Influence Up to Strengthen Your Leadership and Make a Bigger Difference
Influence is an essential skill for any leader. The ability to influence upwards is advanced leadership and critical to those looking to advance beyond their current levels. Executive leaders want their team to provide new perspectives and points of view. Providing that can be a way to set yourself apart. Here are several ideas to grow as a leader, influence your company’s outcomes at a higher level, and give yourself an advantage in moving up in the organization.
Learn from making recommendations
Building a rapport with your supervisor and others in the executive circle is a great way to open the door to sharing ideas. When you share ideas, you begin a dialogue that can be as beneficial to you as the company. You will receive feedback and challenges to your ideas; that is a perfect way to learn. Take advantage of the questions and conversations that come from sharing your thoughts. It can provide insights into other leaders’ thoughts, allowing you to refine your ideas and approach to future discussions. Each enhances your ability to influence further.
Asking questions of your leader provides many benefits
Asking questions shows interest. Like sharing ideas, it also creates conversation and two-way learning. When asking questions, be ready to follow up the responses with additional thoughts. Curiosity through questioning is another way to express ideas through conversation, versus just stating opinions to start the discussion. Asking questions to understand your leader’s views can give you a perspective on approaching them in the future for similar situations. For example, you may ask your leader, “can I ask how you arrived at that approach for the situation?”
Influence equals long-term value
There is no better way to contribute to your company than by influencing your leaders. Whether you are a store associate, Store Manager, District Manager, or even a Regional Manager, there are others to influence, and you have a unique perspective that a person the next level up doesn’t have. From a personal standpoint, I love hearing ideas or getting asked questions from people directly in contact with the customers. I cannot tell you how many times their comments have influenced me. In many instances, that conversation (and influence) then has a rippling effect on a much larger audience, whether it is a whole region or the entire company. You can add value as an individual who contributes something everyone can benefit from.
Forces you to think at a higher level
Are you challenging yourself to consider your ideas all the way through? How might your supervisor respond? What questions would you expect them to ask of you? Thinking through your responses will help refine your thoughts and allow you to anticipate and address the questions proactively. This thought process can be a tremendous benefit in influencing other people, especially senior leaders. If you are already speaking to the potential concerns, they know you have given your idea serious thought. That level of creditability can be the difference between being given the green light for your concept and not.
As you can see, influence goes in many directions and can create a significant, positive change for you and your company. Learning how to influence more effectively upwardly will boost your career and personal development journey.
What steps will you take to positive influence upwards in the next 30 days? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
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