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From NetSpeed Leader Volume 28, September 2006
Our theme this issue is Communicating to Influence, a key skill for effective leaders. Why is it important to be a good influencer? A few thoughts come to mind:
No one works in a vacuum. Excellent communication, negotiation and collaboration skills—all elements of communicating to influence—grease the skids of co- worker relationships, solving potential interpersonal relationship problems before they start. Over time, these same skills build loyalty and trust, characteristics of any successful team.
John P. Kotter says, “Without credible communication, and a lot of it, employee hearts and minds are never captured.” When you capture their hearts and minds, you capture their energy and imaginations, nurturing a creative and productive work environment. Influencing effectively builds support for your ideas and plans and does so in a way that is win-win.
What makes someone a top-notch influencer?
Great influencers are passionate: they have energy for an idea and aren’t afraid to express it. They are open communicators, willing to receive and process feedback, incorporating it into their plans. As creative problems solvers, effective influencers resolve differences collaboratively and inclusively. They use these skills in a way that is authentic—as behaviors that perhaps once were skills but are now fully integrated into their personality and work ethic— to earn the trust and cooperation of others.
According to Ken Blanchard, “[t]he key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.” Perhaps one way to think about influence is to consider it “authentic authority,” authority that comes from within and is fueled by passion and commitment. This kind of authority nurtures collaboration and collaboration almost always results in better ideas and outcomes.
Who do you attempt to influence in your job? Present your ideas and plans with passion, predict and prepare for potential resistance, and collaboratively generate alternatives and solutions and you are on your way to Dwight D. Eisenhower’s idea of leadership as “the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” That's communicating to influence: win-win, and everyone excels.
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