When we were kids, we learned to be careful about who we let influence us. Yet most leaders never apply that same care to the workplace influencers shaping their teams.
“Choose your friends wisely.”
“Don’t just follow the crowd.”
Somewhere along the way, that flipped. Now we pick our influencers on purpose.
Parent influencers help us figure out lunchbox ideas and birthday party themes. Fashion influencers tell us what to buy (and we buy it). There are even career influencers now, coaching us through job interviews and salary negotiations.
We follow them because we trust them. They’ve earned it.
So here’s what I keep wondering. Why aren’t we talking about workplace influencers? A workplace influencer is anyone whose opinions and behavior shape how their peers think and act, regardless of title.
Every org has workplace influencers. They’re not always on the leadership team. Most of them don’t have “culture” anywhere in their title. And they’re shaping your culture every single day, whether you’ve noticed them or not.
And most leaders couldn’t tell you who they are. According to Innovisor’s research on organizational networks, about 3% of employees shape the opinions of 90% of their colleagues. In a 300-person company, that’s about nine people.
At CultureBot, we call them Culture Carriers. And if you lead HR or a team, they might be the most underused asset you’ve got.
Why workplace influencers cut both ways
Influence inside a company isn’t good or bad. It’s just powerful. Where it points is what matters.
Think about the employee who’s frustrated and doesn’t feel heard. Maybe they raised a concern twice and nothing changed. So they stop raising it in meetings and start raising it everywhere else. In DMs. At lunch. On the side of every new initiative.
That kind of negativity spreads. Quietly. Quickly. Team by team. And by the time it shows up in your engagement survey, it’s been shaping your culture for months.
Now flip it.
Your Culture Carriers can impact your culture as much as your leadership team. Sometimes more. Here’s why:
- They’ve earned the team’s trust. People listen to them because of how they show up, not because of their title.
- They’re the first to recognize others. When a respected peer gives a shoutout, it signals that recognition actually matters here.
- They show up for your culture programs. And when they do, other people follow their lead.
A leader can announce a new program. A Culture Carrier makes people actually want to join it.
How to identify workplace influencers (your Culture Carriers)
Smart leaders know exactly who their workplace influencers are. If you don’t yet, start here.
Look for trust, not titles. Your Culture Carriers might be a senior engineer, a customer success rep, or the office manager who’s been there longer than anyone. Watch for people who:
- Get asked first. When someone’s new or stuck, who do they go to?
- Recognize others without being prompted. They notice the small wins and say so out loud.
- Show up early. They’re in the first wave of every new program, ritual, or event.
- Tell you the truth. They’ll flag what’s not working, and they do it because they care about the team, not to complain.
- Set the tone in the room. When they’re in, the energy shifts. When they’re skeptical, people notice that too.
You probably have a few names in your head already. Write them down. We’ll come back to them.
How workplace influencers help HR drive culture programs
Knowing who your workplace influencers are is step one. The real shift happens when you bring them in.
Smart leaders seek out their feedback. They make space for them to help roll out culture programs. And they support them as they build healthy micro-cultures on their own teams.
That’s exactly how we think about it at CultureBot. Our platform lives right inside Slack and Teams and brings connection, recognition, and employee communication to where the work is already happening. Culture Carriers can be your best partners on all three.
Recognition: let them go first
Recognition sticks when people see others doing it. When your Culture Carriers give shoutouts early and often, it stops feeling like an HR initiative and starts feeling like “how we do things here.” Invite them to kick off your recognition program in their channels before you launch it company-wide.
Clarity: pilot with them before you launch
Before you roll out a new program, a new value, or a new way of working, run it by your Culture Carriers. They’ll tell you what’s confusing, what’s going to land, and what’s going to get an eye roll. Then they’ll help explain the “why” to their teams in words that actually stick.
Connection: hand them the rituals
Team check-ins, celebrations, and get-to-know-you moments work best when someone on the team owns them. Let your Culture Carriers host the rituals on their teams. That’s how micro-cultures get built, one team at a time.
Here’s the part I love. You don’t have to guess who your Culture Carriers are forever. When recognition and connection happen in the flow of work, you start to see who’s showing up for others, week after week.
Mistakes to avoid with your Culture Carriers
Culture Carriers have influence because it’s real. Treat it carefully.
- Don’t turn them into unpaid program managers. Involving them is different from dumping work on them. If they’re running something, make it visible and give them credit.
- Steer clear of making them the culture police. The minute they’re seen as leadership’s informant, the trust is gone.
- Listen when they disagree, too. Their pushback is the most valuable feedback you’ll get.
- Remember to recognize them. The people who recognize everyone else are often the last to hear it themselves.
So, can you name them?
Here’s my question for HR and leaders.
Could you name the top five workplace influencers in your org right now?
Not the loudest voices. Not the biggest titles. The people everyone actually listens to.
Be honest with yourself here.
And do they know you see them?
If you can’t name your workplace influencers, your culture is still being shaped. Just without you.
So start small this week:
- Write down five names.
- Have one real conversation with each of them. Ask what’s working, what’s not, and what they’d change.
- Pick one culture program and invite them to help shape it before it launches.
That’s it. No big rollout required. Just a few people who already care, finally getting a seat at the table.
Your Culture Carriers can tell you a lot about your culture. So can 5 minutes.
Take the CultureBot Culture Assessment to see where your org stands on recognition, communication and connection, plus where your Culture Carriers can help most.
Take the assessment here
Already know you want help bringing them in? See CultureBot in action.
