Influencing others at work can often feel like one of the most challenging parts of leadership. Whether it’s navigating difficult relationships, persuading colleagues to collaborate, or aligning a team around a new direction, influence is at the heart of how leaders get things done. In this episode, Jean explores what it really means to influence others with respect and integrity.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

Why influencing is a core leadership skill that extends beyond formal authority.
The shift from command-and-control leadership to today’s matrixed, collaborative workplaces.
A three-step framework for influencing effectively:
1. Clarify your goal – create a vision that inspires, not just a process-focused objective.
2. Understand the current state – stand in the shoes of the person or group you’re seeking to influence.
3. Choose the right action – select an influencing strategy that fits the context and respects others.
Seven practical strategies for influence, from using logic and data to building relationships, creating impact, bargaining, and even knowing when to (carefully) lean on authority.
How to approach influencing as a human skill rooted in empathy, respect, and adaptability.

Why This Matters
Too often, leaders approach influence by pushing their own agenda. This episode reframes influence as a relational process, one that can reduce sleepless nights, improve collaboration, and help you achieve outcomes while strengthening trust.

Takeaway
Influence is not about forcing or persuading, it’s about listening, connecting, and shaping outcomes in ways that benefit everyone involved. With practice, you can become a more confident and effective influencer, no matter your role.

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Learn more about my work: https://jeanbalfour.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanbalfour/

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