INFLUENCE WITHOUT AUTHORITY WSAFS December 15, 2015

Power, Influence, and Persuasion Through the Ages Persuasion is often more effectual than force. Aesop (620 BC BC)

Power, Influence, and Persuasion Through the Ages When the conduct of men is designed to be influenced, persuasion, kind unassuming persuasion, should ever be adopted. It is an old and true maxim that 'a drop of honey catches more flies than a gallon of gall.' So with men. If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend. Therein is a drop of honey that catches his heart, which, say what he will, is the great highroad to his reason, and which, once gained, you will find but little trouble in convincing him of the justice of your cause, if indeed that cause is really a good one. - Abraham Lincoln ( )

Growing Organizational Complexity  Hierarchical systems replicate parent–child relationships and create dependency  As companies expand and become more complex, no matter what organizational structure is in place, people must work with each other across reporting lines.people must work with each other across reporting lines.  Leading without relying on authority is a higher evolutionary skill. It supports developing adult relationships based on mutual objectives and creates work environments grounded in respect for human dignity

Defining Influence without Authority  Influencing without Authority is being able to be effective at practical strategies for convincing and influencing those around you in order to accomplish important workplace goals – to benefit you, your colleagues, and your organization.

Influence is NOT Manipulation  Influence is mutually beneficial  Influence builds trust and relationships  Influence takes individual ownership and accountability  Manipulation only benefits the manipulator  Manipulation is always discovered and breed distrust  Manipulation never benefits organizations or their success

Understanding Influence Exercise  With your table group:  Take 5 minutes for reflection  Think of a person who has been influential in your life (personal or professional) – describe the situation and how this person was influential.  What characteristics/qualities did this person demonstrate that influenced you?  Share your stories (20 minutes)  Whole room debrief

Key Leaning  Leadership in an organization is NOT a position – it is an intentional choice a person makes and practices

Key Conditions for Influence  Leadership  Building Trust  Taking Ownership  Understanding Sponsorship

Trust is created incrementally and is reciprocal. In other words, you’ve got to give trust to get it. Understanding and Building Trust

Trust is Essential in All Relationships  When someone trusts you, they believe they can rely on you and are typically more willing to:  Take actions that you recommend – follow your lead  Communicate concerns and opinions  Accept some vulnerability  Take informed risks and innovate  Work collaboratively – seek your input, keep you informed, help you

Your Personal Trust Score  At any point in time, you can think about the degree of trust someone has in you as a “Personal Trust Score” with that person Deep DistrustNeither Trust nor Distrust Complete Trust

What Determines Your Personal Trust Score (PTS)?  Trust is based on perceptions and interpretations  Not always a fair or accurate reflection of your intentions  You can’t “control” your trust score but you can “affect” it through your actions

Your Personal Trust Score is Influenced by...  The other person’s perceptions of or beliefs about your:  Ability – Are you capable of “delivering” on your commitments or meeting his expectations?  Integrity – Are your principles/values acceptable?  Intent – Will you look out for his interests and needs?

Trust Also Affected by Events Outside Your Control  For example it can be influenced by:  A person’s prior experiences at work and outside of work. Prior experiences shape the way we perceive and interpret our world  An action taken by the company or by someone else

Actions Can Help Build or Hurt Trust  Think about your prior experiences with individuals you trust/distrust and with people who trust/distrust you...  What behaviors can help build trust?  What behaviors can hurt trust?

Trust Exercise  Building Trust Worksheet

So, Trust is Personal  All of this suggests that trust is personal and must be built individually  Group activities can help, but ultimately if you want someone to trust you, you must understand their needs, concerns, perceptions, and interpretations

Can be Challenging to Build Trust  Particularly when  Experiencing organizational change – greater vulnerability  Working with people at a distance – lack of cues and chances to interact  You need to build trust very quickly (e.g., project teams) – no shared history

General Tips for Building Trust 1. Monitor your personal trust scores, and consciously try to improve them through your actions 2. Look for signs that may indicate how much the person trusts you  Are they seeking your input? Communicating their concerns and opinions? Offering to help you?  Do they only do these things when they have to or when there are negative consequences for not doing so? 3. As you interact with someone, try to put yourself in their shoes  Ask yourself, “how might their perceptions of what I’m doing be different than my intentions?”

