DLE MEMBERS SHARPEN INFLUENCE SKILLS WITH LEADERSHIP EXPERT

By Ronak Parida, DLE Content Creator/Social Media Intern, Undergraduate at Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY

The May 18 Ownership Workshop titled Leading From Any Seat focused on influencing others in the workplace regardless of your title. Professional development leader Candace Washington provided three key techniques for leveraging your workplace power.

1. Savviness through self-awareness: Know yourself, your strengths and your weaknesses. Be conscious of the things that can work for you and those that can work against you. If you are unaware of what is important to you, take a core values exercise to find out. This shows what you can bring to the table that no one else can.
2. Manage and communicate up: Use a user manual to deepen trust and understand others at the workplace. Share information with your leadership to manage up. Candace adds that you should understand where in the leadership structure you should communicate your concerns so that nobody dismisses you.
3. Build relationships and social capital: Make sure that you are fostering trust by asking questions to get to know people and listen. Honor your commitments and be helpful. Try to find a problem and fix it. Apply a social capital action plan to figure out how you are building relationships around you.

The recording of Leading From Any Seat is available now for no-fee viewing on the DLE YouTube Channel. Click here to watch.