Let us explore Control and Influence today, to gain some insight on how to best understand and approach. We will look from both the perspective of an individual and as a leader.
Control is where you have a specific outcome in mind, and you believe you have total ability to make this outcome happen.
No Control is the opposite, where you believe you have zero ability to make the desired outcome happen.
Influence is where you have a specific outcome in mind, knowing there are things that are more likely to make the outcome reality, yet understanding there are always factors outside your control that could effect the outcome.
For example it is wise to eat your 5 a day, excercise, don’t smoke and get 8 hours sleep to maintain your health. You still may however develop a hereditary illness that could affect your wellbeing.
Most people will have seen these variables on the Circles of Influence and Control diagram, that outlines the 3 positions mentioned above…
This theory is normally supported by suggesting you…
- Control what is within your gift
- Influence wherever you can
- Don’t get stuck in quicksand with stuff you have no control
It’s a solid model and is great advice for Personal Leadership.
What I would like to do is hone in primarily on INFLUENCE, looking specifically from a Leadership perspective instead of a Personal one.
When people take the leap from an individual to leadership role, they often underestimate how challenging it can be when others are responsible for your outcomes, instead of just yourself.
This often plays out with new leaders trying to exert control over everything, regardless of where it sits in the Circle of Influence and Control. After all this has worked in the past.
The reality is that in a leadership role, the circle of Influence and Control tends to change with Influence taking much more precedence. It’s a bit like this….
You have less direct control of outcomes and usually more control over the environment you work in…
Influencing therefore becomes a much more important skill than control.
The challenge lies when leaders look to dominate and take control of stuff they should be trying to influence….. This is when the Angry Birds show their beaks… Trying to control areas where they should be influencing.
The Angry Bird scenario normally results in yourself as a leader getting frustrated and your team feeling increasingly disempowered.
In short, in leadership terms…
- Influence is the skill of getting someone want to do something
- Control means you decide what the person does
That is very different from the definition used earlier when looking from a personal perspective…
Don’t be an Angry Bird!
- What situations do you have at present where you could try to use influence instead of control?
- In the above examples, what is the person’s objectives and how can you align your objectives to theirs for a win / win?
- How can your start to assess the difference between control and influence from a personal compared to a leadership perspective?
