Influence Isn’t a Title: It’s How You Help Others Grow
Leadership is about recognizing potential in others and helping them grow, not about the title you hold.
When we hear the word influential, it's easy to think about titles, accomplishments, authority, or the number of people someone leads.
But I believe some of the most influential people in our lives may never realize the impact they've had on us.
They are the people who saw something in us before we saw it in ourselves. The ones who encouraged us to take a chance, asked the right question, shared what they knew, opened a door, or simply said, "I believe you can do this."
That's influence.
And none of it requires a title.
Influence Begins With How We Treat People
Leadership and influence are often discussed together, but you don't need to manage a team to lead.
You lead when someone feels comfortable coming to you with a question.
You lead when you listen to someone's idea instead of immediately telling them yours.
You lead when you give someone credit for their contribution.
You lead when you take the time to explain something you already know rather than making someone feel like they should know it, too.
And sometimes, you lead simply by noticing someone who feels invisible.
We have opportunities every day to influence the people around us, often in ways we will never fully understand.
People may forget your title, but they will remember how you made them feel about themselves.
See Potential Before Someone Sees It in Herself
There have been people throughout my career who saw potential in me and encouraged me to do things I wasn't completely sure I was ready to do.
Looking back, I realize how powerful that can be.
Sometimes the difference between someone staying exactly where she is and taking the next step is simply having another person say, "I think you're ready."
Think about the women around you.
- Who is quietly doing exceptional work but rarely receives recognition?
- Who has a great idea but hasn't found the confidence to share it?
- Who has potential she hasn't recognized yet?
- Who needs an introduction, an opportunity, or simply some encouragement?
Influence isn't always making the big speech in front of the room.
Sometimes it's turning to the person beside you and saying, "You should be in that room, too."
Share What You Know
Over the course of a career, we accumulate an incredible amount of knowledge.
Not just technical knowledge. We learn how to handle difficult conversations. We learn which mistakes to avoid. We learn when to speak and when to listen. We learn how to navigate setbacks, advocate for ourselves, build relationships, recover when something doesn't go as planned, and keep going when the path isn't clear.
That knowledge becomes far more valuable when we share it.
I believe strongly in mentorship, but mentorship doesn't always need to be formal.
It can happen in a five-minute conversation.
It can be an introduction.
It can be answering a question without judgment.
It can be sharing a mistake so someone else doesn't have to make the same one.
Or it can simply be asking someone, "What do you want to do next, and how can I help you get there?"
We don't have to reach the pinnacle of our careers before we're qualified to help someone else.
Whatever you've learned up to this point may be exactly what someone behind you needs to know.
Make Room at the Table
There is a difference between achieving success and using your success to create opportunities for others.
As women, I believe we can have tremendous influence when we choose to support one another.
- Recommend someone's name when an opportunity comes up.
- Invite someone into a conversation she could learn from.
- Celebrate another woman's accomplishment without comparing it to your own.
- Give credit generously.
- Introduce people who could benefit from knowing each other.
- Encourage the woman who isn't speaking to share her thoughts.
- And when you finally earn your place at the table, look around and ask who else should be there.
Someone else's success doesn't diminish ours.
There is room for all of us.
You Don't Need All the Answers
Sometimes we hesitate to lead or mentor because we think we're supposed to have everything figured out first.
We don't.
One of the most valuable things we can model for others is the willingness to say, "I don't know, but I can learn."
I never want to stop being curious. There will always be someone who knows something I don't, regardless of their age, position, education, or experience.
The strongest relationships I've experienced aren't built around one person having all the answers. They're built around people who are willing to listen to each other, challenge each other, learn from each other, and grow together.
That's especially true of mentorship.
Yes, a mentor shares experience and perspective, but if we're doing it well, we should be learning from the people we mentor, too.
Influence doesn't flow in only one direction.
Encourage Someone Before She Is Ready
One of the greatest gifts we can give another person is confidence.
Not false confidence. Not empty praise.
The confidence that comes when someone we respect recognizes something in us that we haven't quite recognized in ourselves.
Most of us have had moments when we've wondered:
- Am I really qualified?
- Am I ready?
- What if I fail?
Sometimes we need someone to remind us that readiness doesn't mean knowing everything.
It means being willing to learn.
When you see someone standing at the edge of an opportunity, encourage her to take the step.
She may not feel ready.
Tell her to take the step anyway.
Growth rarely happens when we're completely comfortable.
Influence Is Often Quiet
We tend to celebrate visible leadership, but some of the most meaningful influence happens quietly.
- A conversation no one else hears.
- An encouraging email.
- Staying a few extra minutes to help someone understand something.
- Giving another person the spotlight instead of taking it yourself.
- Checking on someone who's struggling.
- Offering grace when someone makes a mistake.
- Saying someone's name when an opportunity arises and she isn't in the room to advocate for herself.
There may never be an award for those moments.
You may never even know what came from them.
Do them anyway.
Because leadership is not always about being seen.
Sometimes it's about making sure someone else is.
What Will Your Influence Be?
At some point, our titles will change.
The projects we spent countless hours completing will be replaced by new ones.
Someone else will eventually sit in our chair.
But the impact we've had on people can continue long after we've moved on.
That's why I've come to believe that success isn't simply about asking, "What did I accomplish?"
We should also ask:
- Who did I encourage?
- Who did I teach?
- Who did I listen to?
- Who did I advocate for?
- Who is more confident because I believed in her?
- Who received an opportunity because I opened a door?
- Who will someday do the same thing for someone else?
That's influence.
It doesn't require a certain position, salary, education, number of direct reports, or years of experience.
It requires us to pay attention to the people around us and recognize that every interaction gives us an opportunity to leave someone a little better than we found them.
So, as you continue building your own career, don't focus only on moving up.
Look back. Look beside you. Reach out your hand.
Bring someone with you.
Because ultimately, influence isn't a title.
It's how you help others grow.
