Two recent Australian studies asked thousands of managers to identify the leadership skill they most wanted to develop. The response was clear: leaders in every sector, at every career stage, wanted to improve their ability to influence.

Within a complex business environment, the ability to influence is critical to your success as a leader. People are asked to achieve more with less, under greater time pressure and without being subject to a "command and control" style of management that no longer seems to work.

Psychology can tell us a lot about what makes someone influential and how we are motivated. Realising what makes us tick can be a great starting point for understanding the processes behind effective influence. Here are three tips to help you become more influential.

Within a complex business environment, the ability to influence is critical to your success as a leader. Rob Homer

1. Show your emotional intelligence (EQ)

When you break it down, influence between people is really someone's ability to affect the way the other person thinks and behaves. You can show good EQ by dialling up your empathy, asking open questions, not making assumptions, and getting your head into the other person's way of thinking.