Intelligent Influence Overview

I have been amazed by the many positive comments about the Princeton TEDx speech I gave in 2011 and the book I wrote in 2012.  My speech was simply called “Intelligent Influence.”  My book continues to sell very well and is entitled Intelligent Influence: The 4 Steps of Highly Successful Leaders and Organizations.  The speech and book both focused on one of the most important words in the world that, amazingly, is “hidden in plain sight.”  The word “Influence” is used in conversations virtually every day by millions of people around the world who have not taken the time to understand the meaning and potential of this very powerful concept.

I believe that positive strategic influence is the secret to leadership and organizational success in today’s complicated business environment.  My research on influence led me to develop a concept called Intelligent Influence^®.  This unique leadership approach is tailor-made for the business (and human interaction) realities of the 21^st century.  Many people have called it a behavioral strategy framework, consisting of four steps, that has the potential to transform the way that people interact and lead.  The Intelligent Influence approach has been so well received by clients that I founded an international management consulting firm named Strategic Influence, LLC that has successfully helped executives, corporations, government agencies and nonprofits effectively utilize this framework to achieve extraordinary success.

This groundbreaking approach to leadership is extremely useful when you apply it to your career goals and objectives.  In this blog, I personalize this four-step process so you have a better idea of how Intelligent Influence can help you become a more effective leader.  The first step, “Influence Awareness^TM,” is understanding how an individual or group is influenced. Think about the person, events or things that influenced you to lead the way you lead, pursue your current career or develop a passion for a particular hobby or even sports team.  We all do what we do, like what we like, think the way we think and accomplish what we accomplish because of influence.

The second step, “Influence Impact^TM,” is understanding how an individual or group currently influences others.  Take a minute or two to think about the influence that you have on others at home, at work and in your community?  Ask yourself the question “How am I currently influencing my boss, co-workers, subordinates, family and friends?” My research indicated that there are six distinct types of Intelligent Influence.  These are: Authority Influence^TM, Belief Influence^TM, Inspiration Influence^TM, Reputation Influence^TM, Resource Influence^TM and Thought Influence^TM.  It is essential that you understand and document your influence strengths and weaknesses in these six types of influences.  This will help you benefit from the next step in the process.

The third step, “Influence Management^TM”, is identifying your personal and professional goals and proactively managing how you are influenced to achieve these goals based on your analysis of your influence strengths and weaknesses in Step 2.  You should identify your developmental goals and write down a plan to get the Internal Influence^TM (coaching, mentoring, training, etc.) you need to accomplish your personal and professional goals.  One of the secrets of success is utilizing Influence Integration where you spend considerable time being influenced by people who think very differently than you do.  This means that HR executives should spend time with engineers, sales persons should spend time with finance executives and CEOs should spend time with front line workers and vice versa.  Extraordinary leaders have the ability to effectively interact with different divisions in an organization because they know how to successfully utilize Influence Management.

The fourth and final step “Influence Maximization^TM,” is maximizing influence by connecting the three Caldwell Spheres of Influence^TM that in combination are the secret behind the success of all influential individuals and organizations.  The first sphere, “Credibility,” represents the influence that motivates people to take a person or organization seriously.  The second sphere, “Creativity,” represents the influence that makes people respect an individual or organization because of their innovative approach and ideas.  The third and final sphere, “Connection,” represents the influence generated when a person or organization makes an emotional connection with a person through their past influences. 

It is important to note that we start with Influence Awareness because you cannot connect with other people’s influences if you are unaware of your own influences.  Once you have completed the first three steps of the Intelligent Influence process, you should focus on demonstrating Credibility, Creativity and Connection.  Every successful human interaction contains each of these three elements.  In situations where you fail to influence others, one or more of these elements is missing.  When a leader or organization can demonstrate each of these three types of influence in combination they can successfully influence others and accomplish extraordinary things.

If you are serious about becoming an exceptional leader you must use the Intelligent Influence framework to identify the influences that shaped who you are (Influence Awareness); honestly assess your current influence strengths and weaknesses (Influence Impact); identify the influences you need to accomplish specific personal and professional goals (Influence Management); and, demonstrate credibility, creativity and connection to maximize the influence that you have on the people who determine the level of success you have in both your life and your career (Influence Maximization).  Intelligent Influence is the secret of success in the complex, diverse and fast paced world of today.  Are you ready to use this groundbreaking framework to maximize the effectiveness of your leadership?