Tips for Influencing Others by Changing Perspectives

Being right isn’t your edge. It’s often your obstacle. I spent years defending my ideas in meetings. Data validated. Research confirmed. Logic airtight. Yet resistance kept appearing where I expected agreement. Here's what changed my entire approach to strategic influence: Your 'right' and their 'right' often live at different altitudes. – The CFO sees risk where you see opportunity. – The sales leader sees disruption where you see innovation. – Your boss sees timing issues where you see urgency. None of you are wrong. You're solving for different equations. Here’s the 5-step shift I now use to lead difficult conversations with influence: ➊ Map their success metrics first → Understand what keeps them up at night. Their KPIs shape their view. ➋ Find the shared win → Stop selling your vision. Build one where everyone wins something. ➌ Acknowledge their truth → “I can see why that matters from your position” opens more doors than “Let me show you why this works.” ➍ Translate your value into their language → Your innovation = their efficiency gain. Your change = their cost reduction. ➎ Create space for their expertise → Ask: “What am I not seeing from your vantage point?” Then actually listen. The leaders who rise aren’t always the ones who are right. They’re the ones who can hold multiple truths — and move forward anyway. When you make this shift, here’s what changes: – Senior leaders start asking for your input – You’re seen as someone who builds consensus – Proposals move forward faster – Stakeholders champion your ideas – That seat at the table? Feels a lot closer Your ideas don’t change. How they land does. And that’s why your EQ becomes your edge in rooms full of smart people. Next meeting: Lead with curiosity about their angle before defending yours. 🔖 Save this to master strategic influence through understanding ➕ Follow me, Jill Avey, for daily insights on advancing with authenticity and emotional intelligence

I was Wrong about Influence. Early in my career, I believed influence in a decision-making meeting was the direct outcome of a strong artifact presented and the ensuing discussion. However, with more leadership experience, I have come to realize that while these are important, there is something far more important at play. Influence, for a given decision, largely happens outside of and before decision-making meetings. Here's my 3 step approach you can follow to maximize your influence: (#3 is often missed yet most important) 1. Obsess over Knowing your Audience Why: Understanding your audience in-depth allows you to tailor your communication, approach and positioning. How: ↳ Research their backgrounds, how they think, what their goals are etc. ↳ Attend other meetings where they are present to learn about their priorities, how they think and what questions they ask. Take note of the topics that energize them or cause concern. ↳ Engage with others who frequently interact with them to gain additional insights. Ask about their preferences, hot buttons, and any subtle cues that could be useful in understanding their perspective. 2. Tailor your Communication Why: This ensures that your message is not just heard but also understood and valued. How: ↳ Seek inspiration from existing artifacts and pickup queues on terminologies, context and background on the give topic. ↳ Reflect on their goals and priorities, and integrate these elements into your communication. For instance, if they prioritize efficiency, highlight how your proposal enhances productivity. ↳Ask yourself "So what?" or "Why should they care" as a litmus test for relatability of your proposal. 3. Pre-socialize for support Why: It allows you to refine your approach, address potential objections, and build a coalition of support (ahead of and during the meeting). How: ↳ Schedule informal discussions or small group meetings with key stakeholders or their team members to discuss your idea(s). A casual coffee or a brief virtual call can be effective. Lead with curiosity vs. an intent to respond. ↳ Ask targeted questions to gather feedback and gauge reactions to your ideas. Examples: What are your initial thoughts on this draft proposal? What challenges do you foresee with this approach? How does this align with our current priorities? ↳ Acknowledge, incorporate and highlight the insights from these pre-meetings into the main meeting, treating them as an integral part of the decision-making process. What would you add? PS: BONUS - Following these steps also expands your understanding of the business and your internal network - both of which make you more effective. --- Follow me, tap the (🔔) Omar Halabieh for daily Leadership and Career posts.

In my work as a business growth coach, I have witnessed countless leaders get “stuck” in their own ways of thinking, preventing them from reaching new levels of success. I remember a recent client, a passionate business owner who came to me with a desire to take her business to the next level. Despite her hard work, she felt like she had hit a ceiling. The solutions she had always relied on seemed ineffective, and she was frustrated by her inability to break through. We dived into the coaching sessions, and it became clear to her that she was seeing things only from her perspective. This viewpoint was limiting her ability to innovate and adapt to new challenges. Our work then became focused on helping her shift her mindset, expand her viewpoint, and learn to approach her business with fresh eyes. What did she adapt and adopt? 🐾Step into Your Customer's Shoes One of the first exercises we did was to adopt her customer’s perspective. By reframing her business through her customers' eyes, she identified overlooked needs and opportunities to enhance her services. 🧿Challenge Existing Beliefs Identifying and challenging her assumptions gave her a clearer view of her untapped potential and resources within her own business. She worked on beliefs that no longer served her. 🎡Seek Diverse Input Another key step was to actively seek diverse input. We engaged her team, colleagues, and even mentors to gain insights. This mix of viewpoints enabled her to see angles she’d never considered, sparking ideas for innovative strategies and new areas for growth. 🌀Embrace the Power of Reflection By encouraging her to schedule regular time to revisit her business goals and to consider whether her daily actions aligned with her vision. Through this, she discovered small yet impactful adjustments that revitalized her passion and focus. 🌐Building a Growth Mindset By shifting her perspective, she unlocked a whole new pathway for growth. Sometimes, a different lens is all you need to see the bigger picture. Ready to explore new viewpoints and accelerate growth? Reach out to find clarity, unlock potential, and achieve the success you envision. ✨ https://lnkd.in/dGGM5vCK #sonniasingh #sonniasinghleadershipcoach #growth #unstuck #BusinessGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment #PerspectiveShift #ProfessionalCoaching #Innovation #Mentorship #Success

