Chief Objective: Figure out how you can address their concerns and still get what you want
- **Behavioral dos and don'ts**
Do not confuse personal desire for what needs to be done -
decide clearly is the one single goal you want to accomplish
- The narrower your request, the higher likelihood for success
- Do not assume receiving party would get angry or retaliate after receiving a proposition. Test all ideas and assumptions
- Do not discriminate or judge the motivations of people. Understand the mechanism and use them.
- The proposed value must appeal to the receiving party
- Do not assume other's will recognize what you see as true (or a better mouse trap) and simply give in
- Do not write off people who do not come to see things from your point of view as deficient
- Do not resent having to go out of your way to effect an influence
- Do not treat others as you would like to be treated, they may not have the same taste
- Allow others the opportunity to tell their *story*. It is possible to convey and understanding without a corresponding agreement
- Become aware of what makes you worked up
- **Context <> Attribution biases**
Organizational situation a person is in plays a much larger role than their own personality.
- Understand the language and jargon of the group
- Spend time to understand operating context
- Do not demonize or stereotype the other party:
leads to self fulfilling prophecy
- The pygmalion effect
- None cooperation is due to temporarily mismatch with currencies you can muster
- The way people are measured and rewarded shapes a lot of their behavior
- Areas with the highest level of task uncertainties gets the most attention
- Macro economic forces
- Micro economic forces
- Explain proposal in terms of costs and benefits to the recipients when possible
- **Currencies for exchange**
Inspiration related:
what vision can you share with them to inspire them?
- Task related:
what tasks can you help them accomplish?
- Position related:
what positional influence do you have that could help further their cause?
- Relationship related
rapport that was build up through constant contact
- Personal
Relationship established with person outside of working situation
- **Benefits of a good, open and trusting relationship**
Communication is more complete
- More open for influence
- More flexibility in terms of what currency to use to pay back
- **Trend toward knowledge based economy**
Bosses need to influence through the gaining of respect
- **Roles and inclinations**
Sales representatives
- Finance person
- Engineers
- Human resource personnel
- **Further readings**
Power Up: Transforming organizations through shared leaderships