How To Influence Others Without Authority

 

Have you ever tried asking for support from someone who is not interested in helping you? Or maybe you have an idea that you’re sure will take your team to the next level, but you can’t get anyone on board? These are common frustrations in the workplace… maybe even at home!

When you don’t have authority over others, it can be difficult to get them to help you or take your ideas seriously. But you’re not out of the weeds even if you do have authority! According to Allan R. Cohen and David L. Bradford, authors of “Influence Without Authority,” having authority can actually present problems. Why? Because it doesn’t always mean people will follow and support you. Instead, authority can create fear, and can potentially motivate people for the wrong reasons.

The common denominator here is the impact that authority has on influence. Learning to influence without authority is vital for both those who don’t have any, and those that do. So how do you do it? That’s is where the Cohen-Bradford Influence Model comes in.

The Influence Model: Six Steps

The Influence Model, also known as the Cohen-Bradford Influence Model, was created by Allan R. Cohen and David L. Bradford. It consists of six steps. Let’s take a look at each step, and then go through an example in detail.

Here are the 6 steps to the Cohen-Bradford Influence Model:

1.       Assume That Everyone Can Help You

Keep in mind that every single person around you has something unique to bring to the table and could be a great ally. Give everybody a fair chance to prove their value including the most challenging person in the room. Always take the first step to trust the people around you.

2.       Prioritize Objectives

You have to stay focused and remember the very reason why you want to influence these people. What is the benefit of having these people on your side? What is your ultimate goal?

Stay on track and do not confuse your work goal with your personal feelings or motives. Strong emotions such as wanting to “be right” can easily take over and distract you away from what is important, so remain focused on your work goal.

3.       Understand the Other Person’s Situation

Understanding where the other person is coming from is the key in identifying what drives them. Listening to what they have to say will not only make you understand where they are coming from but most importantly, where they would like to go from there.

4.       Identify What Matters, to You and to Them

If you take your time hearing the other person, you will understand exactly what is truly important to them; knowing what he or she values most is likely to be the determining factor in this model.

5.       Analyze the Relationship

Ask yourself: What kind of relationship do you share with this person at this time? Are you comfortable enough to ask what you need from him or her?

If you’re still at the early stage of your relationship, you may need to start by establishing trust and then start building up your relationship from there before you make the “exchange”, which is the final step.

Develop your communication skills by paying attention and using active listening techniques during conversations. Use your emotional intelligence and consider what each person is feeling.

6.       Make the “Exchange”

It’s time to put the model to work. Establish what you have to offer that is valuable to your ally and then make “the exchange”.

Remember to keep building your relationship with mutual respect for each other. Stay engaged by continuously trusting, understanding, and empathizing with the other person. Make sure to show how thankful you are and always look for more ways on how you can help them.

Check out this video for even more insight into the Influence Model

 

Now let’s take a look at an example.

Here is an example…

An Example of Influencing Without Authority 

Jay has been assigned as lead for a cross functional team to develop a new organizational strategic plan. Each team member works in a different area of the company and comes to the team with their own expertise. They’ve been selected to collaborate and come up with a new strategic plan in a short amount of time.

Since this special task is outside of everyone’s primary duties, Jay finds it hard to schedule a time that would fit everyone. Mike, in particular, is currently working extra hours and therefore delaying the team’s progress. So, Jay applies the Influence Model:

1.       Assume That Everyone Can Help You

Jay recognizes that everybody has something valuable to offer; the first task for Jay is to hear what everyone has to say. Mike is not able to attend the meetings due to his heavy workload because he’s short-staffed.

2.       Prioritize Objectives

Jay’s objective is to create the best possible strategic plan while utilizing input from all of his teammates. Mike has the expertise Jay needs to make sure that their new strategic plan meets all requirements. 

 

3.       Understand the Other Person’s Situation

Jay can empathize with Mike. He knows that Mike’s been working extra hours because they are short staffed and that Mike values whatever little time that is left for him to catch up with his family.

Jay knows the mental and physical stress of how Mike’s work schedule is impacting him. As a result, even though Mike understands that importance of this special project that he was assigned to be a part of, he is not happy giving up more of his personal time to work.

