Influencing Others At Work

The Unspoken Superpower of Small Business Leadership

When you first start a business, leadership feels simple. You're the leader because you're the one who had the idea, the one who took the risk, the one doing all the work. You lead by doing. But then, something happens. You hire your first person, then your second, then your fifth. And you quickly discover the most confronting truth of entrepreneurship: you cannot do it all yourself.

Suddenly, leadership is no longer about your own productivity. It's about the productivity of others. Many founders believe this is the moment to put on the "boss" hat. They think leadership is about having authority, giving directions, and making sure people do what they're told.

I am here to tell you that this approach is a trap. It will cap your growth, burn out your team, and exhaust you in the process. True leadership, the kind that builds iconic small businesses, is not about authority. It’s about influence.

Authority is the power you have because of your title. Influence is the power you have because of who you are. Authority can force compliance, but influence inspires commitment. Authority gets people to follow a checklist, but influence empowers them to write a whole new playbook. In the intimate, high-stakes environment of a small business, influence is not just a nice-to-have skill; it is your single greatest leadership superpower.

For years at RedBalloon, I thought my job was to have all the answers. But my real breakthrough as a leader came when I realised my job was to build a team that could find the answers without me. That required a fundamental shift from directing to influencing. It’s a skill that can be learned, practiced, and mastered. This is the guide to doing just that.

Why Influence Trumps Authority in a Small Business

In a large corporation with thousands of employees, systems and authority can keep the machine running. In a small business, the machine is powered by people’s hearts and minds. Your team is small, and every single person has an outsized impact on your culture and your success.

• Authority creates employees; influence creates owners. When you lead with authority, people do their job. When you lead with influence, people take ownership of their job. They look for ways to improve processes, they solve problems you didn't even know you had, and they care about the outcome as if the business were their own.
• Authority is fragile; influence is resilient. Authority vanishes the moment you leave the room. Influence lingers. It's in the values your team upholds when you're not there. It's in the way they treat a customer when no one is watching. In a world of constant change, a culture built on influence is agile and can adapt, while one built on authority is brittle and will shatter under pressure.
• Authority is a monologue; influence is a dialogue. Leading by authority is a one-way street of communication. It doesn't invite feedback or challenge. Influence is, by its very nature, a two-way process. It requires you to listen, to understand, to connect. This dialogue is where your best ideas will come from.

To build a thriving business, you don't need a team of compliant soldiers. You need a passionate crew of co-creators. And to build that, you need to master the art of influence.

The Four Pillars of Leadership Influence

Influence doesn't come from a magical personality trait. It comes from a consistent set of behaviours. I’ve broken it down into four fundamental pillars. If you build your leadership practice on this foundation, your influence will grow naturally and authentically.

Pillar 1: Credibility – The Foundation of Trust

Before anyone will follow you, they have to believe in you. Credibility is the bedrock upon which all influence is built. It’s the deep-seated trust that you are competent, reliable, and honest. In a small business, your credibility is tested every single day.

• Walk the Talk: This is the most crucial element. If you say you value work-life balance but send emails at midnight, your credibility is shot. If you say customer service is everything but you rush a customer off the phone, your words become meaningless. Your team watches what you do, not what you say. Your actions are the loudest message you will ever send.
• Admit What You Don't Know: Many leaders think credibility means having all the answers. The opposite is true. Pretending to know something you don't is the fastest way to lose respect. Having the courage to say, "I don't know the answer to that, but I trust you to find it," or "That's outside my expertise, let's defer to Sarah on this," demonstrates incredible confidence and builds trust. It shows you value the truth more than your own ego.
• Be Consistent and Reliable: Do what you say you will do. If you promise to review a document by Tuesday, review it by Tuesday. If you commit to a weekly one-on-one, don’t constantly reschedule it. This consistency seems small, but it creates a foundation of psychological safety. Your team learns that you are a person of your word, which makes them feel secure and willing to place their trust in your leadership.

Pillar 2: Empathy – The Key to Connection

If credibility is about getting people to believe in you, empathy is about showing them you believe in them. Empathy is the ability to step outside your own perspective and genuinely try to understand the world from another person's point of view. It is arguably the most critical leadership skill in the modern economy.

