Invest in the success of the person sitting next to you.

Work beyond your own tasks to make your whole team better.

Small acts of leadership builds your influence and professional presence. As you move up, your success depends less on your technical skills and more on your ability to guide people and keep projects on track. Real leadership is to be the most prepared person in the room and help the group stay focused.

If a meeting starts to drift off-track, avoid staying silent while time is wasting away. Instead, ask a clarifying question like, “To make sure I’m following, how does this point align with the goal we set at the start?” Providing that bit of structure is a huge service to the group.

Leadership also shows up through peers coaching peers. If you have mastered a specific software or a company process, offer to walk a teammate through it when they’re struggling. You’re not doing their work for them; you’re empowering them to be more effective. When you invest in the success of the people sitting next to you, you create a ripple effect of high performance. You stop being just an employee who does their own tasks and start becoming a professional who makes the whole team better.

Put these approaches into practice.

Let’s look at practical ways to build your professional influence by helping your team stay focused and investing in their success.