Think about the most influential people in your life. Now ask yourself a simple question: how many of them are in positions of senior leadership?  

The answer is likely some of them, but not all. There is a common assumption that influence is determined by hierarchy or job title. Yet in practice, some of the most impactful voices do not sit at the most senior level. In fact, influence is often distributed far more widely. 

Why Many People Undervalue Their Own Influence 

So why do people often not see themselves as being in a position to influence at a strategic level? In many cases, it comes down to perception rather than capability. There is a belief that influence belongs to leadership roles, and that anything outside of senior decision-making is purely operational. Yet in roles such as school business management, leaders are already deeply involved in decisions that affect budgets, operations, staffing and organisational performance. The work is already strategic – but it is not always framed as influential. 

Contribution, Not Position, Drives Influence 

A more useful way to think about influence is not “am I senior enough to be influential?”, but rather “am I consistently turning what I know into something that helps others make better decisions?” This shifts the focus away from position and towards contribution. 

Influence is not created by job title. It is created when insight, experience and judgement are translated into something that shapes action, direction or understanding. 

Confidence Often Matters More Than Capability 

In most cases, school business professionals already have the skills needed to influence. The limiting factor is often confidence in how those skills translate. Many SBPs, for example, are already solving complex problems, balancing competing priorities and making operational decisions every day. The difference is not what they are doing, but how that work is positioned as operational delivery or as strategic contribution. When contribution is seen only through an operational lens, influence is unintentionally downplayed. 

Expertise Alone Does Not Create Influence 

It is also common for expertise to be mistaken for influence. Being highly skilled in a specific area – finance, estates, compliance or operations – is valuable, but expertise on its own does not automatically shape decisions. Influence tends to emerge when expertise is combined with the ability to interpret information, simplify complexity and connect detail. In other words, it is not just about knowing something well. It is about helping others understand what that knowledge means in context. 

One of the most effective ways to build influence is through consistent translation of operational detail into meaningful insight. This means moving beyond simply describing what is happening and instead focusing on what it means. What is the impact? Why does it matter? What decisions does it inform? 

Influence is also shaped by how information is communicated, not just what is communicated. Small adjustments can significantly change how contributions are perceived. For example, framing updates in terms of impact rather than activity, or implications rather than events, helps move conversations towards outcomes rather than process. 

Influence Is a Set of Skills, Not a Position 

Ultimately, influence is not a personality trait, and it is not reserved for senior leadership. It is a set of skills that can be developed, refined and strengthened over time, regardless of role or experience level. When this becomes a habit, influence stops being something external to the role and starts becoming a natural outcome of how the role is performed.