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8: How to Become More Influential

The first part of this book has been foundational knowledge about influence. In this chapter the author will turn to more practical concerns - actions the reader can take to improve their ability to influence others.

He repeats that influence is iterative - even highly influential people don't often succeed on the first try. It often takes multiple attempts using various tactics, and in some instances a person will not yield to anything. With a little knowledge, you can try tactics that are more likely to succeed and save time by avoiding tactics that are not likely to succeed.

Build a Power Base

There are certain resources and characteristics that form a basis for power in exerting influence. The author provides a summary:

The first three items have a very high value, but are only "moderately difficult" to obtain, so a person who is just starting out should focus on those first: gain knowledge, learn communication skills, and develop their personal reputation.

The next two, a network and a role, are things that accrue naturally. In the workplace, a person rises through the ranks and builds a network over time. It is possible to advance and network more quickly, but this often requires a lot of effort and make it obvious to others that you are attempting to gain influence, which makes them defensive, and in so doing you will acquire enemies.

Charisma is a difficult thing. People who are naturally physically attractive have an easier time influencing others, whereas more average people have to slowly build their personal magnetism.

The author's description of history is similar to reputation - it is simply the actions that are in the past that cause him to regarded a certain way. A person who has a history of being fair with others gains a reputation for being fair because it is expected this trait will govern his future behavior as well. However, history can have a high negative impact for much the same reason.

Resources are the least important: a person who has a lot of resources at his disposal is often the target of others who want access to the resources he has to offer. He can use his resources to recruit help (such as paying for assistance), but in so doing he diminishes his store.

Improving Relationships and Position

Relationships and position are important to influence because to be influential one must first be heard, believed, and paid attention to. A low-ranking person who is not well known will find that his good ideas are often ignored - and when the same idea is mentioned by someone who is higher in the organization or better connected, it gets attention promptly.

There are four main benefits of relationships and position:

Choose the Right Tactics

In previous chapters, the author has discussed when certain tactics are highly effective or ineffective, depending on your audience and what you are trying to influence them to do. Using the right tactic increases your chances of success, whereas the wrong one damages your chances - not just for the present attempt, but for future attempts as well.

The author presents a list of the tactics that he described in previous chapters - but it's just a summary with nothing new to add. The main point is that there are situations in which some tactics are more likely to succeed than others. To be an effective influencer means knowing all the techniques and using the right tool for the right job.

The danger in becoming over-specialized is that the tactic that is most comfortable or easiest for you may not be the best suited to a given situation. Not only will you fail in that attempt, but you will make it more difficult to succeed in future attempts - your mark will know what you are after, and will recognize it when you come at him from a different angle and will eventually perceive you as a dishonest person who will say or do whatever it takes to get him to do your bidding.

(EN: From other sources, there is a "two strike" rule. If you fail in your first attempt, people will be open to being approached a second time, provided you didn't do anything particularly offensive. But if you fail the second time, they will be galvanized against you when you come at them the third time.)

Develop Influence Skills

The author has identified 28 skills that are pronounced in influential people, which he has listed in an appendix to this book. He stresses that these skills are the bases of influence - the "core capabilities" listed are things that can be gained through the application of these skills, and skills are necessary to execute once the right tactic is chosen.

(EN: The rest is just a teaser to get the reader to refer to the appendix, so I'll skip the rest.)

Leverage Biases

While we extol the standard of rational and objective decision-making, the truth is that every person has biases. Their initial reaction is often emotional, or a knee-jerk conclusion based on superficial observation and specious logic - and even when their frontal lobe kicks in, it often seeks to rationalize and justify the original decision and seldom recognizes that the first-blush impression was flawed.

The author suggests that understanding these biases fives you the ability to "take advantage of them." (EN: I would add a note of caution - as people often recognize when someone is trying to take advantage and raise shields. Or they realize they were taken advantage of in the past and are defensive or even hostile in future encounters. Leveraging bias is for the short-con where you don't mind alienating people - proceed with care if you mean to have a long-term relationship with a person.)

There are many biases, and he lists a few he considers to be most common.

He ultimately refers to Cialdini's book on influence for a more thorough and comprehensive consideration of these tricks. Cialdini's book is written to help consumers avoid being victimized, but it is also a valuable reference for those who wish to victimize them.

Consider Personality

The same tactics will not work with all people, and one of the most significant factors in determining what motivates a person is their personality. The author gives a brief summary of the MBTI, which sorts people into 16 personality types based on four factors - introversion or extraversion, sensing or intuitive, thinking or feeling, and judging or perceiving - to arrive at a four-character type (e.g. ISTJ) that indicates their tendencies.

The personality type suggests people are more prone to certain forms of influence: extraverts are more susceptible to social influence whereas introverts are less inclined to yield to social influence, the thinking/judging types respond better to logical persuasion, and the sensing/feeling types respond better to emotional appeals. It is not flawless by any means, but considering personality will help to deliver an appeal that resonates with a given type of person.

Consider Culture

A culture is the personality of a group of people, collectively. Even those whose personal inclinations are contrary to those of their culture will often lean toward what is customary or normal for their group. This is far more difficult than it once was, as there is a greater diversity of cultures and groups to which people belong, and many are aware of cultural stereotypes - though it generally bears out that a person adopts a different culture in a different context: if you are trying to persuade them as an employee of a firm, they will follow the norms of their corporate culture; but if you are trying to persuade them as the leader of a committee of their religious organization, they will follow a different set of norms. People who rise to positions of leadership in an organization are often those whose behavior (including motivations and decision making) most closely conform to the organizational culture.

There are various models for the categorization of culture, but the most common seem to consier factors of how power/authority are assigned and exercised, how information flows, the level of formality, the tolerance for risk, and the like.

In many organizations, the culture is communicated clearly and explicitly as a means to spread that culture within the organization. A corporation generally has a declared purpose, and its culture is reflected in the means by which that goal is pursued - and very often there are statements of values and ethics that are communicated within the organization, which can be useful to those outside the organization in knowing how to interact with its members. While the intent of these documents is to declare and defend its values, they can be very useful to those who wish to work the culture to influence members of that organization.

Preparing to Influence

In many instances, we simply improvise when we are attempting to influence someone - either there is not enough time to plan our approach or the matter is so trivial it doesn't seem worth the effort. But when there is time and the outcome is important, preparation significantly improves your chances for success.

The author suggests a series of questions to ask in order to be prepared:

Objective

Audience

Tactical

Skills Assessment

The author provides a rather lengthy quiz that is intended to help the reader gauge their skills in using influence techniques, though some of the questions pertain more to situations than the individual. I'll try to summarize more succinctly:

In scoring the quiz, it is reiterated that your strongest influence technique is not always the right one for a given situation. When your strength matches the best tactic to use, you're in good shape; when you are weak in the best tactic, you may need to use a different tactic at which you are more skilled. But ultimately, using the appropriate tactic is worth more than using your best skills - doing the wrong thing well does not produce good results.

Skills development across the range of influence techniques is advised, though it's likely to be impossible to become a master of all forms of influence. OF particular importance: consider the forms of influence that are most appropriate to an environment or situation in which you expect to find yourself regularly - your organization, your clientele, and your profession might make it particularly important to sharpen up in some methods more than others.