Influencing and Communicating With Leaders and Peers

1. U.S. General Services Administration. Federal Acquisition Service.Influencing and Communicating With Leaders and PeersPartnership for Public ServiceMay 10-12, 2011

2. Influencing and Communicating With Leaders and Peers GSA Expo 2011

3. Partnership for Public Service The Partnership for Public Service works to revitalize our federal government by inspiring a new generation to serve and by transforming the way government works Securing the Right Talent Call to Serve and Annenberg Speakers Bureau Engaging Employees to Deliver Results Best Places to Work in the Federal Government Developing and Energizing Leaders Center for Government Leadership Fueling Innovation Service to America Medals (Sammies)

4. Center for Government Leadership Preparing federal leaders to solve national challenges by driving innovation, inspiring employees and delivering results Alumni Network

5. Influence Turn to a neighbor and share a circumstance where you are trying to influence a colleague. What challenges are you facing?

6. Our Objectives Building Relationships Outlining the Levers of Influence Preparing Your Pitch

7. Building Relationships

8. Building Relationships Know Your Manager and Peers: Spend time learning their interests and priorities Learn you’re their pet peeves and avoid them Don’t talk negatively about your colleagues Understand and support your manager’s: Strengths Weaknesses Priorities and Goals Work style (e.g., Is your manager a reader or a listener?) “Managing your Boss,” by John J. Gabarro and John P. Kotter, Harvard Business Review The 360 Degree Leader: Developing your Influence from Anywhere within the Organization, by John C. Maxwell

9. Levers of Influence

10. Influencer The true measure of leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less. - John Maxwell

11. Levers of Influence People will attempt to change their behavior if: They believe it will be worth it (motivation) They can do what is required (ability) You can influence motivation and ability through personal, social and structural sources

12. Six Sources of Influence Motivation Ability Structural Social Personal

13. Personal Motivation • Help people find intrinsic satisfaction: • Immersing them in the activity • Tapping into people’s sense of pride and competition • Linking new behaviors to their values

14. Personal Ability • Ensure that people have the ability to change: • Breaking behaviors into clear, specific and repeatable actions • Creating time and space to practice new skills • Providing immediate feedback against clear standards

15. Social Motivation • Use peer pressure: • Cultivating the support of “opinion leaders” • Surfacing undiscussables through public discourse • Removing people from existing networks and placing them in a new, supportive network

16. Social Ability • When individuals need the support of those around them to change: • Getting entire groups to change behavior together • Co-opting others by turning your problem into their own • Having participants teach one another new behaviors

17. Structural Motivation • Extrinsic rewards should compliment other strategies: • Linking rewards to specific actions (not outcomes) • Using small, heartfelt tokens of appreciation • Using punishment judiciously – start with a warning but never bluff

18. Structural Ability • Shape the environment to make change easier: • Changing the physical environment • Making a small amount of important data visible to reinforce behaviors • Eliminating choice altogether

19. Applying the Influencer In small groups, pick one of the challenges you shared at the beginning. Work together to determine how you might apply this model to that case.

20. Preparing Your Pitch

21. Communication Discussion How do communication skills affect your ability to have an impact? Why is it difficult to communicate effectively? Executive vs. peer audiences?

22. Focus on the Audience Are you communicating up, down or across? Are they: Experts? Educated decision-makers? Customers? Collaborators? Frame your case – tell them why they should care

23. Characteristics of Executive Audiences Busy Distracted Impatient Thinking about something else Prone to tangents Have multiple agendas (some open, some hidden)

24. Conveying Your Message – Make It Stick Keep it simple and brief Lead with results/impact Use stories to support findings and recommendations Make the ask clear Deliver the unexpected (w/o being gimmicky) Use alternative media as appropriate

25. How Do You Fail? No explanation of significance No roadmap Not knowing your stuff Gaps in logic Excessive detail Gimmicky

