Teaching

Practical Ways for Influencing (Educating) Your Colleagues in the Workplace

By Ted Pin ⋅ March 16, 2008 ⋅  Email this post ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

This blog is about methods for learning and teaching. So why am I writing a Covey-esque article about how to influence people in the workplace? Because sometimes you have to teach (i.e., sell to) your colleagues why your ideas are better than theirs to get them adopted. This article is about how to get your information across without antagonizing the people needed to get your idea implemented.

Sometimes you find yourself filling the role of an expert in a particular area in your job and having to educate colleagues about that area. However, despite how much of an expert you think you are, you will always come against resistance from people who have different ways of doing the same thing. In the end, if your idea is truly the better one, you must get buy-in from the right people to get your ideas adopted. Otherwise, no matter how good your ideas are, if no one buys into them, they (and eventually you) will get ignored.

I work in IT and have been recently put into a position, by my manager, of bringing a more structured development process to my department. I’ve cultivated some best-practices from leading experts in my field over the years that revolve around prioritizing scalability and flexibility over quick and dirty techniques. These practices, however, are quite contrary to the long-held practices of some of my team mates.

So far, I have been fortunate to receive very little resistance to the methods I have pitched to the team. So why am I writing this article about educating and influencing co-workers? Well, a particular co-worker of mine, whose background is couched in highly structured organizations, has commented on my success at mitigating resistance to my ideas. He has been frustrated that some of his own attempts to streamline the department have been met with hostility and can’t understand why I have succeeded where he has not. So I decided to pay attention to what factors could be contributing to my ability to persuade.

It’s common knowledge that the best way to get buy-in on an idea is to educate naysayers as to why your idea is superior to theirs. With some well thought-out arguments, you can brow-beat people into accepting your ways. However, I found that the delivery of those arguments is as important, if not more important, than the arguments themselves. Without proper delivery, you can create enemies instead of winning converts. And the way to win converts is to realize that, after all is said and done, the people you are trying to convince simply want to be respected. They may not like your ideas, but the last thing they want is to feel like they are stupid. Here are some ways to convince people get buy-in of your ideas without alienating the people who could become your biggest supporters. (All of this assumes that your ideas are, in fact, the better ideas).

When you are fielding suggestions and requests from other people, it can be very easy to immediately overrule them and focus on why your idea is preferential. Rejecting peoples’ ideas offhand can be bad for your career like a leaky fuel line is for your car - you may not notice the effects immediately, but when it gets bad, it will be too late. Instead, show them that you are taking their suggestion seriously, no matter how belligerently they present them. (Remember, people are often initially belligerent because they anticipate that you will be equally belligerent in response. Try not to take it too personally.) My top 7 ways for doing that are:

1. Furrow your brow and nod while looking off at a wall.
2. Listen to their entire argument before you respond. (Pause before response for effect.)
3. List the benefits of their suggestions back to them.
4. Use phrases like “consider carefully” and “important issue” when talking about their idea.
5. Feign uncertainty.
6. Give in.
7. Enlist the help of the greater group and credit the naysayer.

I used to work with a colleague, Kishore Nagururu, at Publix Super Markets who always impressed with his ability to sell his ideas (which were often the best ideas anyway). I noticed that, when teammembers objected to his ideas, he often furrowed his brow and nodded while looking introspective. His technique did a great many things. Firstly, it showed that he was genuinely interested in their ideas and considered them seriously. Secondly, it often got those people to stop talking before they started to repeat themselves. And thirdly, people were much more willing to listen to his arguments. How do I know it worked like that? I was often one of his objectors - and it worked wonders on me.

I used to read the Encylopedia Brown series of books as a youngster. Enclyopedia Brown was a child genius who could recall obscure facts instantly. One of the most useful things I took from his character was a technique he employed to prevent himself from appearing like such a know-it-all: Before responding to a question like “What is the longest river in the world?” he would pause as if he needed to think about it for a second, even though he knew the answer off the top of his head. That small pause to think, even if you don’t need to, pays huge dividends when influencing people because it shows you are not just out to prove you know more than they do.

Letting your teammembers know you listened to their arguments instead of simply hearing them is an extremely effective way of winning over hearts and minds. One of the best ways to do that is repeating back to them all the arguments they posed to you. Once you do that, you can quell any doubt that you misunderstood or ignored their ideas. This makes them more likely to listen to your arguments. Once again, you earn their respect by respecting them.

And while you are responding to their ideas, whether you already disagree with them or not, strategic use of phrases like “we should definitely weigh those factors” and “you bring up a good point” are money when it comes to winning cohorts. It shows that not only are their ideas worth considering, but that they could significantly influence your ultimate decision or trigger a bigger discussion. It makes them feel knowledgeable, important, and a part of the decision making process. In reality, one of the most effective ways to influence others is to allow them to influence you.

Pretending you are uncertain about whose idea is the best (even if you already know) can help ameliorate a strongly-opinionated co-worker. By pausing to think and saying you are really not sure whether ideas A or B are better, you can buy some time to “think” about it. What you are really doing is, of course, telling them that their idea is good enough to make you uncertain about your own idea. Then you can take that time to “weight” the pros and cons and pitch your conclusions later - even if you already know what your conclusion is.

Sometimes, if your idea is only marginally better, it might be more important, for the sake of the project and your relationship, to adopt the opposing idea. In those cases, the differences are probably more stylistic than practical, so go ahead and give into the idea, and give in without reservation. Something like: “That sounds good, let’s do that.”

And other times, a person just won’t let go of his or her idea and push you to implement it, despite using all of the techniques above. That scenario usually indicates a belief in a “current” way of doing things which differs from your “new” way of doing things. In those cases, you might need get the greater group involved and get buy in from all involved parties. How do you do that without looking like you’re trying to set up a lynch mob? Simple. After you pause for effect and furrow and nod, tell your co-worker that their idea brings up an serious enough issue that it warrants a discussion with the larger community. Then, during the right meeting, and with the go-ahead from your boss, pitch the issue to the team. Then present your idea and the opposing idea, while being careful not to attack your colleague’s idea. Instead, credit your colleague for bringing the important issue to your attention and allow the “panel” to weigh the evidence for themselves. If you are right, the team will back you, and your opponent will have to relent. If you’re wrong, or it doesn’t really matter, you’ll know what to do.

Either way, everyone gets educated on the right information, the best decision gets made, and everyone gets to move on. And, in the end, that’s all that really matters.

If you want to learn more about the art of pitching ideas, Guy Kawasaki is probably the guru on the topic (not to mention one of my personal heroes). His blog is a wealth of information.

If you liked, or didn’t like this post, or if you tried any of the techniques, please drop me a comment! I’d love to hear from you.

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