PREFACE:
The art of influencing others has actually been studied enough at this point in time that we can begin to talk about it as a science. Historically, people who have mastered the skills of influence have done so by observing what works and through a significant reliance on their own gut instincts. Today, researchers have taken the time to dig into what is involved in the process of influencing others and we have the benefit of that research so we can utilize the more tried and true techniques to help us be better influencers.
One of the discoveries is that those who are excellent influencers utilize three levels of influence which each have two important dimensions. The three levels are the personal, social, and structural levels. The two dimensions for each are the motivational and competence dimensions. So when we try to influence other people to do something we need to be cognizant of the impact of each of these. I have found the best way to engage all six of these is to ask some specific questions:
- Why would people want to adopt the desired change? What would prevent them from wanting to do this?
- Do the people have the ability to do what is necessary to institute the change? Are there specific blockers to adopting the new behavior that will make it excessively difficult to adopt the change?
- Are there social norms in place that can help institute the desired change? Are there social norms in place that will inhibit the adoption of the change?
- Does the group of people affected by this change know how to affect the change in social norms? Are the old norms somehow rewarded? Is the exhibiting of the new norms somehow punished? Can those situations be reversed?
- Are there aspects of the environment that seem to encourage the old behavior and discourage then new behavior? Is there something in the existing environment that rewards the old behavior and punishes the new desired behavior?
- How can we modify the environment to be more conducive the desired change? Can we create structures and systems that reward our new expectations for behavior and punishes the old, less productive behavior? Beyond these six sources of influence can we identify forces in the culture that will fight change at every turn?
I think of the influence that technology has on us today. If one of the vital behaviors we are trying to assert in our culture is active, empathic listening, having our smartphones buzz with the next text can put a damper on our efforts. The draw of those little devices can divert our attention and send the wrong message to people we work with. And there are dozens, if not hundreds, of distractions that compete for our attention and focus. Sticking to our plans for a chosen cultural change can be a daunting task. Our desire to influence must be genuine and for all the right reasons or it will seem like manipulation to others. There is a real difference between influence and manipulation. Influence is the practice of moving people who are willing to be influence in that direction towards a desired outcome while manipulation involves moving people towards an outcome that is the manipulators own best interest. Although a manipulation might result in an outcome that is good for all concerned, those being manipulated often feel somewhat like they have been duped rather than good about the process.
To influence others is an important aspect of leadership. It is rare that anyone can lead a team without exerting influence. In contrast, a manipulator really is not leading. A manipulator is pushing people rather than leading people. An influencer understands that followers follow because they believe. Many manipulators have a belief that people have to be told what to do because the manipulator knows what’s best and they do not. Influencers believe that people have the capacity and the will to make good decisions plus they understand a simple fact; you cannot coerce quality. Quality is a choice and results from choices made.
One last series of ideas to consider. The six sources of influence discussed above have a hierarchy of effectiveness. The most influential is the personal motivation and the personal competency. A motivated person that really knows how to perform will always be more effective at creating change than a person who must be influenced. That is why it is critical to first connect on a human level. By finding common beliefs and values we have a chance to connect in a way that naturally moves people to the desired outcome but only if they really know how to make the change. Once a person or group of people have the motivation and know how to act on that motivation it is imperative that the social norms, the second level, be consistent with the motivation and the skill.
One of the very interesting applications of this concept is the TV program the Biggest Loser. In this program severely overweight people are chosen to participate in a weight loss competition. While on the program all of the players lose weight at a greater pace than before they joined the program. This weight loss happens because they are motivated and they are taught the nutrition and exercise regimes that help them lose weight. Along with that motivation and knowledge is a new set of norms which says it’s good to eat healthy and exercise vigorously. At various times in the competition the players are exposed to their old ways of life and those old norms can sometimes be their down fall. Those who succeed in the long run are the individuals who have all six of the influencers in place.
Using the same TV program, the environment creates the fifth and sixth aspect of the influencing process. On the ranch there are very few opportunities to be rewarded for breaking the nutrition and exercise “rules.” Once they leave the ranch there are endless environmental opportunities, the third level of influence, to break every rule. Our society believes in celebrating with excessive food and drink and exercise is something that can be done later. For the players to succeed beyond the program requires that they decide to create a new environment around them and so they frequently start working on the other people in their lives to begin making the same changes they have made. Some succeed and some don’t, and it all has to do with their ability to complete each level of influence in the process. The rewards for breaking the rules are too great for many to ignore and the rewards for following the rules are too small to adhere to.
A consistent mistake we make is to try to influence behavioral change in a backward fashion. We too often start with the environmental factors. Creating an environment that rewards the new behaviors when those to be influenced do not possess the motivation or know how to implement those changes rarely, if ever, works. But we do it all the time. We offer bribes to kids to get them to learn but if they are not motivated to do so our bribes run out of steam way too early in the process. To improve student learning it is imperative that we first connect the student to learning. Finding a way for the subject matter to have real relevance for students will always work amazingly better than bribery.
