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Influence, at its core, is all about authenticity and relationship building, says Vivian Blade, president and CEO of Experts in Growth Leadership Consulting. Listen to this episode of the podcast to find out how to develop your power of...

Develop Your Influence with Vivian Blade

Sue Kaiden interviews Vivian Blade about strategies for developing fundamental skills and gaining experience to move your career forward

Strategies for Gaining Experience and Moving Up: Podcast With Vivian Blade

Vivian Blade, MBA, MBB, PMP, is a recognized leadership expert and thought leader. Following a successful 20-year corporate career with Fortune 100 companies Humana and GE, Vivian launched her current leadership consulting practice, applying her extensive business, finance, and leadership experience to coach and develop aspiring and established leaders in building high-performance, high-quality, and high-service level organizations. She also works in academia as adjunct faculty for the University of Louisville College of Business. Vivian is the author of two books, FuelForward: Discover Proven Practices to Fuel Your Career Forward, which reveals the unwritten rules to career success, and Resilience Ready: The Leader’s Guide to Thriving Through Unrelenting Crises. She is a contributor to two books published by the Association for Talent Development Find Your Fit: A Practical Guide to Landing a Job You'll Love, and Work the Problem: How Experts Tackle Workplace Challenges.Vivian has served on the ATD International Conference & Exposition Program Advisory Committee, has presented conference workshops, has content featured in ATD webcasts, and a number of her articles are featured on td.org. She is also a member of the ATD Kentuckiana Chapter.

Vivian Blade

Do not rely on others to help you get promoted. Communicate your value to the organization and highlight yourself as the star performer you are. In this video, talent development expert Vivian Blade shows you how to use personal performance management as just one part of your career growth toolkit.

Personal Performance Management is Critical for Your Career Growth

During ATD’s Career Week 2019, we explore the new work landscape as it’s set forth today.

ATD Career Week 2019 Helps You Stay Current and Agile

September 2019 - TD Magazine

Move FORWARD by asking yourself a series of questions to determine where you are now and where you want to be.

Decision Time at a Career Crossroads

A Millennial editor is overworked and frustrated by the lack of transparency and room for promotion at a small media company. What should they do to keep her?

Making Space at the Top

Vivian Blade answers questions about how to gain the experience you need to land your next job.

