Description of Complex Cases

I.                  The Career of Nettie Seabrooks: Influence Against All Odds

As an African-American, and a woman, Nettie Seabrooks had more than her share of hurdles to leap to acquire influence – especially at General Motors, where her career began. Her remarkable story offers invaluable lessons for gaining influence in the importance of:

• Doing quality work as a way of gaining credibility and positive reputation, which are the entry price for influence.  Influence requires more than a technique.

• Cultivating strong relationships

• Placing the organization’s interests first, so you are not seen as self-serving

• Avoiding self-inflicted traps, such as writing difficult people off, missing learning opportunities, or failing to notice what others want 

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II.                Warren Peters Navigates a Complex, Multi-staged Exchange Process: Working Within Organizational Realities

In trying to replace a direct report at his insurance company, Warren Peters ran into conflict with the more senior manager of his favored candidate. Warren had to decide whether to fight for his choice, and once he did, find a way to preserve his relationship while getting the result he wanted.  Warren’s story illustrates these crucial principles of influence:

• Resisting the impulse to attack when you are attacked

• Listening carefully to your opponents’ arguments to distill what is most important to them

• Persistence in the face of objection, using steady patience to meet objections

• Exiting gracefully when necessary

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III.             Anne Austin Crosses Over: Selling a New Product Idea, and Gaining Access to an Out-of-Reach Job

Anne Austin had trouble making herself heard when she spotted a new product opportunity from her market analyst’s job at a Fortune 500 consumer goods company.  But by incredible persistence and deft application of influence skills, she conducted a strong internal campaign to get her product idea accepted, and land the job she wanted. Her story shows the importance of:

• Paying attention to exchange in every situation, so efforts are focused

• Keeping your personal goals, as well as task success, in mind

• Taking resistance seriously

• Being assertive, never antagonistic

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IV.           Lessons from a Determined Influencer: The Rise, Fall – and Eventual Resurrection of Monica Ashley, Revolutionary Product Manager

This complicated example reveals many layers of challenges over several years, and demonstrates how a project management job calls for the ability to determine key players, figure out what is important to them, and utilize a full palette of influence skills to bring a major strategic project to fruition.  Monica Ashley had to overcome deep resistance from a powerful technical guru, and she finally won the arguments about going outside for needed technology, but because of her approach, was removed from the product development project and placed in “the penalty box” for a year.  If your job brings you into contact with multiple stakeholders who must be won over in order to be successful, you will find the attention required to understand the situation to be well worth your time.

Some of the lessons from Monica’s experience include:

• Having the right data is a start, but often not enough for influence

• Influence requires considerable relationship building and maintenance

• You have to work your supportive relationships as well as overcome the resisters

• When people you respect are not doing what you want, do not write them off; inquire and learn

• The higher you go in management, the more that subtle norms of behavior are in operation, and the more they affect your reputation and career

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V.              Making a Minor Miracle in Montana: Using Influence to Change People and Groups Outside your Organization

Timlynn Babitsky and Jim Salomon saw the enormous potential of wind power in Montana, but the locals, unfamiliar with their organization, were skittish. By partnering with several government-sponsored groups, and landing some well-placed publicity, they were able to start a grassroots movement that is tapping into a powerful existing resource and improving people’s lives. Important elements of their influence campaign include: 

• Finding an issue you care passionately about in order to sustain the effort to overcome complex opposition

• Locating all the relevant stakeholders, and using any connection to them you have

• Using every available communication device to spread variations of your message

• Providing information, access, responsiveness, and homework to relieve time pressure for key stakeholders

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VI.           Will Wood Sells E-Learning for Training: A Case of Successful Change Implementation

After being promoted to head of a messy division, Will Wood used careful change planning, considerable influence skill and some calculated maneuvering to implement e-learning, a more effective training tool. But in order to do it successfully, he had to overcome skepticism and tight budgets. Some of the principles he practiced include:

• Offering a vision of how change would increase efficiency

• Building credibility through better performance

• Tailoring his interaction style to build key relationships

• Preparing for the political implications of the change he initiated

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VII.       Fran Grigsby Kills the $100 Million Project of a Well-Liked Senior Peer: Careful Navigation of Organizational Politics

When challenged with taking over the flawed pet project of a popular longtime manager at Motorola, Fran Grigsby knew she would have to kill it – without sacrificing a talented staff and her own bright future at the company. Some of the influence principles she demonstrated were: 

• Accepting challenges to build credibility

• Keeping your antennae up, so you know which way the political winds are blowing

• Being prepared to compromise in the short term for the sake of the long term

• Getting out as soon as you can find a better alternative, if what you have to do is personally unacceptable.

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