This weekend, I was bouncing along on the tractor cutting the paddocks, a task that right now feels relentless with the weather we’ve been having in regional Victoria.
I’d exhausted my usual podcast list and was up to date, so I tried one a friend recommended — Michael Bungay Stanier’s Change Signal.
The most recent episode caught my eye: a conversation with Vanessa Bohns, social psychologist and author of You Have More Influence Than You Think. And I thought YES! Something I say all the time.
What Does Influence Really Mean?
If you ask a dictionary (or Google, ChatGPT, or even Claude), you’ll get something like:
“The power or capacity to cause an effect in indirect or intangible ways.”
Simple yet broad.
Gallup, on the other hand, defines influence through the lens of CliftonStrengths. Their Influencing Domain is all about helping you:
- Speak up
- Take charge
- Help others be heard
So, which is it?
The answer is: both.
Influence Isn’t One Thing
Influence can be loud and visible, standing up, speaking out, getting buy-in.
It can also be quiet and steady, building trust, asking great questions, consistently showing up.
And you can do both, even if your Top 10 strengths don’t include a single orange Influencing theme.
So many people I coach glance at their CliftonStrengths results and say,
“Oh, I don’t have any of the influencing ones.”
And they stop there. As if that means they can’t lead, speak up, or drive change.
But influence isn’t about what domain you’re missing, it’s about how you show up.
You may have heard me say before, CliftonStrengths is not what you do but HOW.
You’re Probably Influencing Without Even Realising It
In Vanessa’s book You Have More Influence Than You Think, she writes:
“Failing to recognise the influence you have can lead to missed opportunities to spearhead change efforts, ask for things you deserve, and show up in support of causes you care about…
This tendency towards under confidence can also lead people to needlessly (and endlessly) search for ways to gain influence, when what they really need is to get better at recognising the influence they already have.”
Yes — this.
We’re often more powerful than we give ourselves credit for.
We just don’t see it because it doesn’t look like the textbook version.
You Don’t Need Orange to Influence
Gallup’s orange Influencing themes can sound bold: Command, Woo, Activator, Communication, Maximizer, etc.
I have nearly all of them in my dominant themes (except for Competition) but that doesn’t mean I can get everyone on board with everything I say. If I could, my house would be spotless, and the boys would do all the things I asked them to!
Influence isn’t about being persuasive in general.
It’s about knowing how you influence best.
Here are a few ways people influence without traditional influencing themes:
- Responsibility — by doing what they said they would. Every. Single. Time.
- Analytical — by bringing data, clarity and logic when others are emotional or confused.
- Harmony — by helping a room calm down, see both sides, and move forward.
- Intellection — by asking the deep question no one else thought of.
- Ideation — by throwing in a fresh idea that sparks a new path.
- Restorative — by quietly solving the problem while everyone else is still arguing over it.
They’re not the loudest voices, but they often have the most sustainable impact.
You already have the tools.
You don’t need to be someone else, you just need to leverage your talents.
A Few Tips to Start Owning Your Influence
Vanessa Bohns’ research shows we routinely underestimate the effect we have on others. Even small gestures, like giving a compliment or asking someone for help, have far more impact than we expect.
Here are a few ways to harness the influence that’s already yours:
- Play to your strengths
Start with your CliftonStrengths. Ask:
- How do I naturally create impact?
- What do people come to me for?
- How might that influence others, even if I don’t see it?
- Notice your ripple effect
Think about a time when someone took your advice. Changed their mind. Or felt more confident after talking to you.
You’ve influenced them, even if it didn’t feel like a “big deal” at the time.
- Ask face-to-face
Research shows people are far more likely to say yes to a request made in person than over email. Don’t hide behind the screen if something matters.
- Speak up, your way
You don’t need to shout. You can influence by asking a thoughtful question, sharing a story, or giving someone space to shine.
So next time you find yourself thinking, “I don’t have any of the influencing themes,” – pause.
You do influence.
With actions. With care. With ideas. With strategies.
You have more influence than you think.
And you don’t need to find it, you already have it.
Now go use it.
