In this second blog in my series on the Art of Influence in the Age of AI, I’d like you to meet my Pathfinder Model.

In essence, my Pathfinder Model asks you to do the following 4 things to become an influential and trusted adviser:

– Stand in the shoes of those you need to influence so you understand them and the context of their decision making.

– Make sure you Paint them a picture, as a picture is worth a thousand words and helps create clarity.

– Tell them your advice in storytelling fashion to ensure they connect emotionally with the decision. Humans make decisions on emotion first, logic second.

– And Make them believe through credibility from developing high levels of trust.

I called it the Pathfinder Model because people put up barriers to bad advice, to protect themselves. You need to find your way through those barriers because your advice, which is based on critical thinking and sound judgement, is more important than ever in the age of AI.

And this is why:

We are all prone to biases, whether we like to admit it or not. One I had to face up to decades ago was the biases I had from a predominantly Anglo upbringing, being educated in an all-boys high school that helped foster my love of sport. With a few exceptions, all my public heroes and role models were men, predominantly Anglo men.

One of the key biases we are all at risk of is called Confirmation Bias. It is when we inadvertently pick up on, or unconsciously actively seek, information that confirms our beliefs. For example, our initial belief about the best decision to make on pursuing or ceasing a strategic initiative.

Now, the affirmative, confirming advice is only a few seconds away at our fingertips.  And, unless you or a leader you advise is very good at writing AI prompts, you or they will have built-in bias.

With today’s advisers in organisations having a whole new layer of barriers to navigate through, the importance of the Pathfinder Model has never been greater.

In my blog next week I’ll focus on the Stand quadrant of the Pathfinder Model.

My tip: Grab a copy of my book Persuasive Advising: How to Turn Red Tape into Blue Ribbon for 20% off using code INFLUENCE by 5pm AEST this Friday 17 July. Armed with the book, my explanations of application of  my Pathfinder model in the age of AI will be even more useful.

My Focus: Same as last week which is to develop critical thinking skills to enhance judgement in the age of AI. To that point, I am hosting a free webinar AI Adoption: Preparing Leaders to Seize Opportunities and Manage Risks with tech guru Dr John Burgin of Shift127 focused on developing those skills for leaders making decisions in and around AI adoption. It’s on this Friday 17 July, from 12pm AEST and to register, simply click here.