Colin Gautrey | Gautrey Unleashed

Command and Control: Alive and Kicking

January 14, 2017 by Colin Gautrey

Some writers on leadership like to imagine that the ancient leadership style of command and control is obsolete and disappearing fast. Does it feel like that to you? It is certainly less prevalent than it may have been in the 70s and 80s, but it remains pretty vigorous — at least judging by the volume of examples I hear of each month. And perhaps it should be too. Command and control still has a place in leadership and it always will — provided it is done in the right way. Alive and kicking it is and you should be taking the latter word metaphorically rather than literally! Below I will share with you three scenarios where I believe command and control is absolutely the right style to adopt. And to help me avoid becoming the friend and mentor to mini-despots the world over, please make sure and also read the criteria for appropriate use of command and control at the end of this article! Read More

Elements of Professional Influence Series

January 9, 2017 by Colin Gautrey

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Handling Conflicting Agendas

December 22, 2016 by Colin Gautrey

When you are clear about what you want to achieve, it is often frustrating to find that others do not share your enthusiasm. A great deal of time and effort is expended building the case, considering the risks and planning the execution. Everything seems to make sense and you are keen to get going – you want to implement swiftly. Then the problems start. Reaching out to your stakeholders, you begin to find out that some are not interested. They fail to buy-in to your project or, worse, don’t even give you the time to explain your plans. When you do get to see them, they start to share insights with you about other things going on elsewhere in the organisation, which seem to be in direct conflict with what you are working on. Trouble is, you can see that they may have a valid point. Doubts begin to Read More

Making Sense of Political Upheaval

December 8, 2016 by Colin Gautrey

At times the power games and political manoeuvring appear undecipherable. An implicit feature of politics is that of imperfect information — not many know what is really going on. And the actors often relish and encourage that. Mere mortals should keep out of the way, unless they serve as useful and expendable pawns. In this article, I'm going to expand on a previous article (Understanding Your Reputational Context) and up the ante by sharing with you a process whereby you can apply Scenario Planning to deepen your insight and hopefully, foresight. Read More

Political Situation Case Study D: Turf Wars

November 30, 2016 by Colin Gautrey

Turf Wars: Two powerful people are fighting to win control of your function -- and you are caught in the middle

In any organisation there are powerful people. Most seek to acquire more power and influence. As their power grows, someone else loses power. People compete to acquire more resources, more control -- and anything else they can get their hands on -- to become more influential. Their motive may be authentic and have integrity – but it is natural to seek more territory. The arrival of the matrix structure means we see Turf Wars more often. Many of us now have two -– or more – bosses which makes this dilemma more likely. If our bosses are competing with each other, we are Read More

Political Situation Case Study C: Power Vacuum

November 30, 2016 by Colin Gautrey

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

Good leadership provides direction and purpose for our team. Great leaders direct our efforts to where they will have the greatest impact. They help us to work together by making the tough calls and keeping us on track. An effective leader is a stabilising and motivating influence on us. They enable us to perform and help us enhance our career. But, what happens when they leave unexpectedly? What was once taken Read More

Nine Potent Ways to Influence Your Colleagues

November 23, 2016 by Colin Gautrey

We talk a great deal about influencing stakeholders here on the influence blog, yet sometimes it is those closest to you that are a missed opportunity. If you can influence your colleagues, team members and closest co-workers, a great many others things become possible. So, without further ado, here are nine ways you can become a more influential team member:

Understand their goals. Key to being influential with people is having a deep insight into what they are striving for, or trying to avoid. If you can figure out their personal and professional agendas, you will develop a keener sense of how things that you do will affect them, and how they will react.
Be an enthusiast, of them. My oldest self-development book (Masters of the Situation by James Tilley, 1888) proposes enthusiasm as one of the secrets of power and influence. Still true, and here you can apply it to your colleagues and their goals.

Can I Trust You? Are You Sure?

November 22, 2016 by Colin Gautrey

Obvious answer – of course you can! You know that. But, do they? It is far easier that you may realise for others to distrust you. You don’t need to do anything wrong to see their level of trust in you dip. Indeed, it may be nothing whatsoever to do with you. However, the negative impact on your work will be big. Read More

Are You Worth Trusting? You Sure?

November 21, 2016 by Colin Gautrey

Obvious answer – of course you are! You know that. But, do they? It is far easier that you may realise for others to distrust you. You don’t need to do anything wrong to see their level of trust in you dip. Indeed, it may be nothing whatsoever to do with you. However, the negative impact on your work will be big. Below I am going to share thirteen reasons why trust may be declining around you – then you can take steps to arrest any decline, or make sure it doesn’t start to drop in the first place. Before I do that…

What is Trust?

“The degree to which someone can predict how you will respond in certain situation.”

For instance: giving them an honest answer to a straight question; remaining calm when disputes arise; supporting their work when the need arises. In practice, this usually means that they believe you will respond in a favourable way. Defining trust this way can also include Read More

Political Situation Case Study B: The Interim

November 15, 2016 by Colin Gautrey

The Interim: You’ve accepted a fantastic job. The problem is that you’ve been told -- and everyone knows -- that it’s a temporary position, and things quickly start to get awkward.

Interim appointments are becoming a more common feature of organisational life, especially at senior levels. The speed that ambitious and talented individuals move onwards and upwards results in key appointments forever needing to be filled – and if the organisation’s performance is not going to suffer unduly, then filling the vacancy quickly is important – but not as Read More

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