Chapter 9. Influence patterns
This chapter covers
- Using influence patterns to track trends
- How to assert managerial authority
A big part of the frustration team leaders experience is rooted in a feeling of helplessness. You believe in doing the right things, but you can’t seem to get the people around you to change their behavior.
Using your authority is usually the path of last resort, unless you’re in survival mode. Then, wielding authority is the second-best choice, after having people intrinsically motivated to change their behavior.
When you’re in the learning and self-organization phases, telling people what to do is an ineffective way to teach. Helping them find their own path that results in a win for everyone is a more effective way to teach new skills.
I’ll borrow some choice vocabulary from a great book called Influencer: The Power to Change Anything, by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler (McGraw-Hill, 2007). The book details a powerful technique to help you discover what you can do to change the behavior of others.
When I teach this technique in my workshops, I remind students that the most important thing to do before they start this exercise is to find a demonstrable physical behavior they would like to change. Examples might include these: