Great Leaders Use Influence and Persuasion, Not Power

How can one person get someone to do something with ease, while it's
an uphill battle for someone else?  The answer is being able to use
influence and being persuasive, without the use of power or control.

Our organizations and management styles are quickly evolving to
accommodate our changing world and workforce. Gone are the days of the
command and control management style and autocratic decision makers.
Most best practice organizations use team approaches, and empower
workers to think and perform independently. Effective communication is
become more important that ever, especially as workers are being
encouraged to ask questions of "why?"  Technology makes information
more widely available and delivered more quickly than ever before
forcing  us to move quickly on new decisions. The more adept leaders
are at the art and science of using influence and persuasion, the more
likely the goals of the organization will be successfully met with less
frustration and resistance.

Contrary to popular belief, persuasion is not a bad thing.
Persuasion is not the same as manipulation. The difference is the
intent behind the action. While persuasion can be used as a tool to
manipulate, ill intent and self-serving motives are the hallmark of
manipulation.

A number of psychologists, brain researchers,
self-help gurus and sales training experts have added a considerable
body of knowledge in recent years regarding how leaders, or anyone for
that matter can be more persuasive.
Kevin Hogan, widely acknowledged as one of the foremost researchers and trainers in the area of persuasion, argues in his books, such as The Science of Influence, The Psychology of Persuasion and Covert Persuasion,
focus considerably on NLP principles of mastering rapport and using
non-verbal communication to first connect more powerfully with people
and then influence them to help you achieve mutually beneficials.

Robert Cialdini, who wrote the book, Influence, and co-authored Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Way to Be Persuasive,
tapped into extensive brain research to illustrate effective strategies
and techniques, many of which are counter intuitive,  that can be used
to become more persuasive in dealing with people. They argue that
leaders, to be more effective need to activate reciprocity with people
by being positive, doing good deeds, sharing information openly, and
helping others and focusing on others' positive attributes, rather than
finding their weaknesses.

Allan R. Cohen and David L. Bradford, authors of Influence Without Authority, explain how to coax cooperation from people who control resources, information and support you need to succeed.

The use of influence and persuasion is a wonderful tool for moving organizations and people forward, inspiring others to reach beyond their current borders and by creating motivated teams. The best leaders have a firm grasp on how to help people develop trust and ownership through the use of influence and persuasion.

What's clear is that no matter what your organizational  position or what kinds of clients and customers you have, part of your success depends on being able to influence and persuade people over whom you have no official or assigned control in addition to those that you do.

Ray Williams is Co-Founder of Success IQ University and President of Ray Williams Associates, companies located in Phoenix and Vancouver, providing leadership training, persoanl growth and executive coaching services.