How to Build a Strategic Influence

This article discusses the importance of strategic influence in organizations and provides tips for building and maintaining it. Topics covered include employee involvement, managing the political landscape, being clear about passions and convictions, being lovable and building trust in others, and building and maintaining an influence that is strategic.

Running head: HOW TO BUILD A STRATEGIC INFLUENCE 1
How to Build a Strategic Influence
Student
Institution
Professor

HOW TO BUILD A STRATEGIC INFLUENCE 2
Introduction
Strategic influence refers to the art of planning and developing an influence on the
public, employees and customers. It is essential for sustaining advantageous competitiveness
in contemporary organisations. It is engendered by strategic leaders by the organisation's
strategic direction (Hughes, Beatty, & Dinwoodie, 2014). Through strategic thinking, leaders
establish paths to pursue and strategically act through their courage despite the uncertainties
faced. However, they cannot achieve the desired success by themselves but require other
employees’ good ideas and committed efforts. The following are how one can strategically
influence a firm to maximise its benefits:
Build and maintain an influence that is strategic: The ability to influence other
members in an organisation requires one to be part of the efforts to the strategy formulation
and implementation (Hughes, Beatty, & Dinwoodie, 2014). Strategically influence may be
exerted to achieve a significant shift from the way resources are invested or deployed to that
which complies with strategic intent and to get people working on common goals towards a
long-term strategic direction. Furthermore, through strategic influence, one can build trust in
others by taking every idea to be valid for a strategic venture for a sincere commitment.
However, influence is built over time on a robust platform of impacting others positively on
their beliefs and building relationships.
Being lovable and building trust to others: Leaders working with others that don’t
like them may get frustrated with whatever they do and even mistrusted (Kazmia &
Naaranojab, 2015). Therefore, it is essential for leaders who work towards a strategic change
to examine their relationships with other employees in the organisation and build trust for
them. Trust can as well be established through effective communication. Besides, people
should see them as credible and competent enough for their roles. This creates a strong

HOW TO BUILD A STRATEGIC INFLUENCE 3
influence even to the public and customers hence enabling them to maximise their service
delivery for maximised benefits.
Being clear about passions and convictions: This makes leaders to be perceived as
more authentic because clarity is depicted from their actions. For example, clarity helps to
choose some challenges to tackle and leave others without questions. Passion enables
perseverance during adversity (Kazmia & Naaranojab, 2015). When others see this
dedication, they may be affected hence devote themselves to their duties. This promotes an
efficient organisational operation.
Ability to manage the political landscape: Bringing about change to an
organisation, for instance, the way resources are being invested, is associated with power.
Ideally, a shift in strategy is the same as a shift in power and thus may arouse conflicts due to
different political landscapes (Lussier & Achua, 2013). However proper conflict management
may encourage the employees to work in harmony to satisfy the organisational goals.
Involving others: People may have different perspectives towards a project.
Involvement ensures that an overall strategy is better compared to when it is developed by the
leader in isolation (Ireland, Hoskisson, & Hitt, 2013). Also, the parties involved in the idea
generation will be more committed to the final product and have a shared understanding of
the entire process. Furthermore, involvement encourages consensus development towards the
chosen direction to enable the group work together and instils a sense of value to others since
their inputs and perspectives are considered in the process.
In a nutshell, one can strategically influence an organisation to maximise on its goals
through employee involvement, managing the political landscape, being clear about passions
and convictions, being lovable and building trust in others and building and maintaining an
influence that is strategic.

HOW TO BUILD A STRATEGIC INFLUENCE 4
References
Hughes, R. L., Beatty, K. C., & Dinwoodie, D. (2014). Becoming a Strategic Leader: Your
Role in Your Organization's Enduring Success (2nd ed.). San Francisco: CA: Jossey-
Bass.
Ireland, R. D., Hoskisson, R. E., & Hitt, M. A. (2013). The Management of Strategy:
Concepts and Cases, Mason: OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Kazmia, S. A., & Naaranojab, M. (2015). Cultivating strategic thinking in organisational
leaders by designing supportive work environment. Procedia- Social and Behavioural
Sciences, 181, 43-52.
Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2013). Effective Leadership. Mason: OH: South-Western
Cengage Learning.