Multimillionnaire podcaster Mel Robbins says she learned the secret to spotting the most influential person in the room when she was a waitress

Having an in with powerful people is one way to unlock success—but you don’t need a corner-office career to recognize them from the crowd.

Podcaster Mel Robbins says she learned the secret to spotting the most influential person in the room from her “mentor boss” Ruth while working her first job waitressing at Red Rooster Tavern in Scenic Drive, Michigan.

It’s a lesson she’s carried along with her while building her multimillion-dollar empire.

“She told me when I started waitressing the secret to getting a good tip: Understanding who has influence over who gives you the good tip,” Robbins told the Wall Street Journal in a recent interview.

“A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that if you walk up to a group of couples, that it’s going to be the dudes that pay.

The dudes decide to tip.

That’s not what happens,” Robbins continued.

“What happens often is the women turn to their partners and say ‘She was great, give her a tip.’ And so Ruth told me to ignore the men and to completely take fabulous care of the women.” Figuring out who really holds the power in a corporate setting is a different game, but the trick remains the same.

Putting Robbins’ trick to practice in the corporate world The 57-year-old creator of The Mel Robbins Podcast and former CNN legal analyst has rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in business.

Throughout her successful two-decade career as a motivational speaker, best-selling author, Robbins has focused on self-improvement and success after having previously worked in law.

She’s interviewed the likes of real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran, serial entrepreneur Emma Grede, and former dot-com business executive Seth Godin.

And when it comes to spotting the business bigwigs, she’s developed a keen eye in detecting who really holds the power.

Oftentimes, it isn’t the one with the biggest title or sitting at the head of a boardroom table.

Just as she found in her job serving burgers and sandwiches, the corporate power player with the most influence is really the one who has the ear of the people in charge.