If you’re a manager, influence may be one of the most important leadership skills you can develop.
Every day, you’re expected to gain buy-in for new ideas, align people around shared goals, navigate competing priorities, and drive change. Yet many of the people whose support you need may not report directly to you.
This is where influence in leadership becomes critical.
Influence is the ability to gain support for ideas and motivate action, regardless of formal authority. It is what allows you to shape decisions, build commitment, and drive change—even when you cannot simply direct others to comply.
Despite its importance, influence is often misunderstood. Many people assume that influence comes from a position of authority, a dominant presence, or simply being born with qualities that make others want to follow. As a result, managers often focus on the wrong things when trying to increase their impact.
Research on power and influence paints a different picture. While authority can create compliance, influence depends on other people’s willingness to trust your judgment, value your expertise, and support your ideas. In practice, influence is often built through relationships, expertise, and the ability to involve others in decisions.
Understanding this distinction helps explain why some leaders consistently gain support for their ideas while others struggle—even when they have more authority or a higher position in the organization.
Part of the challenge is that leaders often confuse authority with influence. The two are related, but they are not the same thing.
Many of the behaviors that help people advance in their careers—standing out, projecting confidence, competing for opportunities, and demonstrating ambition—can help them gain status, authority, and visibility. But those same behaviors do not necessarily make others trust their judgment, seek out their perspective, or support their ideas. As a result, leaders can find themselves in a surprising position: they have earned a title, but they have not yet earned influence.
Three myths about influence show up repeatedly in leadership. Understanding why they’re wrong—and what to do instead—can help you become a more effective and influential leader. The framework below explores three common myths about influence, the realities that challenge those assumptions, and practical ways to strengthen your influence over time.
Myth #1: Influence comes from your position.
Reality: Influence in leadership is earned through relationships.
Because authority and influence often go together, it is easy to assume they are the same thing.
They are not.
Think about the people whose opinions consistently shape decisions in your workplace. Some hold senior leadership roles, but many do not. They may be project leaders, technical experts, or colleagues with deep organizational knowledge. Regardless of their title, people seek out their perspective, listen to their recommendations, and trust their judgment.
What makes these individuals influential is not simply where they sit on the organizational chart. It is the value they bring to others. Influence is often earned through the contributions you make and the trust you build rather than the position you hold.
This helps explain why some leaders struggle to gain buy-in despite having significant authority, while others consistently shape decisions without having formal control over the people around them.
What To Do: Strengthen Your Network
One of the most overlooked sources of influence in leadership is the quality of your relationships.
As a manager, it’s easy to spend most of your time focused on delivering results—solving problems, meeting deadlines, and executing priorities. While these responsibilities are important, they can leave little time for building relationships beyond the people you work with every day.
This can be a costly oversight.
Whether you’re trying to gain support for a new idea, secure resources for your team, solve a complex problem, or advance your career, success often depends on the people around you. The broader and stronger your network, the more access you have to information, expertise, opportunities, and support.
Build Professional Relationships
If you want to increase your influence, start investing in relationships before there is an immediate need. Take time to connect with colleagues across the organization. Learn about the priorities and challenges facing other teams. Reach out to someone whose work intersects with yours. Offer help, share information, or make an introduction that could benefit someone else.
Research on social networks consistently finds that strong professional relationships provide access to information, resources, and opportunities that would otherwise remain unavailable. Leaders with broader networks are often better positioned to identify opportunities, solve problems, and influence outcomes because they have access to more diverse perspectives and sources of support.
Importantly, don’t think about networking as collecting contacts. Focus on building genuine professional relationships grounded in trust, mutual respect, and reciprocity.
The benefits of these relationships often extend far beyond any single project. Strong networks give you access to information, expertise, and opportunities that might otherwise remain unavailable. They help you identify emerging issues sooner, learn from others’ experiences, and solve problems more effectively. When a challenge arises, you know who to call. When an opportunity emerges, you’re more likely to hear about it. Over time, these advantages compound, making it easier to navigate challenges, create value, and expand your influence.
Myth #2: Influence requires dominance.
Reality: Influence grows through collaboration.
Another common misconception is that influential leaders must be highly dominant.
Many managers assume influence means, talking more than everyone else, winning every argument, having all the answers, or taking control of every discussion.
This assumption is understandable because dominant behavior is often rewarded. People who speak up frequently may receive more visibility. Those who project confidence may be viewed as leadership material. In some cases, dominance can even help individuals gain status, authority, or promotions.
The problem, again, is that gaining authority and gaining influence in leadership are not the same thing.
