In my third blog on The Art of Influence in the Age of AI, I invite you to Stand in the shoes of the leader you need to influence, which is the first ‘step’ in my Pathfinder Model.
(You can find a brief overview of my Pathfinder Model in last week’s blog.)
Standing in the shoes of those you need to influence has always been the most important aspect of the art of influencing. After all, if you can’t align what you want with what they want, why should they listen? And that doesn’t change with AI.
However, AI has, in part, designed the shoes. This means understanding how AI may have influenced the thinking of the people you need to persuade—what it has highlighted, what it may have overlooked, and where its advice stops. What they still need from a human adviser is sound judgement, informed by context and an appreciation of the emotional factors that inevitably shape decisions.
As you and I both know, judgement needs insight. No matter what influence AI is having, it is happening inside their heads – the very place you need to be! My influencing tools, the Persuasion Pyramid and Empathy Map, which I introduce in my trusted adviser programs and in Chapter 3 of my book Persuasive Advising, continue to hold true for gathering insights in the age of AI. Using either or both tools to gather insights, ask yourself three questions:
- What information are they already getting from AI before they hear from me?
- What assumptions might AI have already reinforced for them?
- What question did they ask AI — and was it the right question?
Now you’re ready to up the quality of your advice beyond purely reliable because you’re equipped to provide real insights that leaders truly value. And if your judgement is particularly sharp, you can achieve a level of advice that truly makes you a Trusted Adviser. Not just valuable advice, invaluable advice. The advice your leaders simply can’t do without!
My tip: Go deep with these tools and these questions on someone you know well. Work out how they help you, then apply them to a leader you don’t know so well who you need to influence.
My Focus: AI Governance as I am covering this topic with a panel of experts at the RiskNZ Risk and Resilience Summit in Wellington, New Zealand this week. However, technical understanding of design of good governance is no good to you if you can’t influence leaders to take your advice!