Influence is one of a leader’s most valuable assets, yet it’s often misunderstood.
Many think of it as persuasion, negotiation or the ability to “win people over.” But what if real influence runs deeper? If it wasn’t about having the loudest voice in the room, but the one people lean in to hear because it carries weight through credibility, authenticity and purpose.
In a world where authority is increasingly shared and decisions are made across networks rather than hierarchies, influence is the currency that moves ideas forward, shapes outcomes and opens doors. Unlike positional power, it can’t be given, it must be earned, nurtured and invested wisely.
Welcome to our September blog series - The Leadership Currency of Influence. Together, we’ll explore influence as a form of relational capital leaders can intentionally grow.
Building Your Influence Bank
Influence is rarely built in grand gestures. More often, it grows in the quiet moments; a kept promise, a thoughtful follow-up, a word of encouragement offered at just the right time. These small deposits, made consistently over time, shape what we might think of as a “leadership bank account.”
When we see influence as a form of relational capital, it opens new ways of noticing how trust accumulates. Each interaction, whether in a meeting, a corridor conversation or a quick message, becomes an opportunity to build credibility, or unintentionally, draw it down.
The Bank Account of Influence
Many leaders describe their influence as strongest when their words, actions and values are aligned.
Consistency creates a sense of safety. Congruence builds trust. Together, they form a balance that others rely on.
Withdrawals are inevitable; a promise forgotten, a deadline missed, a slip in tone.
Yet when there’s a healthy bank of trust, these moments are seen in context rather than as defining flaws.
Without that reserve, the same missteps can quickly deplete credibility.
Everyday Deposits
Influence doesn’t require extraordinary gestures. Often it’s the steady rhythm of small acts that matter most:
- Following through on commitments, even the minor ones.
- Showing reliability under pressure.
- Demonstrating respect whether in one-on-one conversations or in group settings.
- Ensuring words and actions match, especially when it'd be easier not to.
Overtime, these deposits accumulate into a balance that can move ideas forward, strengthen collaboration and open doors, even when you’re not in the room.
Influence Through Vulnerability
One often overlooked influence skill is the courage to be vulnerable. Admitting a mistake, asking for help or sharing challenges doesn’t weaken credibility, it strengthens it.
Vulnerability signals authenticity. It shows others your leadership is grounded in honesty, not perfection. Paradoxically, this often deepens trust: people are more inclined to follow leaders who are real than those who try to appear flawless.
When credibility and vulnerability come together, influence feels less like authority and more like partnership, and that’s a balance people lean into.
The Question of Intent
Perhaps the most important consideration is intent. Influence can serve many purposes, and not all of them are equal. Influence that endures seems to be rooted in something larger than individual gain.
When others sense that your leadership is in service of a shared goal, your influence account grows in ways that benefit not just you but the people and systems around you. Influence that is perceived as self-serving, by contrast, tends to drain the very capital it seeks to use.
Why This Matters Now
In today’s interconnected workplaces, where authority is increasingly shared and decisions are often made across networks rather than hierarchies, positional power matters less. What carries more weight is the credibility others grant you because of how you consistently show up.
Your influence account, in that sense, is always in motion. Every interaction is a chance to add to it, or take away from it.
Reflective Questions
- Where does your influence account feels strongest right now and how have you contributed to that strength?
- What kinds of deposits do you naturally make, and where might you add new ones?
- Where could showing vulnerability strengthen your credibility and influence?
In our next blog, we’ll explore how listening, perhaps the most underrated leadership move, can amplify the weight of your words and your influence account when you do choose to speak.
Images by Josh Appel, Marek Studzinski and Ricardo Gouveia on Unsplash
