Leadership Institute

Influential Leadership

Learning Format: Classroom

Order No. IMEX114

In today’s flatter, ever-evolving organization, leaders need to get things done through people who work outside their line of reporting -- and in some cases who even “outrank” them. Welcome to the new age of influence, where effective leaders don’t, or can’t, throw their weight around to make things happen…even with their direct reports.

Influential Leadership helps leaders get their good ideas heard, accepted, and enacted. Leaders learn influencing strategies and how to package ideas to gain the commitment of even the most skeptical coworkers and partners.

Do You Face Any of These Issues?

  • Are your leaders having trouble getting commitment to ideas or actions to improve service, productivity, or quality?
  • Do your leaders struggle to “make things happen” outside of their teams or workgroups?
  • Are your employees dissatisfied because they feel they are not listened to and are coerced into accepting and acting on ideas?

Performance Objectives

Helps leaders:

  • Capture people’s attention, change their perspectives, and make things happen.
  • Clearly link ideas, suggestions, and recommendations to changes that will have a positive impact on individual, team, and organizational performance.
  • Express themselves with enthusiasm and conviction.
  • Understand people’s motivations, needs, and concerns so they can gain their commitment.

Primary Competencies Developed

  • Building Partnerships
  • Gaining Commitment

Secondary Competencies Developed

  • Building a Successful Team
  • Building Strategic Working Relationships

Course Overview

  • Prework: Participants complete a prework booklet that introduces the concept of influence and has them identify an influence opportunity they have with a person or group at work.
  • Open: Learners are introduced to the topic of influence and work in teams to choose one real-life influence situation they will focus on during the workshop.
  • Strategy -- Focus on the Big Picture: Learners observe a leader use big-picture strategies in several scenarios. They evaluate the strategies and work to identify the big-picture influence strategies they will apply to the situation identified earlier.
  • Packaging -- Engage Hearts and Minds: Learners are introduced to the three techniques to paint the picture and discuss when to use each. Teams work together to identify their audience type and which packaging techniques and strategies they’ll apply in their real-life influence situation.
  • Commitment -- Steer Choices and Actions: Teams are introduced to the commitment techniques and determine how to handle each situation. Teams work together to develop a process for gaining commitment in their own situations.

Video Segment Summaries

  • A positive-model leader attempts to influence his peers.
  • The big-picture strategies are illustrated as our video leader engages in three meetings with his peers.
  • Using a number of packaging techniques, the leader captures attention, builds a vision, and gains support for the idea.
  • The leader addresses skepticism from one of his influence targets.
  • The leader successfully handles reluctance to commit.

Course Details

  • Target audience: Informal and formal leaders at all levels.
  • Course length: 3 hours, 30 minutes. Course can be lengthened with optional activities.
  • Facilitator certification: DDI-certified facilitator required.
  • Prerequisites: None.
  • Series: Suitable for all environments.
  • Group size: 8 to 16 people.
  • Prework: Yes. 15 minutes.

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