Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the Santa Clara Women at Intel Conference 2007 where I met some smart, well-educated, and successful women in all sorts of engineering, computer science, and programming fields.
Speaking at one of the sessions was Jo Miller, CEO of Women’s Leadership Coaching, a firm that specializes in helping women succeed in industries that have been traditionally male-dominated, such as technology, finance, and energy. Her discussion, entitled “Influencing without Authority,” explored ways to gain credibility, get buy-in for ideas, and create a larger impact.
The most important lesson of the day – for me, anyway, — is that being assertive and being able to influence others stems from our own behavior. It is our own behavior that teaches others how to treat us, according to Miller. By approaching each situation with calm authority, we can better influence others and command respect.
Miller provided the group some invaluable pointers on leveraging relationships, influencing others, and successful ways of navigating the hierarchy in any organizational environment. In her talk, she discussed the six different types of influencing one can do in the office:
1) Positional influence: This is the influence inherent in your job title and duties. But don’t feel that just because you have a certain title or rank, that you cannot influence others in higher positions.
2) Relationship influence: Women tend to lack wide-ranging “friends in high places” at the workplace, so Miller recommends leveraging and building relationships with those at the top of the organizational chart. That could mean going to lunch with that VP, scheduling an informational meeting with the CEO, or sending a quick email to the President introducing yourself. Even something as simple as going to the cafeteria and joining coworkers for lunch rather than eating at your desk can have more impact than you think.
3) Expertise influence: Also known as influencing through your background and expertise — basically showing others what you know. Ask yourself, what is your unique value or “personal brand?” Leverage that.
4) Informational influence: This means having your “finger on the pulse” of your organization. Miller encourages everyone to either become information hubs or build relationships with people in who are the information gatekeepers. Information is power.
5) Resource influence: The ability to access the resources you need to do your job. Miller suggests making the case for more resources by proposing a solution rather than complaining about the problem.
6) Direct influence: Firm and direct, this type of “because I said so” influence is best reserved for correcting behaviors that are detrimental to the organization. She says to reserve this type of influence for a mere 1 percent of all situations.
We all have areas of influence where we excel and others that we can improve upon — the key is to identify those areas of influence where we’re lacking and set some goals. Read over the six areas listed above and ask yourself where you excel and where you need to spend more time.
The Anita Borg Institute and Women’s Leadership Coaching are partnering on the TechLeaders workshop series in 2008. Jo Miller will speak and facilitate two-day TechLeaders Workshops on Power and Influence. The first workshop will be held at Google in Silicon Valley on February 27-28, 2008. If you’re interested in learning more about Miller and her services, visit her Web site and read her blog.