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Leadership influence - Coggle Diagram
Leadership influence
Leadership Influence Tools
Building Relationships
The power that a competent company secretary has is largely dictated by the role that chair provides them and this agreement will be significantly influenced by the quality of the trust in the relationship between the chair and the company secretary
Trust can be defined by the equation: credibility + reliability + intimacy / self-interest
Networking
To excel at 'influencing and enabling' a company secretary must use 'internal and external networks effectively, leveraging relationships and exchanging knowledge'
Three types of networks
Personal networks
About exchanging important referrals and beneficial outside information as well as developing professional skills through coaching and mentoring
Operational network
Whose purpose is to help you get your work done and to get it done more efficiently
Strategic network
Which supports an individual to explore future priorities and challenges and get stakeholder support for them
Stevenson
defines three types of person:
Hubs
Who know the most people
Gatekeepers
Who know the right people
Pulse takers
Who know the most people who know the right people
Acting politically
In a 2013 study by Snell et al. political skill was found to be more important than other traditional management skill (including technical, administrative, human and citizenship skills) for predicting overall managerial effectiveness
In the sometimes volatile board environment at the apex of an organisation, being politically skilful is an important tool to support informal strategic leadership
Political skill:
the ability to understand others at work and to use that knowledge to influence others to act in ways that enhance one's personal or organisational objectives
Political skill predicts both performance evaluations and career success. This may be an inventory to test on oneself so that one can build on strengths, mitigate weaknesses and create an action plan for developing politically
The owl type can be defined as being 'politically wise' due their combination of the following (adapting from
Baddeley and James (1987)
Aware of purpose
Interested in direction in association with power and purpose
Can cope with being disliked, has good interpersonal skills
Personal values/ethics, thinks before speaking, assertive, tactful, emotionally literate, plans actions, check gossip/rumour
Excellent listener, is aware of others' viewpoints
Takes account of other people personally
Sees realities, knows how the formal processes work
Non-defensive, learns from mistakes, reflects on events
Can make procedures work for them
Sense of loyalty
Capacity for friendship
Knows the formal and informal organisations
Opens, shares information
In tune with the grapevine
Gets support
Recognises who knows, who cares, who can
Negotiates/cooperates
Likes win-win situations
Storytelling
One influencing technique that has gained in recognition in recent years is the power of storytelling
Stories are more likely to be remembered than facts or figures alone and when you tell a story, your audience slows down to listen
The story is a highly effective way to move people to action and is one main way in which we project our personal brand and credibility into the world
Challenging
Although the company secretary may require an expertise in informal and invisible leadership behind the scenes, that does not mean that they cannot also be challenging of the formal leadership represented by the chair, CEO and other senior stakeholders
Kakabadse et al. (2017)
notes
The company secretary's challenge is to resolve tension between the invisible power behind the throne, i.e in the shadow of the chairperson and knowing how to diplomatically challenge individual board member effectiveness towards higher collective board performance'
The Thomas Kilman model
Avoiding - sidestepping the conflict
Accommodating - trying to satisfy the other person's concerns at the expense of your own
Compromising - Trying to find an acceptable settlement that only partially satisfies both people's concerns
Competing - trying to satisfy your concerns at the expense of others
Collaborating - Trying to find a win-win solution which completely satisfies both people's concerns
Approaches to leadership influence
SUCCES
S
imple
understand what the core of your message is and then communicate it with an analogy
U
nexpected
Make your idea memorable by grabbing people's attentions through surprise and violating what the standard norms for your communication might be
C
oncrete
Use concrete and sensory language to help paint the person paint a mental picture
C
redible
Link credibility from outside authorities to your idea, including statistics or vivid details
E
motional
Appeal to people's human values as this influences them more than through rational numbers. Ensure that you include what's in it for them
S
tories
Share your idea through a narrative story to bring it alive
Cialdini: Persuasion and Pre-Suasion
Influence is based on six key principles: reciprocity, commitment and consistency, social proof, authority, liking and scarcity and the unity principle.
The more we identify with others, the more we are influenced by them
Often the best way to persuade is not at the moment of communication but in artfully setting up the moment so that influence naturally follows the course intended by the persuader
Cohen & Bradford: Five Types of Currency
Inspiration-related currencies
These are related to inspiration, vision and morality
People who value these currencies want to find meaning and purpose in their actions and they may go out of their way to help if they know that something is the right thing to do or if it contributes in some way to a valued cause
One can appeal to these people by explaining the significance of the request and by illustrating it is the right thing to do and appealing to they sense of integrity and virtue
Task-related currencies
These currencies relate to the task at hand and to getting the job done
They are often highly valued in new organisations, where supplies and resources may be scarce. One task-related currency is challenge so one can appeal to people through this currency who want to test or expand their skills, or work on challenging tasks and projects
Position-related currencies
People who value this current focus on recongition, reputation and visibility
They value increasing status and can be appealed to by a public acknowledgment of their efforts
Relationship-related currencies
People who value relationships want to belong and will value being included as part of a cohesive team
They can be influenced by creating a personal connection, being actively listened to and being offered support and understanding
Personal-related currencies
One can appeal to this currency by showing a person sincere gratitude for their assistance
Further, this type of person appreciates having freedom, so creating options within your idea will help influence them
Leadership Communication Grid (
Rodgers
(2007))
Conventional forums and processes (
formal & structured
)
Role-modelling (
formal & unstructured
)
Structured dialogue and participatory workshops (
Structured & informal
)
Everyday conversations and interactions (
informal & unstructured
)