Wouldn’t it be great if you had as much influence in your office as Leonardo DiCaprio had in the “The Wolf of Wall Street?” We’re not suggesting you use DiCaprio’s tactics to win over your co-workers and influence your clients, however, there are some simple and legal ways you can raise your profile among your co-workers and build your influence in the office. Here are five simple things you can do to become an influential person at work.
- Listen more than you talk
This doesn’t mean that you should hide in your office/cube and wait for people to come to talk to you, but this does mean understanding if you’re a conversation hog in the office. So how do you know if you’re dominating the conversation at work? Do you frequently chat with your co-workers and they can ask you all sorts of questions about the projects you’re working on inside and outside of the office? Are you able to ask those same kind of questions of them? If not, you’re probably spending a lot more time talking about yourself than listening to what’s going on with your colleagues. How do you break this habit? Be mindful to ask the same question of your co-worker that they ask you and be genuinely interested in their answers. Ask follow up questions regarding whatever they’re filling you in on, and remember to ask about it again during the next conversation.
It’s so easy to get wrapped up in our own lives inside and outside the office that sometimes the common courtesy of just asking about what’s happening with someone else falls off your radar. However, if your colleagues feel like you actually care about talking to them and what’s going on in their lives, they’re going to feel like they can come to you with whatever is going on with them because you’re known to be a good listener. Whether you know it or not, you’re building relationships one conversation at a time.
- Give praise generously
This might not seem like a real obvious piece of advice, but when you’re known to give praise versus being critical, your colleagues will look forward to hearing your feedback. Even if you don’t feel like you’re in a position to give a lot of praise to many of your colleagues without it seeming like a total departure from your regular personality, or you don’t have any direct reports, you can start with simple compliments. Tell the person who set up the conference room for the latest meeting that you really appreciated XYZ about the experience. Little things that so often go unnoticed are an easy way to show that you’re paying attention and that you are grateful that someone else took care of a task so that you didn’t have to, or did it so well that you’ll look to them to lead that initiative in the future.
- Ask for advice
So how does asking for advice make you more influential? It might seem like you’re showing weakness or lack of acumen if you have to ask a colleague for advice, but in reality it will have the opposite effect. Asking for advice shouldn’t seem like you’re asking a colleague a trivia question about a fact, and it doesn’t mean you have to start the conversation with something like “I don’t understand what this new product does.” Rather, asking the opinion of a colleague can sound something like, “I know you’ve been in this position before. I’ve got a budget of XYZ, and ten initiatives needing dollars, how did you allocate your funds without asking for a budget boost?” With this simple ask, you’re showing your colleague that you respect their opinion, you believe they have been successful handling the issue at hand, and you’re willing to learn. All of these things are qualities that people want to see in their co-workers. Setting your ego aside can be difficult, but will absolutely pay off, and you’ll probably get some really solid, actionable advice.
- Be a “Positive Patty.”
Alright, if it’s snowing for the fourth day out of five, it’s hard to see that silver lining unless you have plans to build the most epic snow castle your block has ever seen with your kids this weekend. Sometimes it’s just hard to see the silver lining and hold back the inclination to complain. However, if you manage to have something negative to say about everything and everyone that crosses your path, you won’t be hiding in your office waiting for someone to talk to you, no one will want to talk to you. Just like in point number two, being aware of how you talk to your colleagues will make a big difference. If you have a tendency to be a “Negative Nancy,” make a conscious effort to turn your frown upside down, and talk about the positive things that are happening. When your colleagues feel like they’ll get a positive vibe from you, they’ll actively seek you out.
- Have an open agenda
It’s so easy to get to work and start the day overwhelmed by the feeling that there’s no way you’ll get everything accomplished that needs your attention in the next nine hours. However, if you always seem too busy to have a conversation with a colleague, you’re going to miss out on numerous things. You won’t know what’s going on in your department, who’s coming, who’s going, and what’s next. Additionally, your colleagues will be less likely to ask you for help, advice or a casual conversation, and that will actually hurt your career. You won’t seem like a leader, or someone in the office who’s willing to help a colleague when they might need it the most. While your productivity may be off the charts if you tend to “keep your head down” at the office, the other less obvious tenets tied to your overall success as an employee are taking a hit. In reality, your colleagues are just as busy as you are and they still make time to have lunch with one another, stop in the hallway to chat, or drop what they’re working on to give advice. The lesson? Make time for your colleagues, and they’ll return the favor in more ways than one.
So what do these five pieces of advice have in common? They all point to you being the kind of colleague you want to work with. When your colleagues want to work with you, value your expertise, and feel supported, not only will you find your influence increasing at the office, but you will likely find that you’ll be able to work on the projects you want access to, and receive promotions that will help your career trajectory.- And you can make this happen one interaction and one conversation at a time.