As you get more skilled at influence, you’ll recognise that it is best to get a clear understanding of those you are seeking to influence. As I’ve said many times before, walking in their shoes, truly understanding what makes them tick is essential - if you are to be skilled at optimising your approach.

A subtle aspect of this is missed by many, especially those who are more experienced.

The problem comes from the skill of judgement. As the years roll by, the experience stacks up, we all get better at this fine art. Unfortunately, this opens us up to three major risks. Read More

Your ability to demonstrate confidence will have a marked impact on your capability to influence people. 

People want to see that you're confident, that you know what you're talking about, that you're sure that it's in their best interest to say yes to you.

Therefore, you need to be very conscious of when lack of confidence starts to rise within you. It is inevitable at some point because it is a natural part of learning and growing.  Read More

There are many ways to become more visible, and it is certainly something that everyone who aspires to greater office, or more responsibilities, need to do, as a matter or priority.

Sure, you can do good work and wait to get noticed. But, you may be waiting an awful long time. During which, you’ll likely let you motivation and attitude drift and slide downwards so that any attention you do get may make matters worse for you. 

One of the simplest, albeit the most anxiety creating way to get noticed is to step into the line of fire.  Read More

One of my big messages is that if you want to get good at influence, and the politics, you have to put more time into learning about it, and figuring out how it works in your environment.

“Brilliant idea Colin, but I’ve got plenty to do already.”

And that becomes a problem.

When people say they don’t have the time, I counter with that’s because you’re not making it a priority. Where there is a will, there is a way. You’ve just got to find it. And the effort requires that you are motivated to innovate and transform so that you can raise it as a priority.

Yet there is a real issue here too. Read More

If you want to be really helpful to one of your opponents, the best thing in the world that you could do is react emotionally to something that they do. Respond in the moment and really get excited, angry, or whatever, about what it is they're trying to do. 

How dare they do this? Read More

“Think lucky and you’ll be lucky!”

Those words oft uttered by my father regularly ring in my mind. 

And, I totally believe this to be the case, yet just the tip of the iceberg.

Time and again I am reminded in my Private Client coaching that people tend to get what they expect to get. Read More

Far too many people for my liking are sitting back waiting for things to happen so they can make the progress they wish to make.

Waiting for promotion. Waiting for opportunities to present themselves. Waiting to be asked. Waiting to circumstances to become more  favourable. Waiting, waiting, waiting…

The net effect of all this waiting is that you have handed over responsibility to someone else. You are not in control.

You may well say that you cannot control when you get promoted, and you would be right. But, you can control how you proactively move it forward, and your responses when they don’t move fast enough.