Mistake 5: Not Developing Your Power

A manager always reports to a boss; in fact, many of us may report to several. How do we get them to hear us and encourage our ideas, and how do we garner support from them to drive our ideas forward? Fundamentally, this is the definition of influence. Because managers, by the nature of their role, are usually “stuck in the middle,” they often report to a leader or leaders who are senior to them; thus, they don’t often have the positional power to get everything they need to get business accomplished. However, their ability to influence others is key to their success. Influence for a manager takes many forms: up, down, and sideways.

Think. Daniel Pink, the author of six books, has written extensively in one of his earlier books about influence and persuasion.1 He argued that out of every hour in our workday, an individual can spend as much as 41 percent of their time persuading others to do something or support something. That’s about twenty-four minutes in every hour! He suggests that this persuading and influencing requires the other person to give up something of value, such as their attention, time, or effort, in exchange for what you offer. Therefore, your challenge as a manager is to figure out the value equation in what you are asking for. What does the other person, in many cases, your manager, gain by supporting, championing, or engaging in your idea or position? Successfully influencing occurs by articulating the value of the work of your team—and why that work matters to the larger organization. Influence allows your ideas to get heard and your team to gain credibility. Teams and individuals with higher credibility gain access to more interesting work and often to more resources. 

Managers who are effective at influencing others: 

•      Commit to building rapport with others over time in ways that are wide and deep in the organization while looking for future collaborations; 

•      Use different influencing tactics for different people; 

•      Detect opportunities for adjustments, changes, and innovations that build and broaden relationships and foster influence channels; 

•      Collect both internal and external facts to support their point of view and recommendations; 

•      Build relationships in advance with key decision-makers before their support is needed; and 

•      Understand their facts and can answer questions from others in an engaging, non-defensive manner when challenged.

Start with your boss’s perspective. What matters to her? What does she care about? Is she a people person or an idealist? Does she need details or broad concepts? What might she have to give up to support your idea? More importantly, what does she gain? 

Create a compelling rationale. Having spent time with the questions above, now you can create your persuasive scenario. The key: speak to the other person’s perspective. Don’t cover what you want them to know but what will interest them and, more importantly, compel them to action. Educate them from that perspective, explaining how they will win if you win. 

Describe a path forward. Leaders can be reluctant to support new ideas because it often means more work for them. Create a high-level path or, at a minimum, outline two or three next steps. What conversations must occur next; who else needs to be informed and engaged? What might be the financial impact of the recommendation? Are there sequenced steps that can be considered to avoid significant disruption? 

Ask for support. It is amazing how many conversations happen without asking for what you want. Find out where you stand with your manager before your meeting. If he needs to consider the idea, agree on a follow-up date. If the answer is no, find out why, and then determine what you would need to do to turn the no to a yes.

To be an effective influencer, you must be clear about your “best outcome.” Effective influencers are crystal clear about the result they are trying to achieve. They create an influence plan before they enter into conversations. And, they engage with the relationships they have built prior to the influence situation. Effective influencers know that successful influence occurs by developing relationships and multiple interactions over time.

Want to learn more? Check out the entire book and purchase at www.inthelead.co/books.