Chapter 9 - Influence
Introduction
My self-assessments from chapter two indicated I currently have the traits to be an effective influencer and that I also have some areas upon which I could improve to help boost my skills in influencing others. I will discuss these strengths and weaknesses in this chapter and compare them to how they relate back to effective influence. The articles I have selected further connect these concepts and aid in helping me determine what skills are necessary to be a person of great influence.
Relationship building is a positive strength of mine, and this trait is necessary to be an influential person – whatever the audience may be. The articles I have selected both point to the importance of this trait. Something I could improve on to better my influencing tactics is how I exhibit my authority. In my current position, I have positional authority in that I am the direct manager of three employees. However, as my career progresses and if I take on the role of outside business banking and financial sales, I will no longer have this positional authority over anyone. I will need to influence my customers, co-workers, and supervisors.
Introduction
My self-assessments from chapter two indicated I currently have the traits to be an effective influencer and that I also have some areas upon which I could improve to help boost my skills in influencing others. I will discuss these strengths and weaknesses in this chapter and compare them to how they relate back to effective influence. The articles I have selected further connect these concepts and aid in helping me determine what skills are necessary to be a person of great influence.
Relationship building is a positive strength of mine, and this trait is necessary to be an influential person – whatever the audience may be. The articles I have selected both point to the importance of this trait. Something I could improve on to better my influencing tactics is how I exhibit my authority. In my current position, I have positional authority in that I am the direct manager of three employees. However, as my career progresses and if I take on the role of outside business banking and financial sales, I will no longer have this positional authority over anyone. I will need to influence my customers, co-workers, and supervisors.
Article 1 – Influencing others – a key skill for all
This article examines a list of theories that have been studied and determined to be effective ways to influence others. The article does not distinguish between work and personal life; in fact, it uses the two potential audiences interchangeably. Influence is defined in the article as “the power of producing an effect, especially unobtrusively…” (Yemm 2008). Strategy and approach are two main points that are broken down into sub-parts; these sections outline the linear timeline in your relations with the audience you are trying to influence. Establishing rapport is also discussed in great detail, and it is explained using several principles from Robert Cialdini’s work: “Influence, Science and Practice.”
This article’s reference to Ciadlini’s book ties in nicely to how I wish to go about leveraging my influence to others. The video below describes six principles, as identified by Cialdini, that are the key ingredients to influencing desirable outcomes from others. The principles are:
1) Reciprocity
2) Scarcity
3) Authority
4) Consistency
5) Liking
6) Consensus
This article examines a list of theories that have been studied and determined to be effective ways to influence others. The article does not distinguish between work and personal life; in fact, it uses the two potential audiences interchangeably. Influence is defined in the article as “the power of producing an effect, especially unobtrusively…” (Yemm 2008). Strategy and approach are two main points that are broken down into sub-parts; these sections outline the linear timeline in your relations with the audience you are trying to influence. Establishing rapport is also discussed in great detail, and it is explained using several principles from Robert Cialdini’s work: “Influence, Science and Practice.”
This article’s reference to Ciadlini’s book ties in nicely to how I wish to go about leveraging my influence to others. The video below describes six principles, as identified by Cialdini, that are the key ingredients to influencing desirable outcomes from others. The principles are:
1) Reciprocity
2) Scarcity
3) Authority
4) Consistency
5) Liking
6) Consensus
I have identified through my self-assessments that possess strong straits of “liking”, which I have also referred to as relationship building. This is a strong asset in developing rapport with others. By developing rapport and common bonds with others, studies have shown that negotiations between parties are much more likely to be successful and more beneficial to each party (Cialdini 2009).
Expressing authority is a necessary trait to achieve influence. This is something I need to work on. Often times when communicating with my employees, I feel the need to solicit their input, or offer suggestions as to how they should approach a task. Sometimes, this is ok, but if the goal is to influence someone into performing a task or delivering some desired outcome, and that person is a positional subordinate, then I must put my positional authority to better use.
Article 2 – Influencing Up
This article discusses key strategies in influencing upper management. It discusses the difference between knowledge workers, middle management, and upper management, and how to successfully relate to each class of workers to achieve the greatest influence. Goldsmith gives ten guidelines to influence upper management, and goes into detail about how to implement each. One significant item of note I took away from the article is Goldsmith’s emphasis on thinking about the better good of the organization. I have focused on this concept in several areas of this website.
The ability to influence others is an important piece of my career journey. I aspire to seek constant promotions as time goes by and much of the success in my promotions will hinge upon how well I sell myself to those who make the hiring decisions. Goldsmith refers to this concept by saying “It is your responsibility to sell, not their responsibility to buy” (Goldsmith 2008). This statement is saying that you cannot control others’ actions, but it is kind of a lay-up in my opinion. When trying to sell someone on something, you should not give up if your first try is unsuccessful. Digging into the article further, I have determined that even though I cannot control upper management’s decisions, I do have to understand that the people in these positions are “just as human as [I am]” (Goldsmith 2008). What I mean by this is that upper management may not always make the right decision; I may recognize this or I may not, depending on each situation. But, the important thing to remember is there is always room for improvement or second opinions in any level of management.
