# What Is Influence?

> Influence is being able to affect people and their decisions. If you have created, altered or changed someone’s behavior, then you have exerted influence.

- Source: https://bodhih.com/what-is-influence/
- Publisher: Bodhih Training (Bengaluru, India; since 2008)
- Last updated: 2026-10-15
- Contact: solutions@bodhih.com · +91 99000 11601

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Influence is being able to affect people and their decisions. If you have created, altered or changed someone’s behavior, then you have exerted influence.

Influence is the ability to affect people and their decisions, so that someone's behaviour is created, altered or changed. It is exercised without the overt use of a carrot-and-stick approach. Marketers, for example, influence customers' buying decisions, and influence built in personal and social relationships also brings benefits in professional life.

Last updated 15 Oct 2026 · Bodhih Insights team · reviewed by [Siddharthan VGJ](https://bodhih.com/siddharthan-vgj/), Founder

Influence is being able to affect people and their decisions. If you have created, altered or changed someone’s behavior, then you have exerted influence. The ability to influence people is invaluable in both personal and work life. For instance, marketers influence customers in an effort to affect their buying decisions. In personal life, having influence with your social relationships has many benefits, some of which can be seen in your professional life as well. Importantly, it is the ability to do the above stated things without the overt use of the ‘carrot and stick’ policy.

## Quick answers

### Why is influence important at work?

Influence lets people shape others' decisions and behaviour without relying on rewards and punishments. That ability is valuable in both work and personal life: marketers use it to affect buying decisions, and the trust and relationships behind personal influence often carry over into professional settings.