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“The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible.” ~ Dwight Eisenhower

Climbing The Ladder of Influence

Why do I use the framework of influence as a ladder?

To begin with, it’s clear there are different degrees of influence. I use the framework of a ladder because the degrees of influence stack on top of one another.

You must start at the bottom of any ladder in order to climb to the top. The Ladder of Influence is no different.

You must start at the bottom step, Control of Self. And, you must do the climbing. No one else can do it for you. No one else will do it for you.

How high and how fast you want to climb is up to you.

However, be careful as you climb. You can easily slip and fall. It may take only one mistake because with people the little things are often the big things.

Your influence is built over time by your choices, words, actions, and interactions. With every word, action, and interaction, you are either building influence with those around you and climbing higher up your ladder – or you are decreasing influence and slipping back down. Each interaction is making a deposit into or taking a withdrawal from the “trust” account of the relationship.

Note: Don't miss Ria's podcast episode above "Three Things that Happen when You Invest in Yourself" If you won't invest in yourself, why should anyone else?

When it comes to influence, who you are matters. What you say matters. But, what you do matters most because who you are on the inside determines how you do what you do.

For example, if you tell someone you will meet them at 10:00 am but don’t show up until 10:30 am, they may forgive you. But, they won’t trust you as much as they did before. They now know you can’t be counted on to keep small commitments, and you don’t value their time.

If you have a strong relationship with them based on much trust built over time, one incident may not be a big deal. But, it will leave a negative impression relative to your character and who you are as a person.

• Do you take your word seriously or not?
• Are you a person who can be trusted to keep a commitment or not?

Of course, life happens. But, a pattern of making and breaking commitments will cost you influence. And whether you realize it or not, it can be very expensive, difficult, and sometimes even impossible to regain influence that has been lost.

Someone who has climbed higher on The Ladder of Influence will have higher standards relative to integrity, respect, and influence in relationships than someone who has not climbed as high.

There are no shortcuts when it comes to influence.

If you haven’t truly started at the bottom of The Ladder of Influence and climbed the steps based on your Control of Self, Character, and Competency (the first three steps), it will quickly become evident to those who have. You won’t be able to truly influence others who have a high degree of character.

Like what you just read? It was based on an excerpt from The Ladder of Influence: 5 Steps for Climbing to the Next Level and Beyond by Ria Story, Leadership Speaker, Author, Trainer

Note: I'll be helping others climb higher in 2025 by kicking off a 30 part podcast series on Ria's book on my Blue-Collar Leadership Podcast on January 3, 2025. Be sure to subscribe to follow along as I share my thoughts on Ria's great content!

"On the most micro level, every individual has his or her own brand or reputation, and that reputation affects trust, speed, and cost. It comes across in your résumé and in the comments of your references when you’re applying for a job. It translates into the way people interact with you at work or in social situations. It affects whether someone will go out with you, how seriously your child listens to you, how much influence you have in any situation." ~ Stephen M. R. Covey