When working with other leaders, both in my role as an HR leader as well as that of a communications coach, the subject of how to be more influential often comes up. While leaders might have strong technical competences, when it comes to swaying others to follow their lead through persuasion and influence, an alternate set of skills come into play.

Michelle Fenech Seguna

As a leader, being able to attract support for your ideas and recommendations is key. Here are some suggestions to enable you to grow your influence as a leader.

Learn, grow and thrive

Seek to continuously grow your knowledge and business acumen as this will enable you to be perceived as a well-informed and credible thought partner who can confidently advise on strategic decisions. To stay at the forefront, as leaders we should continuously seek learning. Warren Buffet spends up to six hours per day reading newspapers and corporate reports. The best business minds are always striving to acquire a deeper understanding.

It is vital to be always prepared. This can be accomplished by staying informed through continual market research, analysis and trend spotting, as well as by attending events and conferences and networking with colleagues and other influential leaders. When we seek to be influential leaders by continually investing in ourselves, the greater our competence and the better we are equipped to support and influence others.

Display courage and confidence

Influential leaders show confidence and courage in situations that others may question. Employees may fear a decision’s outcome but willingly support it when they witness confidence in their leader’s verbal and nonverbal messages. When you demonstrate the right level of confidence in yourself and your decisions, it encourages your team members to do the same. When leaders are confident enough to take the helm, employees become encouraged to follow.

t is crucial to present an exciting vision

Concentrate on relationship building

Prior to seeking to entice our team members, peers or superiors to embrace our ideas, our first endeavour needs to be focused on cultivating meaningful and trusting relationships. The first step is to show genuine interest in them - get to know them both personally and professionally. When we dedicate our time to truly listen to others, we can connect on a deeper level.  Practise empathy, advocate for them and listen to them. True leadership involves leveraging your influence for your team members’ benefit. They will love you for it and once you earn their trust, you are in a better position to motivate them in the direction you aim to direct them to.

Champion others

Dedicate time to mentor, guide and continually provide feedback to your employees. By making ourselves available to our team members, they recognise that we are there for them, which in returns earns us their respect. Champion those you believe are ready to seek promotional opportunities and recognise their efforts. When we show interest in the professional development of our talented people we are more likely to see them flourish and determined to prove to their strengths. 

It is also vital to prioritise praise and recognition. When we show appreciation of others’ efforts and make it a point to thank colleagues, we demonstrate our recognition of their dedication. You’ll be amazed at how much showing appreciation for their good work goes towards them producing more of the same. By giving people credit for their contributions, we become known as the leader who is an advocate for others.  In return, this enables our own influence to grow.

Inspire others

To rally together your team members, your peers and your boss to embrace your ideas, it is crucial to present an exciting vision. Begin by asking yourself what the pain points are and what steps are needed to get to the new destination. Have a clear understanding of what it is important and beneficial for them. Stay upbeat, positive and share a well thought-out plan.

Influence is a subtle yet incredibly powerful tool. Influential leadership is all about making a positive difference in organisations.  It’s about generating the right company culture which incorporates everyone and allows you to move towards a better, collective destination. Leading by influence involves impacting the opinions, attitudes, choices and behaviours of others by persuading them in a positive way. It is about focusing on empowering, developing and serving the people who work for us. Influential leaders are successful because they inspire, persuade and encourage. Enabling employees to achieve their goals and bringing out the best in them are hallmarks of an influential leader.