General Tips for Building Trust 4. Try to build up a surplus of trust points during “normal” times...they will come in handy during more challenging or turbulent times 5. Use your trust points wisely, not frivolously  When you are about to do something that could cost you trust points, ask yourself, do I really want to spend “chips” on this? 6. Avoid making commitments that you may not be able to keep  It is better to say that you will “look into” a problem than to say you will fix it, if fixing it is outside your direct control

General Tips for Building Trust 7. If you do something wrong, apologize and take responsibility for it  Explain your intentions going forward and live up to the new expectations you’ve established  Everyone makes mistakes...the difference is what you do when you’ve made one

Taking Ownership Ladder of Accountability Above the Line (Accountability) Below the Line (Abdicating) 1. Ignore or deny the situation 2. Blame Others, finger pointing 3. “If only..” or “I can’t” excuses (it’s not my job, cover your tail, confusion – tell me what to do) 4. Wait and See 5. See it - Acknowledge Reality 6. Own It, Take a Position 7. Find/Create Solutions 8. Do it - Implement Solutions Abdicating and being accountable are two approaches to circumstances and solutions Adapted from William Issac’s 1992 working paper, The Ladder of Influence, published by MIT Center for Organizational Learning

Two Approaches to Life  In any situation, especially uncomfortable or intense ones, you can choose to be accountable for what happens next, or you can choose to abdicate responsibility for the circumstances and their resolution. The Ladder of Accountability describes eight levels of accountability. The bottom four describe a stance generally focused on the past or avoiding discomfort in the present. Choices higher on the ladder tend to decrease anxiety, and in the long run, lead to greater results and enhance relationships.

Key Points  More choices are available as one moves up the ladder.  Accepting responsibility for the outcome is not the same as accepting blame for the circumstances that led to a situation.  People often move down this ladder in response to intensity beyond their tolerance.  The greater the percentage of people in an organization who choose stances in the top portion of the ladder of accountability, the greater the chance the organization has of being successful in attaining goals and a higher level of collaboration.  Generally, the lower portion of the ladder includes more reactive behavior and a greater sense of helplessness.

Ladder of Accountability Skills The ladder of accountability may be used to:  Evaluate – Identify your current stance. Apply descriptions of the various levels to your own behavior in a given situation. Where are you?  Choose – Where do you want to be? Practice making distinctions between why you would choose one level over another.  Act – What do you need to do differently if you want to take a stance on a different rung of the ladder of accountability? Practice the actions needed to be consistent with your choices.

Ladder of Accountability Exercise Please take a moment to identify a current challenge you are facing in your professional life. 1. Where on the ladder of accountability is your current stance regarding this challenge? 2. What would you have to do to shift up at least one step? 3. What would you risk in shifting your stance?

Understanding Sponsorship – Influence in organizational change  Sponsor and Co-Sponsor  Sets the Vision  Legitimate authority (can apply consequences & resources  Can drive change and alignment  Must not settle for chaos in the system  Highly influential in hiring and performance evaluations  Change Agent  Facilitates change  Working outside your department with other departments  Target  Implementers  Responsible for completing tasks & actions  Learn how to raise issues

9 Influencing Strategies  How do we do it? What strategies do we use when we’re influencing others? Which strategies are most effective?  When we’re at our best, we choose from – and combine – 9 key strategies. These specific behaviors that help us influence others more successfully.  There are no right or wrong strategies. All 9 can make our conversations more effective, in the right situation.

