Ozbek

{With all the recruitment consultants on bored, I reckon here would be as good a place as any for this discussion. Mod please relocate this thread if appropriate}




While skimming job ads I noticed a recurring pattern in their requirements, i.e.,

• the candidate must be able to use their skills to influence at all levels, embrace systems to drive changed behaviours
• To be successful in this key role, you must have leadership, influencing and negotiation skills

Curious, I did some searching on influence in the business environment, and stumble across this HBR article:
https://hbr.org/2015/01/office-polit...y-another-name


This is ominous because as noted by a learned member:


Questions:

1. What specifically do you consider to be valid influencing skills?
2. Is "Influence" HR code for the presence of office politics?
3. What are some other sanitized HR/business terms in a job ad that warn of a toxic workplace culture?

Dubaiexile

Answers

1. A hefty smack to the back of the head!

2. Nope, intimidate covers it better!

3. Forward thinking Company, means they are still in the dark ages!

Diverse multicultural workforce, means they employ lots of people on the lowest
salary possible! S.E.Asia Slave labour!

Flexible working hours...means they flex in favour of the Employer, not you!

Modern Building..A dump in karama

etc etc

Been here too long methinks

Gavtek

Any mention of "disruptor/disruptive" means it's full of annoying twats doing the most mundane thing imaginable, but they have a shiny app (that no-one uses).

DXBtoDOH

You are overthinking this.

It's just HR terminology.

If you must define it what HR is saying is they want someone who is effective at diplomatically persuading people to follow along.

scrubbedexpat141

Like DXBtoDOH said, you're overthinking this.
It's the same bullshit that you get in the UK or anywhere else on adverts now.
Most adverts will be adapted or written by the recruiter. The blurb around the basic responsibilities could be either saved / templated or just made up on the sport.

Your example is pretty dull, no?

Influence at all levels, embraces systems to drive changed behaviours - basically; able to not **** up in front of senior management, not rude to the tea boy, capable of doing what their told and ensuring others do too. Even if they don't like it.

Leadership, influencing and negotiation skills....so, not a pussy but not a cock about it and can haggle a bit.

Millhouse

Where I am it is easily 90% internal political bullshit and 10% real work. And the bullshit comes mostly from the US HQ.

Bahtatboy

It's probably 90:10 work / politics where I am.

Leadership, influencing and negotiation skills = senior management arriving at a consensus (often with lots of shouting), and then instructions cascaded which are generally followed without exception or comment. In other words, autocracy. Other Asian companies I've worked in follow the same pattern.

I've worked in a few western companies in which senior managers have tried their hands at autocracy: it doesn't work, and is generally seen as an indication of weakness (almost always so in my view). I consider "influencing" to be the key element, because it encompasses both leadership and negotiation. Unfortunately, for many it's the case that egos inflate with increased authority.

Ozbek

Thank you all for your input/reality check.