Influence without authority? How I messed it up, and what you can learn!
Persuading the Bear – horizontal Influence without Authority
I wrote this book about influence without authority 6 years ago – check it out.
However, I missed something key – while I discussed the motions of how to become a great influencer – it lacked the overlying message – and in this ongoing post I’ll make it right.
Influence without authority – why does it matter – the bigger picture
You see – it’s not enough to become a great influencer (which I teach how at workshops I offer – read also here about silent influencing) it is crucial to have the goal in mind.
Influence without authority helps people navigate social interactions where they need to assert their position. The image of a puppeteer controlling marionettes springs to mind. Many times it meets resistance as people feel it lacks moral support and puts them in a manipulator position.
Using Influence without authority as a goal ignores a core problem and misses a more holistic and ethical solution.
The core problem is that people are disengaged.
If you are part of a disengaged organization applying Influence without authority tools in the traditional way might be counterproductive by alienating people even further. These in turn impact dreadful employee disengagement we experience at the work place!
In contemporary settings the image of a puppeteer is not appealing.
Creating engaged communities
The goal is to create engaged communities.
Employee disengagement is real and inflicting pain! Not to speak that it’s killing the bottom line.
So, yes, read the book however come back here to learn how to Build Engaged Communities through Horizontal Influencing.
