How much influence do you have?
It sounds like a simple enough question, but it can be a tough one to answer.
Once you dive into the question, it seems there are so many elements to consider and our answers start to sound like an economist’s – they start with “It depends…”
And it’s true, it really does depend.
One common misconception you may have is that to have real influence, it’s about the number of people you influence directly. To have real influence, you need to influence the whole table (and then some); that if you don’t influence everyone around the table, then you have limited influence, or have failed.
What would happen if you reconsidered this belief?
This binary view of influence doesn’t serve you well and it doesn’t set you on the path to success.
While (in an ideal world) we work together, collaboratively and for a common purpose, we each still come to the table with our own agenda, our own styles, and our own preconceived ideas. It can be tough breaking through those barriers, tougher still when we feel that we need to break down the barriers with everyone, right away.
Consider the forums you operate in, the forums in which you feel you have significant influence, and those in which you feel you have limited, or no, influence.
What are the differences between those forums?
Often two of the key differentiators are the number and quality of relationships you have with those around the table…and you may be looking at these differentiators as one and the same.
The reality is that they’re not. And this is good news – because it means that regardless of how new you may be to any given forum, you can start to increase your influence by separating the number of relationships you have from the quality of relationships you have.
When you approach influence as requiring you to have deep, diverse relationships with everyone around the table, it’s going to take a long time to start feeling that you’re making a difference.
When you approach influence as developing deep and diverse relationships with a couple of key stakeholders at the table, you’ll start to feel like you’re making a difference much sooner.
There’s a bonus to this approach to influence… if you’re still building your confidence in a forum, building a deeper relationship with a key stakeholder who already has influence within the forum allows you to contribute in a way in which you may feel more comfortable (at least at the outset).
It’s a bit like the hub & spoke of a bicycle wheel – if you influence the hub, the hub will influence the spoke.
So consider your forums again…
Where do you feel you have limited influence, who could be your ‘hub’?
In those forums where you already have influence, who needs your support as their ‘hub’?
You don’t have to influence everyone to influence an outcome.
Now isn’t that extraordinary 😉
Sandy