Influencing others is an essential skill that can help you in any role. As a sales rep, your ability to influence others helps you persuade prospects, navigate objections and build trust. As a leader, this skill impacts your ability to motivate, guide and inspire your team members. At its most basic level, influence is simply getting someone to think or act in the way you want.

George Hallenbeck, PhD, the global content lead for the Center for Creative Leadership, says leaders must know how to influence people in order to be truly effective. Even if you don’t lead a team now, he says it’s still worth learning how to influence others. Why? Because he says influence is one of the core leadership skills needed in many roles. 

Keep reading this issue of PromoPro Daily, where we share Hallenbeck’s thoughts on how you can improve your influencing skills.

  1. Practice organizational intelligence. According to Hallenbeck, all organizations have 2 sides: the formal structure of the org chart and the more informal structure that represents how things get done. When you practice organizational intelligence, you understand both. In action, this looks like thinking before responding, networking to build social capital and leaving people with a good impression.

  2. Promote yourself. Leaders who know how to influence people embrace self-promotion. They know that when they do it for the right reasons, they can not only advance their own career — they can also provide visibility and opportunities for the people who report to them. Hallenbeck says leaders who excel at influencing people are great at gathering an audience. They might ask for people to be part of a problem-solving process or initiative. Then, they look for ways to “put on a show” and step into the spotlight at events and meetings.

  3. Build and maintain trust. According to Hallenbeck, influential leaders find the balance between pushing people past their comfort zones while also listening to their concerns and feedback. They blend toughness and empathy along with urgency and patience as they work to inspire their team members.

  4. Leverage your network. Your promo organization is dynamic. It changes in size and shape over time. Influential leaders recognize this, Hallenbeck says, and understand that their personal networks must also be dynamic and growing. They’re strategic about choosing how and when to tap into this network.

Influencing others is a skill that can serve you well throughout your career. Work on improving your influencing skills by applying the points above. Remember to be clear about your own values and goals. This allows you to have the greatest impact rather than just persuading people to follow you.  

Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: George Hallenbeck, PhD is the global content lead for the Center for Creative Leadership. He has authored or co-authored 8 books and is a recognized expert in learning agility.