Flexible Styles of Influencing - Part 1

As a leader, having a flexible style of influence is important because different situations can require different influencing techniques. It allows you to adapt your approach based on the situation and individual needs of your team members, maximising your effectiveness by being able to switch between directive and non-directive styles as required, ultimately leading to better team dynamics and outcomes.

What is the range of influence?

The range of influence spans from Directive to Non-Directive (or Self Directed). These titles can also be referred to as Push - solving someone's problem for them - or Pull - helping someone solve their own problem - methods. Neither one is better or worse than the other, but it is important to learn when to apply one more than the other or use a mix of both. A more directive coaching approach will be one where the leader tends towards advice-giving and direct problem-solving, whereas anon-directive leader will emphasise active listening, summarising, and guiding the coachee toward effective problem-solving.

See below the scale of influence, and the behaviours we will be referencing [Julie Starr, Brilliant Coaching,2008]

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Today we will look at two behaviours: Saying Nothing and Giving an Instruction, which are the least and most directive styles, respectively.

Behavior 1: Saying Nothing /Listening to Understand

Although saying nothing may seem strange as a way to direct someone, this skill not only fosters empathy and builds trust but also encourages openness. Being silent allows your trainee to reflect and expand on what they've said/asked. The end goal with this behaviour is for the person to solve their own problem, as mentioned before. Done correctly, this can also create a calming energy for the trainee.

Your internal sense of what's best todo in a situation is important for a leader to develop. You should be able to tell from their non-verbal signals if they are uncomfortable with this silence. This is a clear indication for you to speak and use some of the behaviours shown in the graphic above which we will be discussing in the coming weeks through this blog.

Behaviour 2: Giving Instruction

The most directive style of influence is Instructing. There's nothing more directive than straight-up telling someone what you want them to do. However, you can also use instruction to help someone be self-directed, depending on your wording. Instruction can also have different effects based on your tone of voice. Let's take a look at some examples of instruction and whether they are directive or encourage self-direction.

"Go and speak to John and ask him to reschedule the meeting."

This is clearly a directive instruction/request. It suggests that you know what needs to happen and you are asking someone to carry it out.

"Go and speak to John and figure out a solution that you can both agree on and let me know what you want to do."

Although this is a directive nstruction, it still allows the other person a level of empowerment - to decide for themselves what they are going to do.

As previously stated, your tone can make each of these statements have a different effect on the person. A harsh tone has a far different impact than a relaxed one. It is important to be aware of your tone as a leader, especially when using directive styles of influence. Be mindful of when you employ directive leadership because some people may be negatively impacted by it in terms of productivity and they may be afraid to make mistakes.

As stated above, influence is a scale, and these are the most extreme of each type. In the coming weeks, we will be looking at other types of styles that fall in between and how we can use them effectively. As a leader, you need to be able to balance empowering people while staying practical.

Directive/Non-Directive image comes from the following site:
https://www.bigrockhq.com/the-effectiveness-of-different-coaching-styles/

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Photo by Anna Tarazevich: https://www.pexels.com/photo/leadership-lettering-text-on-black-background-5598284/

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