By Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
Jennifer Havens is set to present at the third session of the Botetourt County Chamber of Commerce’s Emerging Leader Series this Thursday at the Botetourt Family YMCA. Her presentation is titled “Influence Without Authority.”
“Every day we interact with a variety of people over which we have no real authority. The most influential of us are skilled at networking, building coalitions, persuading, and negotiating. In this workshop we will identify your influence superpowers and how they can help you navigate successfully through all your personal and professional relationships,” she said.
Havens explained that serving in formal leadership position doesn’t automatically grant someone the type of influence that they might desire.
The first part of the session will focus on how to be an influential person all the time. It will feature some of the tips outlined in John C. Hunter’s book “The World’s Most Powerful Leadership Principle.”
The focus of the session will then shift to building a powerful circle of influence. “This gets into the partnerships and alliances that we form with other individuals and companies,” she said. “This piece will provide a tangible plan for developing influence.”
She plans to close the session by discussing how to get someone to say “yes.” Aristotle’s pathos, ethos, and logos, she said, will help participants become more successful at wielding influence during conversations.
Havens serves as the senior director of the Carilion Clinic Leadership Institute and as an adjunct faculty member in the areas of business and leadership at Virginia Western Community College. She holds an undergraduate degree in marketing management from Virginia Tech and a graduate degree in business administration from Radford University.
After graduating with her undergraduate degree, Havens held a number of marketing and communications positions. While leading all of the marketing efforts of a startup software company, Havens said that her desire to go into leadership consulting grew to the point that she knew that it was time for her to make the shift from being a full-time employee to a freelance consulate. After some additional training, she started her own consulting company.
The Emerging Leader Series is geared towards new managers and aspiring leaders.