How to Influence Others Without Positional Power
Summary
TLDRIn this insightful discussion, Casey Dingess, Senior Managing Director for the American Society of Civil Engineers, and Carol Martov, Vice President and Director of Training at Urban Engineers, explore the importance of influencing others without relying on positional power. They delve into strategies such as knowledge, commitment, consistency, understanding, priming, and the role of trust in creating a positive work environment. The conversation highlights the shift from traditional hierarchical structures to more collaborative approaches, emphasizing that true leaders should minimize positional power to foster trust and empower their teams.
Takeaways
- 📚 Positional Authority refers to the hierarchy within a company, where higher roles have authority over lower ones.
- 🔑 Influencing without positional power is crucial for a successful career, especially for young engineers.
- 🤝 The acronym 'CAKE' is introduced as a strategy for influencing: Knowledge, Commitment, Understanding, and Priming.
- 🧐 Knowledge in 'CAKE' means understanding the person or group you wish to influence, and sincerity is key.
- 🔗 Commitment and consistency involve aligning requests with the person's past behavior for credibility.
- 🤔 Understanding means seeing the situation from the other person's perspective, which can influence decisions positively.
- 🎭 Priming is about setting the stage for a positive outcome, like scheduling an interview at a time when both parties are refreshed.
- 👥 Transitioning into a manager role requires good people skills and process management, which can be enhanced by these influencing strategies.
- 💼 A positive work environment built on trust is more conducive to success than one relying on positional power.
- 🚨 Positional power should be used sparingly and is most appropriate during emergencies when clear direction is needed.
- 🏆 Successful leaders foster an atmosphere of trust and empowerment, rather than relying on positional power to command staff.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the discussion in the video?
-The main topic of the discussion is influencing others without relying on positional power, particularly in a business environment.
Who is the host of the video and what is their role?
-The host of the video is Casey Dingess, who is a Senior Managing Director for the American Society of Civil Engineers.
What is positional authority according to the video?
-Positional authority refers to the hierarchy within a company, where a person's role or position determines their authority over others.
What is the acronym 'CAKE' used to represent in the context of the video?
-In the video, 'CAKE' stands for Knowledge, Commitment, Understanding, and Priming, which are strategies for influencing others without positional power.
Why is sincerity important when trying to influence others according to Carol Martov?
-Sincerity is important because if you're not genuine, you cannot effectively influence others, as emphasized by Dale Carnegie's principles in his book 'How to Win Friends and Influence People'.
Can you provide an example of how Carol used commitment and consistency to influence her company?
-Carol wanted her company to support the regional assembly and used the company's existing support for the Philip via section as a basis for her request, showing consistency with past behaviors.
What does 'U' in CAKE stand for and how is it exemplified in the video?
-'U' in CAKE stands for Understanding, which is demonstrated by Carol when she had to request a budget for a program, focusing on how it would benefit the company's bottom line.
What is 'P' in CAKE and how does it relate to setting the stage for a positive outcome?
-'P' in CAKE stands for Priming, which involves setting the stage right before an interaction to increase the chances of a positive outcome, such as scheduling a job interview after lunch when people are rejuvenated.
How do the strategies mentioned in the video help engineers transition into a managerial role?
-These strategies help engineers understand people better, manage tasks and processes effectively, and build trust, which are crucial skills for a successful project manager.
Why is it beneficial to create a positive work environment according to Carol?
-A positive work environment fosters trust, which is essential for influence. Genuinely getting to know and caring about colleagues creates a positive atmosphere that enhances teamwork and productivity.
How does the use of positional power affect the work environment and team empowerment?
-Overuse of positional power can create a negative work atmosphere and disempower team members. It's better to use other methods of influence to create a positive and empowering environment.
When is it appropriate to use positional authority according to the video?
-It is most appropriate to use positional authority in times of emergency when quick decisions and clear leadership are necessary.
What should a leader do when things go well or wrong in a project?
-A leader should publicly acknowledge the team's success when things go well and take responsibility for any errors, protecting the team and demonstrating accountability.