THE SKILL OF INFLUENCING :
Each of us has a certain level of natural ability to influence others. Some people seem to just naturally connect and possess an ability to move people in a certain direction. For others this can be a much more difficult task. For some people it is easier to be assertive, while for others it feels better to just be a steady as you go type person, and for still others it feels better to just stick to the “tried and true” methods of the past. As a leader, however, we all must learn how to exert a certain amount of influence upon those we must lead. Our natural tendencies for behaviors are not a life sentence. We are not doomed to always behave in only one way. Although stressful situations may push towards a style we feel most comfortable with, we each possess the ability to choose how we will respond to the circumstances in which we find ourselves.
Let’s use a good friend of mine as a classic example of someone who has a relatively low natural influencing tendency. On the DISC scale she scored a 34 for Natural Influencing. She has learned how to be more of an influencer and scores77 for Adapted Influence. She is a person that has identified the power to influence as something that is quite advantageous for her role in business. Yet it is important to understand that during periods of high stress and anxiety, her natural tendency will be to become less of an influencer and more compliant and exhibit greater steadiness. The more she understands this about herself, the more she can check her actions against what is needed to achieve desired outcomes.
Through thousands of DISC analyses we see that people have modified their level of influencing behaviors in order to adopt a behavior style that is more aligned to the needs of their position. But we also see many individuals that adapt in a way that actually moves them further away from what is needed. This can happen for a variety of reasons but all too often it happens because the environment in which the person must apply their skills does not encourage the development of behaviors that would actually benefit the situation the most. Leaders can do this by not understanding who the people are and how they would most comfortably behave and by not realizing that another style would actually be more productive. By acquiring data and information that tells us how people can best achieve their peak performance, we can make a conscious decision about how we should treat people. Rather than create conditions based on “our own narrow” perceptions of the world we can gain incredible perspective and create conditions that are more likely to produce the type of results we really want.
As leaders we can make the choice of creating the conditions that promote success or we can simply do whatever we do and hope for the best. It is our belief that more and more business leaders will choose to be intentional and create the conditions that will help their people become what they need to be to achieve. This would then entail becoming influential when the natural tendency might be to dominate and insist on compliance.
SUMMATION: :
Influence is a critical tool for every leader but it is important to understand the difference between influence and manipulation. It is also important to realize that influence is best applied in an appropriate sequence. We too often try to influence the behaviors of others in the wrong order. We frequently start with the punishment and reward end instead of the motivational end of the stick. And research is very clear on the fact that when considering the carrot and the stick the carrot has a fairly predictable impact on people while the stick’s influence is usually quite unpredictable. Leaders need to understand why the correct order for influencing people works. They need to realize that motivated followers are much more powerful than coerced followers. It is also essential to realize that want to do and being able to are two different things.
There are many people who will say they really want to but when you look at their ability to do there are holes in their competency. It’s not enough to appeal to their passion. As a leader you must be able to connect the follower with the right kind of instruction to give them a chance at success. It would be great if we could leave it at that. But, we all know that in many settings the newly motivated can lose their motivation as soon as the “nay-sayers” start exerting their old norming comments. Those who have a vested interest in maintaining the status-quo can be unmerciful to those who seek change. The drug addict has many old user friends that want to help him fall off the wagon and the previously obese person has family that want to take her to the all-you-can-eat fried food buffet. The leader knows these same forces are at work on the team but they may be just a bit more subtle.
The final frontier is the environment. If we have the motivation and the ability and if we have the new norms and the proper support from our peers, we can still be sidetracked by the environment that favors the old ways over the new. Is the workspace aligned with our goals? Does the organizational structure enable the new behaviors and discourage the old? Does the team hierarchy demonstrate that the new ways are our ways and the old ways are not? Or was it all just a façade? Will the followers see that the leader was not really serious about the change because he or she won’t make the commitment for changing the environment to one that really promotes the new and inhibits the old?
One of the best examples of this has been the US Military and their unwillingness to change the way that sexual assault cases are handled. Yes they have done levels 1 and 2 of the influencing process but when it comes to the structure for reporting and prosecuting the breeches in Military Rules with respect to sexual assault, they have stuck to the old structure. That old structure does not send a message to those in the military that sexual assault and sexual harassment will not be tolerated. Yes, we’ve said it’s wrong and have all the rules and regulations to support what we say and we’ve instituted trainings and punishments. But as long as all of these cases are handled in the same way they’ve always been handled what the Military is really saying to everyone involved is “we’re not really serious about this.” The symbolic message just trumped everything else they’ve been saying. If they want to make a dent in the sexual assault problem in the Military, they are going to have to show they are really serious by changing everything including how the crimes are reported, tried, and adjudicated.
Leaders have to accept the responsibility for outcomes. Leaders have to understand the impact of influence. Leaders must naturally conclude that success lies in the ability of followers to accept the challenge, make the changes, and adapt to the conditions the leaders establish. If the leader isn’t totally purposeful in what he or she does, the ability to achieve desired outcomes is compromised.
© 2013-2015 Culture by Choice-WTBG, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: All rights reserved distribution of this information outside of an academic setting no permitted without express written permission from Culture by Choice-WTBG.
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