We have dealt with the topic of influencing in several blog posts but in this “Improving Personal Performance” series, we want to take a deeper look at how we can obtain positive business outcomes through Influence, Conflict Management and Impact.
We will start the series by examining different influencing styles, the benefits of each style and when to use each one. At the end of this series, we will make our Personal Excellence toolbox available to you to download and use individually or with your team.
There are four main styles of influencing:
- Directing
- Reasoning
- Collaborating
- Visioning
Each Style has its benefits and disbenefits therefore they must be used in the appropriate context. The ability to deploy the appropriate style in a given context is called Situational Leadership. We are generally creatures of habit so we may find that based on our personality we are prone to using one style of influencing no matter what, even when that style does not lend itself well in context within which we are operating. Influence occurs generally in two ways – Push or Pull.
THE PUSH APPROACH
This approach is lends itself very well where we need clarity and actions to be taken. This means that in order to deploy the push approach successfully, you need clear information, authority and access to the resources who need to take action. This approach leaves no room for assumptions or maybes. Clarity and Precision is key.
Leaders often run the risk of over using this approach because typically they already have the power and resources at their disposal. The danger is that if overused, subordinates may become dependant on leadership direction thereby acting only when prompted. The leadership will ultimately become ineffective as subordinates fail to offer up crucial information or input and creativity in the team may nosedive.
THE PULL APPROACH
This approach is great when we need to gather a lot of information and lean on the expertise of the team. In this context, rather than the leader being the authoritative figure, they pull resources from the team to find solutions. The Pull style works well in contexts where innovation is required and people are energised and encouraged to take initiative.
When we need depths of analysis and information to achieve the desired outcome, or we need a group to buy-in then this style is recommended. Excessive use of this approach could complicate or create uncertainty on tasks, making the team inefficinent.
In the next Blog post, we will start to look at each influencing style and its approach.
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