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Leadership by
Persuasion – Four Steps to Success
© 2005. By Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D. |
As a leader, your success depends upon
your ability to get things done: up, down and across all lines. To
survive and succeed, you must learn four essential skills of
persuading people. You must convince others to take action on your
behalf even when you have no formal authority.
Persuasion is an essential proficiency for all leaders, requiring
you to move people toward a position they don’t currently hold.
You must not only make a rational argument, but also frame your
ideas, approaches and solutions in ways that appeal to diverse
groups of people with basic human emotions.
Preparing the Way
Any direct attempt to persuade may provoke colleagues to oppose
and polarize. Because persuasion is a learning and negotiating
process, it must include three phases: discovery, preparation and
dialogue.
Before you even begin to speak, consider your position from every
angle. Presenting your ideas takes planning to learn about your
audience and prepare your arguments.
Dialogue occurs both before and during the persuasion process. You
must invite people to discuss solutions, debate the merits of your
position, offer honest feedback and suggest alternatives. You must
test and revise ideas to reflect colleagues’ concerns and needs.
Success depends on being open-minded and willing to incorporate
compromises.
Four Steps to Successful Persuasion
Leading through persuasion requires you to follow four essential
steps:
1. Establish credibility. Credibility develops from two
sources: expertise and relationships. Listen carefully to other
people’s suggestions. Establish an environment in which they
know their opinions are valued. Prepare by collecting data and
information that both support and contradict your arguments.
2. Understand your audience. Frame your goals in a way that
identifies common ground. Your primary goal is to identify
tangible benefits to which your targeted audience can relate. This
requires conversations to collect essential information by asking
thoughtful questions. This process will often prompt you to alter
your initial argument or include compromises. Identify key
decision makers, stakeholders and the organization’s network of
influence. Pinpoint their interests and how they view
alternatives.
3. Reinforce your positions with vivid language and
compelling evidence. Persuasion requires you to present evidence:
strong data in multiple forms (stories, graphs, images, metaphors
and examples). Make your position come alive by using vivid
language that complements graphics. In most cases, a rock-solid
argument:
- Is logical and consistent with facts and experience
- Favorably addresses your audience’s interests
- Eliminates or neutralizes competing alternatives
- Recognizes and deals with office politics
- Receives endorsements from objective, authoritative third
parties
4. Connect Emotionally. Your connection to your audience
must demonstrate both intellectual and emotional commitment to
your position. Successful persuaders cultivate an accurate sense
of their audience’s emotional state, and they adjust their
arguments’ tone accordingly. Whatever your position, you must
match your emotional fervor to your audience’s ability to
receive your message.
In today’s organizations, work is generally completed by
cross-functional teams of peers, with a mix of baby boomers and
Gen-Xers who show little tolerance for authority. Electronic
communication and globalization have further eroded the
traditional hierarchy. People who perform work don’t just ask
“what should I do?” but “why should I do
it?”
Leaders must answer the “why” question effectively. Persuasion
is an essential proficiency for all leaders who want to succeed in
the 21st century organization.
Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D. writes articles for business and executive
coaches and consultants. She provides articles on leadership and
executive development for sale, and formatted into customized
newsletters. Get Patsi's Secrets of Successful Ezines 7-Step
Mini-Course to learn what you need to know to publish a successful
ezine. http://snipurl.com/Ezine_MiniCourse |
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Copyright / Atlantic PC,
Inc. |
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