This one mindset changed how I lead teams. Influence isn't loud. It's patient. I’ve wanted to be influential at various points in my career.   And I used to think that influence was about perfect arguments. Flawless logic. The right facts, delivered with confidence.   And sometimes, that worked. But not often enough.   The more I led teams, the more I realised influence isn’t about convincing people. It’s about guiding them to convince themselves.   People don’t like being told what to do. They like feeling in control.   So, instead of pushing my ideas, I started asking better questions.   Like the time I needed a team to pivot on a project: – I didn’t lecture them. – I just asked, “What outcome do we really want here?” – That simple question sparked a discussion. – And they landed on the exact conclusion I had in mind. But it wasn’t my idea anymore. It was theirs.   And that’s the point. Influence isn’t about being the smartest person in the room.   It’s about creating space where others feel smart. Where their ideas matter.   Sometimes, I’d say one thing. Then stay silent. No rush to fill the gap. Just letting the idea sit.   And over time? I’d hear my words echoed back – not because I pushed, but because the idea took root.   The biggest shift? 👉 Realising that influence feels effortless when you stop trying to control the outcome. It’s not about being right. It’s about creating alignment. So, if you’re struggling to get people on board, maybe it’s not about trying harder. Maybe it’s about trying differently. Ask questions. Pause. Let ideas breathe. You don’t need to push. You just need to guide. Influence works best when people believe the choice was theirs all along.   How do you influence? Drop your thoughts in the comments. ⭐️ Follow me (Mostyn Wilson) and subscribe to my newsletter (link above) for more like this.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝘼𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 “𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙀𝙡𝙨𝙚?🤔 A long time ago, I worked under a leader who taught me one of the most valuable lessons I’ve ever learned. Whenever I rushed into a solution, he’d look me straight in the eye and ask, “And what else?” If I gave another idea too quickly, he’d smile and say it again, “What else?” Sometimes I struggled to find another angle - pushing myself to think beyond my first, most comfortable answer. Over time, I realized what he was doing. When we’re under pressure, it’s natural to go with the obvious choice or listen only to the team members we know best. We focus on what’s familiar, forgetting that quieter voices or different viewpoints might offer the game-changing insight. By consistently asking “What else?” he forced me to slow down, consider other perspectives, and discover solutions I never would have found otherwise. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀: 𝙋𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚: challenge yourself to find at least one more angle. 𝙎𝙚𝙚𝙠 𝙞𝙣𝙥𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙪𝙥. Remember that fresh ideas often come from unexpected places. 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: This week, try the “What else?” approach with your team. Ask one more question, invite that quieter colleague to share, and see where it leads you. You might be surprised at the results! 🚀 #Leadership #Influence #Impact #TeamInsights #InnovativeThinking #GrowthMindset

On my clients’ minds: “How do I rebrand myself as someone who is capable of a higher level leadership and influence?” Changing how people view you isn't an overnight process although we wish it could be. Changing your brand in the workplace takes concerted time, effort and stamina to continually show up in new ways and teaching people to expect new things from you. Here are three strategies you can try to shift others' perception of you from a doer, expert or high achiever to a more influential and strategic leader: 1️⃣ Stop Over-Relying on Expertise and Start Leading Through Influence ▫️Start delegating tactical work and investing time in setting direction, shaping strategy, and influencing others. ▫️Redirect your colleagues to seek out your direct reports for answers instead of always coming to you. 2️⃣ Position Yourself as Valuable AND Visible ▫️Stop assuming results speak for themselves. ▫️Proactively align and advocate your work results to company goals and talk about impact in strategic terms. This positions you as a leader who is visible and valuable. ▫️Say things like, “This initiative helps us reduce risk in X,” or “This supports the CEO's Q3 priority on customer retention.” 3️⃣ Be Seen as Future-Focused, Not Just Reliable ▫️Many professionals unintentionally brand themselves as “reliable and steady," but not as “innovative, visionary, or future-ready.” ▫️As organizations endure immense pressure to grow, adapt or change due to economic or competitive pressures, how are you helping them identify and navigate these challenges? ▫️Shift your language from past-tense accomplishments to future-focused initiatives. Instead of “I've always done X,” say “I'm currently focused on growing our capability in Y,” or “I'm exploring ways to help our team do Z more efficiently.” What tip will you try? Or, what tips can you share to help someone successfully rebrand from a humble high achiever to influential leader?