Get the Experience You Need to Move Up

Talent development professionals have a tremendous opportunity to influence at a deeper level—with learners, SMEs, and stakeholders—to achieve business and learning results. This book considers what it means to influence in general and in the TD context; how to use your ability to influence tactically and strategically; how to overcome barriers to success; and how you can be more impactful and empathetic.Influence in Talent Development, part of the ATD Soft Skills Series, considers what it means to influence in general and in the TD context; how to use your ability to influence tactically and strategically; how to overcome barriers to success; and how you can be more impactful and empathetic. We recently spoke with author Vivian Blade to get some insights on key takeaways from the book.What motivated you to write about influence?Within the context of work and professional development, influence is being recognized as a critical skill for everyone to develop and apply. It shows up every day in all aspects of our lives. Whether or not we are aware of that skill in ourselves, our ability to influence dictates our success in our role and in our career progression. Yet, many professionals lack confidence in their ability to influence. I’ve found that to be especially true for women. I wanted to change that for people.Talent development is in a unique position to have a tremendous impact on organizations. I wrote this book to help readers step into this role and untap their potential. This book gives you a roadmap for how to become that person of influence who has a greater impact on people’s lives and the organizations you work with and lead.What does it mean to influence?When you influence, you offer your ideas and perspectives to move someone to a mutually beneficial outcome in their actions, behavior, opinions, or beliefs. In the book, I introduce five principles of influence in the SCALE framework (social capital, courage, authenticity, leaning in with passion, and engaging a diverse and inclusive workplace community). So, to influence means to make consistent investments in growing relationships built on a foundation of empathy, genuine concern, respect, and trust; to show courage when facing uncertainty; to be authentic in your interactions with others; to exude passion and always give your best effort; and to invite, welcome, and engage people’s uniqueness to inspire an inclusive workplace.Note what I’ve left out of my conception of influence. Influence does not mean coercing someone into doing your bidding. It is not Machiavellian or deceitful. Most people will be astute enough to see through such manipulation, which will do great damage to your ability to influence. Influence is also not instant or transactional. While such tactics may result in a temporary gain, they often lead to damaged relationships, leaving others with feelings of embarrassment, frustration, disgust, and even anger.Ultimately, influence is more about how you live than what you do. Influence goes beyond the tactic you choose to use to win someone over. The values and motivations that drive how you live manifest in your words, behavior, and choices, all of which affect how you influence.What is the connection between talent development professionals and the influence skill?Talent development professionals touch every aspect of the business, and they make a point of getting to know employees at all levels of the organization. We are champions for employees to ensure they have the resources they need to develop and grow. We shape talent development initiatives to align with business priorities, enable future organizational readiness, and impact operational results. In this way, we are forward thinkers, innovators, and change agents. To succeed in any of this requires influence skills.Supporting organizations and the professionals within them as they become their best selves is why talent development professionals are so committed to their work. While you can often see the potential in someone, that person has to be able to see that potential and realize it within themselves. You can give people all the strategies for growth and argue why a change in behavior or applying the hottest new tool will make all the difference, but you can’t make them change or do it for them. Your best actions are to influence and inspire.Why is this book relevant in today’s professional climate?Effects of the pandemic and technological advances have accelerated the need to reskill the workforce. Developing influence skills is at the top of list of development areas leaders have identified for themselves and their employees. It is the perfect time to reset on what it means to influence in the workplace and understand that we must be more deeply effective at this skill to become a person of influence rather than simply relying on choosing the right influence tactics when needed.Let me draw attention to a few trends. First, organization design is moving more toward cross-functional teams, with more remote or