Leadership is not about a title; it is about influence and impact. Influence and impact play a crucial role in the success of any kind of business; Influence enables you to indirectly spread your passion to others and inspire them to take actions delivering impact through results achieved. As such, the concept of “influence and impact” should be easy enough to understand, however, it is quite challenging to actually apply it on a consistent basis in business context. Hence, it is important to understand the different tools available to build your brand and connect with your stakeholders effectively, especially in an increasing digital business context.

Influence

Influence refers to the capacity to have an effect on someone and the corresponding ability to shape their opinion, behaviours, and actions. Influencing stakeholders is a critical skill for any project manager and/or business leader. There are various channels and actions that can help you increase your influence success rate.

COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

1. Physical: Face-to-face communication is the most effective way to influence stakeholders as it allows you to build relationships in a more direct way as you can address questions and concerns immediately. Additionally, at the office, it will allow you to understand who your stakeholder’s stakeholders are so you can create increase your sphere of influence in a business context.
2. Online [information sharing]: Emails and presentations are more formal and typically used for communicating specific information or proposals to a targeted audience. They allow for detailed information to be shared, with visuals and data to support the arguments.
   • Emails should be clear and concise to address stakeholders’ concerns. This is most effectively done by ensuring the subject line already summarizes email content specific and relevant to the recipient. Afterwards, you initiate the email with an opening sentence that reflects the purpose grabbing the reader’s attention. In the body it is important to avoid technical jargon and to be structured to address specific points (e.g. use bullet points). In the end, you finish with a clear call-to-action that you would like the recipient to undertake as this encourages a response from the reader.
   • Presentations are more effective when introducing new ideas or proposals as it allows you to use visual aids and data to support your arguments and demonstrate its corresponding benefits.
3. Online [engagement]: Social media (e.g. LinkedIn) can be a powerful tool as well to influence stakeholders. It allows you to share updates and engage with your stakeholders in real-time and capture direct feedback on your content. You can effectively reach a wider audience and showcase your expertise in a more indirect way that can be recognized by your business stakeholders.

STRATEGIC ACTIONS

1. Be clear: Clear communication is essential when it comes to influencing stakeholders. You need to be able to articulate your ideas in a way that is easy to understand and resonates with your stakeholders. Use simple language, and visual aids to help illustrate your points.
2. Be empathic: Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. To influence your stakeholders, you need to be able to put yourself in their shoes and understand their perspective. This means listening actively, asking questions, and demonstrating that you understand their concerns.
3. Be objective: Data and facts are powerful tools when it comes to influencing stakeholders. Use data to support your arguments and demonstrate the benefits of your proposals. Use real-world examples and case studies to help illustrate the potential impact of your ideas.
4. Be Flexible: Flexibility is key when it comes to influencing stakeholders. Be willing to adapt your approach and ideas based on feedback from your stakeholders. Be open to compromise and collaborate to find solutions that work for everyone.
5. Be visible: Regular updates are important when it comes to influencing stakeholders. Keep them informed about the progress of the project and any changes that may affect them. This helps build trust and keeps everyone on the same page.

Impact

Impact is the powerful effect of something, it is the achievement of measurable results. There are several metrics that can be used in when a clear strategy is in place.

1. Decision-making: You can assess the response of your stakeholders based on their feedback to your call-to-action. As such, feedback from stakeholders is an excellent way to measure your impact. This could be further reflected in the number of stakeholders who seek your opinion and the level of trust that stakeholders have in you.
2. Business outcome: The success of your project will be measured by the business outcomes it achieves. You can track metrics defined as key performance indicators (KPI) to determine the impact of your project. Ultimately, if your project is completed on time, within budget, and achieves its objectives, this is a sign of your effectiveness in influencing stakeholders.
3. Performance Reviews: Organizational reviews can provide valuable insight into the impact you have had on your stakeholders. Your manager can evaluate your contributions, provide feedback, and identify areas for improvement. Use this feedback to develop an action plan for enhancing your influence.

Use data and feedback you gather to continually improve your skills to increase your influence and impact on your stakeholders.