Connecting Moments to build influence
People often think building influence happens overnight, but it is actually a series of moments that build up over time. In order to build influence strategically, it means that you need to be intentional about your approach.
Identifying your stakeholders and their influence
Building influence starts with identifying who the key people are. The two things you need to think about is:
How do they affect design decisions?
How much do they understand design?
The easiest way to approach this is to create a stakeholder map. I map them against design friendliness and influence. Based on where they sit there will be different tactics you will want to employ. You mainly want to focus your energy on the top two quadrants:
The individuals that are on the right are people you want to build your relationship with.
These people are generally those who understand design and you may have done a few projects with them already
You want to keep them in your favour by building on your relationship with them
You want to use case studies and examples of working with them to influence the stakeholders that are on the top left quadrant
For those on the left quadrant you want to focus on education first
You want to start working with them to help them understand design and what you do and most importantly how you can help them with their challenges
Strategies for influence building
Once you have identified the stakeholders you want to target. I typically approach influence building with understanding who the stakeholder is and their challenges. In your first meeting you want the focus to be about them understanding their challenges, how they communicate... Once you have this you can use that to create a strategy to engage with them.
Communicating to the wider company is another aspect to keep in mind when building influence. Think about how you can use Slack or Teams to create updates. With my team we would create a design newsletter and Slack updates about what design has achieved and learnt. I run design workshops and webinars to companies that have low design maturity, to educate the wider business about design and working with us.
Remember also to keep note of your successes: moments of influence or when your design or research has made a difference. I would do that for my team and use it in two different ways, the first being as a resource for the team to reflect on our achievements. The second is to report to my manager and also my manager’s manager, this shows a direct connection to the company’s goals and how the team has helped to achieve them.
It’s an evolving process
Remember that in order to build and retain influence you have to work on it constantly. Keep reflecting on your stakeholders needs and adapting your approach, it’s especially important as the company shifts and changes. How are you planning on building influence?
