Colin Gautrey

Trust Building Example

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In Building Trust in a New Relationship, we talked about four steps of trust building.. At a high level, that’s how it works. What we consider here is an example of how this might work and, more importantly, illustrating the trail of thoughts which might go through the minds of those involved.

Step 1: Trust Orientation

Imagine what it would be like if two people started a relationship coming from either end of the spectrum ― one person trusting too much (let’s call him Sanjay), and the other too little (Sally). Sanjay will enter the relationship full of optimism and positive expectation, looking for the clues that prove he is right ― Sally is someone who is highly trustable. On the other hand, Sally will enter with a large amount of suspicion, perhaps fuelled by the core value that “most people are out to get you, it’s a dog-eat-dog world”. It also happens Read More

How to Be a Powerful Leader without Alienating People

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Once you get into a position of power, being powerful can be a joy and a short-term career highlight ― and no, I am not referring to Mr Entwistle at the BBC, tempting though it may be. Instead, I’m talking about you and what could happen if you are not careful. I can promise you there will be no surprises here, because you have probably seen it happen before with other powerful leaders. However, as you rise in power, it is all too easy to forget this list. So, treat this as a handy reminder as you start to stride down the corridors of power.
  1. Abusing your power. Namely, forcing or manipulating people to do something that they don’t want to do or, if they had full knowledge, probably shouldn’t do. Instead, focus on gaining buy-in, or at least acceptance with full disclosure.
  2. Throwing your Read More

How to Influence People without Even Trying

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If you want to influence people, you have a couple of choices about how to achieve your result. Part of learning how to influence people involves being able to make conscious choices about how you do this, rather than simply running on auto-pilot. Firstly, if you want to influence someone, you can take action. There are many different ways of doing this, from positioning, persuading and pushing, right down to misleading, manoeuvring and manipulating. Personal ethics, agendas and consequences will determine how cleanly these actions are implemented; however, the common problem with all of them is that they take time and effort. Instead of all this scheming, wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could just sit back and let people do what you want them to do, and do so willingly? This is the second choice, and the preferred choice of those who are highly successful Read More

How to Be Powerful

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Over the last ten years, I have helped thousands to become more influential. In the process of doing this, I have evolved a number of principles which need to be understood by people who want to be powerful and stay powerful. The simplicity of these principles should not distract you from their potential to help you learn how to be powerful. The need to influence is a fundamental human trait. From our first minutes of life, we began to learn how to influence. Initially for nourishment to survive, then, as life goes on and we mature, so too does our need to influence. In our adult life, we need to influence others to accept our ideas, buy-in to our proposals and be loyal to us. Influence is an outcome. Someone doing/thinking/feeling something they might not otherwise have done, had it not been for us. The key point is that we were the cause of the change. Without influence, people struggle. If you are unable to influence others to a reasonable degree, you are not going to Read More

Creating a Corporate Political Campaign

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Okay, I know you are not running for office, in the office, but what if you were? As you rise through the ranks, the more political your job will become. It doesn’t matter that you don’t like it — it is simply a fact of organisational life. And, I don’t mean all the negative office politics; what I mean is the need to take a strategic approach to making things happen through the social network of your organisation. At senior levels, right and wrong start to diverge from fact and enter the realm of opinion — often widely contested opinion. This means that, as a senior manager, you need to become an opinion former — someone who is out there pressing flesh and gaining support for your version of the right solution. Ideas vie for attention and compete vigorously. The more support you can win over from the opposition, the higher the probability that you will succeed. Of course, this means that you have got to have a clear vision of the right policy to adopt, and the wherewithal and courage to make it happen. And here I have to own up to a desire to really stretch your thinking. If you are Read More

Are You Wasting Your Time When You Try to Influence?

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I’d put money on it. One of the key reasons why I think this is, is that we seem to be programmed to influence in the way we like to be influenced ― about half of this comes down to what we think makes us powerful. Time for a quick recap on power… Power is the capacity to influence. Influence is an outcome ― people doing, thinking or feeling differently. This capacity can comprise of:
  • Assets (money, position, knowledge, etc.).
  • Skills (communication, persuasion, problem solving, etc.).
  • Tactics (rational argument, inspirational appeals, force, etc.).
For a more detailed explanation, take a look at The Components of Power. Now, just take a moment to consider what assets, skills and tactics make you powerful. If you have previously done our Personal Power Profile, perhaps this is a good time to dig it out Read More

Networking for Exceptionally Busy People

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“Hello Colin, what do you want now?” This reaction to my call (many years ago) stopped me in my tracks and taught me a great deal about networking. For instance…
  • Networking requires give and take ― it is not a selfish pursuit.
  • If you don’t keep it alive, it will die ― probably quite quickly.
  • Unless the social connection is present, it will be transactional.
  • It is very hard to do, especially if you are busy.
  • Networking yields great benefits over a long period of time.
There is no easy answer to this problem, because at the end of the day it all comes down to you. You have the power to make it happen, or continue to let it drift. But, since we like to help people, here are eleven quick tips to get you moving again… Read More

How to Discover New Ways to Influence Stubborn Stakeholders

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If you want to influence a stakeholder who is resistant to your proposal, and you have already tried everything you can think of, try this...
  1. Clarify exactly what you want them to agree to (how you want them to do, think, feel or believe etc.)
  2. Select 5 to 10 people in your network whom you trust and who also know the stakeholder you are seeking to influence. Read More

How to Exert Maximum Influence

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“What can I do to take the edge over my talented and ambitious colleagues?” “There are a lot of influential people here, how can I compete with them?” These are just two examples of the sort of questions I get asked regularly by people on my workshops and seminars. All of them wanting to be more successful — and genuinely wanting to deliver good value with integrity in an increasingly competitive internal market. As more people realise that influence is what makes it all happen, the bar is always rising. Here is a quick checklist of things to consider, which in my experience are probably not done, or at least not done well, by 95% of people I work with.

When it comes to a specific influence goal, think about your target and ensure that…

  1. Read More

The Problems When You Curry Favour

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When someone offers to do you a favour, what do you think? Are you grateful, pleased to have someone willing to lend a hand? Or, are you suspicious, wondering why they would want to help and suspecting they are driven by selfish intent? According to recent research at London Business School, your reaction is likely to be determined by the power relationship between you and the favour giver. If you are more powerful, there is a good chance that you will be suspicious. Less powerful, and you will probably be grateful. Apparently, the context seems to matter little ― work or marital relationships are similarly affected. Read More

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