Influence strategies

- Effective managers must influence up, down, and sideways. Establishing trust is essential for influencing people because we're all more likely to be influenced by someone we trust. I'm going to summarize a few tried and true strategies for influencing and persuading those around you. Scientists who study persuasion have uncovered some universal themes tied to human nature that you can leverage to increase your influence. Hear them out. If you want to influence someone's thinking, especially if they disagree with you, it's important that they feel heard. Listening actively involves being present, patient, and engaged in the conversation. It also involves asking questions to better understand the other person's perspective. When you do pitch your ideas, make sure you're including a mix of credible facts, emotion, and logic. In order to persuade, you want to lead with emotion. Make sure you address the feelings associated with whatever you're trying to influence. We like to believe we're governed by logic and facts, and of course those matter. But when it's time to make a decision, we often go with our gut or instincts. These are driven by something we feel. Be consistent with your words and actions. People appreciate dependability and predictability in leaders. Do the things you say you're going to do, and you'll build trust and influence for those around you. Consistency is a two-way street. After asking someone on your team to do something, ask them if they can do it and by when. If you can get them to articulate the commitment, you increase the odds of them following through. Finally, think carefully about how you frame your messages. When it comes to framing, I have three quick tips. First, combine losses and separate wins. Think about it. Would you rather lose five bills all at once or one bill at a time every day, five days in a row? Most people would rather lose the five all at once. If I reversed it, most people would prefer the opposite. When it comes to wins, we enjoy the high of finding one bill every day for a week more than finding one five note. You can apply this persuasion science to your unit. When your team is experiencing wins, disaggregate them and celebrate each individual win. If your team is underperforming, don't highlight each loss. Aggregate the losses, as they can really cut down on the overall morale of the group. Second, don't be afraid to ask more than once. We often feel shut down after being told no once. But if you go back to the same person with a similar request, you're more likely to get a positive response on the second ask. Two techniques social psychologists research related to this approach is to either try the foot in the door technique or the door in the face technique. With the foot in the door, you start with a small ask, gain compliance, and then make a bigger ask. The door in the face is pretty much the opposite. You start with an ask that you expect everyone to say no to, and then you follow up with a smaller, more reasonable one. Third, focus on potential losses rather than gains. While we like to think about the benefits of a new idea or approach, when it comes to framing a message, what we stand to lose usually motivates behavior more than the promise of improvements based on a new idea. So instead of saying how something will benefit your team, you're more likely to motivate them by telling them what you'll miss out on if they don't follow your recommendation. Using these strategies effectively requires understanding the people you're trying to influence and tailoring your approach to them. And remember, it's important to be patient and persistent when attempting to influence someone. Don't think of influence as a one-time event. Instead, think of it as a campaign where you'll have lots of opportunities to shoot your shot.