One of the toughest tests of your leadership isn't how you handle success. It's how you navigate disagreement. I noticed this in the SEAL Teams and in my work with executives: Those who master difficult conversations outperform their peers not just in team satisfaction, but in decision quality and innovation. The problem? Most of us enter difficult conversations with our nervous system already in a threat state. Our brain literally can't access its best thinking when flooded with stress hormones. Through years of working with high-performing teams, I've developed what I call The Mindful Disagreement Framework. Here's how it works: 1. Pause Before Engaging (10 seconds) When triggered by disagreement, take a deliberate breath. This small reset activates your prefrontal cortex instead of your reactive limbic system. Your brain physically needs this transition to think clearly. 2. Set Psychological Safety (30 seconds) Start with: "I appreciate your perspective and want to understand it better. I also have some different thoughts to share." This simple opener signals respect while creating space for different viewpoints. 3. Lead with Curiosity, Not Certainty (2 minutes) Ask at least three questions before stating your position. This practice significantly increases the quality of solutions because it broadens your understanding before narrowing toward decisions. 4. Name the Shared Purpose (1 minute) "We both want [shared goal]. We're just seeing different paths to get there." This reminds everyone you're on the same team, even with different perspectives. 5. Separate Impact from Intent (30 seconds) "When X happened, I felt Y, because Z. I know that wasn't your intention." This formula transforms accusations into observations. Last month, I used this exact framework in a disagreement. The conversation that could have damaged our relationship instead strengthened it. Not because we ended up agreeing, but because we disagreed respectfully. (It may or may not have been with my kid!) The most valuable disagreements often feel uncomfortable. The goal isn't comfort. It's growth. What difficult conversation are you avoiding right now? Try this framework tomorrow and watch what happens to your leadership influence. ___ Follow me, Jon Macaskill for more leadership focused content. And feel free to repost if someone in your life needs to hear this. 📩 Subscribe to my newsletter here → https://lnkd.in/g9ZFxDJG You'll get FREE access to my 21-Day Mindfulness & Meditation Course packed with real, actionable strategies to lead with clarity, resilience, and purpose.

Last week during a strategy meeting, things got heated. Two teams, two completely opposite ideas. Voices were rising. People were cutting each other off. At one point, someone said sharply, “This just isn’t going to work! We’re wasting time!” I could feel the room tensing up. Instead of joining the chaos, I leaned forward and said calmly, “I hear that there are strong opinions here — which is good. Can we pause for a second? I really want to understand what’s driving each perspective.” There was a moment of silence. Then, surprisingly, both sides started explaining — not arguing. I kept nodding, asking a few simple questions like: “What’s the biggest risk you see?” “What would success look like for you?” Gradually, the energy shifted. Frustration turned into problem-solving. By the end of the hour, we found a middle path that combined the best of both ideas. And it reminded me of something powerful: You don’t have to shout to be heard. Influence happens when you stay calm while others rush. #Leadership #Influence #CommunicationSkills #ExecutivePresence #SoftSkills

Struggling to influence others at work? Try this approach: Rather than trying to influence THEM, seek out ways to let them influence YOU first. If people don't feel like they can impact YOU, they'll be more guarded in letting you impact THEM. If you earnestly and authentically show people you're open to them, they'll naturally become more open to you. Here are some options for how to let others influence you: - Listen for their ideas, and implement them - Notice (and name) how their presence shifts a room's energy - Learn from their communication style (or their silence), and use it when you speak with them - Adopt their problem-solving approaches - Act on their feedback, visibly and quickly - Vocally appreciate how they set boundaries - Build off of their ideas - Tell them about their positive impact as soon as you feel it Saying "That insight you shared changed how I'm approaching this project" or "Your feedback made me rethink my strategy," is immensely relationship-building. And it makes me want to do whatever behavior I'm doing more because I'm now hearing that it matters. With more of a relationship, I'll start to reciprocate and allow you to influence me, too. This, and more on the first episode of Is It Just Me?: isitjustmepod.com

Have you ever tried—repeatedly—to get others on board with an idea, only to feel like you’re hitting a wall? The instinctive response is familiar: Explain the idea again. Add more data. Sharpen the argument and push a little harder. In my experience, that approach often backfires. When people resist an idea, it’s rarely because they don’t understand it. More often, there’s something underneath their response—a concern, a belief, a past experience—that hasn’t been surfaced. And as long as that stays hidden, no amount of logic will move the conversation forward. The shift that changes things is counterintuitive but powerful: Stop trying to explain your thinking. Start trying to understand theirs. That means asking questions not to persuade, but to learn: How is this idea actually landing with you? What concerns does this raise for you? What have you seen before that’s shaping how you’re reacting? What’s a conversation where understanding the other person’s reasoning led to greater buy-in? 📖 Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/eTa2e3JT 💬 What helps you understand what’s really behind someone’s “no”? #AskApproach #Leadership #Curiosity #Influence #Learningful