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: [email protected]
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mcottmeyer