Influence Strategies Exercise  Pick a new Learning Partner  Take 5 minutes to reflect, then share stories  Describe a situation where you were able to influence others on an important project. What approaches or strategies did you use? What happened? What was the outcome? What did you do that influenced the outcome?  Back in your table group discuss what strategies were used to influence a positive outcome.  Room report out

9 Strategies for Influence 1. Empowerment: Making others feel valued by involving them in decision-making, and giving them recognition. 2. Interpersonal Awareness: Identifying other people’s concerns and positioning one’s ideas to address them. 3. Bargaining: Gaining support by negotiating a mutually satisfactory outcome; exchanging favors or resources. 4. Relationship Building: Taking the time to get to know others and maintain friendly communications. 5. Organizational Awareness: Identifying key influencers and getting their support 6. Common Vision: Showing how your ideas support the organization’s broader goals 7. Impact Management: Choosing the most interesting, memorable or dramatic way to present ideas 8. Logical Persuasion: Using logical reasons, expertise or data to convince and persuade others 9. Coercion: Using threats, reprimands or pressure to get others to do what you want.

9 Influence Strategies Empowerment When you use the Empowerment strategy you will see: Getting others’ support by involving them in decision-making process Adapting your own ideas while accepting suggestions from others Involving others in the process of planning how to implement an approach Looking for solutions that will benefit everyone involved Instilling confidence in the people who will implement ideas Asking questions to get others to reach the desired conclusion Interpersonal Awareness When you use the Interpersonal Awareness strategy you will see: Trying to understand the needs and concerns that are really motivating to the other person Listening to the other person in a way that conveys your genuine concern Asking questions to understand the other’s person’s position anticipating the individuals will react to ideas, information or presentations Calculating the most effective way to get an idea across to an individual Tailoring the approach to the needs and concerns of the other person

9 Influence Strategies Bargaining When you use the Bargaining strategy you will see: Offering to reward people if they will do what you want Offering to do something for the other person in return for that person’s support Reminding people of what you have done for them in the past Asking for more than you expect to get Looking for solutions that will benefit everyone involved Suggest mutual compromise when you encounter resistance Relationship Building When you use the Relationship Building strategy you will see: Establishing a good rapport with others Maintaining a wide network of contacts Making an effort to become friends with fellow associates, fellow professionals and colleagues Socialize with people you may want to influence Working to maintain constructive relationships with those people at work that you may need to influence Voluntarily going out of your way to help others Periodically writing to business contacts you don’t see on a regular basis

9 Influence Strategies Organizational Awareness When you use the Organizational Awareness strategy you will see: Asking others to find out which people are likely to influence decisions Working behind the scenes to get the support of key decision makers Enlisting the support of individuals, one by one, to build support for an idea Gathering support by bringing together people from different areas of the organization Attempt to persuade others by letting them know who else is supporting your idea Getting things done by identifying the existing coalitions and working through them Common Vision When you use the Common Vision strategy you will see: Using group meetings or speeches to build pride in the team Showing people how their work is important to the broad success of the organization Explaining how their work advances the broader goals of the organization Appealing to values or principals, such as concern for the customer, quality, or fairness Presenting ideas and linking them to an inspiring vision of what the organization can become

9 Influence Strategies Impact Management When you use the Bargaining strategy you will see: Presenting ideas convincingly and with self- confidence Using interesting ways to present information or ideas Making points using stories that arouse emotions Finding and presenting examples with high impact in order to support your case Using eye-catching graphics and visual aids during presentations Demonstrating an energetic, can-do attitude Logical Persuasion When you use the Bargaining strategy you will see: Taking time to gather ways to support your position Preparing well thought-out arguments supporting your case Persuading others by pointing out the advantages of your idea Systematically compare approaches to show the advantage of your approach Relying on facts, data and logical arguments to convince others

9 Influence Strategies Coercion When you use the Bargaining strategy you will see: Using the power of your position to demand that others do what you want Making clear what the consequences to people will be if they do not do what you want Reprimanding people if they are not pulling their weight Putting pressure on people who do not carry out your requests Telling people what you want, with the “or else…” made clear letting people feel the negative consequences if they do not follow your wishes