Establishing influence is an important and powerful leadership skill that helps motivate others, achieve goals and create an effective work environment. On Thursday, May 11, about 100 Ohio State managers had a unique opportunity to develop their leadership skills at the 2017 Ohio State Managers conference, hosted by the Office of Human Resources and the University Staff Advisory Committee.
The full-day conference featured leaders and professional speakers sharing practical tools, examples and tips to understand and expand your influence.
Here are key takeaways shared during the conference:
- Influence with G.R.I.T. – Gratitude (Thanking the right people.) Resilience (Behaving forward.) Intention (Determine a “why” and align your behavior with it.) Toughness (Tolerating uncomfortableness.) – Presented by Melissa Briggs-Phillips, PhD
- To have influence, set clear goals and results, identify vital behaviors that connect you to the result and leverage multiple sources of influence. Refer to the book Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change or view this Vital Smarts article to learn about the six sources of influence: make the undesirable desirable, overinvest in skill building, harness peer pressure, find strength in numbers, design rewards and demand accountability, change the environment. – Elizabeth Alo
- Practice mindfulness to be present and reduce stress. “Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment and nonjudgmentally.” – Maryanna Klatt, PhD. You can also view her TEDxColumbus Talk or these mindfulness practices.
- Lead from where you stand. Anyone can be a leader at any level and have influence. Title doesn’t make you a leader because you can lead in whatever role you hold. – Laura Palko, Director of Human Resources, Office of the Chief Information Officer and the Office of Distance Education and eLearning
- Leaders should have the ability to own their mistakes, work to remedy them and learn from them. Some of the best lessons come from making mistakes. – Mamoon Syed, Associate Vice President of Human Resources, Wexner Medical Center
- It’s helpful to give feedback on the spot and all year long. Also, leadership is a skill that can be learned and it’s important to seek ways to learn leadership. – Dr. Don Stenta, Director of Recreational Sports
- Be your authentic self for your team and workplace. Additionally, give credit to people on your team doing the work, both individually and publicly. – Jamie Mathews-Mead, Senior Director of Graduate Career Management, Fisher College of Business
The conference was funded through the university’s Staff Manager Development Grant program. For additional professional development opportunities, visit gatewaytolearning.osu.edu.