INFLUENCE MAPPING: A Tool for Strategic Career Growth

Leslie Rohonczy, IMC™, PCC, Executive Coach, Leadership Expert, Speaker, Author

I started working with a senior leader a few months ago, and was excited to help him explore his coaching topic. He wanted to become a high-performing executive and strengthen trust with his peer group. His intention was clear and his commitment seemed high.

In one of our early sessions, I asked him to walk me through his key relationships; the people whose support, trust, and collaboration would be essential to his success. He paused, then said, “Well… I think I have good relationships with most people.”

It wasn’t a bad answer. But it was vague, which told me we’d struck a golden coaching opportunity. I walked him through a powerful tool I developed called the Influence Map. This deceptively simple visual tool helped us map out who mattered most, how much trust existed, whether the influence flowed one way or both, and what kind of emotional cost each relationship carried.

Within minutes, the picture was clear. He was pouring energy into a relationship that wasn’t strategic, avoiding a critical alliance because it felt hard, and underestimating how much invisible credibility he’d already earned in a few places where he’d assumed indifference. He realized that, when it came to strategic relationships, he didn’t need more effort; he needed more precision.

Influence mapping makes visible the invisible social ecosystem you’re leading in. And once you see it, you can lead inside it with far more intention and confidence.

 WHY INFLUENCE MAPPING MATTERS

Influence at the executive level doesn’t follow job titles or org charts. It moves through the channels of trust, clarity, alignment, and shared purpose. If you're trying to drive change, shape culture, or lead cross-functionally, you need more than positional authority. You need strategic influence.

 The Influence Map helps you:

• Clarify who matters most to your success

• Diagnose the quality and direction of those relationships

• Get conscious about where you're spending too much or too little energy

• Make behavioural choices that improve trust and impact

Many leaders don’t realise until they map it out that they’re overspending influence capital in the wrong places, under-investing in key allies, or coasting in relationships that are quietly draining their credibility.

HOW TO USE THE INFLUENCE MAP

STEP 1: IDENTIFY THE KEY PLAYERS
Using the Influence Map template, place your name in the centre. Then, in the surrounding circles, add the names of individuals who significantly impact your ability to succeed, grow, and lead effectively. Think beyond your immediate team: include your boss, cross-functional partners, direct reports, key external stakeholders, or influential board members. Influence is about proximity to power and perception, not just title.

 STEP 2: TAKE A RELATIONSHIP SNAPSHOT
For each individual, reflect on these four indicators:

• Trust Level (Low, Medium, High): Is this relationship built on mutual trust?

• Influence Flow (One-Way or Two-Way): Do you influence each other, or is the flow lopsided?

• Current Currency: What do you bring to this relationship that earns you influence? Clarity? Calm? Creativity? Reliability? Insight?

• Emotional Cost (Low, Medium, High): How much energy does this person require from you?

This step alone can surface powerful insights. I’ve seen clients realise that the person they’re working hardest to impress doesn’t actually influence the outcomes that matter most.

STEP 3: DEFINE YOUR STRATEGIC INTENT
Ask yourself:

• What is the strategic purpose of this relationship?

• What would make this connection more effective?

• What’s one behavioural shift I could try to improve it?

Maybe it’s slowing your pace with a fast-moving peer. Or being more transparent with a cautious, trust-sensitive stakeholder. Or having clearer asks with someone who always offers support but rarely follows through.

 STEP 4: PRIORITISE YOUR INFLUENCE
Use simple symbols to code your map:

• STAR = Needs your attention

• CHECKMARK = Strong and stable

• TRIANGLE = Draining without enough return

 Then ask:

• Who are your allies and advocates?

• Who represents active friction?

• Where is there untapped opportunity?

Mapping this visually helps you spot patterns. Maybe all your strong relationships are downward, and you’ve neglected peer or upward influence. Or maybe one draining connection is hijacking your attention and causing unproductive spirals.

EXPLORE POWER DYNAMICS AND POLITICAL ACUMEN

Influence is relational, but it’s also political. Not in the Machiavellian sense, but in the sense of understanding where power lives and how decisions are made.

For each person on your map, ask:

• What motivates or unsettles them?

• How do they like to receive information?

• How is power expressed in this relationship, and how do I tend to respond?

• What other relationship could help me improve this one?

One client discovered that his most difficult cross-functional partner was deeply influenced by someone he hadn’t built a strong connection with – a surprising but powerful pivot point. Strengthening that second relationship softened the resistance in the first.

ACTION PLAN: WHERE TO START

Choose one relationship on your map that is costing you significant energy but yielding low influence or trust in return. Ask yourself:

• What am I trying to get from this relationship?

• Is that realistic, or am I overplaying it?

• Could a shift to curious diplomacy help? Or is a strategic withdrawal more appropriate?

Influence is rarely about pushing harder. It’s about choosing where and how to invest, creating conditions where trust can take root, and where alignment becomes possible.