4.       Identify What Matters; to You and to Them

Jay knows that Mike is passionate about his field of work, is a great asset to the company, and has much to contribute to the strategic direction of the company. Jay has heard Mike is in the process of hiring a new person to share the workload with him, which would allow him to go back to his normal schedule and free up time to support the strategic plan development project. If only he could find time to go through the applications that he has on hand, to expedite the hiring process.

5.       Analyze the Relationship

Jay and Mike don’t see each other often since they work in different buildings but they know each other enough to know they are both from the west coast and share a love for college sports.

6.       Make the “Exchange”

Jay decides that it’s time to make his exchange. Jay will offer Mike his assistance in interviewing candidates to help expedite the hiring process. In return, Jay will ask for half a day of Mike’s time to catch up on what he’s missed so far in the strategic plan development, then participate regularly in the team meetings.

Mike was surprised to hear Jay’s offer, but he accepts without any hesitations. Jay showed his appreciation by showing up early and took his time by going through each and every applicant seriously. Mike in return showed up early the next day to help Jay; the two came up with Mike’s strategic plan input faster than they both expected. Jay then showed his gratitude by buying Mike a craft beer from the west coast.

The next time you want to influence others, give these six steps a try. You may find that influencing isn’t as hard as you think! I have a bonus tip for you as well: Be sure to use your EQ. Here’s what I mean.

What challenges have you run into when attempting to influence others? I’d love to troubleshoot with you.

 

Let’s share experiences. Leave a comment below, send me an email, or find me on Twitter.

 

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Want To Build Excellent Teams? Try This Efficient Model

Working as a team is how the best organizations operate, yet it can be challenging, especially without a roadmap. The Drexler-Sibbet Team Performance Model provides a step-by-step framework for understanding team development. It’s one of the most efficient models I’ve seen, and I’m happy to share how it works.

First, take a look at the following graphic. It shows you the basic model structure. 

As you can see, there are 7 sequential steps in this model, represented by circles.

1.    Orientation

2.    Trust Building

3.    Goal Clarification

4.    Commitment

5.    Implementation

6.    High Performance

7.    Renewal

Each step has:

·         A question in the circle, which is the question someone on the team is likely to ask.

·         Resolved and Unresolved Traits on either side of the circle. If the resolved traits are demonstrated by the team, then the team can move to the next step. If the unresolved traits are demonstrated, it’s not yet time to move to the next step.

·         Arrows that point to other steps. If a team is facing challenges on a certain step, the arrows will tell the team which step to move to. For example, if a team is challenged on step 4, they would go back to step 3. However, if a team is challenged on step 5, they would go back to step 3, because the arrow from step 5 points to step 3.

A Diagnostic Tool

It’s important to note that while this model is sequential from steps 1-7, building teams is rarely a linear process. So teams may go back and forth through the steps, as the team matures. That’s why this model can be used as a diagnostic tool. For example, if a team is facing challenges, anyone on the team can look at the model to see where the team is stuck, and then know what to do.

A Way To Build Teams From Scratch

In addition, the model can be used as a way to build teams, giving the team lead and the team members a path to building a sustainable team. Steps 1-4 build the team; steps 5-7 maintain the team. Step 4 is known as the crux of the team’s success.

While this looks like a complex process, it is possible to move through these steps quickly. However, if steps are deemed unimportant and skipped, the team will progress more slowly.

I am going to review the entire Drexler-Sibbet model (DS model) over the course of two weeks. In the end, you will be able to use the model on a daily basis on your various teams. This week, we will focus on steps one, two and three.

STEP 1

Orientation – Why am I here?

Orientation is about understanding the purpose of a team and assessing what it will mean to be a member. Team members will need to understand three things:

1.    The reason the team exists

2.    What will be expected of them

3.    How they will benefit from team membership

In a new team, these are individual concerns, because the group is only potentially a team. Often, these concerns are felt at an intuitive level; rarely will a team member ask these three questions. That’s why it’s important to provide time and space to address these questions in the first meeting and repeat the answers in each meeting to reinforce the message. Once the members know the answers to these questions, they will feel more connected and are more likely to participate in achieving the group’s goals.

How do you know when Orientation challenges are resolved? You will see:

·         Purpose

·         Team Identity

·         Membership (What are the rules/agreements we play by)

How do you know when the team is blocked at Orientation? You will see:

·         Uncertainty

·         Disorientation

·         Fear

Remember – repetition is key to saturation and understanding. So keep repeating what you want understood. Say it again and again, to those in the team, and with those you serve.

