You’re great at your job. You know the processes, the safety protocols, the best way to get things done efficiently. You work hard, set high standards, and expect the same from your team.

So why does no one seem to be listening?

You explain the process, and still—someone cuts corners, ignores the procedure, or just does things their way.

Frustrating? Absolutely. Costly? You bet.

🚧 More safety incidents
🔄 Higher employee turnover
😒 Disengaged workers who show up but don’t care
🤦 A workplace culture that’s, well… a bit crap

Here’s the kicker—when we run CliftonStrengths for trade-based leaders, there’s one thing we keep seeing: a serious lack of Influencing strengths. And that? That’s a problem.

The Missing Piece in Trade Leadership

Most tradespeople are executors. They’re practical, efficient, and get the job done. And that’s reflected in their strengths—tons of Executing themes like Achiever, Responsibility, and Discipline.

But leadership isn’t just about doing the work. It’s about getting others to do the work right.

That’s where Influencing strengths come in.

What Are Influencing Strengths?

Gallup breaks strengths into four buckets:

✅ Executing – Getting stuff done
✅ Influencing – Getting people on board
✅ Relationship Building – Strengthening team bonds
✅ Strategic Thinking – Seeing the bigger picture

Trade leaders are often stacked with Executing strengths (which makes sense). But without Influencing strengths—like Communication or Activator—it’s harder to:

🔹 Get employees to buy in to safety rules
🔹 Inspire a team to actually care about their work
🔹 Convince people to change old habits
🔹 Build a culture where people want to stay

👉 Check out CliftonStrengths here

No Influencing Strengths? No Problem.

Before you panic—CliftonStrengths isn’t about what you lack. It’s about what you naturally do best.

If Influencing isn’t in your top 10, it doesn’t mean you can’t influence. It just means you need to be intentional about how you lead.

How to Build Influence Without Influencing Strengths

💡 Use What You’ve Got – If you’re high in Responsibility, build influence by being reliable. If you’ve got Relator, connect one-on-one before giving direction. Play to your strengths.

🛠 Learn the Skills – You don’t have to be a born leader to be a good one. Leadership development can teach you how to communicate and influence more effectively.

🗣 Leverage Your Team – If influence isn’t your strong suit, identify team members who do have it and let them help drive the message home.

🚀 Lead by Example – Influence doesn’t mean being the loudest in the room. It means being someone people want to follow. That could be through action, mentorship, or just showing up consistently.

Fixing Influence Fixes Everything

Lack of influence isn’t just an annoyance—it’s a risk.

If your team isn’t listening, if they’re not engaged, if turnover is climbing—it’s time to get serious about influence.

Because let’s be real—your team doesn’t need someone who just does the work. They need someone who makes them want to do it well.

Ready to see where your strengths lie? Let’s talk CliftonStrengths—drop me a message. 🚀

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AT THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE, WE’RE NOT YOUR AVERAGE HR CONSULTANTS – WE’RE YOUR PARTNERS IN CREATING THRIVING WORKPLACES! BASED IN KALGOORLIE AND WORKING WITH BUSINESSES AUSTRALIA-WIDE, WE SPECIALISE IN EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT, WORKPLACE CULTURE, AND BOOSTING WELLBEING. WHETHER IT’S CRAFTING COMPLIANT POLICIES, LEVELLING UP EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCES, OR FINDING YOUR NEXT SUPERSTAR HIRE, WE MAKE HR EASY WHILE DRIVING REAL BUSINESS OUTCOMES. 

OUR MISSION IS SIMPLE: TO EMPOWER BUSINESSES WITH PEOPLE-CENTERED SOLUTIONS THAT MAKE EMPLOYEES FEEL VALUED, ENGAGED, AND READY TO EXCEL. FROM KALGOORLIE TO BEYOND, WE HELP BUILD WORKPLACES WHERE TEAMS LOVE TO SHOW UP EVERY DAY. LET’S WORK TOGETHER TO TRANSFORM YOUR WORKPLACE CULTURE AND ACHIEVE GAME-CHANGING RESULTS.