As we have seen, people consistently look to others in their social networks for clues about “right thinking,” and defer to others with expertise or status on particular sets of issues. The resulting influence networks can be a formidable barrier to your efforts or a valuable asset, or both.
Let us return once more to the example of asking a group of people to do something embarrassing. Suppose that, in response to my request, a respected member of the group said, “No way I’m doing that. It is disrespectful and foolish.” Almost certainly no one else in the group would do what I had asked. But suppose the same person jumped up, grabbed someone else and said, “Let’s do it! It’ll be fun!” The odds are that everyone else would eventually follow suit. In fact, the last to rise would feel social pressure to do so: “What’s the matter with you?”
Now suppose I did an analysis of the group before this exercise and identified the most respected person. Suppose I met with that person before the exercise and enlisted his or her aid as a confederate to make some important points about group dynamics and social influence. The odds are good that this person would agree to do so—and that others would follow.
The fundamental insight is that you can leverage knowledge of influence networks into disproportionate influence on a group with what my colleague Jim Sebenius termed a sequencing strategy. The order in which you approach potential allies and convincibles will have a decisive impact on your coalition-building efforts. Why? Once you gain a respected ally, you will typically find it easier to recruit others. As you recruit more allies, your resource base grows. With broader support, the likelihood increases that your agenda will succeed. That optimistic outlook makes it easier to recruit still more supporters.
If you approach the right people first, you can set in motion a virtuous cycle . Therefore, you need to decide carefully who you will approach first, and how you will do it.
Who should you approach first? Focus on the following:
- People with whom you already have supportive relationships
- Individuals whose interests are strongly compatible with yours
- People who have the critical resources you need to make your agenda succeed
- People with important connections who can recruit more supporters