STEP 2

Trust Building – Who are you?

Trust is a measure of your willingness to work together with others for something important. Teams that know they can depend on the others to work together and accomplish the team’s purpose far exceed teams that do not have this understanding and appreciation of other team members. Because team members have to depend on each other to be successful, trust is essential in direct relation to how much cooperation is needed to get the job done.

In the beginning of a new team, trust involves some risk and uncertainty about dealing with strangers. This is why the key question is “Who are you?” An unstated aspect of this question is wondering, “What will you expect from me?”

So how do you quickly build trust? It depends and it doesn’t have to include trust falls or outdoor ropes courses!

As we evaluate the trustworthiness of potential team members, we generally look at two things about the person: integrity and competency. Most of us start our team building by granting members a moderate to significant amount of trust (depending on our comfort level) from the moment the individual becomes part of the team. As the author Ernest Hemingway reminds us, “The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.” Then we increase or decrease that trust based on our continuing experiences with that individual, hopefully achieving consistency and reciprocal trust.

How do you know when Trust Building challenges are resolved? You will see:

·         Mutual regard

·         Forthrightness

·         Reliability

How do you know when the team is blocked at Trust Building? You will see:

·         Caution

·         Facade

·         Mistrust

STEP 3

Goal Clarification – What are we doing?

“What are we doing?” is a more specific question than the larger question of purpose asked during Orientation. During this stage of a team’s life, it will need to develop clear understanding of the job that is required, as well as generate agreements about goals and specific deliverables. Sometimes teams have precise charters that specify what they are responsible for accomplishing. More often, they are given a broad mandate and need to make choices about how they will pursue that mandate and translate it into goals.

There is an expression in the Navy that says, “If you are just one degree off, you end up in Madagascar instead of Kenya.” One degree is not a big number, yet the result is vastly off course. How many teams are exactly on the same page about goals? Usually the team roughly knows where to go, yet is fuzzy on the specifics. For example, what is the specific metric being used? When is the deliverable due? How does it align with the bigger purpose?

General, unclear goals are demotivating; clear specific goals are motivating. So how do you set clear goals and metrics? Here are three steps to do so:

·         Ask the team lead and team: What are the meaningful results the team is trying to achieve?

·         Develop clear guidelines on the performance required that will help to deliver meaningful results.

·         Confirm the goals and intended results with others in the organization.

·         Bonus question to ask: What would you have to do differently if you were trying to improve by ten times instead of by ten percent?

Involve your team in adding the detail to these steps. The more they’re involved, the greater their sense of ownership and commitment will be. As a side note, goals shouldn’t be so specific that they don’t allow flexibility to achieve things differently; the context and situation may change over time so be nimble and adaptable.

How do you know when Goal Clarification challenges are resolved? You will see:

·         Explicit assumptions

·         Clear integrated goals

·         Shared vision

How do you know when the team is blocked at Goal Clarification? You will see:

·         Apathy

·         Skepticism

·         Irreverent competition

I hope you’re finding value in the DS model so far. There’s more to come! Next week I’ll cover the remaining steps:

·         STEP 4: Commitment – How will we do it?

·         STEP 5: Implementation – Who does what, when, where?

·         STEP 6: High Performance – WOW!

·         STEP 7: Renewal – Why continue?

Then you’ll have a complete system to use to build amazing teams or diagnose teams that are struggling. Stay tuned!

Have you used a team-building model before? I’d love to hear about your experience with it.

share experiences. Leave a comment below, send us an email, or find us on Twitter.

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Online Learning Increases Employee Engagement: What is Online Learning?

 

In my last post, I discussed why it’s important to incorporate multiple learning styles in a training program. Technology offers to best opportunities to do that. In this post, let’s look at what online learning actually is.

The U.S. Distance Learning Association (USDLA) seems to concur that there is no official, agreed-upon definition of online learning. There is however one commonality among various camps: the integration of instructional media. The USDLA calls out the use of technology infrastructures to make more “effective learning opportunities more accessible to all learners, whatever their age, location, or reason for learning.”

