"It is more important to influence people than to impress them." — Adrian Rogers, an American pastor and author

We all want to be influential and respected at work. We want others to appreciate our ideas and feedback. We want to contribute to the team that grows the business.

When we can influence our colleagues at work, we can achieve our goals. Our thoughts and opinions have weight. Our colleagues listen and pay attention to what we have to say.

Being influential at work just doesn't happen overnight. It's not given out on a silver platter. There's no Disney's FastPass for influence.

It takes hard work and must be earned over time by doing what you say you will do.

It's about achieving excellent results from your work projects. It's about leading others through challenging times. It's about growing your knowledge and skills to excel in your role and bring colleagues together to solve business problems and jump on opportunities.

There are 10 simple yet powerful ways to build more influence and gain respect at work. Let's dive in.

1. Listen Better

"The real beginning of influence comes as others sense you are being influenced by them ― when they feel understood by you ― that you have listened deeply and sincerely, and that you are open." — Stephen R. Covey, an American educator, author, businessman, and speaker

One-half of two-way communication is listening. Listening to others shows that you care what they have to say. Your colleagues will remember if you are listening to them or not.

If you include what's important to your colleagues, you will be more influential and respected. Work projects will get more support if your colleagues believe in the project and how it can impact their roles and the company's success.

To listen better, paraphrase back what they just said in your own words. It demonstrates you care about them, clearing up misunderstandings and confusion.

Paraphrasing works because it helps you establish a deeper connection with your colleagues who feel like they are being heard.

Listening is a state of mind of being present in the moment and paying attention to what they are saying. It's not about coming up with your answer and what you want to say next.

Key takeaway: Listening like a pro will help you influence others more at work.

2. Build Your Credibility

Your coworkers will be influenced if you are knowledgeable in your area of expertise. I know it has helped me in my career when I launched a social selling program.

For example, I was named a top 25 social selling guru, so I have the credibility to talk about social selling with my colleagues. Furthermore, I have taught LinkedIn to more than 500 colleagues, so I have earned my reputation as someone who can help others.

To build your credibility, showcase your achievements, practice what you preach, and build your expertise around a specific topic. Your colleagues will see you as competent and trustworthy when you are credible. It's the first step toward building trust with your colleagues.

Key takeaway: You are more likely to influence colleagues when they see you as a dependable expert on a specific subject matter.

3. Act with Integrity

"Don't trade in your integrity for influence."— Richie Norton, an author

Integrity is about being honest and having a strong moral compass. When you have integrity, you behave ethically and do the right thing, even when no one is watching. People with integrity know that what they do impacts people around them.

Acting with integrity is about following through on obligations, being open and honest with others, and holding yourself accountable for your mistakes. It's about owning up to your weaknesses. It means that your values, actions, and words align with each other.

Key takeaway: Take responsibility for your actions and don't make promises you can't keep.

4. Be Consistent with Your Hard Work

"You get more reach and influence when you are being productive." — Sunday Adelaja, a pastor and author

When you work consistently hard at work, you'll gain respect from your colleagues. It's about putting in consistent, high-quality work every day. You don't have to overwork, but you must work smart.

Your colleagues know who are the top performers and those individuals have more influence over others. A top performer is an excellent problem solver, persistent, helpful, asks exceptional questions, and sees challenges as opportunities. Talent is not a substitute for hard work.

Key takeaway: When you consistently work hard, you are successful and influential.

5. Take Care of Yourself

To be influential, you must be healthy physically, emotionally, and mentally. To take care of yourself, you must live healthy by having a good diet, getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, and practicing good hygiene.

Taking care of yourself also means not comparing yourself to others and accepting yourself for who you are. You don't have to be everything to everyone. It's about living your life where you treat yourself with respect.

Key takeaway: To be influential, you must check in with yourself every day and make sure you are taking care of your physical, emotional, and mental health.

6. Develop Your Skills

To be influential at work, you must be looked at as someone who knows their stuff. It would be helpful if you stay up to date on the latest news and changes in your industry and your profession. We live in a world of constant change, so you must continually grow your skills.

Find and cultivate a relationship with a mentor, understand your strengths and weaknesses, and take advantage of company training. Earn free certifications and review job descriptions of positions you want. Raise your hand for new challenges, find problems at work to solve, and set aside a little time on your calendar to work on a new skill every day.

Key takeaway: When you build your skills, you become more valuable to your colleagues, which grows your influence.

7. Help Others Succeed

"He who serves the most reaps the most." — Jim Rohn, an American entrepreneur, author, and speaker.

When you help your colleagues succeed, they will want to return the favor and help you succeed as well. One of the best ways to become influential at work is to make your colleagues look like "rock stars." When you help them shine, they will remember what you did for them.

Answer your colleagues' questions, point them in the right direction who can help them (if you can't), and be a resource for them when they need a sounding board. When your colleagues need something, be there for them.

Key takeaway: When you help others, you help yourself.

8. Be Interested in Your Colleagues

"You can make more friends in two months by being interested in them than in two years by making them interested in you." — Dale Carnegie, an American writer and lecturer

If you are interested in your colleagues, they will be, in turn, interested in you. To influence others, it would help if you are authentically passionate about your work projects and show your colleagues how they can benefit from them. When you are excited about work and curious about your colleagues, they will notice and want to become a part of it.

Get to know your colleagues and their work tendencies. Find opportunities to bring out the best part of themselves. Celebrate wins together and be transparent enough that they know you as a trusted colleague and perhaps even a friend.

Key takeaway: When you are interested in your colleagues, they will be interested in you.

9. Grow Your Emotional Intelligence

"Feelings are something you have; not something you are." — Shannon L. Alder, an inspirational author

People like to bond with others because it makes them feel like they belong to a group. The ability to connect with your colleagues emotionally will help you gain their support, and they will be more willing to help you out.

When you have a high level of emotional intelligence, you can better understand their emotions because you pick up clues through their body language and tone in their voice. Part of being emotionally intelligent is having self-awareness, so you know how to best respond to situations.

To influence at work, you must master the role that emotions play. We are all emotional creatures, so you must know how to regulate your emotions and manage the feelings of your colleagues. A crucial part of emotional intelligence is self-awareness, so you can understand why you feel a certain way and know how to best respond to specific situations.

Key takeaway: Connecting with people emotionally will help you become more influential.

10. Develop Meaningful Relationships

Research has found that employees who have sold work relationships are more engaged, produce better work, and are healthier. It would be best to increase your influence by building strong connections at work.

When you have friends at work, you are more productive and happier. If your colleagues like you and you are enjoyable to work with, they will be more willing to be influenced by you. To build deep relationships at work, don't treat your colleagues as transactions, but as collaborators to solve work problems together.

Key takeaway: Deep connections at work are an integral part of being influential.

Bringing It All Together

"All human beings wield influence — a powerful sword granted at birth. Wield your sword with care." — Richelle E. Goodrich, an author

There are 10 ways you can be more influential at work. Listen better, build your credibility, act with integrity, be consistent with your hard work, and take care of yourself. Also, develop your skills, help others succeed, be interested in your colleagues, grow your emotional intelligence, and develop meaningful relationships.

Being influential at work and earning the respect of your colleagues will help you grow your career, be seen as a respected informal or formal leader, and lead successful work projects that meet the company's goals.

"Your influence on others is your net worth; treat it as such." — Peprah Boasiako, a United States Army veteran and author

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