Building Influence as a Leader — Without the Fluff
If you’re a leader, you’ve probably heard the advice before:
“Be authentic.”
“Make it about others.”
“Lead with empathy.”
All great principles — and usually delivered with great intent.
But often, without concrete steps or some guidance on how to make it work, these principles can be utterly useless. What does “make it about others” actually look like in a feedback meeting on a project scheduled on a Tuesday afternoon? How exactly do you “be empathic” with someone who doesn’t really seem to enjoy social interactions all that much?
Most influence principles live in the clouds – they make great catchphrases but don’t give you concrete actions to take.
The missing link here is personalisation. Generic ideas are helpful directionally, but if you want to actually know how to connect with someone in a meaningful way, you actions need to be appropriate to the person you’re connecting with.
Personality can be your superpower to bring it back to earth.
Curious how TALY gives you actionable insights on building real influence? For leaders, it gives you the methods to decode the differences in your team and how to shape your leadership.
Want to learn more? Let’s chat about how TALY’s tools can help you navigate the entire employee lifecycle and empower everyone along the journey. Get in touch or book a demo today.
A quick refresher: what IS personality
Think of personality as a practical compass — not a box, but a set of tendencies that shape how we see, decide, and connect.
Inside of all of us is a mixture of traits that combine to create an overall personality. This may be similar to others or different – but either way, our personality plays a role in all our behaviours and connections.
Knowing your own compass helps you understand your natural operating style. It helps you be aware of where you naturally with, and where you might need to flex under pressure instead of defaulting to habit.
Knowing others helps you tailor your influence so it actually lands. This is communication with precision, and it is the actual basis of empathy – communicating with others in ways that works for them and make sense. Influence built on personality awareness feels natural, not forced — because you’re speaking in a language the other person already understands.
Why it matters
Influence is less about charisma and more about resonance. You can’t “make it about others” if you don’t understand what matters to others — and personality gives you a map for that.
Research backs up this pattern this pattern: leaders who demonstrate adaptive leadership lead to better employee outcomes, which lead to better productivity and client satisfaction. When you know who you’re talking to, you can cut through noise, avoid misunderstandings, and build credibility that sticks.
Personality in action: small shifts, big impact
Here’s how tailoring influence looks when you understand personality differences based on some of the traits captured in the TALY Personality model:
High Agreeableness — Start with warmth. Small talk, shared interests, or a personal check-in helps build safety before diving into the task. Connection first, then content.
Low Agreeableness — Skip the fluff. Get to the point quickly and be direct, especially with tough feedback. Cushioning too much can come across as condescending.
High Extroversion — Match their energy. Be expressive, engage in real-time discussion, and use enthusiasm to keep momentum. Think walk-and-talks or quick brainstorming sessions.
Low Extroversion — Create calm space. Schedule chats in advance, share materials early, and allow reflection before decision-making. Influence grows through trust and depth, not speed.
Here is how it can work in action…
When Priya, a senior manager, learned that her new team member was low on extroversion and low on agreeableness, she ditched connecting with them through her usual upbeat team huddles. Instead, she sent a one-page summary before their 1:1 and opened with, “I’d love your take on this when we meet — be as blunt as you like.” The result? He started contributing more — not because she inspired him with charm, but because she made space for him to engage in his own way that made sense to his personality.
Influence is about being adaptable
Influence isn’t about being universally likeable — it’s about being adaptable. Once you view personality as a toolkit, not a label, you can adjust your approach to build trust more quickly and convey your message more effectively.
What would change if you adjusted your influence to fit their compass, not just yours?
Or you can skip the guesswork, awkward paper-based personality tests that gather dust in your drawer, and start using TALY, giving you the cheat sheet on how to communicate with others in ways that resonate with them.
And if you’re already using TALY, connect with others on My Profile to spot where you can tailor your style with others to help build authentic relationships that resonate with them. Then pick one micro-shift to test in your next 1:1 with them.
Get in touch to find out more… we really do love talking about this stuff. Or Book a Demo today to see how easy it is to start using TALY in your business.
