6 Tips to Influence Up & Advocate for Yourself at Work

Influencing up is a critical skill to moving up in our careers. We need to be intentional and strategic if we want to be more visible for a new role, promotion or to attract any new opportunity. These six tips will help you get there faster.

1. Build credibility with consistent excellence
   Deliver exceptional results consistently to establish yourself as reliable and valuable. When leaders trust your work quality and judgment, they're more likely to consider your ideas and recommendations. Recognize that you have specialized knowledge or frontline insights that leadership lacks. Share these perspectives confidently.
2. Understand your leader's priorities and pressures
   Take time to learn what matters most to decision-makers above you - their goals, challenges, and what they're evaluated on. Frame your proposals in terms of these priorities to show alignment with their objectives.
3. Present solutions, not just problems
   When raising issues, come prepared with thoughtful recommendations and implementation plans. Leaders appreciate team members who think proactively and take initiative rather than simply escalating issues.
4. Communicate strategically
   Frame your ideas in terms of organizational goals and leadership priorities. Tailor your message to your audience's communication style.  Some leaders prefer data-driven presentations while others respond to storytelling. Be concise, focus on impact, and anticipate potential questions or concerns.
5. Build genuine relationships before you need them
   Develop trust through reliability, thoughtful interactions, and demonstrating value in everyday work. Identify and nurture relationships with influential stakeholders who can champion your ideas. When multiple respected voices support your position, it creates momentum that's difficult for leaders to ignore. Connect with leaders on a personal level while maintaining professionalism. 
6. Demonstrate emotional intelligence
   Read the organizational climate and timing carefully. Understand when to press forward with an idea and when to temporarily step back. Show empathy for the pressures leaders face while maintaining conviction in your valuable contributions.

Some resources for you:

Want to see how you score as a confident communicator? 

Take The Confidence Cocktail Assessment: https://karenlaos.com/confidence-cocktail-fb/

Project more confidence and credibility with my free tips: 9 Words to Avoid & What to Say Instead: https://karenlaos.lpages.co/words-to-avoid/

My book “Trust Your Own Voice”: https://karenlaos.com/book/

Episodes also available on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEwQoTGdJX5eME0ccBKiKng/videos

About me:
Many years ago I found myself tongue-tied in a boardroom, my colleagues and executives staring at me. My stomach in my throat, I was unable to get the words out (in spite of being in a senior leadership role). 

Then, I heard my boss shut down the meeting. My heart sank. I was mortified. She pulled me aside and said, "You didn't trust your gut. You could've tabled the meeting like I did."

Why didn’t that option occur to me in the moment? Why did I feel like I needed permission?

That was the day I set out to change. I began a journey of personal growth to discover the root of the problem. Once I did, I wanted every woman to experience that same freedom.

I’m now on a mission to eradicate self-doubt in 10 million women in 10 years by giving them simple strategies to speak up and ask for what they want in the boardroom and beyond, resulting in