Mastering Workplace Influence: Strategies for Success

Part I: Commitment and Consistency

Quick poll:

Navigating influence and persuasion within the workplace is a substantial subject. We all recognize and acknowledge the necessity of influencing stakeholders. In addition to technical prowess, it stands as a pivotal factor for achieving success not only for us data scientists and machine learning engineers, but across various professions.

I’m planning to delve into some of the essential components, drawing from my firsthand experiences and observations, and offer some pragmatic suggestions in the meantime.

Source

Influence and Persuasion

Whether you're a parent guiding your children, a team leader navigating complex collaborations, or an individual seeking effective teamwork, you probably are intimately familiar with the challenge of “tell someone to do something”.

Yet, there’s a subtle distinction between those who merely follow directions and those who genuinely embrace and dedicate themselves to your ideas and visions. This discrepancy can profoundly impact the paths people choose and ultimately shape the outcomes achieved.

This is where the art of influence and persuasion takes center stage.

They move beyond getting somebody to just simply comply with what it is that you’re requesting to actually being truly committed to the course that you are setting for them, such that when you are not in the room, when you are away, these individuals are still doing the things that you want them to do.

Commitment and Consistency

Within the realm of influence, there are numerous facets worth exploration. Today I’d like to focus on "commitment and consistency".

As Dr. Robert Cialdini states,

“Once we have made a choice or taken a stand, we will encounter personal and interpersonal pressures to behave consistently with that commitment. Those pressures will cause us to respond in ways that justify our earlier decision.”

We tend to forge ahead once our minds are made up, driven by the desire for congruity along the chosen path. Notably, as Dr. Gillian Ku of the London Business School underscores, this tendency persists even “if we get negative feedback about our actions”.

This effect gains more potency when our commitments are publicly declared.

Think back to the New Year's resolutions you shared with your friends and family—a public proclamation that adds an element of accountability. For instance, it would be shameful if I don’t finish reading the 50 books this year as I publicly stated on January 1st within my family’s social media group, isn’t it? (assuming such claim was made 😅)

There’s an element of pride that fosters dedication.

As for the real me 🤓, I've publicly proclaimed my commitment to this newsletter, my way for nurturing a continual learning environment for you, encompassing data science, AI products, and career advancement. So I’ve essentially “coded” this as part of who I am.

Foot-in-the-Door Technique

So, how can you practically apply the principle of commitment and consistency? One valuable strategy to consider integrating into your day-to-day is the “foot-in-the-door” technique.

The concept is elegantly simple:

Once I can get my foot in, I can get the rest of myself through the door.

In essence:

Once you’ve committed to letting me get in a little bit, I can open that door further.

You can hear Dr. Gillian Ku delve into the underlying study:

I've observed this approach effectively employed across various scenarios in professional settings. For example:

Meet Jay!🙎‍♂️ A data scientist working on a critical user churn model for the core product. Navigating the complexities of conveying intricate technical concepts to our business stakeholders posed a challenge. This was particularly pronounced during meetings with diverse stakeholders spanning different business domains. With varying use cases and levels of technical comprehension, the questions posed diverged unexpectedly, eluding Jay's foresight.

After compiling feedback and extensive discussions within the team, we opted for a "divide and conquer" and “foot-in-the-door” strategy. This entailed initiating preliminary interactions with distinct stakeholders, offering insights into the model prior to formal meetings, and addressing initial queries in advance.

By providing a glimpse of preliminary results and delving into tailored use cases, we managed to create an initial connection and a “soft buy-in”. This opened the door slightly. As a result, the subsequent meeting proved notably smoother than the first one.

Takeaway

Today we explored the core concept of Commitment and Consistency, along with a tangible approach known as the "foot-in-the-door" technique.

As you ponder your own professional and personal experiences, are there instances that resonate with these principles? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!

Life rarely offers shortcuts. Persuading stakeholders, partners, or even children to join you on the path toward a shared objective is seldom effortless. Yet, fostering their commitment (not just yours) can propel your endeavor forward, inch by inch.

Who’s my idol of effective influencing?

Besides all the big names out there… it’s Bluey and Bingo’s parents! Love the show!

Happy influencing!

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Thanks for reading my newsletter. You can follow me on Linkedin or Twitter @Angelina_Magr!

To maintain confidentiality, all names used in the stories are randomly selected and do not correspond to actual team members from my current or past organizations. Additionally, the narratives have been adjusted for privacy purposes. However, to preserve authenticity, these stories remain rooted in my personal experiences or observations.