How to build influence for introverts

“Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.”

— Napoleon Hill

For most introverts, the idea of expanding your influence at work sounds great but most of us won’t have the faintest clue how to go about doing it. In fact, you could be underestimating you level of influence right now and not fully utilising what is available to you. Or worse (though less likely for introverts) you could be overestimating your influence, rest on your laurels and get a nasty surprise next time you try to get a project off the ground.

But regardless of whether you under or over estimate your level of influence, the reality is, one can never have too much influence. The organisation changes, new personnel join the organisation, you have success and failures on projects, impacting your political capital. All of these events constantly impact on the level of influence you have at work and it would be a mistake to rest on your laurels.

So here are five actions you should be constantly doing, evaluating, and redoing to maintain and enhance your level of influence at work.

ACTION 1: DON’T BE A BRILLIANT JERK

This first action sounds so simple as to be almost offensive. However, this action is the foundation upon which you build your tower of influence. And, it’s a lot harder to do than most people think. As introverts, we all know people at work who do this. They are smart, intelligent, articulate, and have all the right political connections. But they are very much disliked except by the tiny number of senior people who fall for their charm. These individuals often talk over other people and are inconsiderate of their peers and direct reports. Their downfall comes when they try to get projects off the ground, which require the support of their peers and direct reports. Soon they realise the power of passive aggression from their peers and their project runs into trouble. The smarter brilliant jerks offload the failure onto someone else and move on.

A very famous Netflix HR presentation was leaked a few years ago. In it, Netflix was very clear on what they don’t tolerate. One of the most famous lines was “… we don’t tolerate brilliant jerks.” To prove this point works, Atlassian has also recently adopted this principle.

Now, this action doesn’t require you to be suave and charming like James Bond or George Clooney. According to Harvard Business Review, all you need is solid rapport with your peers, seniors, and direct reports. To achieve this, all you need to be is a decent human being. Ask about their family or their holiday. Genuinely care about how they are doing at work. Genuinely offer assistance where you can (especially outside of work). These actions help you to be known by your colleagues, and form strong genuine connections.

Being seen as a decent human being who cares and establishing strong bonds are the key foundations upon which you can build a strong tower of influence.

ACTION 2: LISTEN

Again, another simple action that is dead obvious. But it’s surprising how many times most of us forget to do this. How many times do you listen with the intent to respond rather than with the intent to genuinely understand? If you do genuinely listen with the intent to understand, how do you let the other person know that this is what you’re doing?

Most of us, particularly when the work pressure is on, only half listen to what the other person is saying and assume that they can’t tell. Rest assured, people can tell when you’re only half listening or you’re only concerned with what you want. Just think back to your own examples where the person sitting across the table from you clearly didn’t care about what you have to say and just want you to accept their statements.

So to demonstrate that you are truly listening, do the following:

• Turn your body towards the person and face them directly.

• Make eye contact (remember, just look at one eye only).

• Don’t fidget.

• Once they have finished talking, summarise in your own words or paraphrase what you think are the key points in their statement.

One of the biggest feelings of being disrespected comes from feeling like you’re not being heard. So make you demonstrate that you are genuinely listening and understanding before putting forward your requests or point of view.

ACTION 3: BODY LANGUAGE AND TONE

Body language is something most of us underestimate. Particularly if we get too comfortable in the room. Again, going back to basics is always the best. Establish an open body language by doing the following:

• Stand and sit up straight when facing the person to show that you are confident in what you’re saying and also that you have nothing to hide.

• Keep your body open by making sure you don’t cross your arms or your legs under your chair. It’s funny but when you cross your legs under your chair, it makes you want to cross your arms too.

• Move the laptop to the side or remove it from the table entirely. Having a laptop in between you and the person is like a subtle barrier.

• Finally, don’t browse through your phone. That’s just rude.

Your tone is also something to watch. Coming off as accusatory is one of the biggest traps. Instead of saying “You didn’t do xyz…” try saying “What about actioning xyz…”

ACTION 4: BE KNOWN FOR A TECHNICAL EXPERTISE

You don’t need to be a nerd but you should be known for a sliver of technical expertise. You don’t need to know all the ins and outs but you should know who to go to for the answers or known enough to send queries in the right direction.

Being known for a particular expertise gives you an “in” so that there is an excuse for people to come to you. With you staying up to date, it is a very public sign for people to ask you questions, which increases your exposure and opportunities to further enhance/build your human connections.

ACTION 5: KNOW WHO THE KEY INFLUENCERS ARE

I’ve blogged about this many times people. Junior people often mistake that they key influencers are the most senior people. That is fundamentally incorrect. You know to know who these senior people listen to and then build a relationship with them.

A tip from the Harvard Business Review is to build a power map. Who are the people who hold all the power and influence, and importantly for what topics. The best way is to create a chart that shows who is influenced by who. With that clarity, you can then figure who is best to engage with.

To fully understand the rationale behind the power map, you can read the full article in A Campaign Strategy for your Career.

Photo by Tirachard Kumtanom from Pexels