How to Influence Your Colleagues and Get Things Done

It is essential to influence your colleagues to get things done. How do you win and capture their heart and mind so that they can work things for you? Do you exert your authority or do you use unscrupulous methods to make them work? Using negative methods (as what we pointed) will only bring you further from getting closer to your colleagues. Yes, you may have gotten what you want. But this will manifest into negative sentiments towards you in future. You may not be able to have their full support in future. Therefore, it is prudent and wise that you need to win your colleagues heart using the right methods! Find out more with our tips here.

Find out what is the most essential or important thing that is so dear to your colleagues. Marslow Hierarchy of Needs is a good theory you can adopt to understand how your colleagues think. You may or may not have heard before, that's ok. Basically, you want to know the pending concern that they have when you want to influence them. Is it their promotion and career progress that is important to them? Is it the compensation and overtime pay? Is it fewer hours in the office or being able to leave office earlier than the others?

This relates to another modern theory - WIFM or "What's in for me?' This is more analogous in what is beneficial to them. Colleagues that have tasks on hand will always prioritize whatever is important to them. Therefore, by introducing new things to them through influencing, they will definitely ask "What's in for me?" if they were to help you.

Why is someone hesitant to work overtime for a project? There must be some reasons behind it and it's your job to find out. It can be they are rushing to watch a basket ball match with his friends? Or plain reason, off office hours is my time so doesn't bother me, which generally is the reason. So how can you use "carrots" to entice them to work for you? You have to find out from them as different individuals have different desires.

Sometimes, it's external factors that cause your colleagues not to be influenced by your ideas. Is it policy and regulations? Is it limited budget from your customer if it is influencing a sales decision? Is it their wife that will be nagging them for coming home late?

This applies to your bosses as well. What does the boss have in mind at the moment? Is it the sales quota for the quarter that is causing his concerns? Or is it something that you never thought before (as he is the boss), such as, he wants to spend some time with his daughter after promising her to bring her out this weekend for a fishing trip. After all, he is still human (not god) and will have things that is important to him (at that point of time).

So before you approach anyone to influence your ideas, always find out about the background of your colleague. He or she will have a basic set of needs and wants. Target them. Influence your ideas by targeting their needs and wants. People may change over time so be sure to find out what is their needs and wants at that point time. If you are able to memorize each and everyone's needs and wants, good for you! If you can't, try to keep a journal after talking to them. It will come in handy in future when you need to influence them again! You can read more about the how to manage and get your colleagues on your side in Lost In Cubes blog. The author is also running another business which relates to women's sweater vests.