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The Art of Influence

The Art of Influence

Without it, you'll never get anything done. Four veteran CIOs share some tried-and-true techniques for convincing colleagues to do what's needed

How to Recruit a Business Leader:

Give Her the Team She Wants

Heintzeman knew it wasn't his job to find a leader for the new business unit. And he understood that as the CIO, it would be difficult to convince his colleagues, particularly CEO Jim Shroer, that the company needed to shift some personnel. But when it comes to areas where he thinks he can help the company improve, Heintzeman says: "I make it my responsibility."

First, Heintzeman had to contend with other business unit leaders who were sceptical of his idea. They included Shroer, who suggested instead purchasing a company that had the technology and management expertise Heintzeman was looking for. But Heintzeman argued that he could spend millions less by buying the technology himself and that Sparkman had the tenaciousness and the connections throughout the company to develop the 1to1 business successfully. Shroer changed his mind and began working on other executives.

Getting his boss on his side was a big victory, but Heintzeman still had to convince Sparkman. He turned back to his IT group and set to work building a team that would appeal to Sparkman. Heintzeman offered her Ben Leonard, one of his top project managers and someone Sparkman knew. He also hired Mike Bradway, an analyst and data modelling expert who had worked on one-to-one marketing campaigns for Target. In addition, Heintzeman promised Sparkman she could bring one of her own IT project managers, Kurt Wood, who worked directly with her Gold Points clients. Wood could apply his knowledge about those clients to the new IT system.

At that point, Sparkman "was beginning to see a team she knew and who were part of the top talent in the company", Heintzeman says. "She knew I was serious."

Finally, Heintzeman and Sparkman discussed how she could use the new systems he was building to sell 1to1 services to her existing Gold Points clients. "Bells and whistles started to go off then," Heintzeman recalls. "She had a prestocked pond in which to start fishing. That tipped her over."

It took Heintzeman six months to work the relationships he had throughout the company to get Sparkman to take the job. "I worked with what I had," he says.

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