Influence Up: The Art and Science of Successful Communication

Influencing up has never been more challenging than it is right now — there are so many competing demands for our attention! Chances are, you’ve already moved on to something else in your head. But I encourage you to lean in because there’s a need for real solutions when it comes to influencing up in any organization and improving stakeholder relationships.

Many of us have had practice motivating and inspiring, and most of the time we motivate and inspire up. Influencing up is about being authentic, effective, time-sensitive, and real, plus it allows us to get stuff done. Influencing up is an art and a bit of a science, but here are some tools, techniques, and practical tips on how bust barriers and get things done!

No matter the size or scale of industry, to influence up in any organization, here are the three critical success factors to pay attention to:

• Power dynamics matter, and yours will grow when you put the good of the organization first.
• Leverage your Emotional Intelligence – you’re never done growing your EI.
• The responsibility of the communication falls on the communicator’s shoulders.

So, how do we put these critical success factors into action? Let’s look at three areas in which we can build influence in our stakeholder relationships!

1. Be Ready for Positional and Personal Power
2. Pay Attention to Emotional Intelligence
3. Improve Your Interactions with DISC and other similar communications tools

Be Ready for Positional and Personal Power

Let’s start by unpacking our positional power and personal power.

Positional Power

This is the power that’s granted to you by an organization or other authority, and it comes with a title. If you’ve been granted a title, you’re not “just” a [insert your own title here] … You have been empowered!

There is, however, an expectation of delivery. When you’re granted positional power, it comes with the expectation that you’re going to do something. You’re a delivery driver? That means the expectation is that you’ll deliver the goods safely and on time. You’re a project manager? That means you’re expected to navigate that project to a successful delivery for the organization. You’re a leader? That means you’re expected to bring out the best in the people assigned to your care.

Personal Power

This is what some might call charisma, influence, or the ability to motivate others. This has to do with your likeability. This is how you show up as someone who chooses to be kind, who chooses to be friendly, who chooses to smile. Positional power is your earned power. It’s how you’ve proven yourself over time and how you’ve been able to connect with others and inspire them to greatness.

When we use positional power and personal power in combination, we take the positional power granted to us, and use our personal power to exponentially increase our effectiveness. My positional power is the authority granted to me to complete this task. My personal power is the way I go about the work that helps make the day a little nicer for those around me.

Having a solid grip on what your stakeholders expect of you in your position, and how you can make their day better (and not worse!) helps you improve your stakeholder influence – especially influencing up.

Let’s take two specific examples of what that looks like in regular communications and “out-of-the box” communications.

• What’s the project and why are you doing it?
• Where are you in the lifecycle of the project and how are things going?
• What is in your way now (issues) or what’s on the horizon that could be harmful to the project (risks)?

Making sure you have this information always at the ready means that your stakeholders will never catch you off guard, and you’ll always be prepared to give them the information they expect and need you to know. And if, while you’re sharing those updates succinctly, you also share something kind or something worth smiling about, you can brighten their day while you do it!

Example 1 – Knowing what’s going on in your projects or initiatives

If you’re leading a project or initiative, for example, there’s probably an expectation of regular status reports, or regular updates on how the project is going. But going one step further and making sure that you’re ready to give an off-the-cuff update on project health at any time – even outside of the standard status report – makes the lives of those around you easier.

But wait, you think to yourself, that sounds like a lot of work! Status reports can be a pain in the tail! Well, they can be, but they don’t have to be! This is where you can apply a quick process improvement to your positional power, and quick attitude check to your personal power for a huge win.

Making sure you have this information always at the ready means that your stakeholders will never catch you off guard, and you’ll always be prepared to give them the information they expect and need you to know. It also happens to be the best way to deliver successful project results!

Bonus tip: if, while you’re sharing those updates succinctly, you also share something kind or something worth smiling about, or ask them something about themselves, you can brighten their day while you do it!

Example 2 – Leading Meetings

Here’s another quick example of Positional and Personal Power in action. Imagine you’ve been asked to lead a meeting with key stakeholders, and many of them are higher in organizational rank than you are.

It’s no secret that lots of people feel like meetings are a giant waste of time. What if yours weren’t? Your meetings could be a chance for people to do what needs to be done, while also having a quick chance to experience authentic human connection.

How cool would it be if we could put your positional power and personal power into action in a day-to-day meeting, and make someone else’s day a little brighter? How amazing would it be if someone felt valued and appreciated just by going to a meeting with you?

First, using your positional power as a meeting facilitator, make sure your meeting has a clear objective and that the meeting participants all understand what role they play at the meeting. Make sure that you’ve thought through the agenda to confirm it will work in the timeline allotted, and that you’ve included activities to engage all participants equitably. Then make sure you close well to ensure the outcome has been achieved and everyone has a clear way to follow up on their action items.

