Tried and True… or New?
How do you prepare for influencing key decision-makers? (pic: ThisIsEngineering for Pexels)
Here you are, managing a new team, maybe managing for the first time. You know that one of the benefits of having new staff (or in a new position) is that it brings an infusion of fresh thinking. You’re excited to be one of those fresh voices!
Then you hear it.
“Let’s just stick with what we’ve been doing,” from a senior manager.
You feel the life force drain out of you.
What do you do when senior management says “stick with the tried and true” but you know it’s time to try something new?
One of the mistakes many new managers make is thinking that their ideas will be welcomed enthusiastically. The reality is that every key player in your organization has an agenda, and not taking this into account reduces the chance of your ideas gaining traction.
Thankfully, there are things you can do to increase your rate of success with internal stakeholders.
Who is a stakeholder?
A stakeholder is an individual, group or organization that’s impacted by the outcome of a project or business venture. Stakeholders have an interest in the success of the project and can be within or outside the organization. There are also critical or key stakeholders – without their support, the project cannot exist.
When might you want to influence stakeholders?
Good times to engage with stakeholders are when you want to gain approval for a new project, when you want to temporarily use staff in other departments, where there would be impact across the board (e.g. a new process or software system), or to get new or additional funding.
When influencing stakeholders, the most important elements are planning, tactics, and communication.
Planning
Like with any project, the heart of the success in influencing stakeholders is in the planning and preparation. There are a number of things to consider in this stage such as timing (what else is going on internally or externally), who you want to persuade and why, and the benefits of your proposal for both the organization and the stakeholders.
Tactics
The three main tactics are:
Making the case, which includes explaining the benefits
Involving the stakeholders – When people are part of a project, they’re more likely to feel positive about it. In what ways can you engage different stakeholders while maintaining momentum?
Compromise - Compromising is a strength, not a weakness, in getting to ‘yes’. By being open to suggestions from stakeholders, you’re modelling collaboration and this will encourage them to act collaboratively as well.
Communication
Communication tactics that can increase your rate of success in influencing stakeholders fall into three categories:
1. Language & dialogue – Practice active listening, patience, and respect for the other person’s position. Acknowledge their point of view, questions, and concerns. Use an appropriate tone of voice, e.g. when presenting data, or expressing excitement or empathy.
2. Body language – Make eye contact. This is also important in a virtual call, so make eye contact with the green light! Use open body stances to display a collaborative intention. You can do this in a video call by showing your hands palm up in front of you, and by smiling.
3. The presentation itself – Avoid this being a sales pitch by finding ways to engage your audience.
Now that you’re more aware of these psychological and communication fundamentals, begin working them into your planning processes. Go get ‘em!