Colin Gautrey

Exercise: Protecting Integrity

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Take a blank piece of paper and quickly brainstorm all of the things which you think are important values/beliefs when dealing with other people (e.g. “tell the truth even if it hurts”; “treat people as humans not numbers”; “you’ve got to be cruel to be kind”; “people should want to do what you want them to do”). Try to fill the side. Now turn over and Read More

Consorting with the Enemy

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If you want to reduce your stress when managing stakeholders, realise that you do not necessarily have to go into battle with your enemies and adversaries. Many diligent and capable people spend an unnecessary amount of time and energy engaging with these people, which can be soul destroying. They are hard work because they are opposed to you, and your relationship with them is poor. Rather than automatically focus your stakeholder management effort on engaging with these troublesome characters, step back and first understand them. Gain a measure of what they are about, what they are capable of ― and then make clear decisions about your strategy. Ignoring them is not an option. To challenge your understanding, use these questions and find the gaps in your knowledge which need to be filled before you take action. So, with a particular adversary Read More

Group, Organisational, Formal and Informal Power

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You will probably have noticed that much of the phrasing above suggests personal ownership of assets or skills. This is true; however, the same also applies to groups of individuals or even entire organisations. The combined effect of their individual assets and skills can become far more than the sum of their parts. This is what we usually refer to as group or organisational power. Common statements we hear about power include:
  • “Marketing has the power to push that one through.”
  • “How come Sales always seem to get what they want?”
Although much of this is related to the combined Read More

Exercise: Informal Groups in Your Organisation

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Without doubt, if you aspire to a senior or influential position in any organisation, you will need to open your eyes and see the social structures within it. This exercise will help you to apply your learning to the setting where you wish to be successful. It assumes that you have already read other articles, such as Navigating Informal Group Dynamics and Power and Informal Groups (see below). As with most exercises, it helps if you can get together and discuss this with one or more colleagues. What informal groups exist around Read More

Navigating Informal Group Dynamics

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In order to maximise your success, you need to be able to understand and influence decisions made by informal groups which exist in your organisation, particularly those with power.

Formal Groups

The formal structure of your organisation is often based on the primary functions. Additionally, you can get cross-functional groups. This is the way in which power is officially distributed around Read More

Power and Informal Groups

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You can imagine that the level of power owned by an informal group consists of the sum of the personal power of each individual member. As with other ideas, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. However, this power is often latent or impotent. A group will only be able to benefit from its combined power assets if:
  1. The group has an identity recognised by the members.
  2. The key members have some form of organisational agenda or purpose.
  3. They are mobilised to act.

Development Stages

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Exercise: How Power Works in Your Organisation

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It is not sufficient to just read about power, you need to think about it too. How does what you are reading relate to the environment where you work, or you wish to be successful? That is the purpose of this exercise. Naturally, we are assuming that you have already read the references below which provide the background concepts and ideas. Take around 30 minutes and consider the following questions... Read More

Developing the Right Networks

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Network Map Having a strong and vibrant network brings access to resources, political intelligence, friendly support and, frankly, enjoyable and rewarding relationships. In many ways, success is likely to be short-lived if you have not got the support of a network around you. The actual activity of networking is really about using your social skills to make new connections, contacts and friends. It is about moving these new relationships from the initial connection (either through work or at an event) into a more rewarding longer-term personal relationship. Many books have been written on the subject. These mainly focus on the interpersonal activities and how to find opportunities to build connections. What most of them miss is Read More

Exercise: Helping You to Build Trust More Effectively

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If you have read the other articles here about trust, you should have a pretty good grasp now of what trust is, how it works, and how things can go wrong. Now it is time to make sure you are integrating this into your own world. This exercise is intended to challenge you to become more aware of trust in your work, and also, perhaps most importantly of all, move you towards building greater levels of trust in your relationships. Read More

Extra Thoughts on Building Trust in a New Relationship

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If you want to build trust, take care of these seven dangers which could hinder or even destroy your attempts to develop trust in a relationship. To get the most from this, we are assuming that you have already read Building Trust in a New Relationship and also the simple Trust Building Example.
  1. Trusting Too Soon. If you place a great deal more trust in someone than they would reasonably expect, they are highly likely to close up and trust you less. This is particularly so if they come from the “distrust until they have to” end of the spectrum. The bigger the gap, the bigger the discord. Would you trust someone who gushes forth their innermost thoughts within five minutes of meeting you? If you have a tendency to do this ― don’t! Do whatever you can to hold yourself back.
  2. Read More

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