Power • Influence • Impact

What Are You Hiding?

Sometimes, you may have the irresistible urge to hide your views, opinions and feelings from others. However, communication is far more complex than simply the words you use. Your inner thoughts and feelings can leak out in so many ways. You may be able to put on a...

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Aristotle, Rhetoric and Influence

On the conference stage, I often refer to Aristotle’s abhorrence of rhetoric as part of my argument that even if you don't like a subject, mastering it can still be preferable to ignoring or denying it. You may not like office politics, but avoiding it offers...

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Managing People with the Stakeholder Influence Process

In my book, Advocates and Enemies, I outlined the Stakeholder Influence Process as a means of achieving the influence you want in and around your work. What I didn’t elaborate on in the book was how you can also use this process to manage your team members and direct...

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Be Careful Where You Sit

When office moves occur, petty politics can become quite tense, as any facilities manager will tell you. Moving someone from one place to another in the office is fraught with challenges. Although the most notable issues relate to having a pleasant view out of the...

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Faulty Assumptions: Influencing Mistake No. 2

On my top ten list of common influencing mistakes, this is perhaps the most troublesome. Faulty assumptions, particularly about agendas, can easily land you in serious trouble. This mistake is highly likely to stop you achieving your goal — eventually. In the...

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Seven Ways to Become More Powerful

Being powerful enables you to get things done. It encourages people to do what you want them to do, often without you even asking. Generally, people like to please powerful people because of what they may gain, or because they don't want to lose something. Here are...

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