Some Leadership Training & Management Training by Silicon Beach Training that you could find useful are the Decision Making Course and Leadership Course
What is influence?
Influence is the ability of one person to get others to behave in a particular way or to carry out certain actions.
Many people are unaware of the influence they exert on others and many are unaware how necessary and constructive mutual influence is in building effective teams and effective working relationships.
Where is your sphere of influence?
Managers automatically think of having influence over their staff but not over anyone or anything else. In fact an astute manager can develop many levels of influence which can be much more far-reaching than that of their staff group.
LEVELS OF INFLUENCE
Level 1 – the level where you have complete influence and control eg with your team
Level 2 – the level where you have influence without complete control eg with your boss, in your department
Level 3 – the level where problems or forces that affect you are completely outside your influence
- Make a list of problems currently causing you concern at work
- Review each problem to decide which level of influence it falls into
- Try to find ways of extending the boundaries of levels 1 and 2 in order to increase your influences over the forces that are affecting the problem
Influencing strategies
“You make more friends by becoming interested in other people that by trying to interest other people in yourself” Dale Carnegie
Each one of us is dependent on other people in the organisation. We need these combined efforts to make our whole business successful. Once we recognise the importance of other people in our companies, we can really begin to use key influencing strategies to get things done.
1. COLLABORATION – successful people are skilful collaborators. They achieve the outcome they want by influencing others to support them, not by exercising power
2. WORKING TOWARDS WIN-WIN – in any negotiation situation seek to find resolution where no-one loses
3. LISTENING – effective listening is one of the most powerful forms of communication. Give the other person your complete attention and they, in turn, will be more inclined to listen to you and give credit to your ideas when you need their support
4. RESPECT – respect is a basic element in influencing. Develop and show genuine respect for those around you by showing consideration, honouring confidences and expecting others to act ethically and responsibly
5. INVOLVE OTHERS – people respond positively when you ask for their opinions and suggestions. Gain a position of influence by acknowledging that someone else has something of value to contribute and by acting on their input.
6. TREAT PEOPLE AS EQUALS – don’t abuse any power you may have from being in a higher position in the organisation; you will not gain their support his way!
7. GIVE CREDIT AND ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY – influential people give others credit for successes and take the responsibility when things go wrong
8. SEE OTHERS AS UNIQUE – get to know what motivates those people around you and treat everyone as special
9. BE CONFIDENT AND DECISIVE – people follow those who seem confident and who make sound, timely decisions
10. CULTIVATE EXPERTISE – when you have expertise, you gain credibility that allows you to influence others
Influencing senior management
You may have the best idea in the world but if you can’t sell it, it is worthless.
There will come a time when you will need the backing of those above you in the organisation so you need to carefully develop your strategy for success.
- Prepare thoroughly before you meet with senior management- collect facts and figures to add weight to your arguments
- Anticipate senior management’s reaction to your idea and prepare effective responses
- Use appropriate language use buzz words and phrases so you appeal to THEIR areas of concern
- Present a positive personality, committed and enthusiastic to the project
- Any presentation you make should be short; about 5-7 minutes is enough to get them interested in a good idea
- Don’t promise what you can’t deliver