hybrid work arrangements. Talent development is at the forefront of influencing how organizations and the talent within them can adapt. Second, diversity, equity, and inclusion is becoming a strategic priority for many organizations. Talent development’s role will be integral to leading this effort with passion and influencing sustainable culture change. Third, with ongoing global economic uncertainty, businesses will continue to look long and hard at their budgets, particularly for support functions, which is how executives see talent development. Having all the right data may not be enough to save your position; it also takes influence skills to support your case.Why is it important to consider ethics in influence?Each of us has a responsibility not to take advantage of those we influence but to inform and invite. You must consider what is ethical in your eyes and what is ethical in the eyes of the individuals you are engaging and within the culture and environment in which you are operating.While recognizing that the intent in influencing is to move people, also recognize that there is power in influencing. It is important to use that power carefully and responsibly. How you use influence calls you to be accountable. Your influence can help or hurt, inspire or incite, empower or destruct. Your influence has consequences on other people’s lives and livelihood as well as your own. Your influence should have a conscience.How can you elevate your influence when not in a position of authority?Seeking influence without authority is a situation many talent development professionals often find themselves in. Whether early in your career or a seasoned professional, you communicate and influence across all levels of the organization. While you may most commonly influence at a peer level or with your boss where your daily interactions take place, there are times when you need to influence more senior leaders, perhaps to make a financial investment. You may influence the beliefs and behaviors of others through training and coaching programs, or you may influence subject matter experts to share their knowledge during the instructional design or job design.What are some ways to develop your influence skills?I center growing your influence through the five principles in the SCALE framework. A good place to start is with awareness—both your awareness of your current skills and what you hope to achieve through influence—and how others perceive you as a person of influence. I offer some resources in the book to begin an accelerated transformation.It helps to break down this multiangle assessment by the five principles. Let’s take social capital as an example. As I write in the book, the characteristics of social capital include the value you add to relationships, your selflessness, the respect and trust you give and earn, and your long-term outlook. From there, you can grow your influence by proactively reaching out to others and being curious about what’s going on in their professional and, if appropriate, their personal lives. This will allow you to find commonalities in your lived experiences. The clincher is to seek how you can add value (without expectation of immediate return). Because you’ve built trust through reliable experiences, a deeper level of influence is possible.About the AuthorVivian Hairston Blade is recognized as one of Engagedly’s Top 100 Global HR Influencers of 2021. As the president and CEO of Experts in Growth Leadership Consulting, she works with the world’s top brands, equipping leaders to build better, more resilient workplaces that thrive despite insurmountable odds. She helps companies solve the pressing burnout, turnover, and workplace culture challenges that they’re struggling with right now. She is a frequent keynote speaker, delivering transformative leadership development programs, executive coaching, and corporate consulting. She also works as adjunct faculty for the University of Louisville College of Business. In addition to Influence in Talent Development, Vivian is the author of Fuel Forward: Discover Proven Practices to Fuel Your Career Forward and Resilience Ready: The Leader’s Guide to Thriving Through Unrelenting Crises.About ATD and ATD PressThe Association for Talent Development (ATD) is the world’s largest association dedicated to those who develop talent in organizations. ATD’s members come from more than 120 countries and work in public and private organizations in every industry sector. ATD Press publications are written by industry thought leaders and offer anyone who works with adult learners the best practices, academic theory, and guidance necessary to move the profession forward. For more information, visit td.org/books.Influence in Talent DevelopmentISBN: 9781952157530 | 192 Pages | Paperbackhttps://www.td.org/product/book--influence-in-talent-development/112111To order books from ATD Press, call 800.628.2783.To schedule an interview with Vivian Blade, please contact Kay Hechler, ATD Press senior marketing manager, at khechler@td.org or 703.683.8178.

