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Building Influencing skills
Dr Rosemary HowellStrategic Action Pty Ltd
Session objectives
Explore the influencing process from a more strategic perspective
Identify constraints and thinking tools
Investigate the strategies from the Harvard Negotiation Program
Use case studies to practise and review
So what is influencing?
A working definition
Influencing = communication for the purpose of persuasion
And why do we want to build influencing skills?
► The ability to influence is the most powerful indicator of job satisfaction
►Supports emerging leaders in the challenge of bringing others along with them
►Congruence with the McKinsey model – 5 dimensions of leadership
Let’s observe some Influencing in action
And some more .....
So what did we see?
Are there some preliminary thoughts about influencing we can draw from this?
A strategic approach to influencing requires us to utilise:* thinking tools* a more formalised structure
So let’s identify some thinking tools
Let’s begin with some rules of engagement
Persuasion needs to be ‘on the merits’
Manipulation and coercion may change short term behaviour but
Over time they destroy trust and the power to influence
And ...
Politics are a minefield
There is a difference between being a political player and being politically astute
The powerful long-term influencer is apolitical
And some constraints■The non-negotiables
Boundaries Psychological conditions
■ Misalignment of culture and values
■The urge to ‘win’ or ‘be seen to be right’
■Maslow’s hierarchy is always in play
And we also need some thinking tools to deal with 2 more things:
►the role of context
And .....
►the power of our perceptions
Watch the following video
Count the number of completed passes between players with white shirts
Players with black shirts are irrelevant
Only completed passes are counted and if the ball bounces before it is caught it is not counted
* Discuss with the people on your table
* Agree your answer and write it on the ‘post it’ provided
What should we do about the gorilla?
Watch the following video
►Discuss what you see with those on your table►Negotiate agreement about what you see►Prepare to share your answer with the room
What did we see?
What’s the relevance to influencing ?
Adding 2 more thinking tools
The first tool
The Reflexive Loop
I takeACTIONS
based on my beliefs
I adoptBELIEFS
about the world
I drawCONCLUSIONS
I makeASSUMPTIONS
based on the meanings I add
I addMEANINGS
(cultural and personal)
I selectDATA
from what I observe
OBSERVABLE ‘DATA’ AND EXPERIENCES(as a videotape recorder might capture it)
The Reflexive LoopOur beliefs affect what data we select next time.
Adapted from ‘Overcoming Organizational Defences’ Chris Argyris 1990
And the second tool - the circle chart analysis
I) PROBLEM II) ACTION
I) PROBLEM II) ACTION
Headache Aspirin
I) PROBLEM
Headache
I) PROBLEM
Headache
II) DIAGNOSIS
Check pulse, blood pressure, heart, ECG, etc
I) PROBLEM
Headache
II) DIAGNOSIS
Check pulse, blood pressure, heart, ECG, etc
III) GENERAL
PRESCRIPTION
Lower blood pressure
I) PROBLEM
Headache
II) DIAGNOSIS
Check pulse, blood pressure, heart, ECG, etc
III) GENERAL
PRESCRIPTION
Lower blood pressure
IV) ACTION Take tabletschange dietmore exercise
Let’s put all this together to createThe 8 habits of the effective influencer
Habit Number 1
If you want to change how they see things – find out how they see things♦Question assumptions♦Are you thinking about the
symptoms or the problem♦Use the reflexive loop tool
Habit Number 2.
Maximise your power♦Question your assumptions about who has the power
♦Create power in your good opinion
♦Authenticity and congruence enhance ‘presence’
Habit Number 3.
Make it easy to say yes
♦Offer a solution not a problem
♦It is possible to be too flexible and accommodating
Habit Number 4.
No surprises
♦Signal your presence
♦Repetition repetition repetition
♦Remove distractions
Habit Number 5.
Focus on interests not positions
♦A counterintuitive concept for most of us
♦Takes us from ‘what’ people say they want to ‘why’
♦Be clear about yours and clarify theirs
Habit Number 6.
Commit to building repertoire
♦Be a double loop learner
♦Be prepared to change the buttons
A great example of changing the
buttons
Habit Number 7.
Take account of different behavioural preferences► consider different requirements of
► Extroverts vs introverts►Task vs project people►Thinkers vs feelers
Habit Number 8
The only thing you can change is your own behaviour
►Consider the Covey notion of the ‘circle of influence’ (see handout)
Taking stock
■Where are we up to?
■What have we covered?
■Any questions we should think about at this stage?
■What’s next?
Thinking more strategically about structure
•An introduction to the tools from the Harvard negotiation Program•Learning a more formal and strategic way to:
• Prepare for• Conduct and• Review a negotiation
Your task:* read the egg problem* choose a negotiation partner with a different coloured sheet* conduct the negotiation (20 mins)* record outcome on ‘post it’
Debrief
■ an introduction to the 7 element process
■Development of a preparation memo
An introduction to the 7 element process
What is a good outcome to a negotiation ?
►Discuss on your tables
►Can we develop a list?
what is fair? win/win? reach agreement? do better than the other
side? break their bottom line? get there efficiently?
A GOOD OUTCOMETO NEGOTIATION
Better than ALTERNATIVES (BATNA)
Satisfies INTERESTS:-Ours: well- Yours: acceptably- Others: tolerably
Amongst best of many OPTIONS
A GOOD OUTCOME
A
B
2
31
x x
x x x
PARETO OPTIMAL
Better than ALTERNATIVES (BATNA) Satisfies INTERESTS -Ours:
well- Yours: acceptably- Others: tolerably
Amongst best of many OPTIONS LEGITIMACY - measured by objective
criteria Well planned, compliance-prone
COMMITMENTS Effective COMMUNICATION Helps build RELATIONSHIP
A GOOD OUTCOME
Building skills in this process
► collect the Finger Wharf problem► develop a preparation memo in a group (with the same facts)►Find a negotiation partner with different facts►Negotiate (30 minutes)
Search for pareto possibilitiesDon’t rush!
Debrief
Drawing it all together
A review of what we’ve covered today
Questions about your difficult negotiations
Session close