Influence without Authority

“Few will have the greatness to bend the history, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events” – by Influencing. To influence is more of an art than science.  When you really have to deal with different people at workplace, the only mechanism that comes handy to create a situation profitable for both individuals and two groups in discussion, is the power of influencing. I call it POWER because when you master this incredible art, it builds a great professional relationship, helps you grow in your career, and help you exchange “something” that other person values in exchange of what you have. You don’t have to be at the top of the ladder to influence people. All it takes is facts and figures backing you and a great deal of confidence combined with both substance and style. Sometimes it’s the fear of rejection that stops us from approaching or the fear of not being able to negotiate appropriately. However, most of these barriers are self-created and hence need to be self-destroyed.

The ability to influence is one of the essential skills as it helps you get things done outside of the reporting lines. These can be categorised in 5 types mentioned below:

1)      Being Assertive: To know whom you are working with and the content that is being spoken about. Ensure that your ideas are heard and that you challenge the ideas of others

2)      To be able to convince: Put forward your ideas and match it with the project requirements. Show how it will help in the growth of the team/project. Offer logical, rational reasons to convince others of your point of view

3)      Negotiating:  you look for compromises and know the demands of people and directly measure it with your capabilities to reach outcomes to satisfy your greater interest

4)      Bridge the gap: Interact with everyone. Build relationships and connect with others through listening, understanding and sharing so that you don’t miss out on any valuable information

5)      Inspire people: Advocate your position and encourage others with a sense of shared purpose and exciting possibilities. Increase healthy competition in the organisation

Each of the above mentioned styles can be effective depending on the situation and the people involved. A common mistake is to use one-size-fits-all approach. Influencing is highly situational and requires a lot of practice. Be persistent and don’t give up if you fail. Understanding your natural inclination is a good place to start. Learn to be a diplomat – never lie, but never say the truth entirely. This allows you to have a control on the situation. Give choices to yourself and be flexible. This will help you understand the situation better and help you shift gears at the right time to use a different approach to be more effective.

Begin with small steps – target a person or a situation at the lowest stake to know how effective your influencing approach is and measure the outcome. As you build your capability and confidence, take on the bigger challenges.

After having known the importance of influencing, a few things that I have adopted in my way of working is to do quality work. Gain credibility and maintain it. Exit gracefully when necessary and don’t write of people when you don’t get help. Whether you are leading, following, and/or collaborating, chances are you need to influence others to be successful. The key is to know which approach to use in a given situation.