Influence and Input

5.5 Days ( or Eleven ½ half day sessions)

Up to 24 participants

At first glance, the ability to influence and the ability to gather input may be on odd combination to pair in a leadership development training – almost opposites.  However, having the ability to determine who your stakeholders are (those you need to influence) and having the ability to understand their concerns and ideas (the input you need) will position leaders to determine the best course of action that will be supported so it will “stick.”

Module 1: Knowing the Customer Equals Knowing the Business

The work leaders do serves a purpose.  That purpose identifies who the customers are.  Those customers have expectations of leader’s team or department – which makes their input is valuable.

Leaders in this module will:

  1. Identify customers (both internal and external to the organization)
  2. Understand the dynamics of customer satisfaction
  3. Define the five customer expectations
  4. Ensure an understanding of customer needs and communicate them to business partners

Module 2: Creating and Navigating Workplace Culture

Workplace culture typically falls into one of four types.  These types themselves are neither positive nor negative as long as they allow for successful projects and processes.  Understanding workplace culture, allows leaders to capitalize on its strengths and avoid the pitfalls.

Leaders in this module will:

  1. Define the four types of workplace culture
  2. Identify the culture and subcultures of the work place
  3. Understand how to maneuver in existing culture
  4. Recognize how people take cues in their cultures
  5. Apply knowledge of culture to strategically evolve the workplace culture to align with changing external and internal pressures

Module 3: Getting Buy-In for Just About Anything

Even the most logical, profitable, and necessary changes can have pockets of resistance.  Change brings emotion – excitement, fear, inspiration, insecurity… all to the same team or even the same person!  Leaders need to address (not ignore) these emotions to keep resistance moving toward acceptance.

Leaders in this module will:

  1. Understand the change theory and its waves
  2. Use tools to address and manage the emotions that come with change – including the leaders’ own emotions
  3. Apply strategy to persevere as an agent of change

Module 4: Leading Stakeholders through Change

Gaining and keeping the support of key stakeholders is essential to the success of any change initiative or project. If your leaders are using the same email to report to every stakeholder, they are probably missing opportunities to keep stakeholders invested and enthusiastic about the organization’s initiatives and projects. This module connects change theory to communication strategies.

Leaders in this module will:

  1. Identify and analyze key stakeholders
  2. Determine the messages stakeholders need to hear and when they need to hear them
  3. Choose the best mode of communication for each stakeholder

Module 5: Leading Through Conflict

Conflict is healthy.  Conflict encourages discussions to identify the root causes of the problems and analyze possible solutions.  However, conflict can make people uneasy.  Effective leaders know how to leverage conflict to be productive – not destructive.

Leaders in this module will:

  1. Recognize when to engage in dialogue that is both assertive and cooperative
  2. Develop expertise to discover solutions and present options to customers that allow for the win/win
  3. Find opportunities to collaborate that will generate value and improve relationships for both you and the organization

Module 6: Facilitating for Input

This module focuses specifically on meeting techniques for gathering input. (For more thorough training on leading meetings, see the Meetings That Matter series).  Leaders will learn tools for gathering input that go beyond asking the question, “What do you think?”

Leaders in this module will:

  1. Build meeting expectations for input gathering before, during, and after the session
  2. Know the decisions a facilitator needs to make to prepare for a meeting that gathers input (including – Is a meeting the best method to gather input?)
  3. Prepare participants for an input gathering session
  4. Know the best tools to use to gather input
  5. Use tips and strategies to execute input gathering
  6. Close the session with action steps

Module 7: Using Constructive Communication

This module starts with an assessment for leaders to understand their own preferred communication style.  It progresses to understanding how others like to send and receive communication.

Leaders in this module will:

  1. Understand their own preferred communication styles
  2. Assess the communication styles of others through observable behaviors
  3. Explain how to leverage communication styles to give and receive input
  4. Modify messages to communicate in times of stress and conflict – which is often the case when gathering input

Module 8: Storytelling for Leaders

Experience and lessons learned are valuable when influencing people; however, if not used correctly, it can deter rather than encourage people to discuss.  People do not want to keep hearing, “When I worked for ______ , we always…..”  This module will show your leaders how to use storytelling to frame their experience and capitalize on their lessons learned without alienating those they want to influence.

Leaders in this module will:

  1. Establish and nurture relationships to create environment that encourages sharing of ideas
  2. Connect with people they lead to encourage open and honest feedback
  3. Find, create, and tell stories that will have impact on team/department/organization
  4. Relay their experience and knowledge to others through stories
  5. Understand how storytelling aids in championing change
  6. Identify meaning in the stories of others to tie their experiences to the discussion at hand
  7. Have leaders hear each other’s stories as part of the workshop experience and build team cohesiveness

Call us today at (612) 659-7230