Colin Gautrey

Trust and Credibility in Business Relationships

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These two words go hand in hand. If you think someone is credible – for whatever reason – you are likely to trust them. Credibility is the culmination of a wide range of factors which build the overall impression in the mind of the observer, including qualifications, competence, reputation and performance. When experienced, it is self-reinforcing and ultimately enhances the predictability of the individual concerned – it builds trust.

Positive Indicators: Each party in the relationship is likely to…

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Developing Tenacity when Facing Opposition

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Everyone should have opposition. It is natural and to be encouraged. If you don't have opposition, you are not trying hard enough, or you are deluded. Developing appropriate tenacity and displaying the right level of resolve may not win the day, but it should earn the respect of those you are attempting to influence. The definition of tenacity that seems most appropriate when it comes to influence in the workplace, is "persistence of purpose". Tenacity is the ability to display commitment to what you believe in. You keep picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and quickly get going again having learned a little more. At its best, tenacity Read More

Engaging and Influencing Stakeholders

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Stakeholders are important people who share an interest in your success. You need to engage with them at the right time so that you can influence them as easily as possible. Stakeholder influence doesn't just happen; you have to make it happen. By engaging with your stakeholders early, you stand a much better chance of being able to help them to understand what you want to achieve. Critically, you need to develop a clear appreciation for their stance in order that you can pitch your goals in the most favourable light.

"Proactively seek out, engage, and influence your stakeholders."
You can find stakeholders in many places. By thinking Read More

New Job? Quickly Learn How to Be Influential

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Fantastic, you've got a new job! Now, quick as you can, you need to establish your influence. Unless you can be influential from the start, there is a risk you may have to recover and gradually build it later. The best time to make a great impression is right now as you start moving in the new job. Influential people don't just arrive ― they make it happen. When I am coaching someone in this position, these are the typical areas I will challenge them on...

1. Who are the powerful individuals around your new job?

This can be focused Read More

How to Influence People You Don’t Like

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Nobody says that you have to like everyone. That is as unrealistic as saying you can always influence others. You can't. But if you want to influence people, it helps enormously if they like you. People tend to like people who like them. This creates an immediate challenge if you want to influence people you don't like. There are few people fortunate enough to only work with people they like, so here are a few ideas on how to improve your success when trying to influence characters you find odious.

Friends and Friendliness

There is a big difference Read More

Decoding and Resolving Personality Conflicts

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When we were doing the original research which led to the creation of the Influence Profile back in 2005, I don't think we realised just how powerful it was going to be in helping people to understand personality conflicts. Not only does it explain why personality clashes occur, it also provides a practical way of exploring how you can avoid conflict altogether. The curious thing is that it is not the difference in personality which causes the problem. Personality clashes are unlikely to occur if…
  1. You understand the personality difference.
  2. You accept their right to be different.
  3. You can find a way to work with the difference.
The majority of the solution can be found Read More

Do Influential Leaders Need to Be Visionary?

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No, I don't believe they do, but it definitely helps. Leadership books nearly all tell you that successful leaders are those with vision. They cite it as critical to being influential. Their argument is convincing. They say that you need to be visionary because…
  • You need to be able to create a compelling future.
  • Vision motivates people to go that extra mile.
  • Organisations need to innovate in order to compete and survive.
  • Shareholders and stakeholders require it.
  • Followers expect it in their leaders.
These books back it up with brilliant anecdotal stories of the likes of Read More

How to Be a Leader: Vital First Steps

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Hey, congratulations, you’ve made it. Now you are a leader, how does it feel? Exciting, a little daunting? Maybe you have been around a little while and are still feeling rather unprepared for the leadership task ahead. Then again, perhaps you have just landed a job with a new team and are still trying to decide how to lead them successfully. That’s okay, because as you learn how to lead there are always going to be times when you feel a little uncomfortable. And here I thought I would share a few ideas that may help you to make some Read More

Want to Be a Great Coach? Learn How to Be Patient

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As a manager and a leader, how do you find the time to be a coach? With so many demands on your time, finding the space to be a coach too is extremely difficult. Yes, I know you know that it makes sense. The more you invest in your people, the more they can do for you. Another trouble is the cross-over between your role as a leader and that of a coach. Many people regard leadership and certainly management as the remit to tell people what to do. But this is in conflict with coaching, isn’t it? You cannot tell people what they need to do and also Read More

If You Want to Be a Good Manager, Start with These Five Beliefs

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If you are a manager and want to learn how to be an even better manager, it pays to develop your own theory about what the job entails. This goes deeper than a simple job description. If you want to know how to manage people exceptionally well, try to distil it into the core beliefs. Beliefs shape your automatic behaviour. As a manager, you don't have time to think about everything you do, which is why it is important to build a robust base of beliefs before you get too set in your ways. Here are five which I think are vitally important when you are Read More

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