Influence My Team into Action
There is a stark difference between a group of individuals assigned to a project and a high-performance team looking to deliver the best possible solution. Unless you can get the group to be a team and work towards a common goal, you cannot expect to see the results you have been hoping for. So, what can you do to achieve the end goal?
Are Your People Emotionally Invested with you?
The first thing you need to do is to get the team to care about the project. If they are treating it as their everyday work, you cannot expect them to go above and beyond their job description to fulfill your ambition. What psychologist has found out is that you need to get people emotionally invested in the process.
One simple reason – people do not like to be told what to do. But what are we usually doing in the work place? Telling people what to do! That does not mean we should not provide instruction, but getting people to buy into your message is the key, and what is more effective than having the people telling themselves that this is the right thing to do.
Our role as a team leader is to facilitate the emotional-investment process.
The key is making them take personal responsibility for the project. For that, you have to influence them to take ownership of the project and treat it like their own. As long as they feel they are putting in the effort for someone else’s benefit, the results won’t show.
Applying the principles of influence here is important. You have to influence your team but without making it obvious. If they feel you are forcing them to work harder, the end result would not be up to the mark.
Is Your Influence Only a Title or Expert Power?
A lot of tact and shrewdness is required to get them to listen to what you are saying. People know you are in charge, but you would also need to know your stuff. This is also known as the expert power. This will increase your authority on top of the “title” given to you. After all, a title without expert power diminished over time and zap away influence from you.
When applying the principle of authority, be sure to be subtle. If you are pushy and ‘in their faces’, you will encounter resistance, and too much of it will backfire as people will see you as heavy –handed.
Give and Take Complete the Cycle.
The principle of reciprocation is another relevant principle you can apply. Be sure to take good care of your team members and express concern for every individual. Buying snacks to reward your team once in a while work wonders too!
In turn, it is easier to request your team to meet the deadlines and ensure that the work is of a quality the stakeholders would be impressed by. You can also use social proof by pointing out teams from other departments that have delivered in terms of performance and using that as a healthy competition and positive benchmark.
It is up to you to use the principles you feel are most relevant with people in mind. Winning the respect from your people is the key. Only then can you keep up the winning rhythm as a team.
Article by Mr Joseph Wong, Founding Director and Behavioral Transformation Coach of TrainingGearAsia Pte Ltd. He is the author of “The Power Science of Influence”, and an expert in harnessing the science of influence to transform behavior at work, sales, team and leadership. He is the author of “The Power Science of Influence”. For more information, visit www.traininggearasia.com or email influence@traininggearasia.com
