Influencing in a Complex Environment
Influencing is a vital skill for leaders, but in increasingly complex environments, it can be challenging, time consuming and perplexing.
In modern workplaces being confident to present a clear, well-argued case is just not enough to influence others. Whilst you may feel passionately about a direction, decision, outcome or vision, your complex web of stakeholders may feel very differently.
How can you influence in an effective way?
Make it as easy as possible for people to be influenced by you
Imagine you are aiming to influence a senior leadership team. You want to make change happen, you have a big idea, and you have researched it enough to believe it is the right direction for your team or organisation to move in. You have met one-to-one with all of the key stakeholders, and they seemed to like what you had to say.
You present your vision or plan to the leadership team in a meeting, and it does not land. People speak up about other priorities, your key stakeholders are influenced around the room as the conversation progresses.
You increasingly feel like a lone voice.
Perhaps the idea is deprioritised, or maybe it is even dismissed, due to lack of budget, resource or general support. You feel frustrated and stuck.
What could you have done differently?
Apply the principle that you want to make it as easy a possible to be influenced by you.
Make it simple and clear what easy first or next steps could be taken.
Make the actions pragmatic and anchored to the organisation’s goals.
Agree these and do not try to influence people to fully support an entire complex plan in one meeting, instead influence a direction.
Human nature is that we generally like to take the lowest effort route to achieve an outcome.
Think of a well-worn path over grass to cut a corner – a quicker, efficient route trodden organically by repeated footsteps. Make change easy for those you are influencing by suggesting smaller, pragmatic steps. If you make it easy enough in small enough steps, they are far more likely to agree a direction
Understand who influences who
Whilst we like to think we are influenced primarily by logic, data and facts, this is entirely untrue. According to neuroscience research we are influenced far more by emotion, habits and intuition. Therefore, if we are trying to influence, we need to supplement data with understanding of emotions and relationships.
Who influences the person you are trying to influence?
Who are the web of stakeholders needed to make your plan happen?
What coalitions are there? And how can you work with them to your advantage?
What organisational habits can you stack your idea/plan onto?
What story/narrative can you tell to engage emotions about the outcome/vision?
Showcase your credibility
Credibility comes from competence and relationships (cognitive trust and affective trust)
For cognitive trust ask yourself: Why should people listen to me on this matter? What is my expertise? Qualification in this area? Experience? How can I demonstrate this credibility to those I want to influence?
For affective trust, take time to build relationships and get to know people.
Find reasons that matter to them, not just matter to you
It can be too easy to form a plan solely based on subject matter expertise. The plan makes complete sense to you and your team. But it can be highly challenged by other leaders, as times can be tough and budgets tight – what gets prioritised? What gets budget? Who gets the resources?
To be able to influence more broadly than in your team you need to appreciate the motivators for other leaders. What are their issues? What are their pain points? What shared goals do you have?
Be flexible and listen
Understand hesitation, ask about it, and explore it. Hesitation is not a barrier, but information that may shape the idea further. Anticipate conflicting priorities and do not be surprised by it. Embrace opposition as an opportunity to learn.
How could you improve your influencing skills and what impact would it have?