Why you need to be an influencer to reach the corner office
The ability to persuade others has always been key for leaders but as Gen Z enters the workforce and workers suffer from information overload, the skill is more important than ever.
Business
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HAVING influence is more important than having the right job title when it comes to being a leader.
This is what behavioural scientists and organisational psychologists are seeing as workplace dynamics adapt to younger generations and the overload of information.
The skill of influence is becoming increasingly important.
LinkedIn identified persuasion as the second most sought soft skill companies were looking for in 2019 - ranked behind only creativity, and ahead of collaboration, adaptability and time management.
Stillwell Management Consultants head of organisational psychology consulting Alex Rosser said leadership was about influencing and motivating people to think, act and behave in contribution to a collective goal.
“Influence has never been more important than it is today,” she said.
“There is so much information in a time-pressured world with everything competing for our attention at once.
“Effective leaders can cut through that.”
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She said the power balance had also changed as people no longer relied on those in a position of power.
“In some industries that is still a feature but in other industries, people with influence are those who have the informal power – they are influential but not relying on a position title,” she said.
Behavioural scientist and influence expert Darren Fleming said leaders had to influence their team to be part of their vision.
This was increasingly true as Generation Z (today’s under 25s) entered the workforce.
“They have never known a time when you could not vote someone off a TV program, they have always carried a newspaper, radio and television in their pocket, and they are used to telling the world what they think,” he said.
“They choose who they follow online and they only follow the influencers they like and respect.
“The boss or manager needs to be a leader staff will choose to follow and that means being an influencer.”
The business adviser is showing the language of influence is universal as he takes his seminar to West Africa at the end of this month.
He will spend three days in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) teaching future leaders of machinery company Caterpillar how to position themselves as leaders, engage the people they need to lead, and influence them so they follow.
Mr Fleming said one way to become an influencer was to learn how to tell a story.
“We are hardwired for stories, the human species,” he said.
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians have been writing stories on walls for 60,000 years, every religious text is just stories, Hollywood tells us stories every day, the news tell us stories every day.
“When you tell stories, people listen.”
He said data, facts and figures were important but it was the story that people bought into.
“For the last 40 years every climate scientist on the planet has been saying ‘look at the numbers, the climate is changing and this is bad for humanity’,” he said.
“The data was being pushed at us and society said ‘who cares’.
“The climate deniers, however, told a story that ‘there is no way a little bit of carbon can destroy the planet, it’s like a butterfly landing on a house and pushing it over’ – they told a story and because stories are easy to remember we bought it.”
Mrs Rosser said the most influential leaders also understood what made people tick and what ticked them off.
“People will be influenced if you can convince them of your message in terms of what is in it for them,” she said.
“Some people respond better if you tell them what they could lose, others if they know what they can gain – if you mix that up and get it wrong, it won’t resonate with them.”
She recommended formal training and mentoring to refine the skill, as well as practising trying to influence people then getting feedback from them.
“Ask ‘how do you understand my message? What impact did I have? How did I come across?” she said.
“If you explain you are trying to develop this skill, they will likely give you feedback.”
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