Ever waited for someone to tap you on the shoulder and say, “You’re ready”? Most of us have experienced that quiet, frustrating pause; the space between wanting to lead and believing we’re allowed to.
I remember a colleague early in my career who kept a running list called “When I’m a Manager.” It included ideas for improving team workflows, scripts for customer calls, even how she’d run onboarding differently. One day she said, almost whispering, “I don’t want to overstep.”
Here’s the irony: half her ideas solved real problems everyone complained about. She didn’t need a title. She needed permission—her own.
Leadership isn’t a job level. It’s a behavior. And influence is built long before anyone gives you a formal mandate.
So let’s break down what that looks like in the everyday, unglamorous, totally achievable moments that shape how others see you and, more importantly, how you see yourself.
1. Start by Owning Your Point of View
You don’t need a VP title to have insight. You need clarity and the courage to speak with intention.
Early- and mid-career professionals often hold back because they assume someone “more senior” knows better. But research consistently shows that diverse perspectives improve decision quality and innovation. Cloverpop’s research shows that teams with diverse and inclusive thinking patterns make better decisions 87% of the time.
Your unique vantage point? It matters.
Try this:
- Share an observation in your next meeting that others haven’t raised yet.
- Offer a reframing question: “What if we approached this from the customer’s lens?”
- Back your point with data, an example, or a pattern you’re noticing.
Influence starts with contribution. Not perfection.
2. Build Reliability as Your Leadership Currency
People follow those they trust. And trust is built through consistency, not grand gestures.
Think of workplace reliability as your personal leadership brand. Do you follow through? Do you communicate proactively? Do you leave people feeling informed or scrambling?
It sounds simple, but these behaviors create disproportionate impact. Leaders become leaders because others begin to rely on them long before they earn the title.
A few reliability signals that build influence instantly:
- Meet deadlines or flag issues early with solutions.
- Share summaries after meetings to clarify decisions and next steps.
- Respond with ownership rather than defensiveness.
- Be the person who reduces friction, not adds to it.
You don’t have to be flawless. You just have to be consistent.
3. Lead Through Curiosity, Not Certainty
Influence isn’t about knowing everything. It’s about helping teams think better.
Curiosity-led leadership shows up in small but powerful ways: asking better questions, seeking context, connecting dots across teams. Studies show that curiosity improves problem-solving and promotes better collaboration.
Instead of trying to look “smart,” shift to being deeply, genuinely curious:
Ask questions like:
- “What’s the root problem we’re actually trying to solve?”
- “Has this been attempted before? What did we learn?”
- “What assumptions might we be making?”
You’ll be surprised how quickly people begin turning to you as the person who elevates the conversation.
Leadership isn’t a job level. It’s a behavior. And influence is built long before anyone gives you a formal mandate.
4. Take Initiative on the Small Things (Because They’re Not Actually Small)
Leadership moments aren’t always dramatic. Sometimes they look like:
- Offering to draft the first version of a messy plan.
- Running the agenda (and keeping it tight).
- Creating clarity where there is none.
- Helping a teammate untangle a problem that’s holding them back.
These small actions collectively build your influence more than any bold declaration ever could.
And here’s the quiet secret: people remember who made their work easier. They remember who stepped in. They remember who took responsibility.
That’s leadership.
5. Build Relationships That Make You Impossible to Overlook
Influence is relational currency. The more you invest in people, the stronger your leadership reach becomes.
This doesn’t mean schmoozing or networking for networking’s sake. It means intentionally building trust, empathy, and rapport with the people around you across functions, levels, and teams.
Practical ways to grow your relationship capital:
- Ask colleagues about their goals and pressures; understand what matters to them.
- Share recognition generously.
- Loop people in before they ask.
- Collaborate in ways that make both sides look good.
People champion those they know, trust, and feel connected to. Visibility doesn’t require loudness; it requires connection.
6. Redefine Leadership as a Practice, Not a Promotion
This is where most people get stuck. We treat leadership like a door that someone else has to open.
But the truth? Leadership is more like a muscle. You develop it by using it in micro-moments, in how you think, in how you show up.
You don’t become a leader and then start leading. You start leading, and that’s what makes you a leader.
So ask yourself:
- What would shift if I stopped waiting for permission?
- What ideas or contributions have I been saving for “later”?
- Where can I practice leadership today, exactly where I am?
Your influence is built day by day, decision by decision. Quietly at first. Then unmistakably.
A Reflection on How to Build Influence
You don’t need a title to make a difference. You don’t need seniority to shape decisions. You don’t need permission to lead. You simply need to start.
Pick one action this week: own your insight, initiate a small improvement, ask a powerful question, or deepen a relationship. These everyday steps compound. They shape how others see you. More importantly, they shape how you see yourself.
Leadership isn’t something you wait for. It’s something you build, and you can start right now.