They go on to say, “It includes e-learning, texting, social networking, virtual worlds, game-based learning, and webinars. It’s the Internet. It’s Google. It’s broadband and satellite and cable and wireless. Corporate universities. Virtual universities. Blended learning, mobile learning. It’s using our phones and computers and whatever technology comes next, in new ways.” In other words, online learning is using technology to help students of all ages learn new concepts. We see it all the time with children’s apps to learn spelling, math, music and more.

We’re starting to see online learning more with adult learning as well through Learning Management Systems (LMS), which are often programs that incorporate videos, podcasts and academic information for adult learners. These can be synchronous (the course participants and lecturer all have to be online at the same time) or asynchronous (the course participants can access the information online, at any time).

Learning is Collaborative

Despite the appeal of customization, learning is collaborative and continues to rely on community. Most people think that collaborative learning means face-to-face training. However, online learning allows students to engage in meaningful ways through video, chat, journals or other multimedia options.

A New York Times piece concluded that the “real promise of online education” is the nature by which it can be tailored to suit individual needs.

It’s not just the addition of multimedia, such as video and chat that engages students better; the way multi-media are used in course design may have a strong impact as well. For example, the study shows that interactive video vs. non-interactive video may impact learning more significantly. Interactive video allows students to control the way they absorb information, such as fast-forwarding through a video or watching it multiple times. Are the students able to watch video in any order they wish, or is course content set to prevent any form of deviation? These types of tweaks make training programs more or less effective.

One big advantage of online learning is increased collaboration, which every organization could use. In traditional college classrooms, most students try to engage with each other and form study communities, to help each other learn the material. Online learning makes collaboration easier. For those who normally would not be able to collaborate in person, technology brings a wealth of knowledge to the student’s fingertips, giving access to the best experts and resources in every medium you can imagine.

Being online is already a part of our everyday life; it makes sense to integrate it into one of the most important pillars of our society: education.

Being online is already a part of our everyday life; it makes sense to integrate it into one of the most important pillars of our society: education.

Let’s share experiences. Leave a comment below, send me an email, or find me on Twitter.

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Four Ways to Build Organizational Purpose

 Purpose is often cast aside as a non-essential to an organization’s success. Finances, IT, sales and product are discussed far more often than purpose. Yet purpose is the driver – without an employee feeling a sense of purpose, the salesperson would be listless and the product engineer would lose creativity. In times of crisis, purpose is more important than ever. It inspires employees to move beyond inertia to action. But what is organizational purpose and how can a manager strengthen it?

What is Purpose?

David Packard, Co-Founder, Hewlett-Packard said:

“Purpose; it’s like a guiding star on the horizon —forever pursued but never reached. Yet although purpose itself does not change; it does inspire change. The very fact that purpose can never be fully realized means that an organization can never stop stimulating change and progress.”

So, what does that mean in real life? Well, have you ever had to drag yourself out of bed, to go to a job that you hated? It’s like pushing a heavy rock uphill.

But when purpose is motivating your actions, everything feels very different. You have a kind of lightness, even when things are intense, or tough. And the same thing is true for organizations. You can feel when an organization is animated by purpose. And that’s a feeling that people want to have. It’s also a feeling that drives better performance.

Annie McKee, the founder of Teleos Leadership Institute, studied dozens of big organizations, and interviewed thousands of people who work there. What she learned is that when we feel negatively about work, we don’t process information well. We don’t think creatively or make the best decisions. But when our feelings about work are positive, the opposite is true. McKee also found that the thousands of people she interviewed listed three things that made them feel good about work.

Things that makes people feel good about work:

1.    First is a meaningful vision of the future. People want to contribute to a future that matters to themselves and others.

2.    The second thing that makes people feel good about work is great relationships. Whether people are leaders, managers or employees, “close, trusting, and supportive relationships” are a big part of what motivates them to contribute.

3.    The third thing that made McKee’s subjects feel good about their work was — wait for it! — a sense of purpose. And if their personal purpose is intertwined with their organization’s purpose — whether it’s ending hunger or creating better widgets — that’s even more positive.

What is Organizational Purpose?

So, if purpose is so important, what exactly is it? An organization’s purpose is not the answer to the question “What do you do?” which typically focuses on products, services and customers, but rather the answer to the question “Why is the work important?” It conveys what the organization stands for in historical, ethical, emotional and practical terms. In other words, purpose is central and enduring to an organization’s culture.

