Influence How Decisions Get Made, Even if You’re Not the Most Senior Person in the Room
On this page
Tip
You don’t have to be the most senior person in a room to influence how decisions are made. When you have a lot invested in an outcome, you can do some behind-the-scenes work to make things go the way you want — even when the decision is ultimately up to the boss.
Start by understanding the final decision-maker’s interests. Ideally, this involves asking lots of open-ended questions, such as “Help me understand…” or “Say more about…” or simply “Why is this important to you?”
When you don’t have ready access to the senior person, look to past decisions and statements — such as open memos to employees or shareholders or social media posts — for clues about what matters most to them. You might also consult with their trusted allies and confidantes. Then use that information to make the case for why the option you're advocating for aligns with what they care most about.
But don’t neglect other stakeholders; you don’t want to be known as a brown noser, backstabber, or backroom dealer. So, be attentive to the interests of others, and frame your argument in a way that meets their needs as well and puts the team, not just your interests, first.
Translations
🇨🇳 响决策的制定，即使你不是最资深的人
你不一定要成为房间里最资深的人，才能影响决策的制定。 当你在一个结果上投入了很多的时候，你可以做一些幕后的工作来让事情按照你想要的方式进行——即使最终是由老板决定。
从了解最终决策者的利益开始。 理想情况下，这需要问很多开放性的问题，比如“帮助我理解…”、“多说…”或简单地“为什么这对你很重要？”
当你不能随时接触到高层的时候，看看过去的决定和声明——比如给员工或股东的公开备忘录，或者社交媒体上的帖子——来找出什么对他们最重要。 你也可以咨询他们信任的盟友和知己。 然后用这些信息来说明为什么你所倡导的选择与他们最关心的东西一致。
但不要忽视其他利益相关者；你不想被称为是一个喜欢吹毛求疵、背后捅刀子或暗地里交易的人。 因此，要关注他人的利益，并以满足他们需求的方式来构思你的论点，并把团队放在首位，而不仅仅是你的利益。
