Client Confidential

The Seven Obstacles to Diplomacy

September 19, 2012 by Colin Gautrey

This post should not be viewed as a list of excuses for being tactless and upsetting people. Rather, it should be seen as a realistic look at the key challenges that we all face when it comes to effective communication with other people. Take a look at the obstacles below and see which ones are most likely to trap you. Then start to brainstorm what you can do to reduce the risk of the obstacle getting in the way of productive and successful relationships at work (or frankly, at home too!). Read More

Ignoring Your Competition: Influencing Mistake No. 3

August 12, 2012 by Colin Gautrey

As you learn how to influence more effectively, make sure you don’t miss this on your checklist as you prepare your strategy. All too often, people get consumed with their own ideas and fail to keep a watchful eye on others who may act to protect their own interests. Developing a competitive strategy does not guarantee success, but failing to take account of the forces set against you is plain stupid, or careless, or perhaps just a consequence of being very busy. Here is a quick process to build into your planning… Read More

Avoiding Risks and Seizing Opportunities

August 3, 2012 by Colin Gautrey

As you are developing and working on your Influencing Goals, you need to be aware of what else is going on around you. It is very easy to become so focused on what you want to achieve that you fail to notice risks until they hit you in the face. Dealing with a risk after it has materialised is not as easy as being proactive and preparing contingency plans or taking action to reduce the impact it could have. Opportunities are somewhat different; they will slip by without you even noticing. The fact that a few simple actions could have substantially improved your prospects will never enter your head. Read More

How to Develop Political Courage

July 25, 2012 by Colin Gautrey

One of the downsides of having great political instincts and insight is that it increases the need to make political decisions. Once you have worked out what agendas are being hidden and discovered people’s strategies, tactics and games, what are you going to do about it? How are you going to respond? Your next step is likely to make you a political mover — someone who is an actor in the situation rather than just an observer, bystander or pawn in the game. From here on, you Read More

How to Influence Upwards

July 5, 2012 by Colin Gautrey

One of the key challenges facing many leaders today — at all levels — is how to influence people more senior than themselves, including their bosses. You have important work to do, and you need their input, their buy-in and support. If you’re good, this work will create many wins; for you, for them and for the organisation. But, somehow, they don’t manage to find the time to see you. Or, you see them favouring other people’s ideas instead of your own. You have clear logic to what you are suggesting, yet somehow they don’t seem to see it, or are more easily influenced by other people. Worse, they could be agreeing with you, yet somehow not following through. If Influencing Upwards is a challenge for you, the following factors could be contributing to your situation… Read More

Nine Stakeholders You Can’t Afford to Ignore

May 15, 2012 by Colin Gautrey

People tend to focus on stakeholders who are nearest, best known, or most liked, rather than the ones they should be engaging with. Remember, a stakeholder is someone who has a stake in your success, either positive or negative. Because of this, in Advocates & Enemies I ask people to become familiar with how power works in their organisation, so they can identify the right stakeholders. In addition, to stimulate the hunt for the right people, I also outline a range of groups where people can look for them — such as customers, suppliers, etc. It is the final two categories where the surprises and opportunities can come from. People who you never realised could help or hinder and may not be connected to your work at all. Such as... Read More

The Fallacy of Rational Argument: Influencing Mistake No. 4

May 1, 2012 by Colin Gautrey

Time and time again we meet people on our workshops that have spent lots of time and energy building their business case. They have stacked up the numbers and convinced themselves that it works. The numbers speak for themselves — it’s a no-brainer. But somehow they just don’t quite cut it. There is nothing wrong with getting the numbers right, but expecting them to do all the work is often a recipe for problems. Cecilia Falbe and her colleagues studied this and found that reliance on rational persuasion, at best, achieves compliance rather than commitment. To get commitment, or rather enthusiastic buy-in, you need to combine the numbers with what they called an inspirational appeal. These appeals talk directly to the target’s emotions. They resonate with their values and get them excited. The combination approach according to Falbe, and also in our experience, makes for a highly effective strategy when influencing people. It seems that numbers are not very exciting. Only when the numbers connect to the emotions do things get interesting. Read More

Are You Powerful Enough?

April 5, 2012 by Colin Gautrey

Mention this five-letter word — power — and there is often a deep emotional reaction. If so, it is usually negative. In the absence of a strong reaction, most people are neutral or simply curious — rarely are they enthusiastic. The reaction depends on the individual's experience and, with negative reactions, their battle scars. Those who have been on the unfortunate end of abusive power tend to shun the very idea of acquiring power. Which is a shame. Those who have seen all the good that can arise because of power are naturally curious and open to explore some more. They will stop short of the vigorous pursuit of power because that is probably not something they want to be caught doing — a little socially unacceptable perhaps?

Power is the capability to get people to act, think or feel differently.

How to Learn about Influence

April 4, 2012 by Colin Gautrey

If you want to learn about influence, you could go on a course or get some coaching. Or, you could just do it yourself. All you need is a little structure, motivation and resourcefulness. By way of structure…

Pause: Stop a moment and think. Who/what is influencing you? Who/what influences others? How are you trying to influence? What do others do when they try to influence?
Plan: What seems to work and with whom? What doesn't work? Why? What could you do differently? What will you do? You might like to add a little reading and talking here too.
Play: Have a go at doing something different. Play safely and see what happens. Enjoy becoming more flexible in your influencing approach.

Pausing to Influence Faster

March 26, 2012 by Colin Gautrey

I coined the phrase “pause to go faster” while running workshops several years ago for a particularly fast-paced organisation. There seemed to be no stopping them. They pick up an idea and they're off the starting blocks before you know what has happened. The culture is one which admires those who get to action fast. However, at times, there is also a desperate need to pause and reflect. Then, in all probability, you will move even faster than before. This is definitely the case when it comes to influence. Unless you pause to think about how you are approaching an influence attempt, you'll probably just do what you've always done. That may work; but then again, it might not. Read More

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