An Influential Project Manager

When you fail to reach agreement with someone, there is always a temptation to call on the help of others on your side who are more powerful. This temptation is present if you are working across the divide of a strategic alliance, supplier contract or simply an internal disagreement. The most tempting situation is telling tales on people in the playground.

Regardless, they are all forms of escalation in order to achieve a desired level of influence. What escalation does is enlist the assistance of more powerful people. This may be necessary because of technical considerations or protocol and process.

However, it will always alter the dynamics of the problem in hand.

• Powerful people tend to take control of situations, or at least try to.
• Once escalated, it is likely to be outside of your control.
• Powerful people tend to need to feel they have exercised their power.
• The other side will reciprocate, and the ante will be raised.

By all means, get input and support from others on your side, but always endeavour to remedy problems directly.

If you want to learn how power works, think of it in terms of tradable assets. For example, oil.

What is the current price of a barrel of oil? That depends on many factors, mainly the actual or anticipated levels of supply and demand. If producers increase their production, the price of oil will likely fall. As the use of alternative energy sources climbs, the price of oil will decline. Unrest in the oil producing countries can interrupt supply, so the price is probably going to head up.

What is valuable in your organisation? What do people want or want to avoid? Budgets, human resources and technical expertise are obvious examples. If everyone needs to know how to use a particular process, and you're the only one who knows how to use it, they will form a queue outside your door, and you can favour those who are offering the most in return.

So, if you want to become more powerful, and hence, influential, seek out sources of power that have value – in the place where you wish to be powerful.

The term "hidden agendas" creates negative thinking. Altering your words will alter your options. Hidden implies a deliberate act of concealment.

Stakeholders don't want you to know something. Is that true or just a figment of your imagination?

By using the label "hidden agenda," you are more likely to introduce other negative thoughts, especially about the individual concerned. Instead, think more in terms of "unknown agendas." They may not have had time to tell you yet. It may just be a case that you haven't asked the right question.

Just because you don't know something doesn’t mean they are hiding things.

• Think of your stakeholders. What are the main unknown agendas?
• If you were in their shoes, why would you hide your agenda?
• What other possibilities are they for you not knowing what their agenda is?
• What can you do today to begin to discover more about their agendas?

Thinking about hidden agendas may make you suspicious of others, and they may notice that and wonder why you are not trusting them. Be careful what you think.

Taking a strategic approach to the influence you need to effect around your project will help you to plan your influence more effectively.

Most people, when they start to figure out what they need to do to influence something, think of the obvious actions, those right in front of their noses. This is good; however, it may well be a complete waste of time.

For instance, you probably wouldn't waste your time engaging a stakeholder who is about to be fired or given a new job far away.

Strategies don't need to be complicated. In many cases, they are merely the major stepping stones to arrive at your destination.

Looking from the end back to today needs to be harmonised by looking from today towards the end goal.

• Imagine you have achieved your deliverable. What were the key influence goals need to be achieved to make it possible?
• What are the most important things you need to influence to land your project?
• What things are not so important and could be deprioritised?
• Now, to achieve these influence goals, what plans do you need top to in place?

Influential project managers apply clear focus to their goals, especially the influence they need to achieve to achieve them.

If you pander to the whims of your enemies, it may make them smile.

It is not always the case, but sometimes people who are placed in the enemies' box just love the attention. They like to see people working hard to make friends with them, to influence them, and to generally find a way to negotiate around their opposition. To some, this represents a great payoff for becoming powerful.

The reason they get attention is because they are powerful and can have a huge impact on your project. However, that doesn't mean you need to pander to them. Instead:

• Carefully understand their position, strengths and options.
• Engage with advocates to seek guidance on how to neutralise the enemy.
• Build support elsewhere to counterbalance the enemy's power.
• Once you're ready, disengage with them.

Having said that, in many cases, these people are not really enemies, it just feels that way. What needs to happen is that you need to invest time in building the relationship and getting to know their agenda. It also helps if they are given an opportunity to get to know you and your agenda too.

Do you suffer because you give stakeholders undue attention?