For many of us having a great delivery track record is important. How do we get things done? How do we ensure key decisions are made and followed through to completion? Simple answer lies in one’s ability to influence. Following the three part series on Influence strategies (check the posts out here) I have had several questions about why influence is needed and what role power plays in achieving influence. I will used this post to address these two points.
Why do we need to develop and deploy Influencing Strategies?
There are many reasons why you need to be able to influence, the most obvious being an ability to improve an outcome to your advantage or to your organisations’ advantage. For the individual who pursues these strategies there are advantages which will stand you out:
- Organisational Awareness – The one who is able to influence successfully or gain the support of influencers is one who has mastered the DNA of the organisation and is able to navigate it successfully. These ones will get things done because they understand how the organisation works, how key decisions are made and by whom.
- Relationship Building – The effort required to build relationships can be huge but the benefits are boundless. The one who masters this knows and understands their stakeholders very well. They are able to obtain access to key people regardless of situation and constraint where others can’t. For example one person may be able to gain access to senior leaders because they have taken time to build a relationship with them where others even more senior may not be able to.
- Common vision – Being able to sell what we have in common. Find common ground when you need to influence.
- Interpersonal Awareness – Being able to understand the needs of others and helping them see what is in it for them.
Why is power important in achieving Influence?
Power is the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behaviour of others or the course of events.
Oxford Languages
There are two types of power – Positional and Personal Power.
Positional Power is the authority one has as a result of one’s place within the hierarchy of an organisation.
Personal Power is one’s ability to influence people and events where there is no formal authority. Clearly we can see why developing influencing strategies is a “no brainer”. We won’t all have positional power, but everyone can develop personal power to enable them successfully get things done.
Each one of us has to determine which type of power is most important in their organisation in order to have influence and where you find a gap – plan to close those gaps using the strategies we have already shared in previous posts. If you are struggling to influence start with this simple tool below to calculate what type of power you have Vs what type of power you need to get things done then go and check out our posts on Influencing Strategies for how you can bridge the gap:
#Authentic #Findyourbalance #theauthenticba #businessanalysis #ba #businessanalysts #coach #coaching #mentor #mentoring #cbap #bcs #batimes #projectmanagement #selfhelp #personaldevelopment #mentoring #leadership #motivation #leader #businessanalyst #analyst #empowerment #Transformation #personal excellence #BATools #IT #BusinessChange #Teamwork #Relationshipbuilding #problemsolving
Authentic Global Solutions 