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To lead change, you need influence.
Without it, nothing changes.
When you master it, people listen.
Even the CEO.
Surprisingly, influence is a lot like coaching.
You succeed not by telling.
But by asking.
A four-step approach:
👉 Step 1 - Build understanding:
- What are we trying to accomplish?
- What legacy do we want from this?
- How does this fit into our bigger picture?
👉 Step 2 - Surface hidden challenges:
- How does this affect your team? (the close)
- What do the shareholders (and other important people) think about this? (the powerful)
- How are the wider company handling this? (the many)
👉 Step 3 - Get to No
- Do you disagree?
- Is it ridiculous to think this could work for you?
- After everything I've laid out, does this look like it would be helpful to you?
When you hear No! Say this:
- Tell me more….
👉 Step 4 - Strike a deal:
- What happens if we do nothing?
- How can we move forward?
- How do we find a solution that balances all factors?
âś… The result:
It’s likely they’ll have decided to change.
Without you even telling them to.
⚠️ Beware:
With influence comes great power.
Use it carefully.
📚 This approach is known as “Calibrated Questioning” taken from Never Split the Difference
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