Influence—the capacity to inspire and direct one’s team to meet shared goals is a crucial leadership skill. A leader with influence can inspire their followers. By sharing their vision and helping them see how they fit into the bigger picture. To achieve organizational goals, it’s a must for leaders to establish credibility & trust. Even the most well-thought-out strategies can fall flat if the team isn’t inspired.
Your effect can be positive or negative, risky or safe, damaging or beneficial. It may be a lifestyle trait or a sign of your achievement. Positive impact may motivate and uplift others, creating a supportive and productive environment. Conversely, bad influence can cause conflict, mistrust, and a poisonous environment. By intentionally crafting your influence, you can guide your team to success. This ensures your leadership has a long-term, positive impact on the people you lead.
When you step into that “intentional” aspect of influence, you also begin to develop the need. A need for The Art of Woo: Winning Others Over. [The art of Woo, A book by G. Richard Shell and Mario Moussa.]. WOO is about the ability to persuade and guide others towards your thought process.
Who said what?
Former Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca once said, “You can have brilliant ideas; but if you can’t get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere.”
The art of Woo bridges this gap. But first things first, persuasion is not at all about you. It’s about them ( all others apart from your family). Understanding what (desire, want, need, etc.) triggers them. Your message (ask/want) needs crafting. Crafting in a way that they will connect with that idea and move towards the result/actions you seek.
Influence: How do I get this skill?
For this to happen, you need to start from WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?). (ME == THEM) It’s your idea right but it should me more about them and what would they enjoy from that. You should always lead the “Value proportion” and persuade them to join the bandwagon. Don’t get confused, though. Persuasion is not manipulation. There is a big difference.
Effective persuasion should be something like a Win-Win situation. Where the victory and benefits should at least match in most cases. Manipulation means to deceive others. Get them to accept something that might not be of value or benefit to them.
Manipulation may show gains in the short term. But its persuasion, which lasts a long time and gets bigger returns than you can even think of. It is tough but worth the investment since you need to put others first and be intentional too.
கண்ணோட்டம் என்னும் கழிபெருங் காரிகை உண்மையான் உண்டிவ் வுலகு.
(குறள் 571: கண்ணோட்டம் அதிகாரம்)
[Translated: “Since the greatest truth that compassionate glance exists in this world – sustains this world in its stance”]
Where are the easy steps?
The Art of Woo manifest in some with ease. Like those who always think from the other’s shoe. Here are 6 easy ways that you can practice and develop those skills:
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Be Strategic: Have a plan. You first need to be very clear about what you want and what your desired results are. Once you have internalised the data, it becomes easier for you to guide others to the desired result.
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Put their interest first: Always consider the WIIMF factor. You need to move out of your comfort zone. Place yourself in their shoes and see that point of view. Empathize with that information even before starting to converse. Once you know what they feel, its a lot easier for you to connect with them and discuss it than with a boring sales pitch.
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Give first: Don’t make it lopsided. Give value first, and if possible, for free. Lift others and help them in some way. Never ask for something from them before you have given them some value that they need.
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Be honest: No matter what, be true to the facts. State your WHY (reason behind your ideas). The more they hear about why, the more chances there are that they are going to follow you.
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Think long-term: Never sacrifice long-term goals for short-term gains. Although it is very tempting, Try to resist it; many victories would be more enjoyable if you could sustain them for a long time. Short-term success is like fast food—bad for digestion and health but great in taste for the moment. Persuasion originates from trust. And trust comes from long-term relationships. So, avoid short-cuts.
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Be nice: It would look like a no-brainer for most of us, but many tend to forget this. We tend to forget to be nice. Kindness goes a long way and helps you succeed. Every day, take some opportunity to be nice to others. Celebrate small actions and encourage others to be happy. Like saying thanks for all the good things, you got today. It would look forced at first, but once internalized, it would become more like second nature.
The Art of Woo is a powerful tool that can make a significant difference in your work, life. In the lives of those around you too. Use it wisely and use it well.
