Influence is defined as the power to have an effect without having to use force or official authority. In our personal and professional roles, irrespective of our level of authority, we can influence so much.

As a project leader you learn how to influence key decisions while you may not be the ultimate decision maker.  Projects are temporary and your team changes often. As a project leader, you need to build trust quickly and lead by influence, sometimes more so than in other leadership roles.

While leading people in projects using influence, I have found these three overarching principles to be incredibly helpful. I hope they are a good reminder for you too!

• Lead by example. Known to us all is this statement: actions speak louder than words. When leaders can talk the talk but not walk the talk, they risk weakening their influence. Do you need to influence how your team engages with stakeholders or remind them about how to deal with deadlines? Do you need to deal with behavior or output issues on your team? Leading by example puts you in a position of advantage so that you can use your influence powerfully. Do you need your team to be transparent or bold? You guessed it – lead by example!

• Communicate with confidence. Own what you will communicate by making an effort to prepare the content and the tone that you will need to use when delivering the communication. Do you need to communicate a winning decision, deliver bad news, or own a mistake?  Clear, confident communication is the key in every one of those situations. Confidence can foster trust and when you are trusted, you strengthen your influence.

• Influence how you make people feel and they will remember that about you. How you make people feel can enhance the kind of influence you have in their lives. This one is hard to fake because it’s fairly easy for people to analyze how you make them feel. Did you make them feel heard and respected? Did you make them feel slighted or manipulated? Even when you are leading a new project team, how you make them feel can establish your influence as a project leader.

Your success depends on how well you can influence others. Can you influence the right action and emotions? Tap into your strengths to keep improving your ability to lead by influence.