Influence Traits

The Ability to Influence Others is THE Key Measure of Executive Ability.

If you are an executive or provide executive coaching, you know the executive role requires moving to a new level of leadership. The executive must stop merely doing the needed tasks at hand and shift to overseeing and leading those who must actually do these tasks. Whereas once the aptitude to do the task was most important, now the successful executive must be able to influence others to accomplish what is needed. In fact, doing the actual tasks can be one of the worst expenditures of time and energy an executive can spend. In this way, influence is KEY to growing as an executive.

But How Do We Measure and Grow an Executive’s Ability to Influence Others?

For years, we had to measure influence aptitudes by gut and anecdotal observation. As a student of influence, I have spent 20 years of my life working to change this. The Karen Keller Institute was created for this purpose. In our research, we were able to determine seven key traits that compose influence, and the degree in which each trait is developed provided an objective view of one’s influence abilities, which  we call the Seven Influence Traits™. We then set about to create the first, scientifically-backed test to measure one’s ability to influence others. Pioneered at Clemson University’s prestigious business graduate school, this instrument is called the Keller Influence Indicator^® (or KII^®).

With the KII^®, executives and executive coaches may now establish a clear, numeric benchmark measurement of a person’s ability to exert influence. The KII is dynamic, allowing it to provide a real time measurement; therefore, one’s increased abilities to influence could be measured and tracked over time. 

Leadership requires moving people from point A to point B. How effectively a  leader uses “hard” or “soft” influence tactics determines how well others are influenced to move or change their current direction.