By using your positional power and your personal power to get your work done well and make positive human connections while you’re doing it, you’re making better workdays and delivering better results along the way. You win, those around you win, and your organization wins!

Pay Attention to Emotional Intelligence

The development of Emotional Intelligence is largely a linear process, and that it happens in 4 steps – self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. We have to do one step and then the next, over, and over. And when we transition to a new role, then we learn the steps again in that role and practice it over, and over, until the next role and the next organization. We break down the steps of emotional intelligence in many of our other blog posts, but here’s a quick overview!

Self-Awareness

This is where emotional intelligence starts – with you. You know who you are, what makes you tick, what makes you smile, and you’re aware of yourself physically, emotionally, and mentally.

Self-Management

When you know the natural ways in which you feel and act, self-management helps you adjust as you recognize that your natural behaviors are not always appropriate in the moment.

Social Awareness

Social awareness allows you to recognize other people – what they’re feeling or experiencing, how we can support them, and how they feel in their own shoes.

Relationship Management

The final part, relationship management, is about putting it all together and using what you know and the influence you have to move people forward toward the best possible outcome for everyone involved.

So how do we put that to work practically?

When influencing up, one powerful thing to remember is that the leaders above us have very different roles and responsibilities.

It may be frustrating when they don’t answer an email or respond to only one of the five questions you asked, but they focus their time and energy on very different things than you do. Sometimes when we go to influence up, it’s almost exasperating to find that someone we once worked alongside as a peer is now a couple of rungs higher in the organization, and it’s as if they’ve forgotten how to do some of the things they used to know!

If we can help those around us to come to the same realization, we break cultural and communicative barriers.

Self-Awareness

Recognize that you’re frustrated. Maybe you just sent another email they didn’t respond to fully, and you find yourself irritated. Great first step! Recognize that you’re irritated.

Self-Management

Find a different emotion by telling a different story. Instead of being frustrated by the fact that they focus differently, we can stop judging up and reframe it as, “how can I make their life, or at least their day, easier by running alongside them?”

Other Awareness

Focus for a moment on them. What is their moment? What is their present? What is their situation? What moment are they in? Oh! I see, they’re in back-to-back meetings every single day. They have the skills to do those things, but they often don’t have the time.

Relationship Management

What can you do with what you know about yourself and how to manage yourself, and what you know about them, to move you both forward in the best way possible, for the best possible outcome? How can you communicate this information more simply for them? How can you reduce the number of clicks they need to make to get the answer? How can you visually represent this? How can you put the bottom line on top? How can you get to the point as quickly as you can?

Improve Your Interactions with DISC and other similar communications tools

Not only can we recognize the emotions and feelings we experience, but we can also recognize and manage the personal qualities and communication styles we see both in ourselves and in others. This makes sure everyone on a team does what they do best, and we can make working toward our goals and working together even better. The fundamentals of DISC, help us to do just that!

Dominance (“D”): How you handle problems and challenges.

When handling problems and challenges, folks with this communication trait lead and take action. They’re often direct and speak authoritatively, so as you communicate with them, be prepared with the quick answer and move with a purpose.

Influence (“I”): How you handle people and influence others.

Those with this communication trait are storytellers who motivate and inspire; they’re often surrounded by others and laugh out loud, so make sure you take the time to get to know these people, share some feelings, and listen to their stories.

Steadiness (“S”): How you handle change and pace yourself.

Those with this communication trait are stable listeners who follow processes and tend not to seek out unwarranted change; they often listen more than they speak, so provide these people with context and time to prepare for change, and ask them for specific help.

Compliance (“C”): How you handle information, policies, and procedures.

Those with this communication trait tend to be precise and meticulous; they often ask a lot of questions. To best support them, come prepared with all the data and give them plenty of time to think things through and process all possible risks.

None of these communication traits is better than another. Instead, if you understand that the person you’re working with falls into one of these communication styles, you’ll have a better understanding of how you can communicate effectively with them.

So, the next time you’re in a meeting or having a one-on-one conversation with a stakeholder, recall the communication styles outlined by DISC, ask yourself what their style is, and provide that person with what they need to succeed.

We’re busy people who don’t have time to do things twice, so we must learn how to get our messages through the first time. We run into delays or risks in our projects, so we must be able to prepare those around us. We make important decisions that impact everyone, so we must get everyone involved and paying attention. To do all these things – to solve problems, get things done, and exert influence, we have to know our powers, pay attention to emotional intelligence, and continually improve our interactions with DISC.

I hope these success factors, areas for growth, and practical tips help you to influence up even better, starting right now! If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out, consider our Change Makers Certification program, or check out our resource page for more information!