How To Build Consensus For Software Decisions
IT Consulting • Leadership • Soft Skills
Get people to agree and come to consensus so you can grow on your software project, or in your career with these tips I've learned.
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Do you need to get people to agree and come to consensus so you can grow on your software project, or in your career? Today I’d like to share a few resources, and some simple concepts to consider, when influencing others to make a decision.
When I started out in my career, I was a good software developer and could write code and work with many complicated pieces of technology. But I didn’t become good at influencing people until I began consulting a decade later.
The Circles of Influence
Stephen Covey’s famous book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, introduces many powerful concepts for better work. I’d like to mention his concept of circles of influence, which is important for thinking about how to build consensus.
The first circle is the circle of control, and typically only includes yourself. If you have children, or subordinates, you may consider them within this circle. In most cases however, there is little you can actually control.
The second circle is the circle of influence, and is comprised usually of people on your software team who you already have good relationships with. These are people who will take your advice seriously, and expect you to influence them.
The last circle is the circle of concern, and includes people that we have no direct control over OR influence with. Influencing these people usually takes indirect influence through another person.
Who Can I Influence Already?
It makes sense, especially within the context of Stephen Covey’s book and recommendations himself, that we focus on those we can influence first. If we already have great relationships, those should be the first people we bring over to our side with a decision.
Identifying Stakeholders of Your Circle of Influence
Because it often takes getting agreement from people outside our circle of influence, we next need to identify who these people are. We can typically influence them indirectly through the relationships we already have. If not, we can look to someone else we know, that knows this person already, to open a door to a conversation.
You May Need to Influence “Up the Ladder”
Many software companies can grow into a structure with multiple levels of people. Even when using agile development methods, communication across people continues to be a challenge. In addition to building consensus across our circle of influence at our level, we may need to get agreement UP the “ladder” of people in the company so we can reach consensus.
Beware of Team Dysfunctions
While attempting to influence others, it’s common that due to past failures or trust issues, you may run into politics. The book by Patrick Lencioni, The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team, is a great resource to help you win back the support of difficult people and get everyone talking honestly again.
Resources
- How To Win Trust For Your Software Development Ideas
- “The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People” on Amazon
- “The 5 Dynsfunctions Of A Team” on Amazon
About the THRIVING TECHNOLOGIST show
On YouTube and all major podcast networks, Jayme shares teamwork and leadership strategies, guidelines for healthy company culture, and stories about real projects so you can have a sustainable career in the software industry.
Jayme Edwards
A family man and veteran of nearly 40 software projects, Jayme experienced many wins and losses over his career as an architect and consultant.
Now he's coaching software developers, managers, and business owners to overcome challenges in the IT industry - so they keep growing.