Outlines
📺 Introduction and Guest Introduction
Casey Dingess, Senior Managing Director for the American Society of Civil Engineers, introduces a discussion on influencing without positional power. Casey welcomes guest Carol Martov, Vice President and Director of Training at Urban Engineers. The importance of influencing without relying on positional authority is emphasized, defining positional authority as the hierarchical structure within a company.
📚 Strategies for Influencing Without Positional Power
Carol Martov explains strategies for influencing others without positional power, particularly for young engineers. She introduces the acronym 'CAKE UP,' where 'K' stands for knowledge, 'C' for commitment and consistency, 'U' for understanding, and 'P' for priming. These strategies involve knowing the people you are trying to influence, being sincere, aligning requests with past behaviors, understanding the perspectives of others, and setting a positive stage before making requests.
🧑💼 Applying Influence to Transition into Management
Carol discusses how mastering these influencing skills can aid engineers in successfully transitioning into managerial roles. She highlights that being a good project manager requires both strong people skills and process management. Understanding and effectively influencing people are crucial for creating a positive work environment and achieving success.
🤝 Creating Positive Work Environments
Carol elaborates on how these influencing strategies can contribute to positive work environments. She emphasizes the importance of trust, which is foundational for influence. Genuine care and understanding of colleagues' perspectives foster a positive atmosphere, making reliance on positional power less necessary.
🏢 Current Trends in Positional Power Usage
The discussion shifts to the current state of positional power in companies. Carol observes that while there is still reliance on positional power, progress has been made towards less hierarchical structures. Successful leaders today are more aware of the limitations of positional authority and focus on building trust and influence.
📊 Appropriate Use of Positional Authority
Carol acknowledges that there are times when positional authority is necessary, particularly in emergencies where clear directives are crucial. However, in day-to-day operations, using other methods of influence is more effective. Good leaders share successes with their teams and take responsibility for failures, fostering a supportive work environment.
👋 Conclusion and Additional Resources
Casey thanks Carol for the insightful discussion on influencing without positional power. The session concludes with a reminder to visit the ASCE website for more information on their interchange program, encouraging viewers to tune in next time.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Positional Authority
💡Influence
💡Knowledge
💡Commitment and Consistency
💡Understanding
💡Priming
💡Project Manager
💡Trust
💡Leadership
💡Emergency
💡Public Acknowledgment
Highlights
Positional Authority is defined by the hierarchy within a company.
Influencing without positional power is crucial for a successful career in a team-oriented business environment.
The acronym 'CAKE' is introduced as a strategy for influencing without positional power.
Knowledge (K in CAKE) involves understanding the person or group you aim to influence.
Sincerity is essential when trying to influence others.
Commitment and consistency (C in CAKE) means aligning requests with others' past behaviors.
Understanding (A in CAKE) is about seeing the situation from the other person's perspective.
Priming (P in CAKE) is setting the stage right before making a request.
Good project management involves being good with people and managing tasks.
Influencing tactics help in understanding people and managing a team.
A positive work environment fosters trust, which is essential for influence.
Positional power should not be the primary tool for creating a positive work atmosphere.
Leaders who are aware of the issue of positional power are more successful.
Positional power is most appropriate during emergencies.
Leaders should spread the glory when things go well and take responsibility when they don't.
The discussion emphasizes the importance of trust and positive influence in leadership.
