Unlocking Career Success: 9 Proven Strategies to Build Your Influence in the Workplace

How to Build Influence at Work

In any environment, certain individuals have more influence than others. They effortlessly capture attention and sway opinions in their favor, garnering respect from those around them. This type of power is especially vital in the workplace, as it can determine whether you’re noticed and acknowledged for your hard work.

Leadership, in some cases, comes naturally to those with influence. They’re reliable, trustworthy, and efficient, qualities that make them effective leaders. But, contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to be in a higher-up position to build influence among your coworkers and managers.

Influence and authority are not one and the same, and one can be attained without overstepping boundaries. This is especially true when starting a new job, as building influence from the ground up is crucial.

So, what is influence, and why does it matter so much in a professional setting? Influence translates to power, and it can dictate the degree of trust and recognition you receive at work. In an era where competition for positions can be high, having influence can make all the difference.

Now that we understand the importance of influence at work, let’s explore how to achieve it. Here are some steps you can take to build influence and leverage your power in the workplace:

Understanding the Importance of Influence in the Workplace

When it comes to a team in the workplace, everyone possesses varying degrees of influence. While it’s often the case that higher-ranking officials are commonly the most influential, it remains relevant for other team members too and can impact the behavior of employees.

For instance, if a senior manager frequently works late hours, subordinates tend to work extra time as well. Conversely, if a manager prioritizes a work-life balance, the same effect applies, leading to happier employees with an improved personal and professional life.

However, the benefits of workplace influence do not solely relate to managers and their availability. Other perks of gaining influence in the workplace encompass:

* A BETTER CHANCE FOR PROMOTION AND COMPENSATION INCREASES: Influential individuals stand out in a professional environment, hence increasing the likelihood of recognition from peers and superiors alike. As a result, promotions and financial compensations are more attainable.

* ENHANCED TEAMWORK ABILITIES: Influential people contribute to making others feel included within a team. This enhances teamwork abilities, improves happiness and fosters productivity.

* STRONGER BOND WITH COLLEAGUES AND MANAGERS: Working under someone with significant influence commands a level of respect in a professional setting, thereby making forging relationships more accessible and maintaining them easier.

In conclusion, cultivating influence in the workplace benefits everyone involved, from improving teamwork to gaining promotions. Hence, it’s essential to learn ways to strengthen and develop our influence at work.

9 STRATEGIES TO BUILD POWER AND INFLUENCE

Nowadays, more and more professionals are working remotely, which makes it challenging to establish influence at work. When you’re not meeting with your coworkers, employees, and managers in person, it’s harder to bond and generate a sense of trust. Most conversations take place through digital platforms, such as email, which lack the emotional connection that comes from face-to-face conversations. Moreover, text-based communications make it easy for misunderstandings to happen.

However, there are still plenty of ways to build influence, regardless of whether you meet people in person or not. If you want to improve your career and life, here are some strategies to keep in mind:

1. Connect with your colleagues on video calls to create a more personal connection.
2. Learn to listen actively and ask open-ended questions to understand other people’s perspective.
3. Provide feedback and ask for input to show that you value your colleagues’ opinions.
4. Use Storytelling to illustrate your points and communicate with more clarity.
5. Align your behavior with the company’s values to demonstrate your commitment to the organization.
6. Acknowledge other people’s contributions and celebrate their successes to foster a positive work environment.
7. Build a strong network of relationships both inside and outside the company.
8. Invest in your soft skills development to become an effective communicator and collaborator.
9. Continuously learn and stay up to date with industry trends to provide more value to your colleagues and the organization.

BUILD STRONG NETWORKS

Developing meaningful connections with people across departments and at different levels in the organization is key in advancing your career. Whether it’s through attending team-building events or simply having conversations over lunch, building a strong network can help you create positive relationships and open doors to new opportunities.

Why Listening is Key to Success

Effective communication and the ability to influence others are crucial skills for anyone looking to advance their career and improve their life. One of the most important components of communication is listening.

