Tag: influence

Moving the Needle

Influence is a Process, Not an Event

Moving the needleInstant oatmeal, same-day deliveries, on-demand video – we don’t like to wait. Our culture doesn’t cultivate patience. So naturally, we expect instant buy-in to our ideas. Instant Influence: If you can bottle that and sell it you’ll become instantly wealthy!

The Big Pitch

You walk into the boss’s office ready to pitch your latest great idea. Convinced he’s going to love it, you passionately lay it all on the table. “That’s interesting”, he casually responds, “but I don’t think we’re going that direction.”

How can he not see the brilliance of your game-changing idea?

Let’s assume for the moment that your idea really is brilliant. Your idea isn’t the problem, it’s your skill at influence that fell short. Continue reading Moving the Needle

Avoiding a “No” From the Boss

Leading Up to Move Forward

Avoiding "No"

As hard as I’ve tried, I’ve never been able to master Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Jedi mind trick to get someone to say what you want them to say.  But there are things we can do to stack the odds in our favor, hopefully avoiding a “no” response to our ideas. Continue reading Avoiding a “No” From the Boss

The Boss vs. The Company

Who Do You Follow?

The BossThe popularity of my article, When The Boss Doesn’t Get It, leads me to address a related challenge…

The scenario: Your boss is all about his own reputation. In fact, sometimes he tells you to do things that will help him look good, even when the company or your clients will suffer for it. You’re between the old proverbial rock-and-a-hard-place.
Continue reading The Boss vs. The Company

When the Boss Doesn’t Get It…

How Do You Succeed?

Let’s just say it up front: No one’s perfect so there’s probably something every boss doesn’t get. But not all of those “somethings” are created equal. There’s no shortage of bosses who get how to manage but are clueless about how to lead people. And being “led” by a bad leader can be incredibly painful!

There is no silver bullet to overcome this challenge. But you are not helpless. In fact, if you handle it well your difficult situation can be a powerful gift for developing your own emotional intelligence and communication skills.

Continue reading When the Boss Doesn’t Get It…

Influence Without Authority

Leadership Without a Title

It’s easy when you’re the boss. You tell people what to do and they do it. Ok, maybe it’s not always that easy.

Authority does increase the odds that people will do what you want. But it doesn’t necessarily increase the likelihood that those doing the tasks will grow while getting the tasks done. Authority is a great management tool for driving for results. And it does have its place in the leadership toolbox. But authority can be a crutch that interferes with good leadership. Continue reading Influence Without Authority

First, Lead Yourself

Pre-requisite to Leading Others

Consider the following characteristics of leadership:

  • Leadership is influence. Your followers don’t need your leadership if they’re going to do what needs done without your influence. That doesn’t mean you have to hover over them to direct their every move. It means creating the culture, graffiti-Follow-me_640values, and clarity of vision and strategy so that competent people know and are inspired to do the right thing without your micromanagement.
  • The goal of influence is to change behavior. If nothing needs to change, there’s no need for influence or leadership.
  • Changing behavior requires getting someone to do what they wouldn’t naturally do or don’t want to do. Someone has said that there are only two ways to change behavior: Manipulation and inspiration. We can manipulate by threatening loss of pay, position, promotion, or status. Or we can inspire by casting a vision and helping followers be energized to see their role in bringing that vision to reality. Do you do your best work when led by manipulation or inspiration? I’m guessing inspiration. The same is true of your followers.

Continue reading First, Lead Yourself