6 More Things Really Effective Leaders Understand & Consistently Take Account Of!

This is a companion piece in a short series that invites you to ‘Lock & Load’ your Influence for really effective Leadership.

In the 2 previous pieces we have looked at ‘Real Leadership & Influence Tropes for 2017 — The Cialdini Way’ & the ’10 Things Really Effective Leaders do to Influence’.

In this piece I take a further look at how with your Leadership practice you can Influence others more effectively and dig even deeper into Robert Cialdini’s, ‘6 Principles of Influence’ — Also known as the ‘6 Weapons of Influence’.

These first saw daylight in Cialdini’s 1984 publication, ‘Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion’, and were based upon in-depth studies he undertook with a range of Compliance Professionals i.e. Sales People, Fund raisers, Recruiters, Advertisers and Marketers.

Cialdini observed that the behaviours and actions of these people who were all skilled in arts of convincing and influencing others could be distilled into 6 fundamental principles.

In this Blog I will take a look at what each of these are in turn and & then in the companion piece ‘Real Leadership & Influence Tropes for 2017 — The Cialdini Way’ I examine how you can practically apply each in the workplace, or indeed anyplace!

• 1stly we have Reciprocity: Do you feel uncomfortable being indebted to another person? As part of the human condition as a general rule we like to return favours, pay back our debts and treat others as we would like to be treated and mirror how they treat us. According to the notion of Reciprocity this can lead us to feel obliged to offer concessions or discounts to others in any reciprocating transaction. For example, if a colleague helps you when you’re busy with a project, you might feel obliged to support his or hers idea for improving team processes, or, you might decide to buy more from a supplier if they have offered you a really excellent deal.
• 2nd, Commitment (& Consistency): Cialdini recognised that there is a deep desire to be consistent which is characteristic of most human behaviour, &, once we’ve committed to something we are usually more inclined to go through with it. Do you think that you might be more inclined to support a colleagues proposal if you had shown an initial interest in it?
• 3rd we have Social Proof: Or, ‘Safety in Numbers’! Would you be more likely to work late if others in your team were also doing likewise? You might of course also think of this as an example of Peer Group Pressure. But would you be more likely to put a tip in a jar if it already contained money? Or eat in an already crowded restaurant? This herd behaviour can also take place at a unconscious level, but the drift towards assuming that it’s OK because a lot of people are doing it and then doing it yourself, is once again a very normal response and we are particularly susceptible to this when we are feeling unsure or uncertain. We seem to want some implicit reassurance or some kind of vindication and in fact, we are even more likely to be influenced if the people we see appear to be similar to us, which is why TV Adverts often use a ‘regular mum’ type rather than celebrities to advertise household products, unless they are deliberately trying to subvert that with a ‘Daz Soap Opera’ pastiche of course.
• 4th, Liking: We are more likely to be influenced by people we like, & likeability comes in many forms which I also looked at in another recent piece, ‘Is Your Business Likeable?’. Research has also found that using Sales People for instance who live within the Community/area where they are selling will enjoy far higher sales levels; people are unfailingly more likely to buy from people like themselves, as well as from friends and from other people they know and respect.
• 5th, Authority: Don’t underestimate the powerful fact that at a basic level we commonly feel a sense of duty or obligation to people in positions of authority. If you think about it this is why Advertisers pushing for instance pharmaceutical products, will use a real Doctor to front the campaign. It is also why many of us will do most of the things our manager requests, even if we question ourselves afterwards! The bottom line though as Cialdini’s research confirmed, is that Job Titles, Uniforms and even the use of cars and gadgets as status symbols, can lend an air of authority and persuade us to accept what these people are saying; &
• 6th, Scarcity: Putting the Velben Principle aside which simply states that something is more desired the more expensive it gets, things can become far more attractive when their availability is limited or when we stand to loose the opportunity to acquire them on favourable terms. For example, if you are told that something you might like to buy is actually the last one, or that the great offer that has caught your eye will shortly expire, then you are more likely to buy and do it there and then.

Remember though to be wise and judicous in how you apply these techniques. A good reputation takes a long time to build, but little or no time to lose — So, always be authentic, honest & transparent in how you Influence and persuade, &, as a Leader always act with the utmost integrity and humility!

Paul Mudd is the author of ‘Uncovering Mindfulness: In Search Of A Life More Meaningful’ available on Amazon and www.bookboon.com; the ‘Coffee & A Cup of Mindfulness’ and the ‘Mindful Hacks For Mindful Living & Mindful Working’ series. He is also a Contributing Author to The Huffington Post and a Contributing Writer to Thrive Global. Through The Mudd Partnership he works with business leaders, organisations and individuals in support of change, leadership excellence, business growth, organistional and individual wellbeing and well doing, and introducing Mindfulness. He can be contacted at paul@themuddpartnership.co.uk and you can follow the continuing journey uncovering Mindfulness on Twitter @TheMindfulBook and at @Paul_Mudd