Person of influence: step up and make things happen

If leaders want to step up in a complex and changing world, they must be able to influence people.

Author Michelle Gibbings.

Despite advances in technology, organisations are now more, not less, complex.

Leaders are expected to deliver more results in a shorter time­frame with fewer resources. At the same time, organisations know they need to constantly evolve, and there is relentless churn and multiple changes happening.

The end result is a more complex and bureaucratic working ­environment. There are endless meetings, countless stakeholders to consult and shifting goalposts.

This creates an inevitable sense of busyness, often with little ­progress to show. Why? Because it’s hard to get things done. It’s hard to make change happen. It’s hard to navigate the complexity.

The antidote to this dilemma: being able to influence. This is not self-serving influence but influence focused on ensuring balanced outcomes that consider the needs of all stakeholders.

To do that, leaders need the ­optimal mix of technical and behavioural skills. Being technically brilliant is one thing, but it’s not the foundation on which to build a platform for influence.

Successful leaders — in business, society and politics — know how to influence. They know how to get things done through other people and are aware of their operational environment. They know how to use their personal power to secure outcomes.

Influential leaders can cut through the noise, get traction, lead change and make it happen. They successfully collaborate, encourage and positively affect those around them.

In contrast, those who can’t influence find themselves exiled from the decision-makers in the organisation. They get left out of the loop on issues that matter and critical decisions. Their voice goes unheard. All of that makes it harder for them to get things done.

Leaders who can’t deliver results don’t progress. This affects their career and those around them. A 2010 Harvard study found lack of progress is one of the biggest demotivators in the workplace. People want to feel they are making progress on work that matters and that their manager has their back. If their manager is powerless to influence outcomes, this affects team morale.

A 2013 Towers Watson study reinforced what others have shown: most change efforts fail in organisations. A lack of leadership is often the prime culprit.

Leaders are expected to lead people successfully through change. But leading is almost impossible if they can’t influence. Leaders can’t rely on traditional hierarchies to get things done. The organisational dynamics are different. It’s important to understand who influences whom, how decisions are made and what avenues exist to make progress and influence outcomes.

This is about understanding the influencing factors operating in an organisation, having the nous to find the back door and leverage informal decision-making networks. Leaders who can influence know themselves and what motivates their behaviour, just as much as they understand others. They’re able to manage their behavioural responses.

They also have the skills to motivate behaviour change, build good stakeholder relationships, create coalitions of support for change, communicate in an authentic and compelling manner, and negotiate important decisions.

They take ownership of their power, derived from within and consciously acquired. When people have the right behavioural skill-set they can be more confident of holding their own with peers and stakeholders. This creates personal power and generates influence. If leaders want to step up in a complex, changing world, they must be able to influence.

Michelle Gibbings is the author of Step Up: How to Build Your Influence at Work.