Is Anyone Listening?

If you think gaining influence and making decisions in your organization is hard, you’re not alone.

I learned early on in my career just how challenging, and sometimes frustrating, the decision-making process can be. Seemingly ages ago, as a manager at Quaker Oats, I attended an influence management seminar put on by my employer at the time. Throughout the seminar the instructors coached us on various ways to influence others. Shortly after, I was in a meeting with my division president discussing which way to go on a business issue, which seemed like a good time to test my new influencing skills. I was utilizing all the methods taught to me during the seminar when my boss stopped me and said, “We’re doing it my way, because I’m on this side of the desk, and you’re on that side of the desk.” That experience has stayed with me to this day.

Making decisions “because I said so” or “because I’m the boss” not only risks making poor choices, it risks losing the support of those implementing or impacting the outcome. From firsthand experience, I can tell you nothing breaks the spirit of staff more than being faced with those words. Likewise, nothing encourages and empowers staff more than feeling like an influential part of the decision-making process.

Every day, in every organization, countless decisions are made. Some are small, and some are critical to the life blood of the organization, literally setting the direction of the culture and future of the business. I often tell my staff that it’s not necessarily most important who makes the final decisions but whether you had a seat at the table to influence the outcomes.

So, how does one become an influencer? Just as I stress that in most situations there’s no single “right” answer, there’s no single method to gaining influence. Rather, influence grows and becomes most powerful when backed by knowledge, experience, and command of compelling data and information (I’m a strong believer in data-based decision-making).

We must stop mistakenly thinking of influencers only as the people already “in charge.” Being influential and influencing decisions is not just the purview of experienced, long-term staff, or the partners, CEOs, CFOs, and other executives; the reality is, we all have a responsibility and desire to be influencers. Young professionals, especially, need to embrace the mindset of becoming influential and decision-makers in organizations (this will be the theme of this year’s Young Professional Leadership Conference).

Stop and look at the world around us. At the end of the day, I want you to ask yourself if you’re going to be an influencer or stay on the sidelines. Being an influencer and, ultimately, a decision-maker, comes with great responsibility. I encourage you to step up and take it. We need more positive and innovative influencers and decision-makers in our profession.