Great Innovators are often successful - Influence Drivers

Great Innovators Are Often Successful Because of One Thing: Influence

Innovation and influence go hand in hand. If you’ve ever wondered why certain innovators always seem to win—why their ideas get traction, their initiatives gather steam, and they bring others along for the ride—the answer often boils down to influence.

Not raw data. Not just power. Influence.

While data and power are logical tools in the innovator's arsenal, influence is where things really happen. It’s a subtle art, but when mastered, it can be the difference between a great idea that dies on the vine and one that transforms a company.

Let’s be real—if you’re a great seller, you can get people to say “yes.” But influence goes beyond sales. It’s about moving people, shaping perceptions, and guiding behavior—often without anyone realizing you’re doing it.

Below are a few ways great innovators wield influence. These aren’t brute-force tactics. These are smarter, more sustainable approaches to selling innovation that don’t leave political wreckage behind.

1. They Build Supportive Coalitions That Carry the Change

One of the simplest—and most effective—ways to drive innovation? Build a group of people who believe in what you’re trying to do. When you have a supportive coalition behind you, momentum builds fast, and ideas that might have stalled on their own suddenly have the wind at their back.

Influencing through a coalition isn’t just safe—it’s catalytic. Why? Because even those who aren’t naturally champions of change tend to follow the crowd. If you influence the right people early, they’ll bring their networks along with them. The influence compounds.

And when your coalition cuts across organizational levels—not just down the hierarchy—you tap into something even more powerful. Peer influence moves fast. Suddenly, you're not just pushing an idea uphill—you’re riding a wave of buy-in that can exceed your expectations.

Coalitions create credibility. They foster collaboration. And they reduce the political friction that often slows down innovation.

If you’re looking to create sustainable, scalable change, start with this: who already believes in what you're doing? Then go build around them.

2. They Understand Others’ Interests—Not Just Their Own

One of the most underrated innovation skills? Understanding what other people want.

Negotiation, at its core, is about interests. If you know what matters to someone, it becomes exponentially easier to bring them along with you. And yet, many innovators—myself included—tend to get tunnel vision. We get so locked in on our own ideas, goals, and visions that we forget to stop and ask: What’s in it for them?

I’ve been there. I’ve assumed I knew what someone else wanted—only to realize later that I missed the mark. And every time that happens, I kick myself. Because influence starts with empathy.

Staying focused on others’ interests means being curious, asking questions, and really listening. It means thinking about how your goals can align with theirs—and then building a shared path forward.

When you do that well, something powerful happens: the size of your coalition grows. People don’t just support your idea because you’re persuasive—they support it because it supports them, too. And when interests align, momentum builds fast.

So if you want to influence people in a meaningful, sustainable way, start with this question: What do they care about? That’s where the real work—and real innovation—begins.

3. They Recognize—and Help—the Desperate

This might be my favorite innovation principle of all.

Every organization has them: people in trouble. Maybe they took a risk that didn’t pay off. Maybe they’ve lost political capital. Maybe they’re under pressure to deliver and running out of options. Whatever the reason, they’re in a tight spot—and most people avoid them.

But innovators? We should run toward them.

Why? Because desperation creates openness. These individuals are often willing to try new approaches because they need something to work. They’re not hung up on convention or stuck in analysis paralysis. They’re ready to move—and if you bring them a viable idea, they’ll grab onto it with both hands.

Even better, they often become your most loyal allies. Help them when others won’t, and you create deep trust. Some of the best partnerships I’ve ever had came from backing someone when they were out on a limb.

Desperation also simplifies alignment. Their interest is crystal clear: survival. That clarity makes it easier to build a coalition and move fast. And sometimes, it's not even desperation in the classic sense—it might be someone who's just burning with urgency, hungry to make something happen. Either way, they’re looking for a spark. Be that spark.

Bottom line: keep an eye out for the desperate. They may just be your biggest opportunity in disguise.

4. They Gain—and Earn—Access to Decision Makers

One of the quiet superpowers of great innovators is their ability to access decision makers—and more importantly, to influence them in meaningful ways.

This is less about tactics and more about art. Early in my career, I used to say: “It doesn’t matter when you start your day; the real action starts after 5:30.” Why? Because that’s when the noise dies down, meetings stop, and many senior leaders are still around—less guarded, more reflective, and open to a hallway conversation that turns into something bigger.

That’s a big company insight, sure—but the principle applies everywhere: when you show up consistently, build trust, and deliver, you earn access.

But here’s the key—access without authenticity is worthless. Just getting in the room isn’t enough. Decision makers are constantly being pitched. What they respond to is someone who’s genuine, who understands the stakes, and who follows through.

If you’re trying to drive innovation, your relationship with decision makers can’t be transactional. It has to be rooted in loyalty, credibility, and results. That’s how you get in. That’s how you stay in. And that’s how you turn access into action.

So yes, build those relationships. But do it with purpose, humility, and integrity. Influence may open the door—but trust keeps it open.

Final Thought: Influence Isn’t Free—Use It Thoughtfully

One of the biggest missteps innovators make is assuming that just because they can influence, they should—without considering the long-term consequences.

Influence is a powerful tool, but it comes with responsibility. Misuse it, and the bodies you leave behind will come back to haunt you. Use it thoughtfully, and you’ll not only drive change—you’ll do it in a way that lasts.

Success in innovation isn’t just about ideas. It’s about people. And influence—real influence—is how you bring those people along with you.

Want to explore how to build influence in your innovation work—or how to spot the desperate allies hiding in plain sight? Let’s talk.

malcolm@innovationmuse.io