“No leader can succeed without mastering the art of persuasion. But there’s hard science in that skill, too, and a large body of psychological research suggests there are six basic laws of winning friends and influencing people.”
“Persuasion works by appealing to a limited set of deeply rooted human drives and needs, and it does so in predictable ways. Persuasion, in other words, is governed by basic principles that can be taught, learned, and applied. By mastering these principles, executives can bring scientific rigor to the business of securing consensus, cutting deals, and winning concessions.”
Cialdini, Robert B. “Harnessing the Science of Persuasion. (Cover Story).” Harvard Business Review, vol. 79, no. 9, Oct. 2001, pp. 72-79.
“Power is simply the ability to get things done the way one wants them to be done”
Salancik, G., & Pfeffer, J. (1989). Who gets power. In M. Thushman, C. O’Reily, & D. Nadler (Eds.), Management of organizations. New York: Harper & Row.
Five months ago, Thomas Green was seen as a “rising star” at Dynamic Displays and had just received his “dream promotion” to be a senior market specialist. He was 15 to 20 years younger than the other senior market specialists and received a 50% salary increase with the promotion. However, Thomas was “walking into a tricky situation with Frank Davis. Frank had expected to choose the new senior market specialist and it would not have been [Thomas].” The division vice president, Shannon McDonald, a fellow University of Georgia alum, provided Thomas with some advice.
“Tom, you are obviously a bright and ambitious account executive. You have a great rapport with your clients. You have made a strong case for your promotion and I’m willing to take a chance on you. I think this group needs a fresh perspective. However, I do have a couple of reservations about your lack of managerial experience. You have only held sales roles, and the senior market specialist position is very different. This new job will require you to think strategically as well as tactically, and you will have to coordinate between several different functions and layers of corporate management. I am hoping you compensate for your lack of experience by seeking out guidance from some of our more seasoned managers.”
Thomas Green was coming into this new position with a lot of potential, but lacking the managerial experience that might have naturally provided him with higher levels of power and influence within the organization. If Thomas Green is going to be successful in the new position, he will need to develop additional sources of power and increase his influence throughout the organization, and specifically with his supervisor Frank Davis.
Assignment:
What should Thomas Green have done differently to have developed additional sources of power and increased his influence in his new role as senior market specialist? Clearly state which two (2) principles from this module Thomas Green should have employed, providing at least three (3) specific examples (courses of action) that demonstrate the application for each of the two principles.