1. Selling Your Ideas in the Absence of Authority
Story:
As I kept reading the Management Literature, I understood more and more about what I had seen playing out in who seemed to get what they wanted.
I want to share information that with you.
Elaine Seat, PhD, PE

2. Objectives At the end of this session you will:
Understand how people gain power
What you can do to influence others
Get a plan of strategies for starting to get power and influence
What is getting promoted really about? It’s about Power and Influence. So what we are really talking about today is:
How do you gain Power?
How do I influence?
And How Do I parlay these into the position I want?

3. Session Outline Understanding where power comes from
Understanding what power and influence are and are not
Understanding which influence tactics work
Characteristics/traits/behaviors that work and don’t work
Getting a plan to improve your own personal influence

4. What Is Power?
Power is the potential to influence behavior Power is all about relationships and the dependence between people
Talk about what this means… Why is Dependence the main driver in Power?
Because if you can make someone do something, then you have power over them. If someone needs something then the owner of that thing has power over them.
We create this dependence thru Rewards, wanting to be associated with someone or a group, or having knowledge that is needed (the IT department), or disciplinary actions
Power does not guarantee influence
It is true that it is who you know that gets you a position, but the research suggests that the who you know comes from weak ties instead of strong ties. In other words, people ultimately get jobs thru the friend of a friend.

5. Why Power Matters People who have POWER and use it effectively;
attain desired jobs more quickly
make more money
- are promoted more quickly

6. Power and Influence Myths
Power & Influence are inherently slimy
Rationality is the best form of influence
Power stems solely from one’s position
Involving others & sharing power weakens your own position
First impressions & good manners are old fashioned
Powerful managers not only can accomplish more personally, but can also pass along more information and make more resources available to subordinates.

7. Types of Power Expert Connection Legitimate Reward Coercive
Information
Referent

8. Influence Tactics Ingratiation Consultation Exchange Inspiration
Personal Appeal
Pressure
Logic (Rational Persuasion)
Legitimizing
Coalition
Table 6.2 from Baldwin
Resistance – influence target is opposed to carrying out requests and will resist accomplishing what is being requested
Compliance – influence target is willing but not enthusiastic. Does only what is required and nothing more
Commitment – agrees with request; will do with energy; will often go beyond what is requested
Ingratiation – Trying to get someone in a good mood before making a request
The most frequently used tactics are the least effective.
Emotional appeals work because there is both a rational and emotional component.
Research suggests that most managers generally invest most of their influence efforts on the rational aspect even though emotional elements most often lead to change.

9. Understanding Your Power
Source
Position
Personal
Types of Power
Legitimate
Reward
Coercive
Connection
Information
Expert
Referent
InfluenceTactics
Legitimi-
zation
Exchange
Pressure
Coalitions
Rational
Persuasion
Inspirational
Appeal
Consultation
Personal
Ingratiation
What kind of power do you have?
When do you use influence tactics where you don’t really have any power?
Table 6.2 from Baldwin
Resistance – influence target is opposed to carrying out requests and will resist accomplishing what is being requested
Compliance – influence target is willing but not enthusiastic. Does only what is required and nothing more
Commitment – agrees with request; will do with energy; will often go beyond what is requested
Ingratiation – Trying to get someone in a good mood before making a request
The most frequently used tactics are the least effective.
Emotional appeals work because there is both a rational and emotional component.
Research suggests that most managers generally invest most of their influence efforts on the rational aspect even though emotional elements most often lead to change.

10. Consequences of Influence Tactics
Tactic (in order of use)
Resistance Outcome %
Compliance Outcome %
Commitment Outcome %
Rational Persuasion 47 30 23
Pressure 56 41 3
Personal Appeal 25 33 42
Exchange 24 35
Ingratiation 28 31
Coalition 53 44
Legitimizing
Consultation 18 27 55
Inspirational Appeal 10 90
Table 6.2 from Baldwin
Resistance – influence target is opposed to carrying out requests and will resist accomplishing what is being requested
Compliance – influence target is willing but not enthusiastic. Does only what is required and nothing more
Commitment – agrees with request; will do with energy; will often go beyond what is requested
Ingratiation – Trying to get someone in a good mood before making a request
The most frequently used tactics are the least effective.
Emotional appeals work because there is both a rational and emotional component.
Research suggests that most managers generally invest most of their influence efforts on the rational aspect even though emotional elements most often lead to change.

11. Six Characteristics that Derail
Insensitive to others, abrasive, intimidating
Cold, aloof, arrogant
Betraying Other’s trust
Overly ambitious, playing politics & always trying to move up
Unable to delegate or team build
Over-dependent on others (e.g. a mentor)
From CCL’s longitudinal study of managers

12. Five Qualities for Promotion
Attractiveness
Conscientiousness
Extraordinary Personal Effort
Personal legitimacy
Agreeable-ness
Discuss how these are within your control

13. Do Looks Really Matter? Attractiveness and it’s impact from childhood
What is attractive?
How do you stackup>

14. Five Skills for Gaining Power
Introducing Others
First Impressions
Being an Expert
Social Networking
Build your interpersonal skills
Fundamental skills that position you
Attach to power
Introducing Others: connection
First Impressions: Legitimate, Referent
Expert: Talk about difficulties of Expert
Social Networking: Connection
Interpersonal Skills: Cut across all of them

15. The Spiderweb
Here’s you and here’s the people you know. And, some of them know each other. You know them at work, play, professional organizations, church, neighbors and every where.

16. The Spiderweb
And each of them has a web of acquaintances.

17. The Spiderweb
In Your web, you know a lot of people, but you’ve been working on a project for Habitat for Humanity. You’ve been showing up and doing what you said you’d do.
April is a friend from work and is working on the Habitat project also. You’ve really escalated your friendship with this project.

18. The Spiderweb
April is also active in her local ASME chapter. She and Dan have pulled off a young engineers event for the past three years . Over dinner at a section meeting, April hears her friend Dan say that he needs a new program manager. You come to mind – she is happy to recommend you b/c she’s seen you in action and Dan is excited to hear about you because he’s seen April’s judgment. It’s not just making friends, it’s about building trust.
Your next opportunity most likely doesn’t come from someone you know – it comes from someone that knows someone else and brings up your name.

19. The Spiderweb
OPPORTUNITY!

20. Social Networking
Have a positive outlook on asking for help and soliciting support
Go beyond work and be active in other groups
Manage the contacts you make
Be a Friend – support others
Talk about the spider web.

21. The Bottom Line
Having Influence is about: - valuing both emotion and the task - getting to know lots of people - getting your part done well & on time - seeing the world as a place of abundance instead of scarcity - making your engineering know-how be one of a many tools in your toolbox

22. QUESTIONS? COMMENTS?

23. Getting your own Plan
List 3 personal characteristics you have that are a plus with your P&I
List 3 personal characteristics you have that hinder your P&I
Of the 3 that hinder, which one are you most willing to change?
What specifically are you going to do differently? When will you start?

24. Summary of Key Points P&I are what enable to you make a difference
Relationships and learning the skills to build relationships are important
You can learn skills that will help you achieve P&I

25. Selling Your Ideas in the Absence of Authority
For questions or comments Elaine Seat
Presentation available at events.asme.org/ltc12 /presentations.cfm