How can the ISI be used in employee development?

The Influence Style Indicator™ (ISI) is a powerful tool that enhances both individual leadership development and team effectiveness by helping people better understand how they influence others—and how they can adapt their approach to be more effective across a range of workplace situations.

In leadership development, the ISI supports participants to:

• Identify their default or preferred influencing style (e.g. Rationalizing, Bridging)
• Reflect on the impact of that style in different contexts—what works, what doesn’t
• Build awareness of alternative styles they can flex into to improve impact
• Develop style agility—the ability to shift between styles depending on the audience, stakes, or situation

In team settings, the ISI is particularly useful for:

• Improving collaboration across different functions, communication styles, or work preferences
• Reducing misunderstandings caused by clashing influence styles
• Enhancing group decision-making and alignment by recognising the value of each style
• Equipping teams with a shared language to discuss influence dynamics more openly

Example: Supporting a Cross-Functional Project Team

A client recently used the ISI as part of a team development initiative for a cross-functional project team struggling with alignment and communication. Some team members felt unheard, while others were frustrated by what they perceived as a lack of urgency.

Through the ISI, it became clear that most of the senior leaders were using Asserting and Rationalizing styles (pushing ideas, focusing on logic), while others in the group leaned more toward Bridging and Inspiring (focusing on connection and shared purpose).

This insight helped the team recognise that they weren’t necessarily in conflict—they were just using different influence styles, and those styles were not being acknowledged or balanced. With this understanding, the team agreed to adapt their communication in meetings—allowing space for relationship-focused dialogue alongside data-driven discussions.

The outcome? Improved trust, more balanced conversations, and greater ownership of project outcomes.

The ISI is highly adaptable and can be incorporated into coaching sessions, leadership workshops, team offsites, and internal learning pathways. Whether you’re building influence capability in emerging leaders or helping an established team navigate complexity, the ISI delivers practical insight, real behaviour change, and stronger results.