We encounter opportunities to influence on a daily basis, be it at home or at work. Whenever you have individual objectives to meet, you have opportunities to influence those around you. It can be said that any communication that has an intended outcome can be considered an attempt to influence. In business especially, task focus and the achievement of objectives with and through others are continuous activities. As such, influence is pervasive, whether we are conscious of it or not, in both our personal and professional lives.
Effective influence results in the mutual agreement emerging from the interaction between two or more people. Influence occupies the space between people. Every person has the ability to shift the dynamics in the room. Therefore, excellent influencers are keenly aware of the need to build trust, establish connections, be authentic, and above all, be emotionally intelligent. This is how they fulfill their individual objectives while maintaining and strengthening important relationships. They realize that getting things done with and through others includes meeting the needs of all parties involved, while simultaneously satisfying multiple agendas.
Many people achieve their influence objectives only at the expense of important relationships by forcing their own agenda. Others habitually avoid challenging influence situations, at the expense of fulfilling their goals, by avoiding conflict. We have all worked with people who are difficult, and we know the negative impact they can have on our productivity and our ability to stay emotionally intelligent. Imagine what could be accomplished together if these relationship barriers did not exist! Given that, different individuals represent different influence challenges. This is also true for the same individual at different times depending on the content and context of the situation. As we move from one work or personal situation to another, our influence objectives change, and the way we influence others to reach those objectives must change as well.
Influence is a focused application of a combination of skills that we employ in order to change the way things are. These behavioral skills are within our control; we are capable of making strategic decisions about how we wish to behave, and we are capable of altering our behavior through our own choices if we have adequate alternatives – an influence “tool kit”.
The Positive Power and Influence® Program helps people build an influence tool kit, develop flexibility in using different Influence Styles, develop emotional intelligence to remain objective in challenging situations, and the skills needed to work with others to construct and achieve positive outcomes.
Read on to find out more: Positive Power and Influence® Program.