Oct 15 The Influence Gap: 5 Missteps Senior Executives Make
Over many years of consulting with senior executives I’ve found that most top executives overrate their own ability as effective communicators. That’s especially true when it comes to influencing others and achieving buy-in from teams, stakeholders, clients, and others. Whether you’re leading a large or small organization, here are five missteps to avoid that hinder the ability to inspire and persuade various audiences.
1) Reliance on Authority vs. Collaboration
Leaders in positions of power often assume that their authority will drive their message and gain support and positive engagement. But teams and others you communicate with perceive this as exerting dominance, versus convincing and persuading. The most effective style of communication derives strength from collaboration and inclusivity. Never overlook or underrate the power of consensus – which gives your audience the sense that it’s also their idea, not just your idea that you’re asking them to accept and embrace.
2) Failure to Cultivate an Adaptive Communication Style
Leaders often communicate in a style that that simply reflects their own preferred way of receiving communication. But that one-size-fits-all strategy isn’t scalable to a range of different audiences. While they may realize that their message isn’t landing, they don’t know how to pivot and adjust their style of delivery to match each unique person or audience. But adjusting your style to resonate with each audience member is the key to engaging and influencing them in a most effective way. I help my clients frame their messages by taking into account each audience member’s own communication preferences and best interests.
3) A Lack of Emotional Language
Senior leaders may focus on providing logic versus emotion, which can fall flat and fail to resonate on a meaningful level. Their message content is around data supporting logic. Yet we know that logic makes us think, while emotion inspires action. I teach my executive clients how to reframe language and choose more precise and persuasive wording, to give communication emotional impact. That’s how you accomplish such things as helping the audience overcome fear or feel hopeful and connect to their passions and dreams. This allows you to leverage storytelling to connect with your audience. A study found that stories are nearly 25% more memorable than facts alone. That’s how you can inspire, motivate, and move any audience with your calls to action.
4) Not Inviting Healthy Debate
Leaders are often afraid to address conflict in group discussions through healthy, respectful dialog. They fail to hear the objections of others. But objections are valuable clues to what points your messages need to address to overcome to persuade and influence others. Pay close attention to them to help you shape your messages and strategize ways to build buy-in by giving others a sense that their ideas matter. Use the opportunity of conflict to actively listen. Then pivot your communication and message to achieve more effective and positive outcomes. The Center of Creative Leadership found that 40% of leaders fail to influence because of poor listening. One of the fastest ways to become a communication influencer is to understand and incorporate the point of view of others. That builds trust and fosters a culture of healthy discourse to engage others as co-creators of ideas for optimum results and greater consensus.
5) Prioritizing the Message Over the Relationship
If you want to influence others, you need to understand the importance of building rapport that strengthens relationships with your team, peers, and stakeholders. Dynamic, positive, trusting relationships are the lifeblood of any collaborative environment. You can’t work in a vacuum trying to push your ideas forward. Leadership influence and success is based on relating to others so you can inspire and persuade – especially when the stakes are high and the challenges are great.
Summary
Leadership influence is powered not by authority but through the strategic development of an engaging and resonate style of communication. That makes every form of communication you engage in more adaptable, flexible, inspiring, and universally effective.
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Sarah Hathorn, CEO of Hathorn Consulting Group, is the go-to-expert in working with leaders and companies to create successful corporate DNA. As an executive coach, consultant and speaker she collaborates globally with clients and brands such as Deloitte, McKesson, Kimberly-Clark, Sherwin-Williams, Home Depot and other leading organizations.
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