Stop Staying in Your Lane and Start Building Influence

You want to be the one everyone listens to at work. You've honed key skills and have enviable experience in important functions.

But have you become a solid performer who stays in your own lane? Or are you affecting ways of working and norms across the organization?

True leadership means extending your influence beyond your immediate team and across organizational boundaries. As a leader, your main goal should not be simply to manage to KPIs, but to shape your organization’s culture and strategy.

You got to where you are in part because you know how to build and grow relationships. You know how to get to know your colleagues, partner with them, work as part of a team.

What you do after those relationships are formed makes all the difference with regard to your influence.

A great way to build influence is to engage others in thinking about changes and improvements. Maybe there is a cross-functional process with multiple departmental customers that is antiquated and in need of an overhaul. Or perhaps you’ve found that there are teams that should communicate more frequently but information isn’t being shared.

As a leader with Influence, you can:

- be the one to start the conversations,

- bring people together for discussions,

- share your knowledge and insights

- surface competing priorities and bring them to the table

- find the common ground for decision-making

Tip for Leaders to Build Influence:

Find an organizational initiative that’s not under your direct auspices and contribute your expertise.