• Listen to Understand, Not to Reply: Most of us listen while formulating our response. Empathetic leaders listen to truly hear. In your next conversation with a team member, try to listen with the sole purpose of being able to articulate their position back to them accurately. Ask clarifying questions like, "So what I hear you saying is..." This simple shift will transform the quality of your connections.
• Acknowledge Feelings Before Facts: Imagine a team member is stressed about a looming deadline. An authority-based leader might say, "We just have to get it done." An influential leader would say, "I can see this deadline is causing a lot of stress. Let's talk about the pressure points and see what we can do to support you." By acknowledging the emotion first, you validate their experience, build a connection, and make them far more receptive to finding a solution.
• See the Whole Person: Your employees are not just resources. They are people with families, mortgages, health concerns, and aspirations. A small business leader has the unique opportunity to know their people on a human level. Taking an interest in their lives outside of work is not about being nosy; it's about showing you care about them as a person, not just a performer. This deep level of connection fosters profound loyalty.

Pillar 3: Vision – The Power of a Shared 'Why'

No one does their best work just to earn a paycheque. People are willing to pour their heart and soul into their work when they feel they are part of something bigger than themselves. Your role as a leader is to articulate that "something bigger." Vision is the magnetic force that pulls everyone in the same direction, turning a collection of individuals into a unified team.

• Paint a Compelling Picture of the Future: Your vision must be clear, simple, and inspiring. At RedBalloon, our vision was to change the way people gift, to move from 'stuff' to 'experiences'. This was easy to grasp and exciting to be a part of. What is your vision? Can you articulate it in a single sentence?
• Connect Daily Tasks to the Bigger Picture: This is where great leaders shine. They can connect the mundane to the meaningful. Don’t just ask your team to improve a spreadsheet. Explain, "When we improve this spreadsheet, we get better data, which helps us understand our customers better, which allows us to deliver on our vision of creating unforgettable experiences." This context gives purpose to the daily grind.
• Tell Stories, Not Just Statistics: Humans are wired for narrative. A story about a single customer whose life was changed by your product has more influence than a bar chart showing 10% growth. Constantly share stories—customer testimonials, team successes, moments of breakthrough—that bring your vision to life and make it tangible for everyone.

Pillar 4: Generosity – The Multiplier of Influence

This final pillar is what separates good leaders from truly great ones. A generous leader understands that their primary role is not to accumulate power for themselves but to distribute it to others. They lead from a place of abundance, not scarcity.

• Be Generous with Credit: An authority-based leader takes the credit when things go well and assigns blame when they go wrong. An influential leader does the exact opposite. They shine the spotlight on their team, celebrating their wins publicly. They use phrases like "Sarah’s team did an incredible job on this," not "I launched a new project." When you give credit away, it comes back to you tenfold in the form of loyalty and respect.
• Be Generous with Your Knowledge: Don't hoard information. Share what you know freely. Mentor your team. Coach them. Invest in their development. A leader who is genuinely committed to helping their people grow and succeed builds a level of influence that is unbreakable. Your team’s success becomes a testament to your leadership.
• Be Generous with Your Trust: The ultimate act of generosity is to delegate real responsibility and then get out of the way. Micromanagement is a sign of fear. Trust is a sign of confidence—in yourself and in your team. Giving your team the autonomy to make decisions and even to make mistakes is the most powerful way to develop their capability and show them you truly believe in them.

Your Leadership Echo

Your leadership is like an echo. The energy you put out—your credibility, your empathy, your vision, your generosity—is what comes back to you in the form of a committed, innovative, and passionate team. Authority creates a loud shout that quickly fades. Influence creates a resonant echo that continues to build and grow, even when you are not there.

Becoming an influential leader is not a soft skill; it is the ultimate economic driver for your small business. It's what will attract and retain the best talent. It's what will unlock the creativity and passion of your people. And it is what will give you, the founder, the support you need to stop being the chief doer and start being the chief dreamer, guiding your business to heights you never thought possible.

Start today. Pick one pillar. Practice one behaviour. Ask one more question. Share one piece of credit. Your journey to becoming a truly influential leader starts with a single, intentional step.

‍