When I was working as an embedded trainer with the Iraqi Army, or IA, I was attached to a U.S. platoon responsible for conducting presence patrols in multiple villages. Presence patrols were always a day-long operation, and they had to be conducted on foot due to the threat of IEDs.
One day, I approached the Iraqi commander to request assistance with one of our presence patrols. The commander explained to me that his men had just come off patrol and were too tired to help.
I was very familiar with his team as I had resourced their needs before. I knew their limitations and was confident that they had been in the rear long enough to recover. I let my aggravation get the best of me and responded to the commander by saying, “we’re all tired.” This did not go over well with him, and he would not budge from his stance.
Looking back on this experience, if I had employed the right influence techniques with the Iraqi commander, I would have been able to convince him to give me the men I needed for my patrol.