It’s daily use of the PoI approach for a Melbourne CFO

“Power of Influence? I use it every day” says Fred Meuwly, Chief Finance Officer at a Melbourne based agribusiness company and a Power of Influence (PoI) participant who has gone on to apply the course approach to good effect.

Commitment

Fred advises that to get the most out of the Influence Mastery course the participant needs to first commit to the group approach then the PoI skills development process itself. “The group approach was an important element for the success of the course and was instrumental in building a safe and trusting working relationship amongst the members.”

“In my group the trust level was high and the degree to which we worked to develop our own skills and support each other through the process was very close.”

Trust

Fred has committed to applying the influencing skills learnt from the course and has found that with constant use of the PoI persuasion method, your co-workers, colleagues and subordinates who engage with you professionally, will learn that your focus is targeted on resolving the subject at hand.

‘The more you apply the skill set, the more your stakeholders understand your approach, which builds trust, and trust is critical to effective working relationships’ says Fred. Ultimately if people can trust you, this takes pressure off the meeting.

“It’s amazing the extent of the collaboration you can receive from all levels of co-workers and management when they understand that you really want to find the solution (to their problem).”

On Track

“Applying the PoI skill set is critical to ensuring these meetings are effective, I always have my PoI checklist with me when meeting and refer to it to make sure I apply the skill set properly, a few minutes before key meetings.”

“Everybody is busy in this day and age and it’s easy for people to get distracted and lose focus on the business at hand. According to Fred, “the decision makers I work with have their focus stretched across complex & urgent issues within and external to the business. By applying the PoI approach I find I am able to support the meeting’s focus on the subject“.

Management

Fred also maintains that the PoI method and preparation has proved effective when managing others. “Using the PoI approach to focus on the key questions I was seeking answers to, I found I was better able to understand their motivations.”

“I now ensure I use the technique especially with managing for optimum performance levels. I recommend that at the very least meeting attendees should adhere to the following broad principles in order to achieve success;

Keep your objective achievable, Think ahead on your common ground,Be sure your issue is mutually agreed before leaving.”

Fred uses the Influencing Skills he developed with the PoI course every day: “Every meeting is an opportunity to influence those you work with, to get things done and/or raise awareness of important business issues.”

Fred Meuwly

Chief Finance Officer

Montague

‘The Power of Influence' - Influence Mastery experience helped me develop and practice my influencing skills,’ says PoI course participant Liz Waldock, currently a senior HR professional for an online services company. “It was a really positive environment for learning and receiving feedback from an expert coach and a respectful and supportive group.”

“I will always remember my PoI workshop group, the collaborative environment and everybody’s focus on improvement. We were able to help each other improve our influencing capability through honest and supportive feedback.”

“In today’s workplace effective Influencing is critical. No matter your level of seniority you must be able to properly deliver your message and get others to understand your position/point of view. You also need to pay attention to understanding their issues as well. Anything less may inhibit your success in your role."

“Usually professionals face numerous engagement opportunities in the course of a working week. The power of Influence course taught me to plan ahead and ask myself, ‘What is the opportunity to influence here?’ ‘How do I properly put my issue on the table to the best effect? ‘ What do I want people to take away? What will they retain from me when they walk away from this meeting? “

The power of Influence course is built on a practical and pragmatic understanding of today’s work environment. Most people are under time pressure at work and may only take away a few elements from any given meeting. The course ensures that when you meet with others for a purpose you are fully prepared and can deliver your message clearly.

Using the power of Influence techniques can be a big advantage says Liz. “Specific techniques are broken down and focused on:

The process provides the time required to work on the skills within the groupPracticing the skills in the real world helps develop and master new skillsMentoring and group environment holds the members accountable for individual progress.”

“In particular, the mentoring through the real world exchanges in your own workplace means you get the most out of the course and the process becomes part of how you operate as a professional. "

Liz’s personal tip for those facing influencing challenges is to leave ‘the door open’ for contributions from others you engage. “Consultation is an important communication tool, if you’re meeting someone equipped with what you believe to be a 100% of the solution this means you’re directing not consulting with them. I’ve adopted an open style to achieve a balance in work conversations,” says Liz.

“I operate on an 80/20 rule, the 80% reflects my position and issues I will raise in a meeting. The 20% reflects my expectations of responses and or position provided by those I’m meeting with. In other words, I keep an open mind for ideas, information and/or updates, which may be important to my position. Any exchange is always a two-way street, I have found through experience that a better result can be achieved if you expect and are prepared for input from others in a meeting.”