Purpose, Mission, Vision and Values

It’s easy to confuse the difference between purpose, mission, vision and values. Here is a simple way to remember:

Purpose	=	Why	:	Why the organization exists
Vision	=	Where	:	Where the organization aspires to go in the future
Mission	=	What	:	What business the organization is in
Values	=	How	:	What the organization values and how those values are manifested in a workday

Here’s an example for a fictional startup called Connecto:

Purpose	:	Create a globally connected community
Vision	:	Connect 23% of the world by 2025
Mission	:	Build an online platform that allows people to post local news
Value	:	Speak Up! (this allows people to speak up and disagree if they see something going astray)

Why is Purpose Important?

Now that we know what purpose is, why is it so important?

Many studies have shown a strong link between purpose and performance. When employees embrace purpose—when the organization lives it, and not just creates colorful posters about it—the performance shoots up. A survey of the leaders, employees and customers of 50 companies in the fields of technology, media and telecommunications; consumer products; and financial services was carried out by the Boston Consulting Group.

The results of this survey were analyzed using measures such as total shareholder return (TSR), revenue, and EBITDA growth. The results showed that when the organizational purpose was truly ingrained, it correlated strongly with ten-year TSR.

Another reason that purpose is important is because employee expectations are changing. Along with it, the demands of always-on transformations have exposed the limitations of using carrots and sticks to influence employees. To counter this, organizations are understanding the need to appeal to head and heart with not only the extrinsic motivators but intrinsic motivators as well. These Intrinsic motivators include employees’ desire for meaning, connection, and joy in the work, as well as the desire to contribute, develop, and achieve. Purpose is one of the most powerful intrinsic motivators because it speaks to both the head and the heart.

Benefits of Purpose

A 2016 poll by the Gallup Organization shows that only 13% of employees worldwide are engaged at work. The reason why most engagement efforts fall short is that they’re designed to cultivate employees’ commitment in generic, general ways and not attach any purpose to them. Employees must internalize the organization’s purpose, so they make decisions that clearly support those priorities. Ultimately, they design and deliver on brand customer experiences that strengthen the brand’s competitive position and build equity in the brand.

Below are four benefits of organizational purpose:

1. Instill Purpose in Employees

Employees may be very good at compliance, but in today’s global competitive marketplace, going through the motions is not good enough. Organizations need employees who are engaged and come to work with a sense of purpose that comes from knowing that what they do matters to others. When employees are engaged in their work, they enjoy what they do and tend to be more productive.

2. Provide Clarity

Fearing ambiguity leads to narrow thinking and reactionary behaviors. Embracing clarity can open the door to allowing employees to see possibilities that they wouldn’t have otherwise seen. Purpose then drives clarity because it “connects the dots” for employees. They know what is expected of them and why.

3. Stimulate Innovation

Knowing what an organization stands for can open the door to purposeful teams. It enables employees to think of new ways of doing things for a reason — that is, to meet the mission of the organization. That depends upon purpose.

4. Groom the Next Generation of Leaders

Organizations that survive more than a generation are typically those that have developed a leadership cadre who inherited the mission and have been shaped by core values. Purpose leads to intentional employee development.

What Does Purpose Look Like?

You may wonder what organizations claim for their purpose statements. Here are some examples:

“The purpose of Disneyland is to create happiness for others. And you see, the beautiful thing about saying, “We’re going to create happiness” was then I could say, “Look, you may park cars, clean up the place, sweep the place, work graveyard and everything else, but whatever you do is contributing to creating happiness for others.”

– Van Arsdale France, Founder, University of Disneyland

Purpose is like the roots of a tree. Strong roots — strong purpose — provide the tree with nourishment, good health and the ability to sustain itself. If the roots go deep, your tree, and its entire corner of the forest, will prosper. But if roots are shallow, and starving — because you never feed them with purpose — eventually, your tree will fall down. And it won’t just fall down by itself. It’ll take other trees down with it.

We would love to hear from you! What’s your organizational purpose? How is purpose driving your motivation levels and enhancing the business performance? Let’s share experiences. Leave a comment below, send us an email, or find us on Twitter.

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