To consider the sources of influencing power available to you Objectives for the workshop To consider the sources of influencing power available to you To identify different influencing styles to apply

Sources of power Position in organisation Information and expertise Resource control Interpersonal skills Kotter (1985) Power and Influence

Building your influencing strengths Identify the sources of resistance to your authority in: Making decisions Giving approval Managing others

Sources of power Position in organisation Information and expertise Resource control Interpersonal skills Kotter (1985) Power and Influence

Building your influencing strengths Who consults you regularly? Who follows your advice? Which senior managers recognise your contribution, and show they value it?

Sources of power Position in organisation Information and expertise Resource control Interpersonal skills Kotter (1985) Power and Influence

Building your influencing strengths Money, equipment, facilities Time, knowledge, information Professional development, senior managers, external influencers, incentives Identify tangible and intangible resources which you can give or withhold access to

Sources of power Position in organisation Information and expertise Resource control Interpersonal skills Kotter (1985) Power and Influence

Building your influencing strengths How would you rate yourself at: Speaking at meetings? Active listening for understanding? Modelling collaborative dialogue? Ensuring others take seriously what matters to you? Avoiding being passive or aggressive in discussion? Holding the attention of a group or larger audience? McCaffery (2004) The Higher Education Manager’s Handbook

Basic influencing styles Other party Pull Push Objective Move away

Push styles (1) Persuading Proposing Putting forward ideas, suggestions and recommendations Asking questions that present a position Reasoning Giving reasons and facts in support of one’s position Disagreeing with another’s ideas or casting doubt on the position of others

Push styles (2) Asserting Stating expectations Communicating demands, expectations, needs, requirements or standards Evaluating Judging others (negatively or positively) based on one’s personal standards or intuition Applying incentives and pressures Offering something to motivate or get agreement Applying pressure to gain agreement or to change Using authority or status to exert influence

Pull styles (1) Bridging Involving and supporting Asking for information and opinions Supporting and encouraging others Being responsive to questions and concerns Listening Summarising what you heard another person say to test understanding Reflecting back the underlying feelings of the speaker Asking for clarification Disclosing Selectively sharing private information Admitting mistakes and accepting criticism non-defensively Letting uncertainty show; asking for help

Pull styles (2) Attracting Visioning Describing exciting possibilities or ideal outcomes Sharing hopes and aspirations Finding common ground Pointing out common goals and areas of agreement Stories of heroes, villains, broken dreams, fulfilled fantasies…

Moving away styles Disengaging Avoiding Postponing Refocusing discussion, staying cool and objective, injecting humour or otherwise reducing tension without avoiding controversial issues Avoiding Minimising or dismissing differences of opinion Changing one’s position or withdrawing to avoid confrontation or conflict Changing the subject, suggestion bureaucratic procedures or referring to others to avoid controversial issues

From Confusion to Renewal Provide a vision and a direction Sell solutions, don’t tell! Focus on the first steps Set demanding but attainable goals Keep feeding back results quickly Use cross-functional teams Reward new behaviours / performance Positive and clear leadership Team building events Develop and communicate strategy and direction Identify and work on barriers

Preventing slippage back to Contentment Keep providing feedback – both internal and external Encourage and stimulate Keep refining and transmitting the vision Continual change Stretching targets avoids complacency Create permanent environmental scanning mindset Senior management ‘walk the talk’ Personal development – ongoing learning/new ideas coming in Personal responsibility for success & your part in it