Building Influencing skills

1. Building Influencing skills Dr Rosemary Howell Strategic Action Pty Ltd

2. Session objectives • Explore the influencing process from a more strategic perspective • Identify constraints and thinking tools • Investigate the strategies from the Harvard Negotiation Program • Use case studies to practise and review

3. So what is influencing?

4. A working definition Influencing = communication for the purpose of persuasion

5. And why do we want to build influencing skills? The ability to influence is the most powerful indicator of job satisfaction Supports emerging leaders in the challenge of bringing others along with them Congruence with the McKinsey model – 5 dimensions of leadership

7. Let’s observe some Influencing in action

9. And some more .....

11. So what did we see?

12. Are there some preliminary thoughts about influencing we can draw from this?

13. A strategic approach to influencing requires us to utilise:* thinking tools* a more formalised structure

14. So let’s identify some thinking tools

15. Let’s begin with some rules of engagement • Persuasion needs to be ‘on the merits’ • Manipulation and coercion may change short term behaviour but • Over time they destroy trust and the power to influence

16. And ... • Politics are a minefield • There is a difference between being a political player and being politically astute • The powerful long-term influencer is apolitical

17. And some constraints The non-negotiables Boundaries Psychological conditions Misalignment of culture and values The urge to ‘win’ or ‘be seen to be right’ Maslow’s hierarchy is always in play

19. And we also need some thinking tools to deal with 2 more things: the role of context

20. And ..... the power of our perceptions

21. Watch the following video • Count the number of completed passes between players with white shirts • Players with black shirts are irrelevant • Only completed passes are counted and if the ball bounces before it is caught it is not counted

23. * Discuss with the people on your table* Agree your answer and write it on the ‘post it’ provided

24. What should we do about the gorilla?

25. Watch the following video Discuss what you see with those on your table Negotiate agreement about what you see Prepare to share your answer with the room

27. What did we see?What’s the relevance to influencing ?

28. Adding 2 more thinking tools

29. The first toolThe Reflexive Loop

30. I take ACTIONS based on my beliefs The Reflexive Loop Our beliefs affect what data we select next time. Adapted from ‘Overcoming Organizational Defences’ Chris Argyris 1990 I adopt BELIEFS about the world I draw CONCLUSIONS I make ASSUMPTIONS based on the meanings I add I add MEANINGS (cultural and personal) I select DATA from what I observe OBSERVABLE ‘DATA’ AND EXPERIENCES (as a videotape recorder might capture it)

31. And the second tool - the circle chart analysis

32. I) PROBLEM II) ACTION

33. I) PROBLEM II) ACTION Headache Aspirin

34. I) PROBLEM Headache

35. Check pulse, blood pressure, heart, ECG, etc II) DIAGNOSIS I) PROBLEM Headache

36. Lower blood pressure Check pulse, blood pressure, heart, ECG, etc II) DIAGNOSIS III) GENERAL PRESCRIPTION I) PROBLEM Headache

37. Check pulse, blood pressure, heart, ECG, etc Lower blood pressure II) DIAGNOSIS III) GENERAL PRESCRIPTION Take tablets change diet more exercise I) PROBLEM IV) ACTION Headache

38. Let’s put all this together to createThe 8 habits of the effective influencer

39. Habit Number 1 • If you want to change how they see things – find out how they see things • Question assumptions • Are you thinking about the symptoms or the problem • Use the reflexive loop tool

40. Habit Number 2. • Maximise your power • Question your assumptions about who has the power • Create power in your good opinion • Authenticity and congruence enhance ‘presence’

41. Habit Number 3. • Make it easy to say yes • Offer a solution not a problem • It is possible to be too flexible and accommodating

42. Habit Number 4. • No surprises • Signal your presence • Repetition repetition repetition • Remove distractions

43. Habit Number 5. • Focus on interests not positions • A counterintuitive concept for most of us • Takes us from ‘what’ people say they want to ‘why’ • Be clear about yours and clarify theirs

44. Habit Number 6. • Commit to building repertoire • Be a double loop learner • Be prepared to change the buttons

45. A great example of changing the buttons

47. Habit Number 7. • Take account of different behavioural preferences • consider different requirements of • Extroverts vs introverts • Task vs project people • Thinkers vs feelers

48. Habit Number 8 • The only thing you can change is your own behaviour • Consider the Covey notion of the ‘circle of influence’ (see handout)

49. Taking stock Where are we up to? What have we covered? Any questions we should think about at this stage? What’s next?

50. Thinking more strategically about structure An introduction to the tools from the Harvard negotiation Program Learning a more formal and strategic way to: Prepare for Conduct and Review a negotiation