May 3, 2018
For Colin Gautrey, curiosity is key. After a long and storied career in the corporate world with specializations in mergers and acquisitions, international strategy, IT, Sales and Leadership Development, Colin has never stopped being curious about the cutting edge. Through his research, writing, and coaching, he has been working to better equip his clients with practical knowledge about how to achieve results with greater influence.
- Focus on the future, but not at the expense of the present. Colin talks about why when it comes to achieving your goals, mastering the day-to-day is part of an essential foundation of building long-term influence.
- While delivering top-notch results is absolutely necessary, it’s only part of the equation; you have to be able to stand out from the crowd in more ways than one. Jennifer and Colin talk about the importance of trust and goodwill relationships within your field that will ensure that everyone knows who you are and what you can do for them.
- But what is influence? What does it mean to be influential? And what is the difference between influence, politics and manipulation? Colin sets the record straight about the differences and the importance of intent in this equation.
- Influencing a person’s behavior isn’t just about applying pressure; it’s also about connecting your agenda with theirs. Building a trusting relationship can enable you to understand others and get them to understand your goals as a part of their own.
- Do you hate the politics of the corporate world? Are there moments where you feel like navigating this sphere is harder than it should be? Colin offers some insights into why this is such a common complaint and reiterates the importance of knowing the rules of the game.
- When entering a highly political organization, it’s all about the long game. At the outset, it’s easy to misstep by being overeager in locating and aligning yourself with the key players. Colin stresses the importance of neutrality, patient observation, and relationship building when attempting to get your finger on the decision-making pulse of an organization.
- Power can sometimes be a dirty word and often comes with a slew of emotions attached. Colin explains how taking a step back and breaking down what constitutes power in any given situation or group can inform where – and with whom – you should be developing influence.
- When assessing where you want to be, what you’ve got so far, what you’ll need, and where you can get it from, high-level influencing is all about investing time in people. Colin talks about what this looks like in large organizations and why it is so important.
- Power doesn’t exist in a vacuum. When thinking about developing individual influence, what about individuals or groups who start on the back foot, those that didn’t enter the world with the same privileges enjoyed by others? Jennifer asks Colin about his thoughts on how to approach the challenge of developing influence as a minority in an organization.
- Do you have the tools you need to become a successful leader for tomorrow? Colin provides a sneak-peak of some of his research around the importance of influence and risk-taking and talks about what these skills can do to shake up traditionally static industries in order to keep them competitive.
- Always have a plan B! Just because you’re in a position to exercise your influence to achieve your goals or the goals of your organization, it might not always go your way. Jennifer asks Colin about what you can do to prepare yourself for a diversity of organizational situations.
Find Colin’s Gautrey:
Colin’s Books:
21 Dirty Tricks at Work: How to Beat the Game of Office Politics (2005)
Political Dilemmas at Work: How to Maintain Your Integrity and Further Your Career (2008)
Advocates & Enemies: How to Build Practical Strategies to Influence Your Stakeholders 2011
Building Reputations in Tough Organisations (eBook 2014)
Influential Leadership: A Leader's Guide to Getting Things Done (2014)
A Project Manager's Guide to Influence (2015)
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