26. How Do You Succeed? Do not share everything you know – but be ready to provide depth and complexity when asked Answer questions efficiently – if you don’t know the answer, do NOT make one up Be prepared NOT to get through everything: You will be interrupted The audience may focus on one issue and never let go Make your most important points early

27. Examples of Effective Communications Jared Fogle – Subway Celebrity Derek Sivers – Starting a Movement Alexis Ohanian – How to Make a Splash in Social Media Others

28. Effective Communications Strategies For communications to be successful, you must move beyond one-time communications: Repeat, repeat, repeat Explore different mediums of communication Meet people where they are Do not assume that hearing equates with understanding or action Communicate throughout any initiative, not just at the beginning

29. Next Steps

30. Action Planning What is one action you will take upon returning to work? What support will you need to accomplish this goal?

31. Stay Engaged! Center for Government Leadership: Annenberg Leadership Seminars Excellence in Government Fellows program Fed Coach Daily Pipeline Service to America Medals

32. Stay Engaged! Tom Foxtfox@ourpublicservice.org Laura Howeslhowes@ourpublicservice.org

33. ourpublicservice.org

34. Influence Discussion What strategies have you used in the past to successfully influence leaders and peers in your organization? How do you feel you could grow in this regard?

35. Influencing Leaders and Peers The true measure of leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less. - John Maxwell To affect broad-based change, you must build communities of support and leverage these communities to influence effectively Relationships are the deciding factor with respect to influence and negotiation

36. Influence and Negotiation Successful influence and negotiation requires a long-term strategy You will never be truly successful without spending time and effort building deep relationships up front

37. Influence Over the Long-Term Develop True Relationships, Not Just Contacts Nurture relationships before you need them – “start when the sun is shining” Reach out to peers whose support you will need in the future Create a “Web of Interdependence” Exchange support, resources, and information Base your connections on a real understanding of each other’s needs “Weave Your Own Web of Influence,” Linda Harris, Harvard Business Review

38. Negotiation Discussion How does negotiation relate to your day job? What are some successful techniques that you use during formal or informal negotiations?

39. Negotiation and Short-Term Influence Secure Buy-In and Build Coalitions By: Leveraging your Network: Share your thoughts with key contacts (connectors, information-providers, helping hands) and ask for support Consulting and Collaborating: Help others feel “ownership” by seeking their input Be open to feedback; integrate other’s ideas Explain why you disagree with someone’s suggestions Identifying Shared Benefits Using Peer Power “Harnessing the Science of Persuasion,” by Robert B. Cialdini, Harvard Business Review

40. Negotiating for Consensus Step 1: Set Decision-Making Parameters Set objective criteria for evaluating alternatives Define the decision process that will be used (consensus, democracy, unilateral?) Identify up front who has the final say Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, by Fisher, Ury and Patton

41. Negotiating for Consensus Step 2: Negotiate Brainstorm potential solutions with the other party Be open and flexible to alternatives Focus on interests, not positions Separate people from the problem Ask the other party for feedback Try to understand the other party’s perspective and motivations – ask, don’t just guess Be willing to give something to get something Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, by Fisher, Ury and Patton

42. Negotiating for Consensus Step 3: Closure Know when to push and when to stop – do not use all of your capital on a minor issue Understand when consensus is not possible – but be sure to explain why the final decision was made Secure public and measurable commitments Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, by Fisher, Ury and Patton

43. From Negotiation to Implementation To ensure that your influence is longer-lasting, it is crucial to adopt an implementation mindset Focusing on the larger picture will help your influence take root: No surprises Information sharing Realistic commitments Stakeholder involvement Getting Past Yes: Negotiating as if Implementation Mattered, by Danny Ertel, Harvard Business Review

44. Influence Discussion Work with a partner to brainstorm strategies on how to improve your influence with leaders and peers at your organization Explore the following questions: How might you improve your relationship-building abilities? Who are some key individuals in your organization whom you would like to know better?