INCREASING THE INFLUENCE AND EFFECTIVENESS OF EXECUTIVES AND LEADERS IN THE THE CHILD WELFARE WORLDJUNE 9, 2017

M. Christine Kenty, PhDdrchriskenty2@hotmail.comCo-Principle, QUAD2 ConsultingEvaluation Consultant, Northeast Regional Children’s Advocacy CenterDirector of Research and Evaluation, Support Center for Child Advocates

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Goals for todayExpand your ideas about influential resources you have

Learn a new way to inquire and understand what others value

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Increasing Your Influence

• 5 min. - Influence as trading• 15 min. - Currencies to trade• 15 min. - Poll: What currencies you

value• 10 min. - Appreciative inquiry• 20 min. - Chat: Appreciative Interviews• 5 min – Understand their world• 20 min. - Chat: What currencies others

value

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Lessons from the Leadership Exchange and Coaching Project(LEC)

• CACs the nexus of public-private stakeholders and partners laboring/learning to collaborate.

• Brings together Child/Family Services, Law Enforcement, Prosecutor, Medical, Therapists et al.

• Investigation, safety, healing, prosecution of child abuse

Northeast Regional Children’s Advocacy Center, located in Philadelphia, regional office of a nationwide movement

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Lateral Leadership: Getting it Done When You Are Not The Boss, Fisher and Sharp (2004)Profile Books Ltd; 2nd edition.

• You don’t need money or permission to: • Give recognition or show appreciation• Think strategically• Confer status• Give respect• Be understanding• Help create a climate• Help someone

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INFLUENCE WITHOUT AUTHORITYCohen and Bradford (2005)

How to Build Effective Relationships and Create AlliesHow to Influence Your Boss, Peers, Clients, and Other Partners

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Influence Resources• Entire Cohen-Bradford book• https://dongengbudaya.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/1472.pdf

• Cohen-Bradford article• http://scholar.babson.edu/cohen/files/influence_article_j_org_excelle

nce.pdf

• Arthur, Luke, How to Lead by Influence Rather Than Positional Power, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/lead-influence-rather-positional-power-25002.html, downloaded 1/12/2016.

• Tardanico, Susan, Five Steps to Increase Your Influence, http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2011/12/21/five-steps-to-increase-your-influence/#3e6d8ac21c65, downloaded 1/12/2016.

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Nobody has enough formal authority to get their job done entirely on their own

•You always need to:• sell projects• motivate and persuade people to do what you need

• create working relationships• get your boss’s support• respond to colleagues

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INFLUENCE IS ABOUT

reciprocity

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EXCHANGING THINGS OF VALUE

Trade something the other person values for what you want

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About Influence•Reciprocity is constantly taking place at work

•Use persuasion, consultation, ingratiation, personal appeal, inspiration, pressure, threats of punishment

•Relationships matter: the more good ones, the better the odds of fruitful trading

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More about influence

Be competent yourself, have reasonable plans

Influence must be for the good of the organization, not just

yourself as a “wheeler-dealer”Expanding influence is

calculating, but calculating deliberately to get work done

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More about influence

Showing genuine care for the organization and the people

makes you credible, trustworthy

Fake interest creates distrust

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You may be limiting your own influence• Think you shouldn’t need to do it• Unclear about own goals, resources • Your work-style repertoire is limited – just nice or nasty?

• Your personal needs interfere• Fear of conflict• Need for recognition or control• Need to be liked• Need to be “right” more than effective

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More Barriers to Influencing You’ve crossed off the other person or group as a potential ally You don’t understand the other person’s world You don’t know what the other person really values, what of value to exchange You don’t fix the relationship and gain trust

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The Concept of Currencies

Metaphor for things or

qualities that are valued

RESOURCESthat can be exchanged

Currenciesare

completely in the eye of the

beholder

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Assume all are potential

alliesClarify your

goals, priorities, offerings

Diagnose the world of the other person

Identify relevant

currencies, theirs and

yours

Build the relationship

Influence through give

and take

The Influence Model

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Influencing via Reciprocity

Be clear about influential resources you have to offer

Understand the other person’s world

Identify what really matters to them

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Types of Currencies

• Re. Inspiration• Re. Task• Re. Position• Re. Relationship• Re. Personal

At work:

