Stacey Hanke is an author, keynote speaker, and the founder of Stacey Hanke Inc. The goal of Stacey Hanke Inc is to help leaders become their true selves by equipping them with the tools to increase their confidence and authenticity. Tom Fox welcomes her to this week’s show as they discuss influence and how it can help leaders and people who simply wish to learn how to become better employees.
The Importance of Consistency
Tom asks Stacey to explain why consistency is critical to influence. Stacey expresses that it shows our peers, customers, and employees who we truly are as business leaders. Consistency in all forms within your organization –  from how you answer messages and calls, to how you show up for interactions – builds trust. The moment we stop behaving consistently, we run the risk of individuals second-guessing who we are, and that creates a break in trust. Trust is the backbone of influence. Trust comes from respect, and they both work together to drive influence, so leaders have to stay consistent and reliable. 
Deliberate Practice
“What’s practiced in private, gets rewarded in public,” Stacey says, quoting Michael A. Jordan. She adds that the training and mentoring she does is about what she calls “deliberate practice.” Deliberate practice is focusing on a different aspect of whatever skill you wish to work on, and practicing each aspect on a different day. It’s the mindset that every time you show up, it’s an opportunity to practice the whole idea of influence. It’s to practice as you’re delivering.
Influence Virtually
Tom asks Stacey to explain how leaders can maintain their influence in a virtual environment. Stacey gives an anecdote of how she and her team went about doing so. She stresses writing down how you influence, engage, and interact in person, and then applying the same concepts to virtual meetings. She also advises leaders to adapt their messages based on where their listeners are.
False Feedback, and The Influence Model
“We don’t know what we don’t know,” Stacey says. She tells Tom about being given false feedback and gives the analogy of being a professional athlete being praised all the time. The true meaning of influence, she points out, is really consistency. Tom asks her to explain her influence model. She responds that it’s like a triangle with three “key drivers”: feedback, deliberate practice, and accountability. Feedback is what works and what doesn’t, and you can only build the feedback on deliberate practice. The final component is accountability which is simply improving our influence through the coaches in our lives.

COVID-19 has exposed the lack of consistency in influence now that we’ve all been pushed into a virtual environment. Adaptability to new platforms and to people should be our focus moving forward. 
Resources
Stacey Hanke | LinkedIn, Twitter
StaceyHankeInc.com