| Influencing Your Boss |
What’s the number one reason people leave their jobs? They don’t like their boss.
This should come as no surprise if you sometimes have trouble dealing with your
boss. Just thinking about a high stakes salary negotiation, a sensitive year-end
performance review, or having to deliver some kind of “bad news” to your boss can
raise your stress level. It’s hard to be at your best in such situations. It will be a lot
easier once you’ve crafted your influence strategy.
Influence strategy: Any time you need to influence upward, clarity is key.
So prepare accordingly. First, get clear in your mind what’s working or not working,
from your perspective, and what you hope or expect to change. Think just as hard
about where your boss is coming from. (If you don’t know, then plan to ask.)
Envision a conversation that reaches beyond just getting what you want. Get ready
to search for mutually desirable outcomes you and your boss can pursue together.
As you talk with your boss, thoughtfully use a blend of the “push” and “pull”
influence styles. Clearly state how you see things, and invite your boss to do the
same, using your active listening skills to show that you’re sincerely interested in
his or her point of view. Then, state what you want, taking care to back your
proposals whenever possible with reasons that connect to what is important to your
boss. Ask your boss to share some of his or her goals, as well. Chances are, your
boss will welcome this form of influence because it invites him or her to contemplate
appealing possibilities. Throughout the dialogue, search for the common ground
between what your boss wants and what you want.
Pursuing such conversations with your boss might not work perfectly at first, but
keep trying. While others merely whine or make demands, you’ll command your
boss’s respect by being clear about what you want, and by being sincerely
interested in his or her goals, as well. Over time, this kind of interaction will
transform how your boss sees you and deals with you.
CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE POSITIVE POWER AND INFLUENCE PROGRAM
Author: Sherri Malouf and Cindy Smith of LMA, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
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training, positive power and influence program, PPI, presentation skills training, meeting management training,
interpersonal skills, training, business training, harvard, positive power and influence, communication, change
management, management training, positive negotiation, negotiation skills, presentation skills, meeting management,
effective meetings, influence without authority, situation management, train the trainer, customer service, conversation,
skill building, experiential training, experiential, interactive training, call center coaching, call center training, contact
center training, contact center coaching, telephone sales, e-mail communication, email communication, customer
service training, technical support training, field rep training, customer service for field reps, customer service for
technical support, getting to the heart of, getting to the heart of customer service, getting to the heart of technical
support, getting to the heart of email, the other side of serviced
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| Companies that have Successfully Delivered the Positive Power and Influence Program Include: CNA Insurance Anheuser-Busch Amoco BASF Bell Atlantic Chevron Citibank ExxonMobil Lever Brothers Philip Morris Shell Van Leer WangAetna Life Amoco Apple BASF BP Coca-Cola Digital Equipment IBM Levi Strauss & Co. Morgan Grenfell Pepsi Cola Philip Morris Rhone Poulenc Shell Texaco Union Carbide MORE |
