Your friends copy what you do way more than what you say. That’s influence whether you want it or not.

Influence is not something you switch on when you get a title. People around you are already taking cues from how you treat strangers, how you talk about the team behind its back, how hard you go in the dull part of practice. That happens whether or not you meant it, which makes it worth choosing what you want copied.

Pick one behavior you would be glad to see spread and do it visibly for a week. Do not announce it. Then watch for it coming back at you from somebody else.