Over the past eight articles we have looked at techniques being adopted in business and marketing to influence outcomes. We have seen that:

• It is possible to have service without influence, but not influence without service.
   
• Success is 10% technical ability and 90% people skills.
   
• There is power in acknowledging a claimant and making them an ally, rather than an adversary.
   
• Developing and maintaining rapport can be achieved in both face-to-face and phone situations to great effect.
   
• The power of effective listening can be profound and still it is possible to create an environment when you can respectfully interrupt a claimant when you have the information you need to assist.
   
• The quality of a person’s life is based on the quality of their questions. By asking great questions you can open up a new world of possibility for the claimant.
   
• Agreeing to disagree while maintaining rapport through language is possible, and enables you to move towards win-win outcomes.
   
• By knowing the most common objections and forms of resistance presented by claimants in the return to work process you can pre-empt and guide conversations towards return to work.
   
• The impact of language on how a person views themselves and others is profound and can lead to empowering or disempowering views of the future.

I have provided you with a range of tools that can be adopted immediately and I encourage you and your team to explore what is possible.

An environment of success

How do you bring this all together into an environment of success?  For so many, there is a tendency to immediately jump to the how of implementation – but in reality there are so many ways to ‘do’.

It is important to appreciate that a phone call or case conference can be done in millions of ways, depending on the thinking and intent brought to it.

It is for that reason that I like to consider four components: environment, structure, implementation and people:

• Thinking and Environment – what beliefs, values, standards, goals, purpose and attitude do we need to have in place?
   
• Structure and Disciplines – what focus, priorities, benchmarks, KPIs and decision making will make this a success?
   
• Implementation – are there actions, an order or sequence, duration and measurement that must be adopted?
   
• People – who must be involved, including people, suppliers and expectations.

So sit down with your best and brightest. Truly appreciate all of these dimensions and model for success.

Influence as a life skill

I’ve taken a different approach to see what is possible in this series of articles. I have looked at the latest research in neuroscience, coaching models, metadynamics and digital marketing.

When I began investigating, my initial thought was, "Is our industry in the position to take on these new techniques and tools?" My question now is, "Can we afford not to?"

Influence is not just a work skill, it is a life skill. My clients report greater feelings of certainty, significance, connection and growth when they adopt these techniques. They see the adversary turn into the ally and so their job satisfaction increases.

While I have written the articles for case managers in workers compensation, they apply equally to anyone who is required to influence others and build relationships. But it is not for everyone. To be truly effective it must come from a place of genuinely wanting a win-win outcome.

In closing...and an invitation

So in closing, I trust that you have identified tips throughout these articles that can be adopted immediately. I look forward to hearing of your successes and may be contacted at carolyn@successinlife.com.au or 0419 804 214.

For those who would like to know more about our Influence in Return to Work training, click here. The training has been specifically created for the pressures of return to work in workers compensation, motor vehicle accidents and income protection. Success in Life also offers a consulting service to review and investigate the language used in marketing and educational materials to maximise your influence potential.

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Carolyn Mounce has over 20 years experience in workers compensation – both within the regulator and agent environment. She is now the Founder and Director of Success in Life Performance Consulting and Coaching, who work with individuals and organisations developing their ability to influence through leadership, service and strategic thinking approaches.