Influential Awareness and Impact

Overview

A key behavior of effective leaders is the capacity to influence those around them. To influence effectively you must be adept at getting your opinions and ideas heard, recognized, and considered by others. This workshop (using the Influence Style Indicator and accompanying activities) enhances your awareness of your preferred style and how to adapt for greater effectiveness.

Influence inherently means that you can impact the ideas, opinions and actions of others. Influence strategies can range from reliance on position and power, to education, encouragement and collaboration. When you influence effectively you increase trust, support and ownership for your priorities. When you influence ineffectively you increase mistrust, intimidation and resentment.

Today’s workplace is characterized by unprecedented levels of change and complexity. Workplace realities such as identifying shared goals, leading complex and often dispersed teams, boundary spanning, coordinating matrixed projects and integrating diverse people and interests require the capacity to influence others. Good leadership has a positive and unifying impact. Whether you are leading, following, and/or collaborating, chances are you need to influence others to be successful. The ability to influence effectively is emerging as a key skill for a new generation of leaders.

We are all aware of the distinctive influence styles that people demonstrate. Some of these styles we instinctively understand and appreciate and others we may find confusing, unclear and frustrating. These five distinctive styles are Rationalizing, Asserting, Negotiating, Inspiring and Bridging. You can improve your leadership effectiveness if you know when to modify your style, understand that situations your style works best in, and when it may prove ineffective.