The Trust and Influence Loop w/ Mike Cottmeyer

One of the best parts of working at LeadingAgile is the continual focus on helping the brilliant people who work here amplify their ability to deliver value for customers. We have a weekly call where we focus on different aspects of the work we do and how we can get better at delivering on the LeadingAgile approach so that our customers can achieve their goals. In a recent call Mike Cottmeyer walked through the Trust Influence Loop, which explains the way we interact with our clients in order to develop the safety and trust we need to be able to help them achieve the outcomes they are looking for. The model had a huge impact on me and I asked Mike if he’d be willing to do an interview on it so that we could share it with others. While this podcast is a little on the long side, the whole conversation is incredibly valuable.

SHOW NOTES

• 00:08 Interview Begins
• 00:30 How LeadingAgile syncs up in the morning
• 02:47 The Tuesday Night Calls
• 04:17 The Trust Influence Loop Model - Part 1: Influence
• 08:55 Getting Access… then what”
• 11:12 The importance of continually creating safety and earning the right to have influence
• 13:25 Demonstrating empathy, listening and learning
• 17:43 Why it is so important to hear the client’s explanation of the problem
• 19:18 The girl with the nail in her head
• 20:34 The difference between thinking everything is a nail and asserting a position you believe in
• 23:31 The Trust Influence Loop Model - Part 2: Trust
• 26:45 Integrity in context - are you going to do what you said you are going to do
• 28:04 Developing integrity from the promise through the delivery
• 30:13 Integrity and maintaining a shared understanding with the client throughout execution
• 36:28 It’s not about artifacts, it is about demonstrating integrity, building consensus and reaching shared understanding
• 37:52 You have to understand who the client is and what problem you are trying to solve
• 43:13 How the Trust-Influence loop applies outside of work
• 46:19 Why LeadingAgile writes SOWs that take one trip through the loop at a time
• 49:06 Mike’s journey of unpacking what’s he’s learned and sharing it with other people
• 50:17 Random Question for Mike: What was the last album you downloaded and listened to that wasn’t Collective Soul?
• 51:29 Nothing but peace and martinis

LINKS FROM THE PODCAST

Trust Influence Loop Graphic

You can download a copy of the Trust Influence Loop here

If you want to watch the video of the girl with the nail in her head, you can find it here:

• It’s Not About The Nail

The Slash album Mike refers to during the interview is:

• Slash (2010)

CONTACTING MIKE

If you’d like to reach Mike, here is how you can contact him:

• Email: mike@leadingagile.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mcottmeyer