[...]... to a close by highlighting the three key messages for success, eight common misconceptions and the ten top tips which we believe contribute to influencing success in today’s business and social context One word of warning – this book does not just set out tools and techniques for influencing It takes the position that Influence is a two way process and that in order to be effective, managers must be... different organisations in both the public and private sectors and both nationally and internationally What we have found is that understanding and considering an organisation’s culture can help us enormously in preparing our ‘pitch’ So for instance, typically in the public sector the written proposal will be very formal and structured and will often be in relation to a formal tender process, while in the... projects and achievement Features of this type of culture are very 22 INFLUENCING adaptable with teams forming and disbanding depending upon business needs at the time People in these organisations are more likely to be influenced by experts who have a track record of success and who are task oriented and motivated by getting the job done Handy’s god in this case is Athena the warrior goddess and she... were important It also helped her to plan the pitch for the business adopting a more informal approach which she felt would appeal to the clients more than a formal presentation The business was won and these early clues together with additional data collected through other visits and meetings helped tremendously to build and develop a successful and long term relationship Exercise You might like to... aspect of understanding your influencing environment and should always be considered in the preparatory stages for influencing others UNDERSTANDING YOUR INFLUENCING ENVIRONMENT ✍ SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS In understanding your influencing environment there are two main aspects to consider – the current business and social environment and the different cultural issues Your influencee’s business and social environment... style and approach – again there isn’t time to get it wrong so, we must be both aware and agile enough to select the correct style and approach for each person and situation What this has all led to is a heightened awareness of the need for the softer social skills and emotional intelligence when influencing We hope that while this book may not solve all these issues it will help you to deal with them and. .. source of power and can reside in an individual Size becomes an issue for this culture as the power and creation of the cultural norms emanate from the one central source So, high levels of trust and empathy are required between individuals and in particular these cultures put a lot of faith in powerful individuals who have track records of success and others are aware of this and therefore will follow... issue By adopting some simple planning and preparatory techniques and becoming more aware of others needs, wants and style we have a fuller picture of our influencing challenge At this stage you should have sufficient data to begin a first review process to analyse and review your environment, yourself and your influencee’s and to begin to formulate your thoughts for the way ahead You should now be in... listened to and taken seriously This has implications for the structures of our organisations, as well as for the personal skills and competences of our managers So, to succeed in today’s turbulent working environment, professional skills together with technical competence are no longer sufficient – other less tangible skills are required The skill of influencing and working with others is vital and should... in these areas in the foreseeable future The important issue is not to forget about this bigger picture or the world we operate in and how this might have an effect upon your approach and/ or issue Exercise You might like to think about your own business context and reflect upon the external business and societal issues that might have an effect upon your influencing approach For instance: ᭤ How might . blank INFLUENCING Skills and Techniques for Business Success Fiona Elsa Dent and Mike Brent 1403_996687_01_preiv.qxd 14/7/06 6:25 PM Page iii © Fiona Elsa Dent and. Elsa. Influencing : skills and techniques for business success / by Fiona Elsa Dent & Mike Brent. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN