The Intention to Influence
Are you as influential as you would like? People often think that influencing comes down to being right. That is just wrong. People who are absolutely right fail to have enough influence to get the right thing to happen every day. People who are absolutely wrong are influential enough to get the wrong thing to happen every day.
The other wrong idea regarding influence is that some people are natural influencers and others will always be weak influencers. Research clearly dispels that myth. Our ability to influence in any environment is never static. An individual's ability to influence is either going up or down by the moment, hour, day, and month. People's ability to influence can rapidly increase or decrease in relatively short periods of time. Being good at influence requires working at influence.
What does it take to ensure that your ability to influence is going up as opposed to going down?
You must hold the intention to influence in your mind.
What does that mean? It means that you are consistently thinking about your influence and its impact on your target at all times. You are always noticing how people are responding to you and adjusting your approach. Holding the intention to influence does NOT mean holding the intention to get them to do it your way.
Keep a specific, clear, and achievable influence goal in mind during every interaction and situation.
I am going to influence the marketing department to pitch in 250 K for my new project is clear but not specific or achievable in one interaction or meeting. I am going to introduce my idea to the leaders of the marketing department in a compelling way is specific, clear, and most importantly, an achievable goal.
Build up credits with peers.
Human relationships hinge on exchange and reciprocity. People are always trying to build up credits with superiors and often forget the all important peer group. Set a goal such as getting to know and finding a way to be helpful to five of your peers a month. View people outside your immediate function as your peers. For example, it never hurts to have a strong relationship with someone in accounting.