The power of Influence course provided an excellent environment for self-improvement where influencing is concerned. The workshop format provided a host of advantages;

Meeting professionals from differing organizational cultures other than your own.Engaging with and reaping the benefit of differing points of view and ways of doing things.Enjoying group support while testing and improving influencing skillsAccepting individual accountability to contribute to the group in its supportive workshop environmentGaining the benefit from group members working towards the same goal for themselves and each other, better influencing ability.

Liz Waldock is 'Head of Talent' at Sportsbet.com.au which is Australia's first and largest online Bookmaker.

At first glance you might think that The Power of Influence – Influence Mastery program is only concerned with face to face communication. Previous course participant John Newman tells us that 'The Power of Influence' approach can also be effective for a more detached style of engagement.

Undertaking the “The power of influence (PoI) course had a positive impact on my career,” says John Newman, regional Director of HR Operations for a multinational corporation involved in the FMCG production chain. “The PoI course came along at just the right time and enabled me to apply professional engagement more effectively. “

John is responsible for the broader HR function for the region in managing specialists across functions including: pay roll, industrial relations, recruitment, workers compensation, organisational change, organisational development, local acquisitions, restructuring and outsourced labour contracts. As a senior human resources leader responsible for the HR function across the ANZJK region, John regards effective communication as critical on a day to day basis.

“The PoI course is one that anyone of any age or stage would benefit from because its focus is on making the individual engage more effectively.” The level of communication effectiveness required in this environment is not something that will come from on the job experience alone.”

Although face to face engagement is still the best opportunity to be effective, there is a great deal of time spent communicating on a ‘dial in’ basis within a multinational organisation. ‘You simply must communicate well on these occasions if you are to succeed in a global environment’, John maintains.

“These meetings can run for hours at a time they may well have up to 30 callers dialling in from across the global business. Subsequently individual callers may get as little as 10 minutes air time each with which to raise important issues affecting their function or region.”

“Preparation is key. Not just for my own performance but for engaging my internal stakeholders outside of these calls. All the meeting preparation completed beforehand can make an important contribution to the desired end result.”

John recommends preparation as the key to successful communication and the PoI course checklist enables;

Clear organisation of your thoughtsIdentify and prioritise your argument (and what my fall back position will be)Focus on what should be included and,That which should be excluded

“For many of the callers on the line English is their second language so it’s doubly important to be clear and concise. I’ve always found the best way to achieve this it is to use the PoI persuasion checklist.”

Using the influence skills obtained from the PoI course enables you to:

Engage stakeholders to understand your positionSeek and obtain their cooperation on the matterAddress their thinking on the issueFocus on the necessary preparation beforehand in order to deal effectively with responses and potentially reach a stronger position

John says, “This is also true when you have the challenge of communicating and influencing senior global executives, you find out very quickly that they have at least one thing in common, a lack of available time. In order to engage senior people and win their support, you must communicate with them effectively, be clear and correct in your delivery and also deal effectively with objections. Anything less than this result can leave senior people with disappointment, a negative on anybody’s career.”

Premier leadership development program, The power of Influence, has been updated and relaunched to meet the challenges of today’s talent and emerging leaders.

The power of Influence will be delivered by Kingsley Child whose extensive insights, gained from corporate and operational human resources at senior levels in large and complex organisations across media & publishing (including digital media), mining & resources and utilities, give him an unique perspective and opportunity to personally mentor talent.

“Developing talent and growing future leaders is not just hugely gratifying for me as a HR operative, it’s essential in today’s business environment when so much is reliant on getting the most out of your talent and their ability to influence others,” said Kingsley Child.

Developed by Organisational Psychologist, Dr Bruce Carroll in the early 1990’s, and then further developed by Leadership Coach and Engineering Executive, Tim Steinborner, The power of Influence has been successfully utilised by many large corporate companies to develop their leaders and key talent towards more effective communication capability.

“Continuing Tim and Bruce’s legacy means the new The power of Influence draws on all the strengths of previous programs. The new power of Influence focuses on communication capability and leadership and is nimble enough to respond to changes in today’s business environment,” he said.

All the services previously provided by The power of Influence will continue to be offered, especially the popular Influence Mastery group-based development option.

The initial intake for the Influence Mastery course will commence from June this year.

For enquiries in respect of the power of Influence coursework please go to www.powerinfluence.com.au or via email info@powerinfluence.com.au or call 03 9820 8100