Influence: Grasping the intangible

Laura Warren, People and Culture Director at Te Pūkenga, shares her personal insights into influencing and provides pointers on how HR professionals can ‘do’ influence well.

I interviewed someone recently for a role in HR and asked them a question about influence; trying to understand their approach to influencing colleagues and senior stakeholders. Their response was to turn the question around. They spoke about how they don’t like using the term ‘influence’ and prefer to focus on collaboration and partnership to achieve shared outcomes. Although they didn’t say it quite this way, they were rejecting the idea of influence because it infers one person exerting power over the other.

This had me reflecting on what ‘influence’ really means in an HR context. Is it about power? I don’t think so. To me, influence is about change and about the effect we have on others. Influence can be positive and uplifting. We are often unaware of the influence we have over others, and it happens without us knowing it. Yes, occasions occur in HR when we need to be more active in influencing others, whether it be towards or away from a particular decision, position or outcome. However, I’d say the ability to positively influence others is one of the most powerful tools we have in our HR toolbox.

“To me, influence is about change and about the effect we have on others."

So, what is influence and how do we ‘do’ it? It’s something I imagine most of us would struggle to describe because it’s so wrapped up in other aspects of our HR practice and personalities, from our style of communicating to how we live our values and how we show up day after day.

Maya Angelou’s famous quote, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”, resonates for me when I reflect on what influence is in the HR space. Yes, our words and actions can influence others, but deeper than that I think in HR we can have real influence through the way we make others feel

“Yes, our words and actions can influence others, but deeper than that I think in HR we can have real influence through the way we make others feel."

How many times have you walked into a room and someone has said, “Thank goodness you’re here, you’ll know what to do”, or said to you, “I’m so pleased you got involved in this situation; we wouldn’t have succeeded without you”? Hopefully, a lot! And I’d argue that it’s not always because of what you know, or because you hold a particular delegation to make decisions or have necessarily been successful in solving the problem at hand previously. I’d argue that you’ve heard people say those types of things because you instil confidence and calmness in others, and add value to situations because of how you are not because of what you know. It comes down to how you make others feel.

Let’s break this down a bit and work through ways that our practice can have a positive influence on the way people feel.

Feeling Confident

Whether it’s coaching someone to tackle a tough conversation, work through a challenging situation or to take on a new leadership or development opportunity, instilling confidence in others is a crucial aspect of our influence in HR.

Through being prepared, communicating clearly, being calm and collected, and acknowledging when we don’t know something, we leave people feeling confident in our abilities and experience. When we are positive, honest and encouraging we enable others to feel confident in themselves.

When people trust us and have confidence in what we are telling them, or the direction we’re guiding them towards, our ability to influence is high.

FEELING SAFE AND SUPPORTED

We have the privilege in HR of hearing a lot of private and confidential information, and supporting people through some of the toughest times in their lives. Our influence over the space and process of those situations can have a profound effect on how those situations can play out and the trust people have in us. Calmness, respect, empathy and kindness all contribute to this.

FEELING VALUED AND ACKNOWLEDGED

The space we create as HR practitioners, as well as the language and approaches we use, can ensure people feel valued and acknowledged. This includes welcoming people as they are, lifting them up and acknowledging their strengths, efforts and unique characteristics. This all influences how someone feels.

So how do we do this? How do we show up as HR professionals and have a positive influence in these ways? For me, reflecting on my success and the way I’ve influenced others, a few important aspects are involved.

BEING AUTHENTIC

It might seem cliché, but being authentically yourself is foundational in successful relationship building and influencing. That doesn’t mean you have to tell everyone everything about yourself, but it does mean that what you do share needs to be real. If you are consistently yourself in your interactions with others, then people know what to expect from you, and that builds trust and confidence in you as a person and practitioner. It builds genuine connection and a strong foundation for a relationship that can endure when things are going well and when conflict or challenges occur.

I’m unashamedly myself in all of my interactions. Yes, I might turn some parts of my personality up or down depending on the situation, or the person I’m dealing with, but I’m always myself. I also like to think this creates a safe space for others to be themselves around me, which breeds trust, openness and psychological safety.

Being Consistent

Related to being authentic is the importance of being consistent. Consistency leads to reliability and trust. When people feel they can rely on you, they’re more likely to take your advice, follow your lead, or respond to your requests. For me, the foundation of this is to do the little things well. Show up on time, be prepared and do what you say you’ll do.

This is also about behaving the same no matter who you’re interacting with. It shouldn’t matter if it’s the chief executive, the senior manager or the frontline worker; being authentic and consistent in how we behave is important.

Paying Attention

Pay attention to others as well as yourself. What is the other person telling you (intentionally and unintentionally) about what they like and don’t like, need and don’t need? Use that to inform when, how and why you engage with them.

Equally, reflect on how the person makes you feel. Is it an easy relationship or one that requires more work from you? Do you look forward to your interactions with them or roll your eyes when you see their name on an email or on caller ID? Try to unpick why that might be and use those reflections to enhance the relationship. If it’s not an easy relationship, then working out what might need to change to make it easier for you is worth it.

WHAT CAN HINDER OUR ABILITY TO INFLUENCE?

This wouldn’t be a complete practitioner’s guide if I didn’t share the challenges I’ve experienced in influencing others or outcomes.

Self-care is essential for us as HR practitioners. While being our authentic selves takes less energy than trying to be someone we aren’t, our work serving others demands a lot from us. Learning the signals your body gives you when your tank is running low is important, and ensuring you’re doing something every day to replenish your energy and wairua (spirit) is essential for us to show up each day and keep giving to others. When I’ve not allowed myself time and space to replenish my energy, I’ve had situations where I’ve cut corners and been too forceful in my attempts to influence or I’ve been left without enough energy to lean into particular challenges. Both situations can end with less than satisfactory outcomes for all involved.

“Stepping into the mindset of co-owning the problems with the business and not for the business will lead to greater understanding, influence and success."

Only focusing on the ‘HR’ part of a problem or situation can hinder our ability to influence. As HR practitioners, it’s vital for us to get to know the business we’re in, understand our clients and what drives them, and how our HR work fits into the bigger picture. When I think of situations where I’ve struggled to connect or reach the outcome I thought was best, it was because I was missing the bigger picture or what was most important to the business or person I was engaging with. Stepping into the mindset of co-owning the problems with the business and not for the business will lead to greater understanding, influence and success.

Laura Warren is a leader in the HR profession in Aotearoa New Zealand. She is known for her pragmatic, authentic and engaging approach and for the positive effect she has on all who meet her. She is energetic, enthusiastic and a great supporter of all HR professionals. As a Pounuku Tangata (Regional People and Culture Director) at Te Pūkenga she contributes to best-practice, peoplefocused strategies and workplace culture. At the 2023 HRNZ Awards she won the Leadership Award and was named HR Person of the Year.