READY TO MAP YOUR INFLUENCE?

You don’t need to overhaul your entire relationship strategy overnight. But you do need to look at it. Influence is one of your most valuable leadership assets, and yet most executives don’t take the time to map, audit, or recalibrate it.

Try the Influence Map. Get curious. And if you want help unpacking the patterns or crafting a game plan to lead with more impact and less friction, let’s talk.

I coach senior leaders to build trust, navigate power dynamics, and lead with clarity, confidence, and connection. Reach out today to grow your leadership influence, at www.leslierohonczy.com.

THE CANADIAN ADVANTAGE: What the World Can Learn from Canadian Leadership

Leslie Rohonczy, IMC™, PCC, Executive Coach, Leadership Expert, Speaker, Author

Happy Canada Day, my fellow Canucks!

 It’s Canada Day, eh? If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably got a red shirt on today. Maybe you have a fondness for butter tarts and backyard barbecues, too. As a Canadian, you probably pitch in without being asked; thank the delivery driver; and hold the door for someone three steps behind you. And, like many Canadians, you likely carry the quiet conviction that you don’t need to chase the spotlight to make an impact.

So in tribute to Canada Day, I’d love to shine a light on what makes Canadian leadership so unique, and why our quieter, people-first style is a genuine advantage. This article isn’t just flag-waving (although I’m ferociously proud to be Canadian); it’s an invitation to take a fresh look at how we lead, why it works, and what the world could learn from our human-focused way of doing business.

THE QUIET POWER OF CANADIAN LEADERSHIP

Canadian leadership isn’t loud, brash, or headline-hungry, and that might just be its greatest strength. We’re not known for chest-thumping declarations or viral TED Talk mic drops. We’re not out there “crushing it” or reinventing the future in a flash of hype and hashtags.

We lead the way we live: thoughtfully, quietly, and preferably after a proper cup of coffee. And, under our modesty is a powerful leadership ethos that’s quietly driving some of the most stable, emotionally intelligent, and collaborative workplaces in the world. Maybe it’s time we started owning that, instead of whispering it into our double-doubles. Because we don’t have to be loud to be strong. We don’t need to mimic anyone else’s style to be influential. And we definitely don’t need to pretend to be someone we're not or put on a show to lead well.

LIVING NEXT DOOR TO THE STADIUM

Leading a Canadian company right next door to the U.S. can feel a bit like living beside the stadium on game night. The music’s pounding, the crowd is fired up, and it's a media spectacle of hyped commentators and TV cameras hunting for the next highlight reel. With all this energy and attention, it’s easy to feel like we should crank up our own volume to be noticed.

But Canadian leadership has never been about fighting for the front row or showing off to the halftime cameras. We’re focused on playing the long game with purpose. It’s about earning trust, and nurturing the kind of innovation that quietly changes the game.

We make space for diverse voices and build cultures that people actually want to stay in. We don’t bulldoze, we build; we don’t bluster or dominate the conversation; we ask better questions and then really listen. That’s not a flaw or a gap; that’s wisdom, and it’s what next-generation leadership looks like.

COLLABORATION IS OUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Canadians are known for being good at teamwork, and I think it's because our culture has naturally wired us to collaborate. Not just the “check a box” version of teamwork, but the real kind that makes people feel like they matter, and that their voice counts.

Canadian leaders tend to prize collaboration over competition. We like to find common ground. We’re wired to build coalitions, to include, to invite people into the process instead of barreling through it alone. Of course, we’ve been doing this for years. It’s not new to us. But it’s just not usually something we brag about.

SO WHY DON’T WE TALK ABOUT IT MORE?

Because we’re Canadian, and we don’t like to blow our own horns. We’d rather let our results speak for themselves. That’s noble, and also, occasionally, too humble for our own good. The tricky part is, if you never say what makes you great, people might assume you don’t know it yourself.

 So let’s be clear. Canadian leadership is grounded, strategic, and emotionally intelligent. It’s collaborative, adaptable, and fiercely people-first. And it’s exactly what the world needs more of right now.

If you’re a Canadian leader who’s ever felt the pressure to show up differently, to crank up your charisma or dial down your humility, you’re not alone. But you don’t need to become someone else. You need to become more authentically you.

THIS CANADA DAY, STAND TALLER

Go ahead and fly the Maple Leaf with pride. Spell 'neighbourhood' with a 'u'. And say your favourite Canadian letter with pride, 'eh?' And also, take a minute to recognise your Canadian leadership. What makes us great is not that we're the loudest in the room, but that we make the room better by asking the tough questions, modelling our Canadian values, and building the trust needed for true collaboration. That’s not performative; it’s powerful. And that’s the kind of leadership the world needs more of, now more than ever.

If you’re ready to lead with more clarity, confidence, and impact, without turning into a caricature or abandoning your actual values, reach out for a free consultation about how executive coaching can help you build your next leadership chapter. Visit www.leslierohonczy.com to get started.