Being able to influence effectively is at the heart of what HR people at all levels do every single day. It’s more of a never-ending story than a single performance.
So many elements need to come together in order to make a successful case for the investment, resources, or support that you need. In our research, we found that almost everything that HR people do impacts on their ability to influence.
Your reputation, for example, goes before you when you go into a meeting where you hope to influence.
There will be data to help you make your case; analytics; financial; anecdotal evidence that you’ve gathered from people within the business.
Timing is critical too. You may be too late at the table to influence before people’s thinking has gone too far.
Skills and behaviours inside the meeting room are critical, of course, but they won’t win without the groundwork.
Therefore, the activities and behaviours that support effective influencing are threaded right through our Development Framework: building high quality relationships; getting your focus right; delivering what you promise; engaging all stakeholders; business acumen and more.
What has helped YOU influence?
My book ‘Empowering HR’ is available on Amazon.