Regardless of your opinion on a subject, taking the time to hear others out can help establish a bond. By actively listening to your colleagues, you may even learn something new and change your perspective. Additionally, by acknowledging others and making them feel heard, you can build stronger relationships and increase your influence.

Improving the Way You Communicate: A Guide to Body Language and Tone

If you want to succeed in your career and personal life, it’s essential to communicate effectively. One important aspect of effective communication is paying attention to your body language and tone. Here are some tips:

Show You’re Listening

When you’re speaking with someone, it’s crucial to show them that you’re fully present and engaged. One way to do this is to maintain eye contact. If you frequently check your phone or look around the room, you’re sending the message that you’re not really listening.

Give People Time to Express Their Opinions

Whether you’re in a meeting, a one-on-one conversation, or a group discussion, it’s important to give people the time they need to form and express their opinions. Interrupting someone or finishing their sentences sends the message that you’re not interested in hearing what they have to say.

Ask Questions to Show Interest

Another way to demonstrate your engagement is to ask thoughtful questions. This shows that you’re genuinely interested in what the other person has to say and that you’re actively listening.

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Pay Attention to Your Tone

The way you say something is just as important as what you say. Pay attention to your tone of voice. Are you speaking in a friendly, warm manner, or are you coming across as cold and distant? When you’re speaking in a professional setting, it’s essential to strike the right balance between being approachable and being respectful.

Developing Career and Soft Skills: The Importance of Consistency

Consistency is a vital aspect of reliability in the workplace. Aspiring professionals should aim to be someone who their colleagues can rely on. When you demonstrate consistent reliability, you can build a reputation as a valuable and dependable member of the team. On the other hand, when colleagues feel they cannot count on you to deliver or be punctual, they may not trust you with important tasks.

To be indispensable in the workplace, it is crucial to be trustworthy and reliable. Consistency is key to accomplishing this. You can achieve this by setting realistic goals and timelines for your work and making sure you meet them. It is also important to communicate proactively with your colleagues when there are any issues that affect your ability to meet expectations. Doing this shows that you take ownership of your work and value your team members’ trust and confidence.

Maintaining consistency in your work also helps you establish a professional identity. By being consistent, you set clear expectations for yourself and others, allowing you to deliver high-quality work consistently. This can prove invaluable in the long run as a reliable work effort consistently adds value to your company.

Therefore, developing consistency as a soft skill is an essential step in building a successful career. It enables professionals to cultivate a reputation as a dependable and valuable asset to any team. Once colleagues know that you are dependable, they will be more willing to entrust you with essential tasks.

Why Being Assertive is Crucial for Career and Soft Skill Development

As a professional, it’s imperative to have the courage to speak up and express your ideas and opinions. Being assertive is one of the most effective ways to ensure that your voice is heard and acknowledged in the workplace. However, it’s equally crucial to know how to balance your confidence with an open-minded attitude that respects other people’s views.

As John, a successful manager once said, “Being assertive is not about dominating conversations or imposing your ideas onto others. It’s about presenting your thoughts confidently yet courteously, and even being willing to listen to and incorporate feedback.”

Therefore, in order to improve your career and soft skills, it’s essential to become more assertive. Practice expressing your opinions politely and respectfully while also showing a willingness to listen to others. These valuable skills will make you a more effective communicator and team player, ultimately leading to greater professional success.

Embracing Authenticity: A Key Factor in Your Career Success

To truly succeed in your career and life, it’s essential to be yourself. Honesty, transparency, and openness with your coworkers can help you build positive relationships and gain credibility among your peers.

Strive to embrace who you are, and don’t shy away from being vulnerable or showing your authentic self. Others appreciate this level of sincerity, and it creates an environment of trust, respect, and understanding. Authenticity can help you foster meaningful friendships, develop strong professional bonds, and shape your personal and professional brand.

Importance of Flexibility in Career development

One important soft skill that can greatly aid in career development is flexibility. It involves being open to new ideas, considering other people’s viewpoints, and adapting to change. In fact, being flexible entails a willingness to compromise and bend when necessary, especially when working with others in a team.

When you are open to different perspectives, you can avoid being too rigid in your approach and work collaboratively towards finding the best solution to a problem. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to give up your opinion, but rather learn to listen and absorb others’ ideas.

