6-minute read
Building quiet influence
We’ve all worked with people who may not hold a leadership title but are leaders in practice. These are the workplace Pied Pipers. Quietly, they shape culture and drive the adoption of new technologies and initiatives. They are office magnets, the people everyone wants to align with and who are sought out for their ideas and for getting things done.
Senior leadership checks in with these influencers for a read on what’s really happening on the front lines; peers view them as trusted colleagues and collaborators; and those in support roles seek them out as mentors and advisors.
Quiet influence looks like:
The person everyone, regardless of level, talks to
The person sought out when there is a challenge
The person focused on business outcomes and client benefit, not personal politics
The person who asks insightful questions
The person who builds relationships across all organizational levels
How do they do that, and how can I build quiet influence?
Some people are naturally wired to influence. For the rest of us, there are steps we can take to build this capability. The tactics that follow embed the intentional practices of active listening and asking open-ended questions. These are the foundations for building quiet influence.
1) Understand your relationship with work
If you’re not personally invested in the success of the business (read this as ‘working for a paycheck’), don’t read further. Quiet influence begins with a genuine interest in improving clients’ lives and in expanding your knowledge and skills. People who are inherently curious, enjoy debating and exchanging ideas, and derive personal satisfaction from building connections have the foundations of quiet influence. These are the people others trust. Trust is earned slowly. The moment actions are perceived as being for personal gain, influence erodes. No trust, no influence.
In practice: Do you gravitate toward coworkers who are checked out or those who radiate curiosity? If the latter, observe their other characteristics and behaviors. Draw parallels with your actions to identify where you can build these unspoken skills.
2) Know your audience
Understanding what motivates and drives colleagues is a fundamental step in building the trust that leads to influence.
There are two avenues to consider: functional motivation and personal motivation.
Functional motivation: To engage others, begin conversations from their area of expertise: finance people through a monetary or risk lens; data folks through a metrics lens; marketing through an engagement lens. You don’t need to be an expert in their function, just ask questions that filter your challenge or project through their area of expertise.
Tapping into others’ areas of expertise builds trust by acknowledging the importance of their roles, allowing them to weigh in from their strengths, and contributes to a mutual understanding of the broader context and value of the work.
Personal motivation: In relational areas, understand personal motivations by asking what success looks like and what real or perceived barriers exist. Identifying an area where you can help build a skill or competency, or offering to make an introduction to one who can, builds trust.
In practice: What are the (financial, engagement, strategic) implications of the (project, initiative, change)? What else could be done? Who else could be involved?
Leading with functional and personal motivation signals your acknowledgment of the person and their function. They feel seen and heard.
3) Commit to business outcomes
One of the most evergreen business challenges is cross-functional communication. Quiet influencers prioritize broader business outcomes over departmental success metrics. This is why they can engage many disparate players in conversation.
Focusing on customer delight and business success aligns colleagues with quiet influencer values. Using business outcomes as a North Star helps colleagues better understand how you define success and your role within the organization.
Focusing on business outcomes establishes mutual benefit and advances mutual interests. Your role isn’t necessarily to lead the conversation, but to create the conditions for these conversations to take place. Quiet influence is just that, quiet.
In practice: Cultivate a proactive why* mindset: Why this way? Why now? Why not this? Why do customers care?
*A proactive why mindset focuses on future events. The opposite is a reactive why mindset, which focuses on past activities and, if not carefully framed, can be interpreted as finger-pointing and blame.
Quiet influence is not a tool but a mindset in which the primary filter is achieving collaborative business success. As you build your quiet influence capabilities, be aware of activities (real or perceived) that will undermine your efforts:
Using quiet influence for personal gain (power grab) is a direct line to lost credibility
Using quiet influence to primarily network up to your superiors will be viewed negatively by all
As one with quiet influence, senior managers may come to you with performance concerns about others. Unless you’re on the People team and this is your job, stay focused on business outcomes to redirect these sticky conversations.
Why quiet influence benefits your career
Quiet influence is not persuasion; it’s shaping conversations, fostering collaboration, and contributing to decisions that drive business outcomes. Unlike networking, which is largely tactical – meetings, asks, offers, connections, and results – quiet influence comes from thinking strategically. Quiet influence is rooted in curiosity, strengthened by collaboration, and focused on outcomes.
End note
Quiet influence is worth your time and effort, as it leads to higher personal job satisfaction and provides a richer work experience for you and your colleagues.
Those with quiet influence are noticed and respected, key differentiators that help attract a sponsor. Sponsors are individuals with influence, title, and power who can advocate for your advancement when you’re not in the room. Because when you’re not in the room, that’s when decisions about you are made.
Thank you for reading.
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