Influence is the ability to persuade or convince other people to provide you with their support. People who know how to influence know how to make others listen, build consensus and support their positions by appealing to their self-interest. They effectively combine self-awareness, self control and empathy to anticipate response of another person to their argument and tailor their approach accordingly. They know how to: they make an emotional plea when they know it’ll be more effective, and to reason when that works best.

Developing Influence

1. Talk to successful coworkers to draw upon their successful influence skills
2. Practice influencing others by participating in various committees available at work or while working an important organizational and cross-departmental problem