Influence in Talent Development: Q&A With Vivian H. Blade

ATD21 continued on Monday with a full day of education and networking sessions. Here's a recap of just a few of the many learning opportunities.Nuts and Bolts of Developing a CommunityIn the virtual session “SMEs as Trainers: 5 Steps to Creating a Virtual Community of Practice,” Darlene Christopher, CPTD, recounted in a step-by-step manner how she started a community of practice at World Bank. As the senior knowledge and learning officer, she focuses on internal training and works with subject matter experts. She launched a CoP so that trainers could connect with each other, share resources, discuss training techniques, find out about operational updates, and celebrate their successes.She detailed that developing any CoP starts with three Ps: purpose, people, and practice. To explain purpose, she walked through a value chain, illustrating how the CoP could positively affect business outcomes. The second building block, people, is where the group organizers clarify who community members are and identify those who will support the group. And practice is about the services the group will make available to members, such as monthly meetings, happy hours, and newsletters. She also advised CoP organizers during the practice step to determine the best platform to host the group and its resources, such as Yammer or an intranet site.She then outlined two steps to keep CoPs engaged and learning: skills and incentives. Those are unique to the target community. For her CoP, she and her team interviewed trainers, the learning team, and participants and created a five-component skill profile for trainers based on the findings. She said her inspiration came from the Talent Development Capability Model. To support each skill area, Christopher curated links to resources, including a self-assessment, which enables community members to identify areas of focus to improve their training skills. Incentives, the final element, is designed to motivate group members. For Christopher’s program, incentives included recognition, career support, and special training opportunities.She closed her session by speaking to lessons learned, which included being flexible, the need for ongoing communication, and how essential it is to keep a pulse on community members’ needs by listening. ATD21 participants can watch Christopher’s presentation on demand and download the complete presentation from the ses­sion’s page and resources section in Pathable, the conference platform.Be InfluentialHow can you be a person of influence? It’s about how you live, rather than what you do, explained Vivian Blade, president and CEO of Experts in Growth Leadership Consulting, during Monday’s virtual session “SCALE Your Influence.” She said it’s “the fabric of who you are and how you operate” each day.Before beginning her explanation of steps to being influential, Slade described what influence is not: It’s not about manipulation, one moment in time, nor making a transaction. She noted that some people treat interactions as a win-lose game—they win and others lose. Similarly, others may feel it must be their way rather than working over the long term to gain loyalty, which requires a value-add to the relationship.Slade then outlined the steps of SCALE and posed insightful questions for participant reflection.Social capital. To determine how you can selflessly add value, consider your special skills or expertise. In what domains do you have specialized knowledge, including certifications? Do you have access to resources that others may find helpful?Courage. Influencing isn’t without its challenges. Learn to step out of your comfort zone and “be open to new ideas and constructively work through the messiness,” Slade said. That includes being accountable not only for successful outcomes that may ensue but also for failures. Further, Blade encouraged talent development professionals to support each other during times that require courage.Authenticity. This is about having genuine motives. “Be aware when you’re stressed so you don’t become the person you don’t want to be,” stated Blade. To help during those times, she encouraged attendees to check in on their values.Leaning in with passion. This enables you to give your best and sparks curiosity. That will lead to the greatest possible outcomes for you and your team, Blade noted.Engaging a diverse and inclusive workplace community. This final step means encouraging everyone to share their narrative—it’s about building a tribe. Blade shared how that attendees can do that by inviting learners to contribute to what they want a training to look like and share their unique stories and experiences.Learn Management SkillsDuring her Monday afternoon session “Brain-Based Manager Training: Insights From an ATD BEST-Award Winner,” Britt Andreatta, CEO of 7th Mind, shared four case studies about management struggles—in varied businesses of construction, legal, tech, and media. She also asked attendees what struggles they faced. Common challenges for managers leading teams arose: change management, dealing with difficult conversations, development of direct reports, and managing in a hybrid work environment.Those familiar challenges point to six critical management skills: the ability to pivot from being an individual contributor to being a leader, coaching performance, building positive relationships, creating high-performing teams, leading change, and executing strategic goals.The good thing, Andreatta stated, is that management skills can be learned. She shared 12 brain-based concepts to teach managers to improve the ability of teams and organizations to work better. The first is understanding how humans are wired. We have three fundamental needs: surviving, belonging, and becoming. While people in Afghanistan and Louisiana are focused on their survival right now, Andreatta said there’s a different kind of survival that occurs during performance reviews—survival grounded in a paycheck, which provides for our food and shelter. The second need, belonging, is about community and being accepted. The final need is about becoming our best self—learning and growing.The second brain-based concept Andreatta shared is that our brains are malleable. We can learn new things throughout our lives. To that end, Andreatta teaches managers about psychologist Carol Dweck’s growth and fixed mindsets, which managers can extend to their direct reports.Andreatta likewise covered the three sources of workplace conflict—values, triggers, and workstyle. Having a grasp of those can help teams understand each other and work better together.Be Prepared for AnythingIn presenting for his 44th year for ATD, Bob Pike, CPTD Fellow, provided tips for how trainers and leaders can add value. His session was aptly titled “Tough Times Never Last—Prepared Trainers Do! 7 Strategies for Adding Value and Making a Difference in Turbulent Times.”The founder and chairman of CTT Press and 3P Associates explained that the first strategy is about changing one’s mindset from “have-do-be” to “be-do-have.” In the latter, you work on yourself to become what you want to become rather than wishing “If I only had …, then I would ….” In sharing what the revised mindset looks like, Pike shared a story of how he used visualization and verbalization to mentally rehearse and affirm skills and abilities he sought.What’s important to you? That’s the essence of the second strategy—to clarify your values. To visualize that, Pike showed the Iceberg model of human behavior. What others see is the behavior you’re exhibiting. On the waterline is the choices that we make. But underlining everything is our thinking patterns: What are we telling ourselves? Further, does the way we spend our money and time align with what we purport to value?The third strategy Pike presented is about becoming a participant-centered presenter. For that strategy, trainers can use the importance of the four CORE elements: closers, openers, revisiters, and energizers. While some trainers launch right into their content, Pike reminded attendees of the need to use openers. Even if participants are physically in the room, he said, they may not be mentally there. As to revisiters, Pike noted that learners need to move information from the short-term memory to learners’ long-term memory. Participants do that by practicing.Pike concluded by describing his final four strategies:Understanding your purpose as a trainer or leaderIncorporating his 10 top lessons, which include using the dynamics of the group, using the experiences that adults bring to the training, and helping people learn how to learn, among othersAllowing time for reflectionTapping the power of one. “Never underestimate the power of one person,” he said.To personalize his final strategy, he told participants about the importance of his grandmother and how she loaned him money even though none of the other men in the family had ever repaid her. She told Pike that she trusted him. And Pike lived up to that trust.

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