Influencing beyond data
picture by PNGEgg
Making a case is not quite the same thing as building credibility for yourself and your team. Many leaders I work with are grappling with how to move from the one to the other. They are good at building and presenting a compelling case for resources or sign-off to their leadership based on a dataset their team has prepared: it speaks for itself. It is well thought through, easy to follow, and fits within the vision. But this approach doesn't translate when they are expected to start shaping the future direction, or when they have to build an understanding of a future opportunity and the risks of inaction among a group of peers and more senior leaders who are focused on other things. How do they champion the case for what they and their team believe is possible?
When you have relied on data and knowledge, both on your part and on that of the audience, when making your case it can be disorienting to find yourself facing an audience that does not have whatever idea you want to promote on the radar. The audience usually consists of more senior leaders, customers, partners or other external stakeholders, and even your peers. You don't fully know what is important to them right now, and there is stiff competition for attention and resources. Born influencers may be hogging the limelight, making it even harder for you to make your pitch. When you don't have their skill to compellingly redirect the conversation to the topic you want to talk about, what can you do? If this is important to you, you get better at engaging in this setting. You don't have to pretend to be someone you are not, let alone become that person. You finesse how you drive the agenda that matters for the work you do. That is a skillset you can learn.
If raising your topic feels like bragging about yourself it can help to depersonalize things: look at it as working towards something that really needs to be done in and of itself. If you don't get this topic on the agenda, what will be lost?
For others the toughest challenge is to speak up in a meeting with loud participants. Do your prep: get your topic on the agenda. Speak to a few people you trust beforehand and get a sense for their view. Can they be your allies? Can you call on them to add their perspective during the meeting?
It would be a shame to walk away from making your impact because you believe a different person is required. You probably got your position for good reason. It can happen that people find they don't enjoy what is actually required of them. Mostly though when questions like these arise they come down to not knowing exactly what to do to create your impact in a given situation. Which can be disorientating when you've been successful so far. But it is fleeting, and you can do something to plug this gap. You've done it before: you've faced a novel situation and found a way through it. You can do it again. Try one of these easy steps, or talk to me if you'd like to have a more in-depth conversation about how you can make your impact.
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