How To Influence Senior Leaders
How To Influence Senior Leaders.
I think there are a lot of us who have been in a situation where…
You are sitting in a meeting and you’ve worked up the nerve to voice your thoughts and ideas to everyone in the room and nothing…
Crickets…
There was no response, no one really heard you and there was certainly no acknowledgement.
The problem with this situation is if it happens enough, where you’re not being heard and you feel like the newest avenger Captain Invisible... you start to clam up.
“What’s the point no one is hearing me”
And you continue to question yourself: “My ideas are wrong, maybe what I’m saying isn’t good enough”.
I had a client who found herself in this situation…
She was sitting in important and strategic board meetings, she tried time and time again to voice ideas and thoughts to a room full of senior managers and that exact issue kept occurring, where no one listened or heard what she had to say and right on cue, in crept her self-doubt.
As I explained to her there are strategies you can implement to avoid situations like that. To avoid crickets and get the responses you are after from those in the positions that matter to your career and your growth.
Specifically, there are 7 strategies on how to influence senior leaders.
These strategies apply to anyone wanting to make a bigger impact because if you can’t make that impact, especially when you are giving the company everything you have, then you will be left feeling disengaged and well “what’s the point..?”
1. Your Personal Brand (PB)
“What is my personal brand…”
We all have a personal brand but the question is:
Are you being intentional about your PB or are you letting it run free, having a life of its own? If this is the scenario that you are in then you need to have a rethink because it is your Personal Brand that will take you to where you want or need to be.
Ask yourself:
- “Do I believe in myself”
- “Do I have something valuable to say”
- “Am I enough to undertake this?”
Here’s the thing, If you don’t believe in yourself then others won’t believe in you and the fallout is that you will continue to be unheard.
If you want to influence those in senior management and leadership positions then you have to know who you are. The people in these positions do not have the time and they don’t want to give you time if you are wavering with your ideas and your PB.
Do you want to know the golden rule..? Here it is (drum roll)...
CONFIDENCE!
Confidence is key, it is attractive, it is a magnet for those around you. Possessing this will help you draw those managers to you, they will listen to what you have to say if you can confidently deliver your ideas.
There are three other aspects within your personal brand that you need to take on board.
#1 Body Language & Communication Style
Positive body language will have a dramatic effect on those around you.
It makes sense, think about it if you walk around the office or sit in those board meetings straight-backed, head held high and open (the power posture), rather than shoulders closed and hunched over, you are already appearing more confident. So always take a moment to adjust your body language.
How is your communication style?
Did you know that research suggests if you are high pitched (especially for women) and speak at a rapid rate then you lose credibility? It makes sense after all when you are speaking fast you are less likely to come across as confident and knowledgeable and more making it up as you go.
I do not doubt that you are saying right now “yes, yes, yes Caroline I know body language is important blah blah blah”, BUT you need to pay attention to how you are projecting yourself in order to be an influencer, so know your communication style.
#2 The Perception people have of you
Are you known in your workplace as the doer, good at task execution or are you known as a strategic contributor..?
If it is more of the “doer” variety then you need to make a shift to make an impact and start influencing senior managers. Become more strategic so their perception of you and your ability also makes an important shift.
#3 Values
You need to know your values and who you are. There is no point in trying to pack a punch within a company if your values do not align with those in the position to help grow your career. If you have high integrity and your CEO has low integrity in your eyes this will result in no connection. If this is the case how are you going to accomplish anything within that organisation, how are you going to influence, make an impact and of course step up?
2. How to Influence Others in the Workplace
Take a step back…
No not from your desire to make an impact but from how you deliver your ideas and strategies.
You see what you need to do is make it all about them…
To do this you have to be diplomatic by shifting the focus from you and centre it around them, understand their priorities and what their agenda is. Articulate your plans this way and always be on point otherwise you risk losing their attention and your credibility.
3. Be Proactive
Don’t wait for opportunities to be handed to you… Be Proactive!
What does this mean exactly..?
Analyse the inside workings of your company and extract things, this will enable you to come up with ideas, methods and solutions to problem solve. The information and solutions that you work out could be important to the workings of the company, it could very well be a priority or on the agenda of senior management and you're the one illustrating it to them.
There are benefits of being proactive at work because it’s this type of behaviour that will set you apart from others and show them your unique value.
4. Alliances
What does it mean to build alliances...
Alliances are a powerful weapon in your arsenal of stepping up and out in your career, so load them up!
How do alliances work..?
If you are in a position where you’re not short of alliances and you know you have support then raising your hand and expressing your ideas in a board meeting may be well and good. But if you are yet to have that support system in place then you might want to reconsider dropping a bombshell in the meeting room!
Think about it, you don’t want to bombard everyone at a meeting where all the “important” people are sitting and you certainly don’t want to rub people up the wrong way. You need to be strategic and diplomatic in how you position what you have to say.
The best way to cross the line with an idea is to formulate the idea, have the conversations either before or after the meeting. Be assertive and get the consensus before heading into the meeting and dropping any bombshells.
5. Don’t be Vanilla
Why be vanilla when you can be salted caramel swirl with flakes of gold, oh so luxe!
Be different (not rock the boat or controversial different) but different in a way where you understand who you are and what your genius zone is.
Then try and understand how it links to the organisation you work for and where you fit in the system of things. You can do this by understanding that you want to be more than vanilla and that you want to make an impact.
6. Emotional Regulation
There is a shift when you want to influence upwards and you need to know that you will be triggered.
You’re dealing with people who are at times, blunt and this could leave you questioning yourself. By looking at the facts, not the emotional side of it all, will assist you in knowing what triggers you, is it the tone they use, the language, unfairness… learn what it is and how to manage and regulate them.
So How do you Emotionally Regulate?
It’s always a good idea to find a technique to help you do this such as meditation, dancing, HIIT workouts anything that will bring back your power and focus.
When you want to influence a “powerful” person, which may set off your triggers, you need to make sure you have your foundation set before setting off on the path.
Because you will be triggered.
7. Don’t Unleash the Ego
I had a client who was brilliant at her job, the go-to person, an expert in her field but when it came to influencing she couldn’t do it. The reason…. she would abruptly, tell them how it was and let her ego take front and centre.
Ego and attitude in the workplace is a dead end to you and your career. You have to be diplomatic and not let your ego run the show. If you want to influence, you need to approach it differently but you have to read the room and tone it down if you are unsure ask the right open-ended questions before you become righteous.
It is a good idea to gather all the information you can, absorb it, think about it and then go back to the senior management and ask for a moment to discuss your ideas.
Hopefully, these 7 strategies on how to influence senior leaders will help you along your path of becoming an influencer in your company… It is designed as a strategy to put in place step by step it’s certainly not a hallelujah moment, unfortunately, like most things it will take time, it is a work in progress and if you slip up just keep trying and applying and most importantly give it some time.
If this has inspired you then pass it on...
If you want to learn more, please connect with me across my platforms so I can help you and others who are searching for career success and fulfilment to apply do not doubt.
Reach out and schedule a FREE breakthrough session with me.
📲 https://www.newhorizoncoaching.com.au/call
You have my word (pinkie swear) it will be a real conversation about YOU. What your needs are, where you currently are in your career and most importantly where you want to be.
Following this we can discuss how we will overcome any of the roadblocks, what strategies will help you and of course what working together will look like.
