Without doubt, the most important stakeholder that you have whenever it comes to influence – is you. Think about it. When you're completing your stakeholder map you map out all of the powerful people, all of the people that can have an impact. But, how often you put yourself on there? Read More

As you will see in a moment, this part of the Blueprint for an Exciting Adventure at Work is core. Changes you make here will, in time, be seen as the turning point for you – because it concerns the way you are relating to your work, responding to it, and starting to aspire to bigger and better things. Which means it is worth investing some time in studying it carefully and...

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We all make mistakes. I myself regularly make mistakes. When you do, you kick yourself, you beat yourself up, but hopefully you learn from them as well. And, I'm sure you're in the same boat. It doesn't matter how much we know or how little we know. We are all human and prone to making mistakes. When it comes to influence, there is one mistake that I make and I see others making time and time and time again. Maybe it's about time we started to root this out. Read More

If you are interested in creating or re-creating your work as an exciting adventure, you must agree with me that this is a fantastic experience to shoot for. In my world, I don’t believe in wishful thinking. Hard work, tenacity and enjoyment all go hand-in-hand. Action needs to take place to achieve your vision. Maybe you are stuck in a job you love, but you hate the politics around it, or the idiots you have to work with. Alternatively, you could be just starting out in your career, or committed to moving to a new career. Regardless, you need a...

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People regularly express concern that they may not get the agreement they need from their stakeholders. Here's one example from a workshop I ran this week: Read More

With so many new updates coming out here, you may well be overwhelmed with great ideas. I make no apology for the volume, because with so many people following me with different needs, I have to try to cater for all. So, here's a suggestion. Read More

One of the big challenges with exciting new opportunities is their propensity to hide the negatives. While you are excited about all the new things you will be doing, the meetings you will be attending, the results you'll be achieving, you will probably dismiss or at least downplay the drawbacks. Once you spot the drawback, you can potentially negotiate clear boundaries, with your new (potential boss) or even with co-workers as you begin to get moving. Here's a quick example that had an amazing impact. Read More

When looking to develop your power and influence, a key factor you need to consider is that it has less to do with you than you may think. The most profound impact (or influence) takes place in the mind of the person you are attempting to influence, because of what they think about you. Specifically about power, they are likely to imagine what power (capacity to influence) you have, and likely exaggerate it out of all proportion. If that exaggeration is going in a positive direction for you, it will help you at least in the short term, but may cause problems further down the line when the ultimately realise that you cannot deliver what they expected, such as putting in a good word with the CEO who they think you know well, but in reality you only nod to them in the corridor. So, today's post is about building greater awareness of how other people perceive you. Read More

When I published Feeling Powerless in a Relationship last week, a great many of you jumped on the opportunity to complete the online Power Profile. Using this to build awareness of where you get your personal power from is quick and easy, but only the very start of your journey to greater power and influence. However, there are two things that just about everyone has missed, and these are critically important if you wan to become more influential. Read More