Influencing skills - Getting results without direct authority

Influence Skills:
Getting Results Without
Direct Authority
December 13, 2007
Thomas Petite
tpetite@gmail.com

Course Benefits
 Professionals are often faced with the responsibility of
completing a project without having the necessary
authority or resources to meet the challenge.
 Harnessing the skills to effectively influence others can
be the difference between success and failure.
 In this course, through practice sessions, video
simulations, self-assessments and “real”-playing
activities, you acquire the specific skills, behaviors and
attitudes necessary to achieve desired results without
relying on the use of authority.
December 2007 Thomas Petite 2

What was covered?
 Apply influence strategies to gain commitment
from others and foster collaboration
 Define desired outcomes for win-win results
 Dynamically adjust your approach to others to
gain buy-in
 Achieve goals by enhancing trust and
cooperation
 Deal effectively with challenging behaviors to
overcome resistance and inertia in others
 Use knowledge and competence rather than
position and status to influence others

 We cannot change other people
 We can effect desirable change in others
by changing something in our behavior
 The greater repertoire or choices we have,
the greater probability of us getting what we
want
 The class will expand your bandwidth –
behaviors and choices available to us to
effect desired changes.

Definitions
 Influence: a two way process causing a change in
attitude or behavior on either a personal or group level
 When control tactics are used, the net effect is
manipulation
 Concerned about my best interests and not yours
 Maintaining a closed agenda
 Valuing deception over honesty
 Resulting in questionable short term value
 Influence does not occur within any time warp
 The seeds for change are often planted today and not realized
until much later
 We are always influencing others
 We may not be getting desired results
 We may not even be conscious of the process we are using

Two side of Influence
Positive Influence Manipulation
Lead by example
Actively listening and
participating
Sitting on same side of
table
Open minded
Invest in relationship
Your own agenda
Limited engagement in
mtg
Not attending mtg
No commitment
Finger pointing
Using position of power

Five Critical Influence Factors
1. Capability: educational background or job exp.
2. Perceived Value: What's in it for me or benefits to be derived
3. Perceived Risk: Potential compromise to ones career or reputation
4. Perceived Value Realization: Track record or reputation
5. Perceived Cost: Amount of time or resources req. to complete a
task or project
 We commit ourselves to change based on self interest
 If you want someone to engage in a behavior that serves your
values, link your influence to their self interest
 Bottom Line: We cannot yield to someone else’s needs or wants until
we know how it will affect us personally

Five Critical Influence Factors
 Select a current situation at work that you wish to influence in a
particular direction. Perform a soft calculation of how the five critical
influence factors might be involved, utilizing the Basic influence
formula below.
(V + C +R) > X
 V = Perception of Value
 C = Capability
 R = Perception of value realization
 X = Perception of cost and risk
Range 1-5, Ranging from not at all to High

Conduct Self Checks
 For all significant influence transactions,
conduct a self check by asking
 What did I do (or not do) to make this happen
(or not happen)?

Know your desired outcome
 Be clear about what outcome you want
 Make the outcome clear and specific
(In a positive way!)
 Avoid generalities
 Be able to visualize it
 Keep it in mind
 Be flexible in your methods for reaching it
 Your bargaining power will increase
 You will minimize the possibility of deadlocking

Desired Outcome
Influencer
(Desired Outcome)
(self interest)
-Capability
-Value
-Value Realization
-Cost
-Risks
Behavioral approach
A B
Commitment Effective
Compliance
IneffectiveResistance
-Influencing Skills

Gaining Commitment
Compliance Commitment
Required Having Choices
Involuntary Voluntary
Lack of Ownership Ownership
Short-Term Long Term
Fear and distrust Trust and appreciation
Command and control Participation

Dovetail Outcomes
1. To ensure a win-win, determine the other
person’s desired outcome
 If unsure, ask
 Help figure out a way for him or her to realize it
2. Maintain your own desired outcome
3. Create joint outcomes
 Net effect
 Greater collaboration approaches
 Stronger relationships
 Teamwork
 Increased trust levels

Tools to Expand your bandwidth
 Trust
 Every aspect of influence is grounded in trust
• Lay the foundation: believe the other person has integrity
• Talking straight & not experiencing negative consequences
as a result; meet commitments
 Rapport & Listening Skills
 Most important processes in influencing others
• Rapport is situational and occurs in the moment; make the
most of it
 Eye contact; warm handshake, use persons name, humor; find
common ground
• Listening is demonstrating understanding of what the other
person is saying through message feedback
 Listen with max immersion

