Influence is the ability to get people to do something even when you do not have direct authority over them. Influence can be the difference between seeing your ideas accomplished or not when you work in a team. Influence means you are listened to and considered. Influence means you can get done what you think is important.

If influence is the power to get things done, who wouldn’t want it? It can be frustrating to feel like you are not listened to or can’t get action on what you think is important.

It is easy to look at influential people and dismiss them as someone “with family connections,” “the ear of the boss,” a “brownnose,” or worse. But by dismissing how others develop influence, you may be losing some valuable power in your own life and organization. Influence is not born – it is something you can consciously develop.

In the 1950s two social scientists called French and Raven developed a system, or taxonomy, of power. They put ways of gaining power into five categories:

• LEGITIMATE: having legal or corporate authority over people.
• COERCIVE: gaining power by the use of threat or manipulation.
• REWARD: the ability to give or designate gifts, cash, or other incentives or rewards.
• REFLECTIVE: knowing and having access to powerful people.
• EXPERT: Having special knowledge or expertise.

Recently another social scientist, Aguinis, added a sixth:

• INTEGRITY: people perceived as having integrity are much more likely to be followed.

Most of us just think of power as something you either have or don’t have. It is interesting to consider different types of power and how you can go about acquiring power and influence in a variety of ways.

While presenting our seminar on “Developing Influence,” I have the audience list ways that busy professionals can use this taxonomy as a way to think through how to improve their own power and influence. Here are some of the suggestions various audiences have come up with:

Legitimate

• Ask to help with the hiring or review processes.
• Volunteer to supervise projects or be a team leader. Sometimes a special project like a firm party or other high-profile, one-time events can serve as a springboard to leadership in other areas.
• Run for board positions in your firm or in other organizations.

Coercive
This is not generally a path to power that we recommend. Over the long term, coercive power degrades relationships and does not build the kind of professionalism we admire. However, there are times when you have few options. In that case, hold your cards close to your chest and never let them see you stressed.

• Never let anyone take you for granted.
• Be active and visible in trade associations.
• Be a keen listener without being a gossip-repeater. Knowing a lot is powerful.
• If you make a threat of change or action, be prepared to follow through on it.

Reward

• Make up your own award. If you are a marketing professional, honor the “marketer of the month” in your firm by publishing a success story or highlighting an accomplishment in a group email or firm publication.
• Create your own trophies or plaques to reward achievements. Have a traveling trophy that goes from person to person based on specific criteria such as the person who brought in a new client or had the highest cross-selling billings.
• Reward your team often with appreciation, cards, and little gifts. You do not have to spend a lot of money on these. Simple praise and thanks is effective. A personalized note can go a long way.
• Have contests for simple things like the most new people met or most referrals. Offer simple but visible rewards.
• Praise others in public, especially in front of their teams or supervisors.

Reflective

• Don’t be afraid to be seen with the powerful in your firm or industry. Take them to lunch.
• Hang photos of yourself with important or prestigious people in your office (just remember, inserting yourself next to Cher or Madonna using Photoshop is not persuasive).
• When seeking new business, always try to get a referral in and use a name to get into a new company.
• Don’t be afraid to talk to senior partners or managing partners. It is lonely at the top and simple friendship or kindness works with almost everyone.

Expert

• Hang diplomas, awards, and certificates in your office.
• Earn diplomas, awards, and certificates by taking classes, seminars, and advanced degrees.
• When you attend a seminar or class, write up a quick email to send to your colleagues or share the highlights at a staff meeting.
• Learn how to speak and be a speaker. Let people know when you speak. Send them the announcements of where you will be speaking.
• Write articles. Use lots of footnotes and citations.
• Keep a blog.

Integrity

• Do what you say you will.
• Be the first to take the blame for problems and the first to share the credit for good outcomes.
• Show up on time, ready to do your part.
• Do not talk negatively about others. Avoid gossip like the plague!
• Be straightforward – tell people honestly what you think.
• Focus on solutions rather than problems.

Most of us are really good at gaining one or two types of power but not so good in other ways. After reading about these different types of power, I announced my Masters in Leadership degree in our last newsletter, something I would not normally have done. I realized that the degree was a lot more than fun. It confers expert power I did not have before. I have also had the diploma framed and hung on the wall, another thing I would not normally do, but again, it does help confer expert power.

Thinking through how you have gained power and how power is gained in your firm is a good exercise even if you don’t think of yourself as political. It can really help you gain the influence to be listened to and to have your projects taken seriously.

RECOMMENDED READING
Aguinis, Herman and Henle, Christine A. “Effects of Nonverbal Behavior on Perceptions of Female Employee’s Power Bases.” Heidref Publications: 2001.

Aguinis, Herman, Pierce, Charles A., and Simonson, Melissa M.“Effects of Nonverbal Behavior on Perceptions of Power Bases.” Heidref Publications: 1998.

Bonvillain, Nancy. Language, Culture, and Communication. Fourth Edition. Prentice Hall: New Jersey 2003.

Coleman, Harvey. Empowering Yourself: The Organizational Game Revealed. 1996.

Duke, Marshall P., and Nowicki, Stephen Jr. “The Association of Children’s Nonverbal Decoding Abilities with Their Popularity.” Journal of Genetic Psychology. December 1992: v153 n4 p385(9).

French, J.R.P., and Raven, B.H.,The Bases of Social Power. In D. Cartwright (ed.) Studies in Social Power: pp 150 – 167.Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research 1959.