Moreover, as you interact with different people in the workplace, you’ll realize that not everyone shares your views. You might encounter colleagues who have different priorities from yours. In such scenarios, it’s vital to prioritize the company or team’s goals over your own interests. Be comfortable working with the team’s plan or proposing a new one altogether.

Why Follow-Through is a Crucial Skill for Career Success

To succeed in your career, it’s not enough to just have great ideas and express your opinions. Follow-through is the key to taking those ideas from the drawing board to fruition. By completing the tasks and goals you set out to do, you prove to yourself and others that you’re a reliable, dedicated, and efficient worker.

As famed entrepreneur Richard Branson once said, “Saying yes to everything means you end up doing nothing. Follow-through on your commitments.” Make a habit of following through on everything you sign up for. This not only demonstrates your reliability to your colleagues but also shows that you share their goals and are committed to the success of the organization.

Remember, actions speak louder than words. To be an effective leader, you need to lead by example. When you deliver on your promises, others will be more likely to trust you and want to work with you. This can only lead to greater opportunities and career success.

Assisting Others – A Crucial Element of Career Development

Enhancing your career and soft skills involves more than just personal growth. It encompasses the ability to aid others effectively. One way to achieve this is by looking for opportunities to lend a helping hand.

Being generous when someone beckons for your perception, needs encouragement, or is seeking direction can have an immense impact. Additionally, connecting individuals to resources, groups, or leaders within the organization that they may not be aware of when feasible is equally vital. These small yet crucial deeds will be remembered, even if you’re not acknowledged or praised at the moment. So, go ahead and help someone out; it could assist both of you in the long run.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid When Building Influence at Work

Developing influence in the workplace is an important aspect of career advancement and success. However, there are a few common missteps that can hinder progress in this area. To ensure that you’re moving in the right direction, keep the following pitfalls in mind:

Embracing Constructive Criticism

One valuable trait to develop when improving your career and life is the ability to embrace constructive criticism. Rather than taking things too personally, it’s vital to keep an open mind and allow your coworkers and superiors to speak their minds. By welcoming criticism without becoming defensive, you will display a willingness to learn and improve.

As Sarah, a successful businesswoman, advises:

“When someone points out areas where I can improve, I take it as an opportunity for growth, rather than an attack on my character. This has helped me to avoid getting bogged down by negative feedback and instead, focus on using it to my advantage.”

Be Present and Engaged with Coworkers

Improving your career and achieving success requires more than just performing well on the job. It also includes developing relationships with your coworkers. To expand your sphere of influence, it’s essential to show interest and availability to colleagues in all departments, regardless of their position.

Being connected to people with different roles and responsibilities can help you develop professionally and provide new opportunities for career advancement. Therefore, make a deliberate effort to engage with your coworkers, communicate transparently and collaborate effectively.

Eliminating Distractions to Boost Your Influence

In today’s world, digital distractions can hamper your efforts to become an influential person. The abundance of online content makes it difficult to connect with people on a personal level. Further, phones and laptops have become a hindrance to face-to-face interactions, impeding meaningful conversations. Therefore, it is crucial to cut through the clutter and eliminate any distraction that might hinder the conversation.

According to John, a successful business leader, it’s important to remove all distractions while engaging with coworkers. “When you’re discussing something with a colleague, ensure that you’re giving them your undivided attention. Put your phone on silent mode and keep it aside,” he suggests.

Alex, a career coach, emphasizes that eliminating distractions reveals your respect for other people’s time. “When you’re physically present but mentally elsewhere, you’re wasting the other person’s time and are more likely to miss crucial information,” she warns.

Therefore, it is essential to avoid digital distractions to establish deep connections with your colleagues and build your influence in the workplace.

Improving Your Body Language for Better Career Opportunities

One crucial aspect of effective communication in the workplace is body language. The way you present yourself physically conveys a lot about your openness and interest in others. If you’re looking to improve your career prospects, consider these tips:

Avoid adopting uninviting body language, such as crossing your arms, avoiding eye contact, or looking away when spoken to. Doing this suggests you’re not interested in talking to others, and it can create barriers to communication. Instead, make an effort to open up your body language and adopt a friendly expression with plenty of eye contact to show you’re interested in the conversation.