 Using Influencing Strategies:
 thinking strategically is intentional and
deliberate,
 Tailor your strategy to the target person
• Logic, Personal Appeal, Networking, Bargaining,
Assertiveness, Hierarchical appeal

Influencing skills
 Logic: reliance on facts and info; rational arguments
 Potential trap: not developing your ideas adequately or organizing your
info logically could compromise your effectiveness.
 Personal Appeal: reliance on personal persuasiveness; likeability
 Potential trap: over use could lead others to question your motives
 Networking: reliance on establishing alliances w/co-workers &
others
 Potential trap: overuse could create impression that you are conspiring
against someone
 Bargaining: reliance on give and take methods
 Potential trap: creates obligations that the influencer must fulfill in the
future; what is traded might not be worth what is received or exchanged
 Assertiveness: reliance on communicating opinions, preferences,
beliefs, and feelings clearly, directly, honestly wo/putting down the
other person
 Potential trap: when used ineffectively it can alienate others
 Hierarchical appeal: reliance on the chain of command
 Potential trap: over reliance on this strategy could undermine your
relationship w/target person

Avoid Potential Influencing traps
 Make sure you do not
 Restrict your influencing strategies to what
has worked well for you in the past
 Base your influencing strategy on the target
person’s job title; e.g., manager vs. non-
manager
 Become strategic without clearly defining the
target and desired outcome and anticipating
the possible adverse reactions
 Limit your use of strategic options by not
taking into account the full range of choices
you have.

 Power and Politics:
 Power is your capability to exert influence
• Capability + Action = Influence
• Power gives opportunity to exert influence, but you
have to put it into action
 Political Strategies
• Win-Lose; Win-Win; Avoidance
• You are always exercising choices about how

Multiple Perspectives
 Multiple perspectives are often interpreted
as resistance.
 How well do you manage multiple
perspectives in your work environment?
• To what extent do you engage in competitive
strategies that are win-lose?
 Respect or acknowledge resistance rather
than suppress, avoid, or minimize it

Dealing with Resistance
Triangle Talk
1. Listen to the other person’s interests
-Acknowledge their positive intent
2. Find Common Ground
-identify points of commonality
-piggyback on ideas
3. Express your interests
-be direct & concise
-Dovetail (be win-win oriented)

Five Leadership Principles
 Model the way
 through personal example and dedicated execution
 Set an example and build commitment through simple daily acts that
create progress and momentum
 Inspire a Shared Vision
 Compelling visions, get buy in, inspire others
 Challenge the process
 Step into the unknown, take risks, search out challenging opportunities
 Enable others to Act
 Enlist support and assistance of all those who must make the project
work; foster collaboration; enable others to have ownership; strengthen
people by sharing info power and increasing their discretion and
visibility
 Encourage the heart
 Help others to carry on; celebrate indiv. and team accomplishments

Working with Challenging
Behaviors
 Our most difficult relationships offer us the
greatest opportunity for growing in wisdom
and openheartedness.

Challenging types of behavior
 Always agreeable: not saying what you
mean or doing what you say
 Cynic: low tolerance for inconsistency or
idealism
 Arrogant: thinking you know something
about everything
 Whiner: something is always wrong
 Wishy-washy: cant make up your mind
 Pushy: trying to control, using threats

Key Strategy: Akido Talk
 The goal is to be in harmony with your
opponent
 Harmony does not mean agreement
 Focus on building collaborative
relationships vs. blaming others
 When blame is the goal, understanding is the
casualty

Key Strategy: Akido Talk
 Take a step back and get a clearer perspective
 Don’t make the other person wrong
 Avoid direct attacks
 Use neutral, empathetic and non-defensive words to
creates rapport
 Use and to connect with the other person, instead of
trigger words like but or however that create
defensiveness
 Turn confrontation into cooperation
 Avoid why questions; these lead to justifications and excuses
 Use solution oriented questions
 Ask questions that start with what or how; these lead to solutions
 Dovetail outcomes
 Find common ground

While we can’t change anyone except ourselves,
there are options for influencing in the face of
challenging behavior.
 Look for positive intention
 Stay calm
 Dovetail outcomes
 Make the person your ally
 Don’t make the other person wrong
 Avoid arguments
 Avoid direct attacks
 Get a clearer perspective
 Use solution oriented questions
 Make a plan
 Use I language
 Find common ground
 Use Akido talk

References
 All info in this slide deck from:
 Learning Tree: Course 294: Influence Skills

Influencing skills - Getting results without direct authority

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