Shareholders of many bastions of industrial and commercial stability are waking from their afternoon nap. It was only a short one, after lunch with a glass or two but, as they rub the sleep from their eyes, the world has changed. Not Armageddon, nor the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust, but they can hear the sirens wailing in the distance. It seems like only yesterday they were watching the big technology firms in turmoil. Firms such as RIM, Nokia and the like, almost wiped out within a year. “Uber? What is uber? Isn’t that German for over, or finished or something like that?” They could be forgiven for wandering off to a long lunch at the club with a wry smile, and a smug swagger. Complacency is only discovered with hindsight. Read More

Many people have told me that the biggest challenge they face is that they are not able to get the attention of the senior people in their organisation. In fact, my articles on gaining visibility and building reputation are among the most popular of the 500+ that I have written over the last few years. The frustration is palpable. One recent example was Alan, a VP in risk management:

“I’m arguably one of the best qualified people on my topic in the business, and maybe externally too. I’ve been interviewed by the media, am prominent in my institute and have even published articles. But, will my executive listen to me? Not a chance. There is a major problem emerging and none of the senior team are in the least bit interested. Sure, they make the right noises, but do they do anything? Well, it is starting to present a risk to my career now. If this thing blows…”

When I worked it through with Alan, it was clear that the executives should be taking notice, recognising what he can contribute and certainly, taking concrete action. Right now, we are taking steps to ensure that Alan, and his organisation, avoid a calamitous and very public reputational nose-dive. Gaining the appropriate level of recognition can do a lot more than avoid catastrophes. Over the last year alone, many that I have worked with have reported back that the increased recognition has given them benefits such as: Read More

Workplace politics make people angry, or at least frustrated. Politics gets in the way of the work, creating delays, disagreements and bad feeling. It is very difficult to pin down exactly what workplace politics is, partly because it means different things to different people. We made a valiant attempt at codifying the mayhem back in 2005 with 21 Dirty Tricks at Work. Since then, I’ve concluded that the majority view regards office politics as any act in pursuit of personal gain, especially where manipulation or dishonesty is involved. To most people I speak with, it evokes the feeling that it is either a necessary evil, or a complete waste of their time. All the game playing, positioning and subterfuge simply gets in the way of doing a good job. What do you think? Necessary evil, or waste of time? Read More

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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

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.

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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