#AskAdaMarie: How do you build influence on a team when you don’t have authority yet?
“Hi AdaMarie! I often have ideas that could improve our processes, but I’m not always taken seriously. How do you build influence on a team when you don’t have authority yet?”
Hey Friend,
What you’re describing is one of the most common and frustrating experiences early in a career: seeing clearly what could be better, offering it, and watching it land… quietly.
It can feel like a credibility issue. Like you need more experience, a stronger title, or more time in the room before people take you seriously. But influence begins when people start to trust how you think, how you work, and how you communicate.
That trust is built over time, and often in ways that are less visible than a single idea or suggestion. It’s not just about what you say. It’s about how your ideas are introduced, how they connect to the work around you, and whether people can see themselves in the outcome you’re proposing.
There is nothing wrong with your instinct to improve things. The shift is learning how to position that instinct in a way that makes it easier for others to engage with it.
Here are a few ways to start building that kind of influence:
1. Start with the problem, not the solution
When you lead with a fully formed idea, you’re asking people to evaluate it immediately. When you start with the problem, you invite them into the thinking. Alignment on the problem creates space for your solution to land more naturally.
2. Anchor your ideas in shared goals
People are more likely to engage when they can see how your idea connects to what they’re already responsible for. Frame your thinking in terms of team priorities, timelines, or outcomes that matter to them.
3. Pay attention to timing and context
A strong idea introduced at the wrong moment often gets overlooked. Notice when decisions are being made, when conversations are still open, and when people have the capacity to engage. Influence is partly about choosing the right moment to speak.
4. Build relationships before you need buy-in
It is much easier for people to trust your thinking when they already have a sense of how you work. Informal conversations, asking thoughtful questions, and showing curiosity about others’ perspectives all build the foundation that your ideas will eventually stand on.
5. Make your thinking easy to follow
Clarity is underrated. Walk people through how you got to your idea, what it solves, and what it would change. The goal is not just to be correct, but to make your thinking usable for someone else.
6. Show impact in small ways
Influence grows when people can see that your contributions lead to better outcomes. Look for opportunities to demonstrate follow-through, improve something tangible, or support a decision in a way that makes the team’s work easier.
7. Stay consistent, even when it feels slow
Building influence is rarely a single moment. It’s a pattern. Over time, people begin to recognize your perspective, expect your input, and rely on your judgment. That only happens through repetition.
There is a difference between having a good idea and helping that idea move. You’re already doing the first part. The second part is a skill, and it’s one you can build. Keep paying attention to how your ideas land, not just whether they’re right. That feedback will teach you more than any single interaction.
And over time, you’ll notice something shift. Not all at once, but gradually. People will start to ask what you think before you offer it. They’ll reference your perspective in rooms you’re not in. The same instincts you have now will begin to carry more weight.
That’s influence.
With you,
AdaMarie 💚
