Have you recently been overlooked for a promotion that seemed perfect for you? Or do you struggle to make yourself heard and understood in meetings? You know what you need to say, you have a clear script in your head and you explain your thoughts perfectly. But your boss just doesn’t seem to see your point of view!
It could be that you need guidance not in presenting, but in listening.
Influence your manager, directors, as well as team members. This is an important element of a successful career. In this post, we talk about the varied aspects of influencing people, which ultimately comes down to listening. Really listening. Actively listening.
Being heard is so important. In life as well as in the workplace. You may think you’re eloquently getting your point of view across; your script is firmly embedded in your mind to encourage and persuade the other person. Then, once presented, you wait for that pat on the back and the congratulations. But none are forthcoming! Why? Perhaps you simply need to understand how to Influence your manager.
It could be that you’ve had such a fixed idea in your head for so long that you feel sure is the perfect answer to a certain issue, and that no-one could better it. But it was met with a confused silence, non-committal statements or, even worse, you got into an argument or it ended up in a stalemate situation. Perhaps your manager then drew the meeting to a swift close and you were left bewildered as to why they couldn’t see the genius behind your thoughts.
But did you know what your manager’s thoughts were?
If the above scenario is familiar, it’s highly likely that you decided to give a presentation of your ideas without having had a discussion with your manager about the situation first. Having a discussion and really listening to the other persona’s point of view is crucial to get to a point of mutual understanding and, ultimately, respect. Especially if you want your manager to trust you, and be inspired and influenced by you. Being more flexible in discussions helps to find out what your manager really wants or needs, for you to then adapt your winning ideas to their way of thinking.
