Colin Gautrey

Engaging with Powerful People

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When it comes to networking, there is no substitute for networking — you’ve got to get out there and do it. By now, I am sure you have no doubt in your mind that it is necessary; however, actually getting out there and doing it is sometimes a little harder. The bottom line is that you are busy, have far too much to do and frankly, more important things to worry about. However, you know deep down that often these are simply excuses that help you to avoid doing things you’d rather not do. Yet, in complex organisations, you absolutely have to get Read More

Demonstrating Confidence, Avoiding Arrogance

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If you want to successfully influence someone, one of the key things you need to be able to do is to demonstrate that you are confident. You need to be confident that you know what you are talking about, can handle any objections and that what you say is accurate. You also need to be able to convey that there is no doubt in your mind that what you are asking them to do is absolutely right for them. In an earlier article, I shared some thoughts about the self-talk, and that can easily erode your inner confidence (Failing to Attempt to Influence), and now I’d like to challenge you in a different way. You cannot always be 100% confident. You cannot always be totally sure that what you are asking for is correct. You cannot always have a complete set of data or all of the facts. In those times, you can use Read More

Understanding Your Reputational Context

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Strong reputations are made possible because of the circumstances prevailing in their arena. They are rarely made in situations where everything is calm and running smoothly. In fact, the most opportunistic time to make a name for yourself is when the conditions are at their most difficult. Regardless of the state of the arena, organisation or group where you are aiming to establish your reputation, you need to understand the bigger picture in which you are playing a part. Then you can notice the potential impact of your moves and finally adjust your action to maximise your progress. One of the key areas of activity that understanding your context will prepare you for is the building of networks of supporters, allies and advocates. Here is a simple process to Read More

Strategic Direction Setting

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Exploring your environment is very important when it comes to being successful. However, that can only get you so far. Assuming you have been applying yourself to this endeavour, by now you will have learned a great deal that will help you to work out the context and climate in which you are operating. Now, I want to bring you back to your purpose — becoming an influential leader. Implied in this is that you know what you want to influence in your arena. Earlier, in Influence Processes and Goals, I suggested a process to follow when you are clear about your influencing goals. Now it is time to stretch this into a bigger Read More

Building Visibility and Promoting Your Reputation

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There are two schools of thought on this one. Let the performance speak for itself and the reputation will follow — the school of merit. And the other one, merit always needs a little help from a dose of prudent self-promotion. If you’re more inclined towards the school of merit, as a great many people are, you’ll need to be very patient. With time and consistent performance your reputation may become established. On the other hand, if you are doing a little self-promotion of your reputation, you’ll benefit in three Read More

Tools of the Trade

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If you do a course of study you will invariably learn models and processes relevant to your subject. Models will help you to think things through and understand the dynamics of problems, issues or situations which need to be worked on. Processes can help build deeper understanding, arrive at conclusions and then change or fix things. Irrespective of the reputation you are aiming at, I would expect you to have a series of models and processes which you can use to deliver on your reputation. Some of these you may use subtly without Read More

Critical Influencing Skills

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So many people these days are saying that they need to improve their influencing skills. Many organisations are also saying they want to develop the influencing capability of their talented managers and leaders. But, what exactly are these influencing skills which need to be developed? Although it may sound a little obvious, unless you fully understand the skills you need to acquire, it is going to be pretty difficult to know how to develop them. I asked myself this question quite a few years ago and in the end, completed a full dissertation to understand the exact skills which you need to Read More

Proactive Stakeholder Management

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A stakeholder is any individual, team or organisation which has an interest or stake in what you are doing. Thinking about the work you are involved in, who benefits from what you do? These are stakeholders who have a positive interest in what you are doing. The term stakeholder management refers to taking a proactive and strategic approach to making sure that these stakeholders are "bought in" to the benefit you can bring to them, and support you in achieving your objective. As part of the process, you also need to recognise that not everyone will benefit from what you are doing. These people are also stakeholders even though they hold a negative interest in what you Read More

The Importance of Trust

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Pause and consider for a moment when people are influencing you — to what extent is it important that you trust them? For most people this is absolutely essential. If you trust them you will believe what they are telling you; you will think that they are genuine in their concern for you and are really trying to help you make the right decision. Therefore, you can rely on them to a large extent. If you find yourself being influenced by people you do not trust, my guess is that you will probably feel pretty bad, perhaps because you are being forced into making a decision or that you are very uncertain that you are doing the right thing. That is entirely natural, even though Read More

Balancing Your Network Building

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The last few articles in this series have been aiming to stretch you understanding of what is going on around you (in your Leadership Arena), and more importantly, who the key people are that could have an impact on what you are trying to achieve. To continue your learning and also to protect your career and work, it is vitally important to invest time in building up good relationships with a broad range of people. However, you are unlikely to have the time or opportunity to build relationships with all of them because of the complexity and quantity. This means you have to Read More

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