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Inspiration•VISION – inspire, generate excitement, share team vision

•EXCELLENCE – do things really well, perform above and beyond for the boss

•MORAL/ETHICAL CORRECTNESS – altruism, doing what is right by a higher standard

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Task

•RESOURCES - $$, staff, space, a new report

•SKILLS/CHALLENGE – Improve techniques for interacting, leading, technical, certifications, demanding projects

•ASSISTANCE – Help do jobs better, ease burdens

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Task, cont.•ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT –Overt or subtle backing, or direct assistance (career coaching)

•RAPID RESPONSE – Getting some more quickly

• INFORMATION – Organizational or technical knowledge

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Position

•RECOGNITION - Acknowledgement of accomplishments

•VISIBILITY/AMBITION – Chance to be known to higher-ups or other agencies/teams

•REPUTATION – Status, getting good press

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Position, cont.

•ADVANCEMENT – career aspirations, collaborative work

•“INSIDERNESS” – Sense of belonging, attention

•CONTACTS – Chance to link with others•ACCOMMODATIONS – e.g. Flex hours, pilot projects

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Relationships, Personal Trust

•UNDERSTANDING – feel heard

•ACCEPTANCE/INCLUSION – Feeling closeness, friendship

•PERSONAL SUPPORT – Emotional backing, address secondary trauma & burn-out

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Personal – infinite list of idiosyncrasies

•GRATITUDE – Appreciation (don’t overdo)

• OWNERSHIP/INVOLVEMENT – Sense of control, autonomy

• SELF-CONCEPT – Affirmation of values, self-esteem

• COMFORT – e.g. Avoid hassles, left alone• FUN – Camaraderie, congenial atmosphere, lighthearted moments

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What Top 5 Currencies Do You Value?

•Spend a few minutes studying the list of currencies.

•Pick the top 5 that float your boat.•Currencies are listed on posters, in the same order as your chart.

•Move around the room; Put one dot on each of your top 5 currencies.

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Appreciative Inquiry Handbook: The First in a Series of AI Workbooks for Leaders of Change, by David Cooperider, Diana Whitney, and Jacqueline M. Stavros

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•What we focus on becomes our reality, and what we pay attention to .

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Crafting questions appreciatively is the secret to helping people discover the seeds of change and then implement.

Criticism shuts people down. AI empowers people to confront problems, come up with their own solutions.

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It’s in our culture to go negative. Allow complaints, but limit to 5 minutes, note things that need to be changed, then gently move discussion to positives.

Under every gripe is a wish for how things could look.

The system moves in the direction of the inquiry; if ask only about negatives, will move everything to the negative, so reverse that!

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AI IS RESPECTFUL OF PEOPLEcreates more conversationfosters participation by asking, not tellinghelps build relationships and community

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Appreciative Inquiry Interview (5 mins per speaker in pairs)

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How you might use AI35

Performance Appraisal/DiscussionThe single most valuable document from LECVery different from a standard assessmentIn appreciative style to focus on successes and what invigorates and inspiresFacilitates reflections about the work done this year, sense of fulfillment, and goals/plans for growth in the year ahead, what intentions and supports might help realize goals.

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Understand what others value• The way people are measured and rewarded shapes a lot about their behavior.

• Pressures are seen and unseen• Their organization or unit has a culture– what is considered proper behavior• Brusque• Direct• Sarcastic• Nice• Taking personal interest

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Always a fact-finding Mission• Never assume you know someone’s motivations – you don’t!

• Create conditions where you can talk about behavior, goals, concerns, aspirations, demands, what gets respect

• Ask Exploratory Appreciative questions• Sometimes ask direct questions• Listening – a valuable currency, and you’ll be building a relationship while getting information

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LISTEN"Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. The friends who listen to us are the ones we move toward. When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand.“ Karl Menninger

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Listen for --- Metaphors Language and jargon Status issues Nature of their work and work style Educational background Tone and nonverbal clues Satisfactions Concerns they raise

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Currencies Others Value(4 mins per speaker, then check out assumptions)

1. Describe a time at work when you knew you were appreciated for your true value. How did you know?

2. Without being humble, what do you feel are your greatest strengths?

3. What supports you to do your best work? Describe the ideal work environment and what people do.

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