Influence Without Authority

---

To learn more about bringing this program in-house email info1@VivoGroup.com 

Overview

Do you need others to get things done, but they don’t report to you? That is a common situation in life science and technology organizations. The truth is that even when you do have “power”, you are often better off using influence first. The truly effective individual contributors, managers, and executives use influence skills to achieve results, regardless of their positional power within the organization or team structure. 

This session will provide you with key insight into getting things done whether or not you are in charge. You will improve your ability to manage “up”, get agreement from peers, and motivate reports that will enable you to work more effectively in project and cross-functional teams, collaborations, and matrixed organizations. 

Learning Objectives

1. Understanding of why people do (or don’t do) things you want them to do
2. Ability to recognize and employ the three major types of influence
3. Techniques to positively affect the behaviors of others to enable better results at work 
4. Skills to recognize and align with the personal goals and motivations of others
5. Ability to get things done even without the title or position in an organization
6. Strategies for improving influential communication skills 
7. Improved ability to strengthen long-term relationships  
8. Techniques to build and improve trust 

Format

The “Influence Without Authority” workshop can be delivered on-site or virtually in lengths ranging from two-hour to full-day formats depending on the needs of the organization. The program is highly interactive, and involves small-group discussions of case studies relevant to the organization, as well as whole-group discussions, short role-playing exercises, and opportunities to gain perspective from and share best practices with other attendees. Participants are given theoretical background and overview of power, influence, trust and communication, as well as practical tools that can be implemented in the work place. Attendees in this workshop will practice techniques to build relationships, apply different types influence, recognize the motivations of others, and develop a strategy for negotiating and influencing others.  

Who Should Attend 

• Employees at any level of the organization who want to improve their ability to influence others to get things done, whether they report to them or not
• Everyone working in a "matrixed" organization 
• Leaders who want to incorporate more influence into their leadership practices
• Those who are in roles that regularly require influencing colleagues outside their departments, such as: Project Managers, Alliance Managers, Regulatory Affairs Groups, Collaborators, etc.
• Anyone who wants to influence their bosses and senior management (i.e. to manage "up")
• Those who want to "get a seat at the table" in decision making

Seminar Leader 

Gwen Acton, PhD, is the CEO of Vivo Group.  She holds a doctorate in biology from MIT, and specializes in developing leadership and management skills of scientists and engineers. 

Sample Agenda:  

1. Power vs Influence
   1. Recognizing the potential repercussions of using power
   2. What motivates and drives people to get things done
   3. Balancing short-term vs. long-term impact
2. Internal Influence
   1. Types of internal influence
   2. Data and facts and their limitations
   3. Ways to identify the goals and motivations of others
3. Relationship Influence
   1. Examples of relationship influences
   2. Ways relationships influence peoples’ choices and behavior 
   3. How to build trust and improve likability 
4. Context Influence
   1. Overview of influencing through environmental context
   2. Utilizing structural context to influence people to get work done
   3. Techniques for gaining compliance to rules and regulations
5. Influence Applications
   1. Distinguishing ethical influence from manipulation
   2. Recognizing what can be influenced
   3. Common influence implmentations

Additional Options

This program can be delivered on-site or virtually, and tailored in a variety of ways to suit the needs of individual organizations:

• Customization of agenda topics, content, case studies, examples, etc. that are relevant and specific to the organization
• Integration and meshing with organization-specific initiatives such as: company values, success competencies, themes, personality profiles, performance feedback processes, etc.
• Follow up sessions that reinforce content, provide additional practice, and/or working sessions
• Executive briefings to provide senior leaders with overview of content and/or discussions of reinforcement best practices
• Choice of accountability activities, preparation assignments, pre-session assessments, and/or follow-up activities tailored to company needs