HOW TO BE AN INFLUENTIAL PERSON IN YOUR WORKPLACE

If you want to improve your career and contribute positively to your organization, becoming an influential person in the workplace is essential. Here are two inspiring stories of individuals who transformed their organizations by leveraging their abilities to influence others.

REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES OF INFLUENCING FOR SUCCESS

Let’s take a look at two examples of how the power of influence has helped individuals make significant changes within their respective workplaces.

LEVERAGING INFLUENCE TO CREATE CHANGE

Meet John, an IT manager with a vision to implement a new software system that would increase the efficiency of his department. However, he faced resistance from his team as they were comfortable with the existing system. John knew he needed to persuade them to see his vision, and so he spent time building relationships with his team members, learning about their concerns, and addressing them. He also presented facts and data to support his plan and demonstrated how it would benefit not only the department but the entire organization. By leveraging his influence strategically, John successfully convinced his team, and the new software system was implemented, resulting in improved efficiency and productivity.

Another example is Jane, a marketing executive who wanted to introduce a new product to her company’s portfolio. However, the marketing team was skeptical, and getting buy-in from other departments was proving to be a challenge. Jane knew that the success of the product was dependent on its acceptance by the company, so she began building alliances with key individuals across departments. She presented her case carefully by highlighting the market demand for the product, offering detailed product information, and getting feedback from stakeholders. Her convincing approach and strong influence led to the successful launch of the product, achieving record Sales numbers.

These two examples highlight how the power of influence can be instrumental in creating positive change within an organization. Strategic relationship-building, persuasion, and presentation of facts and data can help you become an influential person in your workplace and propel your career forward.

Building Influence: Example of Sheryl Sandberg

Sheryl Sandberg has become one of the most influential persons in Silicon Valley. She began her journey at Google where she managed the Google Ad program with just three other people on her team. Over time, she climbed the ranks in Google and became the Vice President of Global Online sales and Operations. However, when offered the CFO position at Google, she turned it down and instead accepted the role of COO at Facebook.

Since joining Facebook, Sandberg’s influence has grown rapidly within not only the organization but also the entire Silicon Valley. Her efforts have been aimed at improving the perception of women in the workplace. She launched a public campaign against using the word “bossy” as a term to describe women in leadership roles. Additionally, she joined hands with Getty Images to produce and distribute stock photos that accurately represented women’s positions of power in the workplace.

Creating Positive Workplace Change: Doug Conant’s Example

Looking for inspiration on how to use your influence as a leader for good in the workplace? Doug Conant, former CEO of Campbell’s Soup, is a prime example of someone who made a lasting impact by prioritizing his employees’ well-being.

In 2001, when Conant took over as CEO of Campbell’s Soup, the company was facing a financial crisis. To turn things around, Conant committed to walking at least 10,000 steps a day as a way to get to know as many employees as possible. This public promise not only helped him connect with staff, but it also showed his dedication to improving the overall workplace culture.

But Conant’s efforts didn’t stop there. He also made it a habit to write a hand-written thank-you note to employees every day, expressing appreciation for their hard work. This small gesture helped to create a culture of gratitude and positive reinforcement among Campbell’s Soup staff.

By the time Conant stepped down as CEO in 2011, Campbell’s Soup was not only outperforming the S&P Food Group and the S&P 500, but they had won Gallup’s “Great Workplace Award” for four consecutive years. Conant’s commitment to his employees and his willingness to lead by example are a testament to the power of positive workplace change.

Maximizing Your Influence in the Workplace

Building influence within your workplace does not require a top-level position. In fact, anyone can develop this quality and start reaping the benefits today. By implementing effective strategies, you can boost your influence and contribute to a more cohesive and productive team.

At BrainApps, we understand the importance of enhancing one’s skills to build influence and enhance efficiency at work. Discover how our online courses can help you and your team move forward and achieve success.

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