Colin Gautrey | Gautrey Unleashed

Power Vacuums and Unstable Systems

April 19, 2012 by Colin Gautrey

In 2008, I wrote about Power Vacuums in Political Dilemmas at Work which I defined as...

"Your boss has moved on and a successor has yet to be appointed. Suddenly nobody is quite sure what to do."

Except this isn't quite true, is it? People who are adept at navigating the politics of the organisation will know exactly what to do. The dilemma is only a dilemma if you don't know what to do. This simple and common event offers a fascinating example of how the organisational power structures live and breathe and understanding this dynamic can certainly be a career saver. Read More

Are You Powerful Enough?

April 5, 2012 by Colin Gautrey

Mention this five-letter word — power — and there is often a deep emotional reaction. If so, it is usually negative. In the absence of a strong reaction, most people are neutral or simply curious — rarely are they enthusiastic. The reaction depends on the individual's experience and, with negative reactions, their battle scars. Those who have been on the unfortunate end of abusive power tend to shun the very idea of acquiring power. Which is a shame. Those who have seen all the good that can arise because of power are naturally curious and open to explore some more. They will stop short of the vigorous pursuit of power because that is probably not something they want to be caught doing — a little socially unacceptable perhaps?

Power is the capability to get people to act, think or feel differently.

How to Learn about Influence

April 4, 2012 by Colin Gautrey

If you want to learn about influence, you could go on a course or get some coaching. Or, you could just do it yourself. All you need is a little structure, motivation and resourcefulness. By way of structure…

Pause: Stop a moment and think. Who/what is influencing you? Who/what influences others? How are you trying to influence? What do others do when they try to influence?
Plan: What seems to work and with whom? What doesn't work? Why? What could you do differently? What will you do? You might like to add a little reading and talking here too.
Play: Have a go at doing something different. Play safely and see what happens. Enjoy becoming more flexible in your influencing approach.

Trust and Integrity Made Simple

March 28, 2012 by Colin Gautrey

Trust and integrity are two intertwined concepts that usually crop up when I start talking about influence. Although interconnected, they are different, and a clear understanding of them can help you to build influence more quickly. However, despite the temptation to dive into a philosophical debate, you can simplify these greatly and then get moving again with your influence. Trust is the degree to which you can predict someone or something. When it comes to people, what you are assessing is how well you can predict what they will do or, how they will react, to a given situation. Will they do what they say they will do? Will they keep your secrets? Will they tell you the truth? Read More

Pausing to Influence Faster

March 26, 2012 by Colin Gautrey

I coined the phrase “pause to go faster” while running workshops several years ago for a particularly fast-paced organisation. There seemed to be no stopping them. They pick up an idea and they're off the starting blocks before you know what has happened. The culture is one which admires those who get to action fast. However, at times, there is also a desperate need to pause and reflect. Then, in all probability, you will move even faster than before. This is definitely the case when it comes to influence. Unless you pause to think about how you are approaching an influence attempt, you'll probably just do what you've always done. That may work; but then again, it might not. Read More

What Are You Hiding?

March 16, 2012 by Colin Gautrey

Sometimes, you may have the irresistible urge to hide your views, opinions and feelings from others. However, communication is far more complex than simply the words you use. Your inner thoughts and feelings can leak out in so many ways. You may be able to put on a good show, but often, other people can simply smell that something is wrong. As human beings, we are extremely well equipped to detect these subtle clues — albeit much of this is subconscious. The phrase “I smell a rat” springs to mind. Despite this, attempting a cover-up is often a very attractive option, particularly if you are meeting with formidable characters, or those who you think would be upset by your true thoughts. And yes, sometimes it is prudent to do this, but you need to take care because of the risk of your real attitude being detected. If you say one thing and the other person thinks you may be thinking or feeling something different, one could say that they have caught you being untruthful. That could have a big impact on the extent to which trust survives within your relationship. And, if you want to be more influential, trust is essential — well, if you want enduring influence it is! Whenever you notice the temptation to cover-up looming, consider... Read More

The Power of Three

March 13, 2012 by Colin Gautrey

One of the joys of being a practitioner of the practical is the delight of seeing a simple idea land in seconds and make a positive impact on behaviour. It happened again today while running a workshop for a group of highly experienced professionals who were exploring the subject of influence — and it came within the first 20 minutes and it will last well beyond this day in all of our minds. It is not new, nor a revelation — just a helpful device to tune your communication and increase your influence. It comes down to three simple points... Read More

Aristotle, Rhetoric and Influence

March 4, 2012 by Colin Gautrey

On the conference stage, I often refer to Aristotle’s abhorrence of rhetoric as part of my argument that even if you don't like a subject, mastering it can still be preferable to ignoring or denying it. You may not like office politics, but avoiding it offers unscrupulous characters an opportunity to take advantage of you. Despite his dislike of the topic, Aristotle is regarded as the greatest teacher of rhetoric. He maintained that it gave power to weaker arguments and, thus, wanted to equip his students with the ability to defend their position against those with questionable motives. However, the study of rhetoric is also useful if you want to become more influential at work today. Like the Read More

Managing People with the Stakeholder Influence Process

March 1, 2012 by Colin Gautrey

In my book, Advocates and Enemies, I outlined the Stakeholder Influence Process as a means of achieving the influence you want in and around your work. What I didn’t elaborate on in the book was how you can also use this process to manage your team members and direct reports. If you believe that influence is a key part of their work, show them how to use the process. At your one-to-ones, you can ask them to talk through their progress by referring to the Stakeholder Influence Map. Remember, this is a process of enquiry. It poses the questions around a simple structure to elicit new actions to advance towards the objective in mind. As such, it becomes a great coaching tool for your people — all you have to avoid is the risk of putting forward your own ideas about what they should be doing! Here’s a quick approach you can follow… Read More

Be Careful Where You Sit

February 26, 2012 by Colin Gautrey

When office moves occur, petty politics can become quite tense, as any facilities manager will tell you. Moving someone from one place to another in the office is fraught with challenges. Although the most notable issues relate to having a pleasant view out of the window or being near friends, there can be some deeper political positioning going on which is worth being aware of. For instance…

Sitting near the boss. Ambitious people like to keep their ears open, gather intelligence and also welcome the frequent opportunity to informally chat to the boss. Add to this the opportunity to chat to other important people waiting for their meeting and it is easy to see why this is a popular seat. Added power also comes from the close proximity to other power sources.

Provocative Coaching and Mentoring. START HERE