Apr 19, 2012

How Do You Influence?


Five Styles of Influencing:

Rationalizing: Do you use logic, facts, and reasoning to present your ideas? Do you leverage your facts, logic, expertise, and experience to persuade others?

Asserting: Do you rely on your personal confidence, rules, law, and authority to influence others? Do you insist that your ideas are heard and considered, even when others disagree? Do you challenge the ideas of others when they don't agree with yours? Do you debate with or pressure others to get them to see your point of view?

Negotiating: Do you look for compromises and make concessions in order to reach an outcome that satisfies your greater interest? Do you make tradeoffs and exchanges in order to meet your larger interests? If necessary, will you delay the discussion until a more opportune time?

Inspiring: Do you encourage others toward your position by communicating a sense of shared mission and exciting possibility? Do you use inspirational appeals, stories, and metaphors to encourage a shared sense of purpose?

Bridging: Do you attempt to influence outcomes by uniting or connecting with others? Do you rely on reciprocity, engaging superior support, consultation, building coalitions, and using personal relationships to get people to agree with your position?

7 comments:

  1. ...shhh... don't tell anyone... but I make a good leader..! I use each and everyone one of those traits to connect with people..!

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  2. I agree, humor works pretty well.

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  3. Some folk never understand that they always influence someone whether they like it or not. Openly or secretly you are a role model.

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  4. I just always sign heavily, and tell them they're hopeless if they don't agree. Nope, I'm not a leader. :)

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  5. I am not really any of those. In group settings I am usually the mediator. Well in workplace type situations. Once did a group exercise at which we had an observer. She said that I tend to sit back for a bit and synthesize all that has been said by others. OK. I guess that makes me a bridger. The other descriptions did not resonate with me because they all talk about one's own opinion in some shape or form. Also I threw out mediation as opposed to compromise because compromise means that someone has given something up. In a successful mediation the parties while they may have given something up walk away with a feeling that they have both won because they have retained something.

    I have also done the asserting thing when I am playing devil's advocate. Of course I never tell others that I am playing devil's advocate. I remember once having a long discussion with someone on the topic of abortion in which I took the pro-life stance. I like to occasionally argue the opposite of my beliefs because it helps me to find the weaknesses in the other sides argument.

    When I had a staff of about 15 people reporting to me, it was all about inspiring them. The times when they thought that I had pushed them too hard, I'd tell them how we had a common goal and how much I believed they were capable. I also pointed out that when I asked these things of them, it was only after I had taken on as much as I could to buffer them. I remember that shortly after one of these conversations, I recommended three of them as candidates for promotion. I think a good leader wants the people in their group to grow and supports them fully in this growth.

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  6. What if you usually use some combination of two or more?

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