One of the important aspects of this is to make sure that you focus on the most important people. These are likely to be those who have the most power and/or have the most interest in your success or failure. You should also make sure you include people you don’t know personally, or maybe do not have access to – they can still be stakeholders even if you cannot talk to them.
Keeping a specific Influencing Goal in mind, consider the following questions…
Winners…
- When you’ve succeeded, who is going to be better off?
- Whose life will be easier?
- Whose success will become easier when you’ve achieved your goal?
- Who are the end users/customers of your goal?
- Who will be able to achieve their own goals much quicker once you’ve achieved yours?
- Who else will be able to bask in your glory, share in your success?
- Who are the biggest winners?
Losers…
- Who is going to be worse off?
- Whose life will become more difficult?
- Who will have to change what they are doing because you’ve achieved your goal?
- Whose goal will be unachievable because you’ve hit your target?
- Who will not get the resources for their own project because everyone is working on yours?
- Who will be embarrassed by your success, perhaps because it shows they are lacking in some way?
- Who are the biggest losers when you are successful?
Now in your notes above, highlight 8 to 10 individuals who you believe are the most able to help or hinder you. Who are the most powerful people?
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