Stuck in traffic on the way home, Chris started talking to herself.    “Ok, what happened this afternoon? Is this good news or bad news? I mean, in the last nine months, it seems that we all have been required to do more with less: More assignments with quick turnaround time. More duties with fewer direct reports. More tasks with less information. “And now, I’ve been ‘informally’ promoted. If I bring in the Axis project in on time and under budget, I’ll be named manager of this ad hoc team. How can I possibly succeed, given the project timeline, the budget, and this particular group of people?! And how in this world will they want to work for a person who has less seniority and less experience than any of them, someone whose success is linked to their buy-in and cooperation, and a person who talks to herself in the car?!?” Before the first sip of her first cup of tea the next morning, problems with her new team began. Dwight barged into her office with a list of questions, most of which they had discussed and resolved two weeks ago. Why can’t he ‘stay told’ once the decision has been made? Elaine e-mailed asking for a one-on-one afternoon meeting. She attached an agenda which covered everything from suggestions about the design of a team t-shirt, to revamping the critical path of project plan, to detailing the lack of initiative of all the other team members. Bob popped in with a draft of the first team communication. Chris scanned it and wondered why her idea of results and Bob’s understanding of results seemed worlds apart? Chris closed her office door, put her head on her desk, and mumbled under breath, “Oh, this definitely is NOT good news!” This is a prime opportunity for Chris to use her influence with her team. Influence has been defined as the ability to affect others—seen only in its effect—without exertion of force or formal authority. Keys to being influential with others are the skills of attentiveness … [Read more...]

Shawn, HR Manager, recently was chosen to lead a special project to streamline all HR processes.  Members of the project team include fellow managers throughout the company, including two managers in remote locations. “This project is a nightmare,” Shawn complained. “My team members ignore my e-mails. They ‘forget’ team meetings, or, worse still, they come unprepared. They seem more interested in their favorite sports team results than they do in getting this work done. I can’t make them do anything I ask! Something’s got to give, or we won’t meet our report deadline. And my yearly bonus is riding on our success!” Perhaps you can identify with Shawn. Teams are formed and given a list of deliverables. Team members must complete their regular job duties while juggling the project tasks. And the person who is given the responsibility of the project often has little authority to complete the assignment. Effective use of personal influence is essential to success. Here are two steps Shawn—and you—can take to be influential with co-workers: Analyze First, think about each individual co-worker. Identify his/her style of interaction. What clues can you gather from body language? Does the person gesture broadly while talking? Is he fidgety? Does she bite her nails? Does he sit with hands and legs crossed? From such clues comes an awareness of that person’s comfort level with working as a part of a group. What about speech patterns? Does he speak softly or in a loud, booming voice? How does she begin meetings? Does she dive right into the business at hand, or does he take time for small talk, sports, family, etc.? Does he want details, charts and graphs, or is she satisfied with broad outlines, outcomes and results? Adapt Once you have gathered information about other team members, you now have a choice. You can continue to struggle by giving information in the format and manner you are comfortable with. You can continue to … [Read more...]