Research on leadership, status, and social influence suggests that while confidence and competence matter, influence is rarely built through forcefulness alone. People are more likely to support leaders they trust, respect, and believe will help them succeed. That means influence often depends as much on listening, relationship-building, credibility, and good judgment as it does on speaking up.
Consider a team meeting where a difficult decision needs to be made. One manager dominates the conversation, immediately advocates for their preferred solution, and shuts down alternative viewpoints. Another manager asks thoughtful questions, draws out different perspectives, identifies risks, and helps the group arrive at a better decision. The first manager may appear more powerful, but the second is often exerting more influence because they are shaping how the group thinks and building commitment to the outcome.
Both leaders challenge the idea, but only one invites further discussion. The second leader is more likely to gain support, preserve relationships, and ultimately increase influence.
What To Do: Involve others in decisions.
One of the most effective ways to increase your influence is to involve others in decisions that affect them.
Many managers assume that if they have the right answer, others will naturally support it. In reality, even strong ideas can face resistance when people feel their concerns have been overlooked or decisions have been made without their input.
Influential managers understand that gaining support is not simply about presenting a compelling argument. It is about creating opportunities for others to contribute. When people have a voice in shaping a decision, they are more likely to understand it, support it, and help make it successful.
Ask: Who will be affected?
Before proposing a major change, ask yourself: Who will be affected by this decision? What perspectives are missing? What concerns should be addressed before moving forward? Taking the time to gather input not only improves decision quality—it also increases commitment to the outcome.
Ask Thoughtful Questions
One of the most effective ways to involve others is by asking thoughtful questions. Questions help surface assumptions, uncover risks, clarify priorities, and encourage participation. Just as importantly, they signal that you value other people’s expertise and perspectives.
Consider a team discussing a new initiative. One manager immediately advocates for their preferred solution. Another asks, “What assumptions are we making?” or “What would success look like six months from now?” The second manager may appear less forceful, but they are often exerting more influence because they are helping the group think through the decision together rather than simply advocating for a position.
Questions are particularly valuable during disagreement. Instead of immediately defending your position, seek to understand why others see the issue differently. Rather than saying, “I don’t think that’s the right approach,” try asking, “What risks should we consider before moving forward?” or “What concerns would need to be addressed for this to work?” These conversations often reveal information that would otherwise remain hidden and make it easier to find common ground.
Research on influence tactics consistently finds that consultation—seeking input and involving others in decisions—is one of the most effective ways to build commitment and gain support for ideas. People are far more likely to support a decision when they feel they have had a voice in shaping it.
Myth #3: Influence is something you’re born with.
Reality: Influence is a skill that can be developed.
While some people may find influencing others comes more naturally, research suggests that influence is not an innate trait reserved for a select few. It is a leadership skill that can be developed over time.
One of the most effective ways to strengthen your influence is to develop expertise that others value. People are more likely to seek your perspective, trust your judgment, and support your ideas when they view you as someone who consistently helps them solve problems and make better decisions.
This is encouraging because expertise is not fixed. It grows through experience, learning, and deliberate practice. The more you deepen your knowledge and apply it in ways that create value for others, the more influence you build.
What To Do: Build expertise that others value
Relationships may create opportunities to influence, but expertise gives people a reason to listen.
Think about the colleagues whose opinions consistently carry weight in your organization. Often, they are individuals who have developed a reputation for understanding the business, anticipating challenges, and helping others solve important problems.
Influential managers recognize that expertise is one of the most powerful sources of influence because it reduces uncertainty. When teams face difficult decisions, people naturally seek out those who can provide useful insights, identify risks, and improve the quality of decision-making.
Communicate the Value of Your Expertise
Of course, expertise creates influence in leadership only when others understand the value it brings. You may assume that strong performance will naturally be noticed, but most colleagues see only a fraction of the work behind a successful outcome. That’s why influential managers do more than complete projects successfully—they help others understand how their expertise contributed to better decisions, stronger results, or fewer problems along the way.
For example, after leading a successful project, don’t simply report that it was completed on time. Explain what changed because of it. Did onboarding become faster? Did customer complaints decline? Did your team reduce errors, improve efficiency, or mitigate risk? By connecting your expertise to outcomes that matter, you help others understand why your perspective should carry weight in future decisions.
This is not about self-promotion. It is about becoming known as someone who consistently adds value. When colleagues associate you with sound judgment, useful insights, and effective problem-solving, they are more likely to seek your perspective, support your recommendations, and advocate for your ideas.
Over time, expertise becomes more than knowledge. It evolves into influence.
Conclusion
Now you’re aware of three common myths: that influence comes from position, requires dominance, or is reserved for those born with it. You’ve also discovered that influence in leadership is built through connection, contribution, and collaboration. As you strengthen these habits, your influence will grow beyond any title can offer.
