Coaching for Influence
Get the coaching conversation going about influence
This job aid is for leaders who want to sharpen their influencing skills to facilitate organizational change while supporting people dealing with its impact. It offers questions to prompt individual reflection and support conversation in peer or team coaching groups.Note*
Influence
What it is
- Influencing for change is the ability to affect or transform opinions or behaviours in support of the change.
- Anyone can become a change agent, regardless of their position or formal authority.
- Developing self-awareness and emotional connection with others contributes to successful influence skills.
Why it's important
- Successful change depends on individual and group resilience as well as willingness to change behaviours, attitudes or beliefs.
- A leader's ability to influence others to embrace new behaviours and commit to the change is critical to make change happen.
- Influential leaders help people maintain a positive mindset and thrive in times of disruption.
How it works
- Building blocks that contribute to influence:
- linking the change vision and people's values
- fostering rapport and alliances
- setting an example
- enabling new ideas and solutions
- leveraging emotions as well as logic
- rewarding the adoption of new behaviours
- Reflecting on experiences with coaching questions creates opportunities to learn and develop these building blocks.
Coaching questions to use with your peers (Peer coaching)
Use the questions in this section to guide a coaching conversation with peers for self-reflection and leadership development. You can use any of these suggested questions in any order.
Hindsight
- How have you been inviting and leveraging others' new ideas to facilitate change? (Solutions)
- How have you been modelling the right behaviour at the right time? (Example)
- What examples show that you adjust your communication style to be listener-centred? (Rapport)
- How have you been rewarding new behaviours embracing change? (Reward)
Insight
- What can you do more of to build rapport in times of disruption? (Rapport)
- How easy is it for you to see the change through other people's eyes? (Vision and values)
- How do you ensure people feel safe and confident in adopting new behaviours and practices? (Example)
- We all have a go-to approach when we intend to influence others. What is yours? What learning opportunities are there for you as a change agent? (Self-awareness)
Foresight
- What can you do more of to connect the need for change with people's values? (Vision and values)
- What strengths can you leverage to foster alliances supporting change?(Alliances)
- How willing are you to try boosting the emotional appeal in your messaging when you influence? (Emotions and logic)
- What innovative ideas seem to be working on your team that you could amplify? (Solutions)
- What new practices could you try to increase trust, influence and engagement? (Rapport)
Coaching questions to use with your team (Team coaching)
Use the questions in this section to guide a coaching conversation when leading a coaching conversation with team or group members. You can use any of these suggested questions in any order.
Hindsight
- How effectively have we been able to influence change in the past? (Self-awareness)
- What kinds of things have encouraged us to adopt new behaviours and mindsets? (Reward)
- How successfully have we made space for divergent views and ideas within our team? (Solutions)
- What would others say about your influence? (Self-awareness)
- When things are not going the way you want, how do your behaviour and mindset impact yourself and others? (Example)
Insight
- How can we help each other navigate social pressure and resistance? (Solutions)
- How can we encourage new behaviours and mindsets when adopting change? (Rapport)
- In what specific ways do you feel rewarded for being a positive force towards change? (Reward)
- How well do you know what motivates others to do what they do and be who they are? (Vision and values)
- How do you see your role on the team when it comes to influencing for change? (Example)
Foresight
- What can we do more of to help each other be inclusive, listener-centred and solution-focused? (Rapport)
- What innovative practices could foster empathy and emotional intelligence as our team aspires to thrive in change? (Emotions and logic)
- What could we do differently to be more proactive in the face of change? (Solutions)
- How can we collaborate with others to influence change? (Alliances)
Tip
Using a combination of the influence building blocks multiplies your chance of success as a change agent. Always practice good listening and empathy and use your powers of influence for the greater good, with a focus on other people's needs.
The influence building blocks are:
- vision and values
- alliances
- example
- solutions
- emotions and logic
- reward
