Successful influencing and political savvy strategies

Presented by James Paterson

Beyond technical skills, managing stakeholders and dealing with office politics is an essential part of what it takes to be effective in internal audit.

We will also look at different styles of influencing and you can take stock of your approach to influencing.  We will learn about how to influence without authority and the “hamburger model” of task/process and climate you need to keep in mind when influencing others.

We will also reframe common misunderstandings about politics and how to manage this in an ethical way. You will learn how to identify “tricky situations” and “tricky managers” and understand the importance of thinking ahead.

Who should attend?

Heads of internal audit and senior audit managers who want to take stock of what they are currently doing and how to proactively promote the value of internal audit and head off potential pitfalls.

What will I learn?

Upon completion you will be able to:

• take stock around your own leadership and influencing style
• assess key stakeholders now and going forward and what they may be looking for
• understand the psychological factors that lead to irrational and unhelpful behaviour and how to manage them
• understand the political dimension of audit work, recognising constraints, agendas and knowing how to leverage alliances to deliver appropriate change in the context of the organisations culture and key dynamics.

Course programme 

Models of influencing

• understand what stakeholders value using the Kano model
• gain insights around your own leadership and influencing style
• understand key biases and psychological pitfalls in one-to-one interactions (“Predictably irrational” factors).

 Group dynamics

• understand the way group dynamics operate.

 Political savvy

• understand political thinking in a positive and ethical light
• understand key political skills to influence effectively at a senior level.

 Putting it into practice

• use of Action Learning techniques to apply insights to current challenges and as a way of supporting ongoing challenges
• key actions to prioritise with key stakeholders.

CPE competency areas covered

• Leadership and communication (Communication)

7 CPE points