Influencing Goals which tend to work best in this process are the ones that…
- Are a top priority for you in your work.
- Require many people to think, feel or act differently.
- Need to overcome tough opposition from others.
- Require a plan of action over several months.
- Are important to other people, as well.
Put another way, an Influencing Goal that is rarely suitable is one that…
- Only needs one person to say yes.
- Could be achieved in one meeting.
- Really belongs to someone else.
- Has an easily understandable logic which everyone can agree to.
- Is more of a wish than a key part of your life or work.
Of course, if the one person you need to say “yes” is inaccessible to you because they are too high in the organisation, this could be very applicable to this process. The reason being that you may need to find lots of others (stakeholders) who could influence on your behalf or open up the opportunity for you to speak to them.
Getting Started
With your priority goal in mind, think about what you need to influence (or whom). Develop a list of the different things which need to change — Influencing Goals.
Consider…
- What could you change which will have a big positive impact on your success? (Could, not can — this is not the stage to apply your talent for realism!)
- What are the major obstacles standing in your way?
- Do others hold particular attitudes which stand in your way or are working against you?
Any project or goal that you are working on is likely to contain many things which you need to influence. The skill here is in selecting the one which is most important now. You cannot work on dozens of goals at the same time and expect to be focused!
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