Transcripts
[Music]
hello I'm Casey Dingess Senior Managing
Director for the American Society of
Civil Engineers thanks for joining us
today for discussion on influencing
without the positional power my guest
today is Carol Martov vice president and
director of training at urban engineers
welcome Carol thanks for having me Casey
in today's team oriented business
environment the ability to influence
others without relying on positional
Authority is important for a successful
career first what is positional
Authority and what does it mean to
influence without it well positional
Authority regards the hierarchy of a
company so if you have a role that's
higher or lower than someone else then
that would be the positional Authority
so as president then a vice president
would be under that authority and if
you're say a project engineer then you
would not have the positional authority
to say a project manager so it's all
about the hierarchy within a company
so what strategies or techniques are
needed to be influential without the
positional power especially for young
engineers well what's interesting in
that the studies on influence are all
based off of scientific evidence and so
I have this acronym that I use called
cake up like the Keurig Cup and so K
stands for knowledge so get to know as
much as you can about the person or the
group that you're trying to influence
you really want to get to know as much
as you can about the people or the
person that you're trying to influence
and it's really important though that
you're sincere because if you're not
sincere you can't really influence
anybody so just just like Dale
Carnegie's book how to win friends and
influence people you really have to be
sincere though so next is C which means
commitment and consistency so whatever
you're asking of someone you want to tie
it to something that is consistent with
their past behavior so give you an
example so I wanted my company to
support the region to assembly and I
knew my company already supported the
Philip
via section so I thought well it's not
going to be much of a jump to ask them
to support the reason to assembly so
that's an example of commitment and
consistency it was consistent with an
urban engineers behaviors quote unquote
behavior to support a SCE on the section
level so I thought it wouldn't take much
to bounce it up to regional level and
they didn't approve it and then you
means understanding understand the
situation from the other person or the
other groups point of view an example of
that would be
I had to request a budget for a program
that I wanted for my job and this group
that I had to present to was very in
tune with making money for the company
and the bottom line so so instead of
saying I want this program to me be more
efficient I said I want this program
because it will enable me to make more
money and will it enable me to make more
money yes that was sincere but I focused
on that when I made my presentation and
I I did get approval for the funds and P
and P is for priming and priming is very
interesting because priming means
setting the stage right before you're
asked to set a positive stage for
example if you're going to a job
interview maybe schedule it like right
after lunch or sometime in the morning
because you don't want to be last
because then you're probably tired your
interviewer is tired right after lunch
is when people have had a break they've
had time to rejuvenate and you'll
probably get a better result they review
a k-cup the same way I hope you remember
this from that how can these skills help
engineers successfully transition into a
manager role yes mostly being a really
good project manager means that you have
to really be good with people and you
have to be good at processes and
managing tasks but ultimately it's
people that carry them out so using
these tactics will help you in
understanding people how can these
strategies help teams and work
environments succeed
well actually I'm glad you asked that
Casey because this is one of the reasons
why I really studied this topic as sort
of thoroughly as I did
when you have a positive work
environment there's a lot of trust and
without trust you can't have influence
so if you're working with someone that
you're really getting to know in a
genuine fashion and you care about the
things that they care about you see
things from their perspective it can
only create a positive work environment
so even if someone does have positional
power it's probably best not to use it
because it creates a more positive work
atmosphere if you don't use it our work
environments kind of getting this about
the this issue of positional power is it
still a hang-up in general or things
moving a little bit in the right
direction
I still see a lot of companies using the
positional power and employees of
certain companies using their positional
power and I still think we have a ways
to go I think it's better than in the
past I think companies were more
hierarchical in the past and those lines
are getting a little bit blurry now
which i think is good but there's a ways
to go good well that's encouraging yeah
so it sounds like the really successful
leaders in this day and age are the ones
that are look at this or aware of this
issue of positional Authority yes
a real leader a true leader does not use
positional power too frequently with his
or her staff it's important to have an
atmosphere of trust and Trust enables
you to have a really wonderful work
environment if you're constantly using
your positional power to order people
around order them to do certain things
it doesn't empower the people that
report to you and that's the opposite of
what you have in a in a good working
environment when is it appropriate to
use positional Authority there are some
instances where you should use it and
most importantly in a time of an
emergency where you need to know who you
need to listen to and what you need to
do fortunately there aren't that many
times in an emergency but in normal
day-to-day business you should use the
other methods of influence so you have
the positional authority but you if
there's an error you own up to the
downside but if things go great you try
to spread the glory tears exactly and
also it's whether you what you do
publicly publicly when everything goes
well you want to show that oh your team
did a great job but if something doesn't
go right you want to protect your team
and ultimately say you know that was my
fault I'm project manager and that was
my fault
Carol thank you for joining me today for
this enlightening discussion on how to
influence without positional power
thanks for having me Casey for more
information on a SES interchange program
visit a SCE org slash interchange thanks
for tuning in today and we'll see you
next time
on the ASCE interchange
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