How to influence on the path to digital transformation

When you’re working on a digital project, whether it’s a new CRM, a website or an app, at some point, you’re going to need to influence your colleagues and directors. They often hold the key (or at least the sign-off power) to the people, process and technology changes you need for transformation.

Chances are the person or people you need to influence aren’t digital experts. They likely don’t have the experience or insights you have. They also have their own influences, priorities, fears and blind spots. 

When I first became a manager, my boss told me, “People expect so much from managers, it’s totally unrealistic. You can only do your best.” This is true however high in the organisational hierarchy they are. Tune into your senior colleagues as people: what keeps them up at night, where their priorities are, what challenges they face from their peers and superiors. Think carefully about the person, and change strategy depending on the way they work, think and approach digital. 

Here are some examples from my work in and with organisations over the years. 

The advocate

The lucky ones amongst us have a leader who understands that digital needs to be done. They may not have all the answers, but they recruit smart people (like you) and give them the space to speak. They know they can never learn everything you know, so they’re willing to champion you, fight for the budget and advocate for what you’re telling them. It’s not common, but it’s great when it happens. 

Influencing this person is easy. They will of course ask you questions and draw red lines, telling you when something can’t be done (and why). But they are already convinced that growing digital is important and they trust you to help them get there, which is half the battle. 

The knowledge seeker

This is someone who wants to champion your ideas in front of others, but first, they need to know a bit more. And they're happy to learn if it means they can help.

Once you've identified a knowledge seeker, the next step is to understand what their learning style is. Some people learn by doing. Others learn by watching others or going to structured training. Whatever the learning style, provide support to match it. 

Often, it’s about recognising that people feel uncomfortable admitting they don’t know something. Ask yourself how you can be supportive, providing the missing information in the best way for the person to digest. 

The good news is that with this kind of personality you’re already halfway there. They want to learn and they’re asking you to help them get there. 

The team player

These leaders understand the need for change but feel they don’t know enough to make the big decisions on their own. However, they trust their team. So if a group of department heads are aligned on a message, the team player director is more likely to support it.

At a Digital Leadership session I organised for digital leaders years ago, many were looking for advice on how to gain support from their senior managers. The answer very often came back to: “Have you agreed this with your peers?” 

The not interested 

Sometimes you come across a leader who doesn’t see digital as a priority. They aren’t interested in asking questions, knowing more or finding out how they can support you better. How do you teach someone who isn’t asking questions? You don’t: you can’t teach someone against their will. 

So, what’s the alternative? One thing to try here is stakeholder mapping. Think about not only the person you’re trying to influence but others that influence them and map them on a grid. Choose your axes carefully: for example, decision making power and willingness to learn or decision making power and awareness of the issue at hand. The important thing is to remember this isn’t a game of battleships: we’re not pitting ourselves against these people or pitting them against each other. It’s about finding a path to collaboration.  

During my time on the board of an organisation, a leader came to me to ask me to support their proposal. They recognised that as a digital board member, I could ask constructive questions as well as help my fellow board members feel comfortable approving it.

The caveat

The chances of influencing success lie with the person you need to influence. Yes, you can match your approach to where they are with your proposal. But the bottom line is they do need to believe either that digital is important or that they should try to understand/learn more from you . If you don’t have that, you’re very limited in what you can do. 

While these leaders remain in their positions, you may find you’re stuck. I remember in one organisation how all our ideas for digital fundraising were repeatedly shut down. Then the person in charge left. The new person joined. They were interested in our ideas and wanted to try them out. All of a sudden, the red lines were gone. 

In summary, it can feel tempting to throw our hands up and claim “management just doesn’t get digital”. But our dismissiveness may make people feel stupid or incompetent, giving us even less chance that they’ll hear our suggestions. 

Look at the people you need to influence one at a time. Think about how you can provide them with the right information in the right way so they can understand what you’re suggesting and not feel stupid or incompetent while doing so. And if they’re just not interested, look around you and find other leaders and allies who are interested and will engage.