How do I increase my influence at work?

oktober 13, 2026

You can grow your influence at work by being visible at the right moments, building strategic relationships, and communicating persuasively from a place of genuine strength. Influence isn’t about having the loudest voice or the highest title — it’s about smart positioning, intentional networking, and understanding the unwritten rules of your organization. In this article, we answer the most frequently asked questions about personal leadership and workplace influence.

What does workplace influence actually mean?

Workplace influence is the ability to shape the thoughts, decisions, and actions of others without relying on formal authority. It’s about building support, persuading others to believe in your ideas, and making a contribution that extends beyond your own job description.

Influence operates on multiple levels. There is formal influence, which stems from your role or position in the hierarchy. But informal influence is just as powerful — the degree to which colleagues, managers, and stakeholders take your opinions seriously, involve you in important decisions, and see you as someone who makes a difference. That informal influence doesn’t come automatically. You build it by consistently demonstrating your value, being reliable, and actively contributing to the organization’s goals.

Personal leadership plays a central role in this. People who know themselves well, leverage their strengths, and make deliberate choices about how they present themselves are naturally more likely to be perceived as influential by others.

Why do women often have less influence at work than men?

Women often have less influence at work than men because organizations are built around unwritten rules that have historically been shaped by male norms. Visibility, self-promotion, and organizational politics are instinctively valued more when displayed by men, while women who exhibit the same behaviors are more frequently judged negatively for it.

This is not a matter of capability or ambition. Research and real-world experience consistently show that women are, on average, at least as competent and ambitious as their male counterparts. The difference lies in how influence is recognized and rewarded within organizations. Women who are modest are praised for their humility — yet passed over for promotions. Women who do make themselves visible risk being labeled “too ambitious” or “difficult.”

On top of that, informal networks — after-work drinks, golf clubs, and similar settings — are still places where decisions are prepared and influence is built. Women are structurally underrepresented in these networks, giving them less access to the informal channels where real power circulates. Those who know the rules can use them deliberately. Those who don’t are unknowingly playing a game that wasn’t designed in their favor.

How do you increase your visibility without being pushy?

You increase your visibility without being pushy by consistently delivering value at the moments and in the places that matter, and by making your contributions visible in an active but subtle way. Visibility isn’t about boasting — it’s about being strategically present.

A few concrete ways to do this:

Speak up in meetings with a meaningful contribution, even when you don’t have all the answers. Asking a good question can be just as powerful as providing one.
Make your work visible by highlighting results in updates, emails, or presentations — not as self-promotion, but as straightforward communication.
Seek out high-profile projects that align with your organization’s strategic priorities. Those who contribute to what matters get noticed naturally.
Build a reputation as an expert by sharing your knowledge — whether through internal presentations, contributions to a newsletter, or conversations with senior leaders.

The key word is consistency. Standing out once is far less effective than being reliably present at the right moments. Personal leadership here means deliberately choosing where to focus your energy and attention, rather than trying to be everywhere — or staying invisible altogether.

What role does your network play in building influence?

Your network is one of the most powerful tools for growing your influence at work. Knowing the right people — and being known by them — gives you access to information, opportunities, and support that flow outside the formal organizational chart.

A strong network builds your influence in two ways. First, it keeps you informed. You hear sooner what’s happening, which decisions are being made, and who the key players are in certain processes. Second, it strengthens your credibility. When people in your network speak positively about you, you build a reputation that reaches further than your own visibility alone.

Internal networking: strategic and focused

Internal networking doesn’t mean becoming friends with everyone. It’s about knowing who the decision-makers are, who the informal leaders are, and who the connectors are within your organization. Invest deliberately in those relationships — not only when you need something, but consistently and genuinely.

External networking: influence beyond your own walls

An external network — outside your own organization — strengthens your position internally. Those who are seen as experts in their field are taken more seriously within their own organization as well. Conferences, professional associations, LinkedIn, and industry events are all places where you can build that network and grow your visibility as a professional.

How do you communicate more persuasively in meetings and presentations?

You communicate more persuasively in meetings and presentations by structuring your message clearly, speaking up with confidence, and backing your positions with concrete arguments rather than lengthy explanations. Fewer words, greater impact.

A few practical strategies:

Start with your conclusion. State what you want to achieve or where you stand first, then provide the reasoning. People remember the beginning and the end of an argument — not the middle.
Use silence deliberately. A brief pause before an important point adds weight to what you’re saying and prevents you from rushing through it out of nervousness.
Speak to interests, not just arguments. Show why your proposal benefits the organization, the team, or the client. People are persuaded when they can see what’s in it for them.
Practice in low-stakes situations. Speak up more often in smaller meetings or informal discussions. This builds the habit and confidence you’ll need when it really counts.

Personal leadership in communication also means learning to handle pushback. Someone who calmly holds their position under pressure — without becoming defensive — projects authority and self-assurance.

When is it smart to exercise influence behind the scenes?

Behind-the-scenes influence is smart when a direct approach is likely to meet resistance, when decision-making is already happening in informal channels, or when you want to build support before something officially reaches the agenda. Not all influence is visible — and it doesn’t need to be.

Exercising influence behind the scenes has nothing to do with manipulation. It’s about having the right conversations at the right time with the right people. Think of an informal chat with a manager before a meeting, or discussing an idea with a colleague who carries significant credibility with leadership.

This is also the core of what the Stratego method calls the “power field game”: understanding who has which interests, who the formal and informal decision-makers are, and how to position yourself in a way that gives you influence without direct confrontation. Sometimes the most effective route isn’t the shortest — it’s the smartest.

When is it not smart? When you stay so invisible that your contributions go unrecognized, or when you always work through others and end up disappearing from view yourself. Working behind the scenes complements visibility — it doesn’t replace it.

How do you hold on to your influence when the organization changes?

You hold on to your influence during organizational change by actively maintaining your network, staying flexible in how you position yourself, and quickly identifying who the new key players are. Influence is never permanent — it requires ongoing attention and adaptation.

Reorganizations, new managers, or strategic shifts cause informal power structures to change. Those who have only invested in relationships with one manager or within one team may find that their influence evaporates quickly when that person leaves or that department is dissolved.

Three ways to protect your influence during change:

Invest broadly. Make sure you have relationships at multiple levels and across different parts of the organization — not just within your immediate circle.
Move quickly when things change. Those who are first to understand what a new situation requires and adapt accordingly hold on to their position. Those who wait lose ground.
Stay visible through your expertise. Knowledge and a strong reputation are more stable than any title or position. Those known for adding value will be sought out even in uncertain times.

Personal leadership here means not being dependent on the structures around you, but actively managing your own position and adjusting course when the environment shifts.

How InTouch helps you grow your influence at work

Greater influence at work starts with insight — into yourself, into the rules of your organization, and into the strategies that actually work. That’s exactly what we help ambitious women with, and have been doing so for nearly 30 years.

Our Masterclass Stratego for Women is our intensive six-month program for women who want to strengthen their personal leadership and take greater control of their careers. In this program, you will learn to:

Understand the unwritten rules of your organization and use them strategically
Conduct a power field analysis and recognize the different types of players you’re dealing with
Present and position yourself with confidence at the moments that matter
Apply concrete strategies to achieve your goals
Build and leverage your network deliberately to increase your influence

The program takes place in small groups of no more than 12 women, allowing for personal attention and genuine depth. The approach is practical and immediately applicable — no theory for theory’s sake, but concrete tools you can start using the very next day.

Want to find out whether the Masterclass is right for you? Get in touch and we’ll discuss together what the best next step is for your situation.