Every day I speak with executives who feel as though they have lost traction with their careers. 2020 has been a year of chaos and confusion. COVID-19 has made travel restrictions, office shutdowns, lock-downs, virtual meetings and working remotely a way of life. Then just when we thought we were getting on top of this pandemic, the feared second wave of coronavirus became a reality. Many continue to work from home, detached from colleagues, champions and the powers that be.

The ways of doing business have changed and the ways of being in business have changed. There is the increased uncertainty of globalised and/or enterprise-wide responses, along with a mandate for doing things differently as organisations scramble to stay sustainable and relevant in a post COVID world.

Add in the additional complexities of remote working for many where teams and individuals are no longer able to collaborate or remain visible in an office. You don’t have the ear of the CEO anymore. It’s harder to meet with your team members and clients. You can’t have those casual yet critical corridor conversations that help keep you in the limelight, continually building your influence, brand and positioning. Remember, out of sight is out of mind.

In this new world of semi-lockdown –

• How do we stay visible and navigate the politics?

• How do our teams strategically strengthen and gain traction?

• And now that Zoom meetings and online business events are the norm, how do we let key decision makers know we want that promotion, deserve that pay rise, and crave opportunities?

Learn to manage up, or risk being managed out

The word “influence” is often bandied about as a negative thing. It’s a concept that seems to have lost its meaning and is even seen as an arcane art. But the fact is, influence matters. Influential teams and people are the ones who know how to navigate the politics without being sucked into the drama . They chart their own course, deliver far more impact, are highly sought after and leave a lasting legacy.

But what exactly is influence? And why is it important?

Influence is the ability to effect great change despite the odds against you. When you have influence, you create a shift, making a positive impact on the people, teams and organisations you lead and serve. In turn, you can bring about enormous change and success for yourself.

Those who can’t influence run the risk of being over looked.

Influential teams and individuals:

• Get things done despite seemingly impossible odds

• Own their own seat at the table as they are seen, heard and valued by the powers that be

• Communicate key messages in a way that has a high impact and offers immense value not only for themselves but also for their audience

• Bust through the bureaucracy that gets in the way and

• Appear to easily gain buy-in and drive change inside their organisations.

Having influence brings you a wealth of benefits including:

• Boosting your reputation

• Becoming more politically savvy and strategically networked inside the business

• Strengthening team and business relationships

• Gaining support for exciting projects and new ideas

• Reaching your personal and professional goals

• Negotiating a promotion, pay rise and better opportunities

• Becoming more successful in your role – which leads to greater overall happiness!

old ways of influencing may not work anymore

This topic is so important for right now as the old ways of influencing may not work anymore because of remote working arrangements. Far fewer corridor chats, ad-hoc coffee machine encounters or seeing people around the office (even in the elevator).  The eyebrow raise that would once have worked to signal to a peer to take a particular approach in a meeting, is far harder to do on Zoom.  As a result, to help my clients and readers navigate this new world more easily, I’ve outlined my thoughts on influence in a whitepaper – the 9 Things Influential People Do Differently, to help you on your influence journey.

Simply click here and the whitepaper is yours.

Then remember – a person with persuasion and a plan has far more sway!

 #womenofimpact #LookOutCSuiteHereSheComes #intentionalinfluence #strategicinfluence