Editor’s note: The following is a guest post from Jose Ramirez, director analyst at Gartner.
Beyond having the right mix of technical and business savvy, a great CIO is one who cultivates persuasive leadership, inspires their peers and gains support from stakeholders in a fast-paced digital environment.
Most CIOs can recall a time they tried to change the mind of a C-suite or board member, whether that be to convince a CFO to increase IT investments, persuade a top candidate to join their team or change the culture of the organization.
A CIO’s ability to constantly hone the craft of persuasion has always been critical and is amplified by the constant change and accelerated pace of new technologies.
But only 7% of C-suite members named the CIO as the most influential in terms of securing resources, garnering support for ideas and shaping group opinions, according to Gartner data.
To be more persuasive and influence peers, CIOs must follow the three rules of persuasive leadership.
Rule 1: Reduce the number of arguments, objectives and technical jargon
When preparing for a discussion involving a decision, some leaders tend to draw up a long list of arguments. This approach is often driven by the desire to be prepared for each objection and overwhelm the audience with positives.
However, studies show that the more arguments we make, the more likely it will weaken our case, which is referred to as the “dilution effect.”
Why is having more arguments less persuasive? People tend to find “gaps” in an argument.
For instance, a CIO may want to persuade stakeholders to invest in a new ERP solution. They may suggest that it will improve business performance, be more sustainable, reduce costs and improve productivity. While these are great points, a peer may reject the proposal if they do not agree with one, diluting the strength of the other points.
It is more effective to focus on preparing for one or two disagreements than to try to defend every possible argument.
Once one or two strong arguments have been established, CIOs must determine what they need from their stakeholders. When there are too many objectives, any audience will be overwhelmed and less likely to support your requests. Instead, narrow the objectives, such as asking for more time and budget or provide support.
Lastly, be cautious when using technical jargon. Focusing too much on the technical side may cause C-suite members to label the CIO as the technical guru and not as an essential business leader. Remember to speak to your audience in the lingo they prefer and understand.
Rule 2: Tailor your narrative to speak to the emotions of your audience
Humans are often portrayed as rational beings, meticulously weighing options before making decisions. Yet, beneath the veneer of logic, emotions are often overlooked architects of our choices.
Far from being mere distractions, feelings profoundly influence our judgment, shaping our preferences and guiding our actions in ways we may not fully comprehend.
To persuade, CIOs must empathize with their audience. They should be asking:
- What is the audience’s professional background?
- What are their commitments and priorities?
- What is their decision-making style?
- What is their sentiment on the topic?
Next, CIOs must decide what their audience wants to feel as a result of the narrative by identifying an emotion. Understanding and strategically appealing to stakeholders’ emotions can significantly influence decision making and foster stronger relationships within a work environment.
For instance, happiness can be used to put the audience at ease and make them more receptive, while sadness can be used to make the audience feel more human and connected to others and their experiences.
The best way to persuade with emotions is to incorporate them into stories. CIOs might feel that storytelling is an elusive art form because it can encourage emotion. Yet, storytelling is more scientific and repeatable than you might think.
Every great story has a few key ingredients:
- There’s a character (an employee or customer, for example) who always has a motivation.
- The audience is transported to a setting. Where are we? What does this place look and feel like?
- There’s an inciting incident that leads to a challenge or opportunity for the character.
- The story ends with how the incident is resolved and how the character transformed through the process.
At the heart of any decision there isn’t data, but emotions. Therefore, the next time a CIO is sharing their narrative, they should strive to make their audience feel something. Their argument will certainly be more memorable.
Rule 3: Don’t let audiences interpret data for themselves
Data, while informative, is often insufficient to drive behavioral change. If data only were enough, people would all get their 10,000 steps in and eat more broccoli.
To clarify, the use of data is not bad, but it is a supporting element. It can be used to sharpen an argument and storytelling.
In the art of persuasion, data never speaks for itself. The human brain loves to anticipate and fill in gaps on what we see or hear based on our knowledge and experience.
Audience’s understanding of data will differ from the CIO’s. Therefore, it is important to help the audience interpret that data.
For instance, instead of simply labeling a graph “Market trends,” CIOs could instead label the graph “market leaders are investing in AI” to get their point across.
Leading with your interpretation through storytelling, and not the data alone, will reduce the likelihood of misinterpretation. Additionally, audiences will not focus on data or information that is not relevant to your narrative.
