Management actions are very important. If a company or organisation is in financial difficulty, then cost cutting may be inevitable. The way management tackles the problem determines the long-term outcome. Cost reduction that destroys morale will only have a short-term advantage if the organisational fabric is destroyed in the process.
Senior management have a major influence. The chief executive is a key appointment. His or her leadership is critical. The senior management team sets not only a direction but also "the tone" of how things are done.
In times of difficulty, it is important to work with staff. A positive culture, where people are working hard to overcome difficulties, is like a turbocharger.
On the other hand, forced change on an unwilling staff is like a big discharge of water into a desert - the sand quickly absorbs the life giving water. The same with poorly executed change. If management have not raised support, if they have not provided good leadership, then the energy is wasted.
If organisations lose their focus on service, they eventually suffer. If management influence is negative, rather than positive, staff morale and the organisation climate suffers. In summary, management must back up their statements with positive actions. Their behavior has to help rather than hinder. It has to be concrete, real and positive.
Influence is about finding common ground with others and building strategic alliances or partnerships. In a study conducted by the Harvard Business Review, people engaged in successful alliances believe that:
- Collaboration is competition in another form
- Harmony is not the most important measure of success
- Cooperation has its limits, and companies must defend against competitive compromise
- Learning from partners is paramount
In other words, your colleagues can be both your competitors and collaborators toward mutual goals. The skillful manager understands this dilemma and can negotiate through it when necessary.
Learning how to influence others and how to be influenced by others isn’t rocket science; it’s people science. You negotiate the corporate landscape and its inhabitants much the way the early pioneers did on their journeys west. With some individuals, you establish relationships for mutual benefit; with others, you trade or exchange items that have a value to each of the parties involved; and with a few, you keep your distance and only engage them when you really have to. (Remember: harmony is not necessarily a sign of success.) True influence is being a catalyst for the success of others without any expectation of payback.
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