power. Keep in mind that investing in your own learning and development, specifically related to influence skills, can help this process along.