Influencing is about relationships, results and rationale.
getty
You have the ability to influence, no matter what your position is. You do not have to hold the title of president, director or manager to exert your influence. Whether you are a junior professional, independent contributor or hold another role, you can sway decisions and demonstrate your leadership. Here are three ways you can influence, even when you don’t have formal authority:
1. You gain people’s trust.
Your ability to influence rests on people’s confidence in you. For others to feel confident about you, you have to demonstrate good judgement and instincts. Listen to and learn from your colleagues. Make educated decisions. Show that you are considering potential risks and tradeoffs.
When people see that you take a comprehensive approach to analyzing and making decisions, they will feel comfortable knowing that you are thinking about all possible angles or scenarios to ensure success. Others will let you do the job because they are confident that you are properly handling the situation. You are showing that you have the maturity to own the situation.
2. You deliver results.
The saying goes, “Your reputation precedes you.” This means that your reputation helps you to influence others even when you don’t know them or have not worked with them. To develop a good reputation, you need to “wow” people with your accomplishments. Make people who don’t know you say to themselves, “I need to get to know this person.”
To influence, produce stellar work. Work hard. Work smart. Aim for high standards.
3. You deliver a business case.
You will influence people if you have the metrics or numbers to support the initiatives you are proposing. If you want to pursue something new or change an existing process, you need to have and communicate the business case for what you want.
Work backwards from what you want to do. Ask yourself, “How will my idea impact the customer or end user?” If what you want to do turns out to negatively impact the user experience, rethink your proposal. Then ask yourself, “How can I simplify my idea to ensure implementation or adoption?” Identify ways to ensure your proposal does not make more work for employees or, in the end, increases costs.
When your proposal helps the company and is easy to follow, people will listen to you. You will start to be seen as having ideas that will future-proof your organization. When people see your strategic mindset at work, you will have the attention of even the most senior members of your organization.
If you want to influence, you need to focus on developing trust, delivering results and having a business case. You have to focus on establishing an emotional connection with people while also demonstrating a commitment to producing and positioning for business results.
How do you influence without authority? Share with me your stories and thoughts via Twitter or LinkedIn.