Exercise
Monitor at least two people and have them take turns (in pairs if more than two) being the influencer of a certain topic. You will need a video camera or voice recorder. Topics to choose from can include:
- Taking up some form of exercise
- Giving up smoking
- Joining a club or society, OR…
- Buying a product such as a big screen television, hot tub, new computer, etc., OR…
- Agreeing with a strong opinion (politics, education, environmental, etc.)
The influencers try to influence in a manner in which they normally would. The other person in the pair should be moderately resistant to the influence. Allow discussion for five minutes and record the exercise.
After five minutes, stop and ask the participants to reverse roles. Repeat the exercise. After both participants have performed both tasks, allow everyone to view/listen to the recording.
Listen to, and document how many times each influencer made a statement (gave information) and how many times they asked a question (sought information). If an influencer gave more statements and facts, he/she has a stronger “push” style of influencing. Contrarily, if the influencer asked more questions, he/she has more of a “pull” style of influencing.
Expressing authority is a necessary trait to achieve influence. This is something I need to work on. Often times when communicating with my employees, I feel the need to solicit their input, or offer suggestions as to how they should approach a task. Sometimes, this is ok, but if the goal is to influence someone into performing a task or delivering some desired outcome, and that person is a positional subordinate, then I must put my positional authority to better use.
Article 2 – Influencing Up
This article discusses key strategies in influencing upper management. It discusses the difference between knowledge workers, middle management, and upper management, and how to successfully relate to each class of workers to achieve the greatest influence. Goldsmith gives ten guidelines to influence upper management, and goes into detail about how to implement each. One significant item of note I took away from the article is Goldsmith’s emphasis on thinking about the better good of the organization. I have focused on this concept in several areas of this website.
The ability to influence others is an important piece of my career journey. I aspire to seek constant promotions as time goes by and much of the success in my promotions will hinge upon how well I sell myself to those who make the hiring decisions. Goldsmith refers to this concept by saying “It is your responsibility to sell, not their responsibility to buy” (Goldsmith 2008). This statement is saying that you cannot control others’ actions, but it is kind of a lay-up in my opinion. When trying to sell someone on something, you should not give up if your first try is unsuccessful. Digging into the article further, I have determined that even though I cannot control upper management’s decisions, I do have to understand that the people in these positions are “just as human as [I am]” (Goldsmith 2008). What I mean by this is that upper management may not always make the right decision; I may recognize this or I may not, depending on each situation. But, the important thing to remember is there is always room for improvement or second opinions in any level of management.
Exercise
Monitor at least two people and have them take turns (in pairs if more than two) being the influencer of a certain topic. You will need a video camera or voice recorder. Topics to choose from can include:
- Taking up some form of exercise
- Giving up smoking
- Joining a club or society, OR…
- Buying a product such as a big screen television, hot tub, new computer, etc., OR…
- Agreeing with a strong opinion (politics, education, environmental, etc.)
The influencers try to influence in a manner in which they normally would. The other person in the pair should be moderately resistant to the influence. Allow discussion for five minutes and record the exercise.
After five minutes, stop and ask the participants to reverse roles. Repeat the exercise. After both participants have performed both tasks, allow everyone to view/listen to the recording.
Listen to, and document how many times each influencer made a statement (gave information) and how many times they asked a question (sought information). If an influencer gave more statements and facts, he/she has a stronger “push” style of influencing. Contrarily, if the influencer asked more questions, he/she has more of a “pull” style of influencing.
Yemm’s article “Influencing Others – a key skill for all” describes the differences in push versus pull styles of influencing. According to Yemm, the ‘push’ style includes persuading or asserting, while the ‘pull’ style is about bridging (building connections, involving the other party) and attracting (getting to see things as a “we” situation) (Yemm 2008).
References
Cialdini, Robert B. Influence: Science and Practice, Fifth Edition. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc., 2009. Print.
Goldsmith Marshall. "Influencing Up." Leadership Excellence. Vol. 25, Iss. 1. pg. 5-6. p. January 2008. Internet. Accessed 29 November 2013.
Yemm Graham. "Influencing others - a key skill for all". Management Services. Vol. 52, Iss. 2, pg. 21-24. p. 2008. Internet. Accessed 29 November 2013.
References
Cialdini, Robert B. Influence: Science and Practice, Fifth Edition. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc., 2009. Print.
Goldsmith Marshall. "Influencing Up." Leadership Excellence. Vol. 25, Iss. 1. pg. 5-6. p. January 2008. Internet. Accessed 29 November 2013.
Yemm Graham. "Influencing others - a key skill for all". Management Services. Vol. 52, Iss. 2, pg. 21-24. p. 2008. Internet. Accessed 29 November 2013.
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