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23 Things You Can Do Today to Increase Your Influence

June 15, 2012 by Colin Gautrey

If you want to become more influential, you must pause — but not for long. Action is essential, but action without thought is stupid. So, let's pause a moment to think about simple ways you can act to increase your influence, 23 things you could do today. Now, I insist that the first two are mandatory, and need to be completed right now. The rest you can cheery pick the most relevant and useful.

Influence Action No. 1

Go and get a coffee and a notebook. Influence takes preparation. Spend 15 minutes thinking about the ideas below and how they could apply to your situation. A little common sense will be required as you translate them into the challenges you face, but a little caffeine should help you stay alert to this.

Influence Action No. 2

Make a firm commitment, to yourself, to identify three actions for influence you can take today, inspired by this list, to become more influential — in the next 15 minutes. With the first two influence actions already completed, let's move on to the main list. As you scan, note down each one that you “could do”. Later, refine them to what you “will do”. Read More

Power Vacuums and Unstable Systems

April 19, 2012 by Colin Gautrey

In 2008, I wrote about Power Vacuums in Political Dilemmas at Work which I defined as...

"Your boss has moved on and a successor has yet to be appointed. Suddenly nobody is quite sure what to do."

Except this isn't quite true, is it? People who are adept at navigating the politics of the organisation will know exactly what to do. The dilemma is only a dilemma if you don't know what to do. This simple and common event offers a fascinating example of how the organisational power structures live and breathe and understanding this dynamic can certainly be a career saver. Read More

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

What If — So What: The Continuum of Confidence

October 18, 2010 by Colin Gautrey

Our thoughts so often conspire to defeat us, even before we’ve given it a go. Over the last few months I’ve been speaking with many people who have doubts about their performance — particularly when new to their role. The confidence which characterised their old job seems to have been left behind when they moved to the new desk. Sound familiar? When we dig a little deeper, it usually emerges that they based their confidence heavily on their technical capability in the old job and with relationships which had grown over a number of years. Nothing wrong with that, except for the fact that at some point change is going to occur. When you have confidence it usually means Read More

Adjusting Political Temperature in Your Team

May 5, 2010 by Colin Gautrey

We use the term ‘political temperature’ to describe the degree to which team members compete with each other or collaborate as a team. Temperatures can range from absolute zero to boiling point — and beyond! Certain temperatures are more suited to a particular organisational setting than others — and getting it wrong can be disastrous. High temperatures exist when individuals are pushing forward their ideas and trying to beat others in the team. Higher temperatures are great when there is an imperative to innovate and change quickly. But watch out, at the extreme this turns into bitter rivalry and unscrupulous behaviour, which may significantly damage organizations and individuals alike. Read More

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