How To Be More Influential

Over the past few years, I've dedicated April to discussing business strategy. I?reflect on what's missing, misguided, or maddening about how companies do strategic planning. I try to share tips and tools to help you facilitate an effective process without needing a consultant, an MBA, or even a suit.

You can check out my YouTube series if you're interested in this topic. You can find it?here ?(Fun Fact: my heretical advice on how to do a SWOT analysis , which I argue should be an OTSW analysis) is the most popular video on my channel at the moment). And for another hot take about how many companies don't actually have a strategy, and those that do are missing 50% of its value, check out this article.?

This year, I took a fresh approach. Instead of the usual planning process, I shone a spotlight on the influence and persuasion skills that can elevate?your strategy. So, which of these skills could be the key to making your strategy genuinely compelling?

1: R.E.S.P.E.C.T.?

Fraulein Maria implored us to "Start at the very beginning. The very best place to start." Who am I to quibble? In How to Have Your Ideas Taken Seriously , we?go back to the beginning with good old Aristotelian rhetoric and the fundamentals of credibility, logic, and emotion. In this article, I?update?them for the modern strategy world and detail?14 tactics you can use to be more convincing. ?

2: Different Drummers

While the first article is a good foundation for better influence, it ignores how different individual decision-makers and stakeholders can be. In How to Be More Convincing , I let the psychologist in me nerd out on individual differences in how people are persuaded. You can see four diametrically opposed characters and the approaches that work for each.??

3: Taking Care of Business?

Your track record plays a significant role in how influential you are at work. But not all accomplishments have equal value. In How to Earn Respect at Work , I give you a framework to assess how you spend your time and energy to see if your efforts align?with getting more respect or only getting more work. Hint: shift from focusing on activity to outputs and then from outputs to outcomes.?

4. You've Got a Friend

Finally, I want to let you know that you don't always have to go it alone when it comes to strategic influence attempts. In?Use Your Network to Boost Your Credibility , I give you techniques to build and leverage your network to support you when your own credibility isn't enough to get your ideas across the line.?

I hope you got a tidbit or two from Influence and Persuasion Month. Remember that your good ideas deserve to be taken seriously. That?often requires a lot more than having good ideas.?

Resource of the Month

Effective Influence Strategies

Here's a quick and easy reference to remind you of the components of a good influence approach. Use it to make yourself more persuasive or to coach others on how to be more convincing.?(Click on the image to download the tool.)

On the Tube

Lots is going on over on my YouTube channel. April was packed with quick, practical, and fun videos to help you get the team you deserve. Here are a couple you should check out.?

How to Influence When You Have No Credibility. What do you do if you have to influence a group of decision-makers with whom you have little credibility? Here's the good news--there ARE things you can do. Here's the bad news--every one of them is the exact opposite of what your brain is telling you to do. Here's the secret.?

Outputs Aren't as Important as Outcomes. There are many things wrong with the "busy culture" in organizations. One of the most problematic is that it has distracted us from what counts—effectiveness. Take a moment to watch and think about whether you're focused on being active, productive, or effective.?

Additional Resources

?I've got an exciting new book to recommend this month. My friends Karin Hurt and David Dye have curated a set of the most powerful phrases for dealing with workplace conflict. This is good stuff.

The ideas are both profound and practical. I guarantee you'll be able to apply what you learn within days (maybe hours) of reading it. If you pre-order, you get an additional set of resources. Karen gave me a sneak peek; you don't want to miss these.?

Current and Aspiring Consultants...Learn While Giving Back

My friends at?Consulting Success are hosting a fundraiser! For $45, you can attend their renowned 2-day Consulting Momentum Intensive workshop on May 7 and 8 (a $1,500 program). All proceeds will go to the?Lifewater charity, which provides?clean drinking water for those in need.

The program is a high-impact roadmap to attract a pipeline of ideal clients, create a magnetic message that sells, implement proven techniques to get your foot in the door, and set fees based on value to maximize your earnings—all from elite consultants who have helped over 1,000 others achieve six —and seven-figure incomes. ? ?

Get your ticket for the Consulting Momentum Intensive.

From My LinkedIn Couch

Busy Doesn't Mean Effective

I loved everyone's additions to the conversation about how to earn respect at work by focusing on outcomes, not just outputs (and especially not activity alone).?

Jill Avery commented,?"This is an essential shift for people to make if they want to be heard for their ideas and have the influence to create change."

Kerli Rungi added, "The busy culture seems to be very common in a lot of organizations, especially among leaders. It's almost as if this is a way to put oneself on a pedestal and prove their worth and status. Sadly, this fosters an unhealthy workplace environment.?What has helped is asking: Am I focusing on the right things? Is this what I'm doing, truly bringing value, creating impact and pushing the needle?"

Lisa de Nicola reminded us that this dysfunction goes beyond the individual. "There's also a cultural piece to consider. Too many organizations have an overworked workforce and unrealistic expectations, which keep even their most senior leaders trapped in "busy work" instead of focusing on the activities you listed that move the needle!" I agree, Lisa. Now, we need those leaders to lift their heads to the horizon and start changing something!?

Thanks to everyone who comes to sit on my LinkedIn couch to share, debate, challenge, and learn together.?

Here are some other discussions that took place on my LinkedIn couch in April!

Thank You, Thank You!

I am so grateful for the pleasure and privilege of doing this work. Here are some of the people I owe a debt of gratitude to this month.

Thanks to Maxine Castle, Ana Camacho , and Vanita Sharma from the Scotiabank Global Change Community of Practice for inviting me to give my keynote, The Great Reset: Fostering Responsibility without Eroding Empathy. What an amazing group of people who are dedicated to making positive change!

Thanks to Microsoft Germany for inviting me to give my talk, Fostering a Culture of Feedback, as part of your manager program and share some of the secrets of making feedback an effective tool for growth and connection.?

Thank you to Marty Cooke for investing in two Good Fight sessions to help academic leaders at the University of Waterloo use conflict as a force for positive change. It was wonderful to visit my alma mater!?

If you've made it this far, please comment or send me a DM to let me know what your favorite part of this newsletter was and which part was the most valuable. I'd really appreciate the feedback.

May is Emotions month—get ready!!

Talk to you soon!?

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