Thursday 21 April 2011

Seán Weafer's Futureproofing Programme Level 3 Control and Influence

Level 3: Control and Influence

Our idea of ‘control’ has shifted during this time of change. It is less about being an individual person being ‘in command’ and more about being able to influence and leverage many others to act in your place.

Yes, position still lends one authority but influential connections give one power in today’s new world or work.

More than that, knowing the extent of what one can control in this world of constantly changing agendas, where the boundaries are always shifting, is a useful thing.

I often recommend that my coaching clients use my CIA formula – ‘C’ stands for being for Control and by that I mean ‘acting on what they own’ – if they have responsibility for it and the authority to act on it – then do it. Do not delay or defer – act – for action changes things.

If you cannot control it then move to ‘I’ – Influence it. Reach out to someone who does control it and will happily act on it for you. This is where recognising the power in building personal and professional networks sets the rebels in business suits apart from everyone else. (For more on the skills of professional networking order our ‘SellingEQ High Trust Advisor Selling Networking Skills audio coaching programme).

Lastly and sometimes the hardest of all is the ‘A’ – Accept for Now that you do not control and cannot influence it so leave it alone. If you focus on the C and the I – then the A may very well become irrelevant.

Take some time to reflect on this now.

1.   What areas do you feel most in control of in your business or career right now?

2.   What areas do you feel least in control of?

3.   What challenges does this create for you?

4.   How many of these things is it necessary for you to control directly?

5.   What things can we reach out to others to do for you? What people can become your influence points and for what things?

6.   How many is it reasonable to ‘park’ for now?

7.   What are the real personal benefits for greater control for yourself? What would you do if you felt in greater control of your environment and your personal time?

8.   What things could you do that would ensure a greater sense of control for you in your most important area?

9.   How strong are your networks of influence and how might you identify suitable partners to create networks with? Could you consider professional associations as a start? What other business and social networks can you reach out to?

10.  Have might you go about creating a ‘protected’ meeting time in your schedule – just for you – once a week? Taking time to reflect on your most important things and creating an agenda for that meeting. Can you simply: decide to do it.

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