I ran across an interesting definition of influence when I was exploring the difference between influence and persuasion: "Influence is having a vision of the optimum outcome for a situation or organization and then, without using force or coercion, motivating people to work together toward making the vision a reality."  You can read Nicole DeFalco's distinction between influence and persuasion on her blog, Saying What You Mean.

 

Actually, her definition of influence is pretty close to what I consider to be the work of leadership.  If leadership is "the activity of mobilizing people toward a desired future that not only meets their needs but elevates them," influence is pretty critical.  No wonder so many of my clients are preoccupied with having influence.  Given that, I may need to re-frame the 7 strategies for having influence that we've been exploring.  If influence is at the core of leadership, maybe these strategies are too tactical.  What do you think?

 

In any event, this month we'll continue working through the seven influence strategies adapted from the work of the Vital Smarts people.  We'll finish up with Strategies 5 through 7.

 

For back issues of this newsletter, you can find them in the archives. 

Thanks for your interest and support. 

Deborah

Here's a recap of the seven influence strategies introduced in May. You can find information relating to Strategies 1 and 2 in the May newsletter and Strategies 3 and 4 in the June issue.  Just click on the archive link above and select the appropriate issue. We'll explore Strategies 5, 6, and 7 in this issue.  

1. Know what you're trying to change by identifying the behaviors you want to influence.
2. Understand the values and motivation of the people you're trying to influence.
3. Use powerful and credible stories to touch hearts and minds with the need to change.
4. Instead of trying to convince people with arguments, create experiences to help people see what must change and why.
5. Help people become confident that changing their behavior will translate into results they value.
6. Identify people who will influence others and engage them early on.
7. Create supports in the environment that reinforce the change.  

According to Influencer, "virtually all forces that have an impact on human behavior work on only two mental maps...At the end of the day, a person asks, 'Can I do what's required?' and, 'Will it be worth it?'"  In other words, motivation and confidence in one's ability are the two key frames for considering how to influence someone.

 

Confidence in One's Ability: 

Most of us have attempted to make seemingly small changes in our lives and been faced with self doubts about our ability to succeed.  I had such an experience just the other day.  I was working with a personal trainer who had me doing a new kind of sit-up called a "side V sit up."  You lie on your side with one arm in front of you and the other over your head and you swivel your hips to bring your legs into the air while touching your ankle with one hand.  Kind of like a V. On my left side, things went pretty smoothly.  On my right side, my mind rebelled:  "You can't do that.  There's no way you'll get into that position.  This is impossible!"   And for a moment I was completely unable to move.  I had zero confidence in my ability to do that sit up.

 

 

I talked with Lisa, my trainer, about my self doubts.  She cheerfully told me that it was very common and that the whole process of building confidence in one's abilities required a combination of practice, taking small steps and having support.  She gestured to a box that was about 36" off the floor and told me, "People don't think they can jump on and off that box with two feet."  I agreed.  "Of course they can't at the beginning, but eventually they are able to do it."  With practice, small steps (literally) and support.

 

 

This is the difference between influence and persuasion.  Influence is about sticking with people over the long haul and helping to build their confidence and capacity.  Persuasion is, in the words of Nicole DeFalco, "...presenting a case in such a way as to sway the opinion of others, make people believe certain information, or motivate a decision."  She goes on to write, "Persuasion can be used to spur someone to action or to make a decision without actually earning their sincere buy-in. With influence, dedicating time to win someone's heart or earn mindshare is a prerequisite to the process of inspiring them to take action or make a particular decision, rather than trying to convince them that they can do something they have doubts about."

 

Motivation:

  In addition to having confidence in one's ability, someone trying to influence another needs to understand--from the other person's point of view--what they would see as valued results of the change. And don't confuse what you might value with what that other person truly values. If you're interested in telecommuting three days a week and you're trying to influence your boss to go along with it, you need to clearly communicate the benefit to her from her perspective.  If you're the parent of a teenager and you are interested in having them keep their room clean, you need to be clear about the payoff that would truly motivate them to make the change. 

 

 

This is where the exercise I introduced in May can be helpful:

•  Identify the behaviors you want to influence.
•  Identify your own interests, values and priorities.
•  Identify the interests, values and priorities of the person you are trying to influence.
•  Close the gap.

Last month, I used the example of ballroom dancing lessons with my husband as a failed effort to influence (increase) his interest in dancing. I really missed the mark there.  Not only did he not find the experience of taking dance lessons enjoyable, but the end result--being able to dance together while on our cruise--was not something he valued at all!  I like to think I've learned a lot since then. 

 

There's something called an Influence Map that can be very helpful in identifying who holds the keys to your success.  An Influence Map is a visual depiction of the people who may be able to impact a situation you are trying to influence.  The map shows the following:

 

 

The importance or weight of a stakeholder's overall influence (represented by the size of the circle representing that stakeholder).

 

The relationships between stakeholders (represented by the presence of lines or arrows between them).

 

The amount of influence stakeholders have over others (represented by the heaviness of the lines drawn between them).

 

 

Here's how to create an Influence Map:

 
1.

Brainstorm who your stakeholders are. Prepare a stakeholder analysis. This helps you identify, prioritize, and understand your key stakeholders.

2.

For each stakeholder, find out the following: Whom does he or she influence, and who influences him or her? How strong is that influence? What is the history of each relationship? How does this impact overall influence? What role does hierarchy play in the amount of influence?

3.

Map the importance of influence using the size and position of the circles. The largest circles belong to stakeholders with the most influence. Where possible, place the most influential stakeholders at the top of the page, and put less influential people lower down.

 

4.

Map the direction of influence by drawing arrows to link the stakeholders. (These may be one-way or two-way, depending on whether influence flows to the same extent in both directions).

5.

Map the strength of influence by using thicker lines to indicate stronger influence.

6.

Study the map, and identify stakeholders with the most overall influence. Develop strategies to communicate with, and hopefully influence, these important influencers.

7.

Map these influence relationships on a regular basis.  

 

For more information on Influence Mapping, and an example of a map, see   Mind Tools. 

This is a perfect example of Strategy 7 and a lot more fun than reading.  If a picture is worth 1,000 words, is a video worth 10,000?

All Washed Up!