Influencing is the ability to affect the behaviour of others and it’s an important leadership skill that we draw on every day in our work with other people, whether they are team members, customers or peers. We need to influence people to get stuff done – to operate a site, deliver a service, change a policy or secure a new customer.
Effective leaders use their expertise, their relationships and information to influence others and there are all skills that we can improve and develop. People use different styles to influence others – some look for common ground to reach an outcome, others present data, some prefer a story to inspire people to think differently. Different situations will require different influencing skills. Building connections, listening carefully and planning your approach are some of the ways you can influence more effectively. Read some of the articles here to improve your skills.
In this month’s Activity we will be asking you to consider your approach, effectiveness and what you could do to get even better outcomes.