Influencing Others as a Leader

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Influence building not only focuses on organizational politics but also on how to influence others.

Steps for influencing others

You can use a four-step process to influence others

• Prepare your case – Take the time to define exactly what you want.
• Ask for what you want – The most important thing to remember is to be clear.
• Make your case – You can use various techniques to make your case.
• Ask for commitment – Assess each stakeholder’s readiness to commit.

The scope of these steps is broad and there can be overlap between them. If you face resistance or need to do more work before moving forward with a stakeholder, you may even have to perform some steps more than once. Think of these steps as overarching, and apply each as necessary.

As a leader, you use influence to gain commitment and support for organizational goals. Following the four steps can help you do this. The steps are to prepare your case, ask for what you want, make your case, and ask for commitment.

 

Certified Leadership Communication Professional

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