Building Influence

To be a successful manager of business or technical processes today, you need a lot of different skills. You need to understand the business needs and goals and understand your teams needs and goals. At times it appears that this is easier for the business folks as they are closer to the business needs and often see the technology as a tool to meet their needs, however technical groups need to pay attention to the business needs and plans because in most cases, the technical groups would not be in place without the business need.

There are many aspects involved in managing, however I want to focus on one key area today, Influence. In my mind, everyone is capable of Influence. I feel that I have influence over my direct staff, other staffs, my boss, his peers, my boss’s boss, and often, others in the organizations.

How did I gain this influence, was I given this influence when I became a Manager? I don’t think so. When rank becomes the primary means toward influence, then you have lost the battle to influence. At times, you need to be in business compliance and have to fall back on rack, however in my opinion there is a clear line between managing or directing thru rank and managing though influence.

You build influence by building and maintaining strong relationships, by communicating effectively and by being fair and consistent across all groups in the organization. This starts with your direct team. You need to lead by example by working hard and always communicate what you are doing. This can be hard at times. You often make choices for organizational benefit over personal preference that others many not fully understand, however as long as you are fair and consistent, others will respect your decisions even if they do not agree with them. As your team comes together and starts to beleive in you, other groups will also be influenced by this.

Working hard, communicating well, being fair and consistent are keys to Influence. In my opinion, being a manager is not a requirement. Everyone can be influencer.

If you are looking to move into the managerial ranks, then please consider the topics outlined above. For help with these and other Managerial Topics and Discussions, follow the links below for more information:

Manager Tools is a great reference for all managers: www.manager-tools.com

Scottberkin.com has a number of essays that are applicable to all, however there is a real technical influence in his writing which makes it appealing to technical folks: www.scottberkun.com

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