Strategic Persuasion Workshop - West LegalEdcenter Leadership Mario Moussa, Ph.D., MBA Co-Director, Wharton Strategic Persuasion Workshop Adjunct Senior Fellow, ... Castro vs. Che

Persuasive Leadership

Mario Moussa, Ph.D., MBA Co-Director, Wharton Strategic Persuasion Workshop

Adjunct Senior Fellow, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, The University of

Pennsylvania

Senior Consultant, Fels Institute of Government, University of Pennsylvania

moussa@moussaconsulting.com/267-549-6694

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How do you woo?

Woo is a relationship-based selling

process essential to leadership.

Now more than ever, good working

relationships are important to your

leadership success.

Even top-performers constantly

focus on improving their game.

Leadership is about the specifics.

“The tongue is the only tool that gets sharper with use.”

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Self-Awareness

Situational Awareness

Two success factors.

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“Some of my most challenging negotiations

involve the people I work with.”

An increasingly mature

industry, with resulting cost

pressures

Evolution away from

traditional partnership

culture to more of a

business orientation

The challenges of selling

yourself, as business

development specialist, to

your colleagues

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Build “social capital.”

Higher social capital (measured as more connections outside their division) = Average of 15% more earning power than those with lower social capital.

Seen as having better ideas.

Enhanced performance:

31% more were evaluated as ―Far Exceed Expectations‖

43% more were promoted to a higher rank

Sources: Ronchi, D., Cross, R., & Burt, R.

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Silos are psychological.

Functions: ―Recurring conflict is

inevitable‖:

Time horizons: short or long.

Rewards: financial or

professional.

Relationships: formal or

informal.

Rules: strict or loose.

Business/Industry cultures.

Are you BP?

Can I call you Bubba?

Source: Organization and its Environment, Lawrence and Lorch

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All organizations are political.

95% of all organizations are political to ―some‖ extent. Nearly half are political to a ―very great‖ or ―fair‖ extent.*

Political skills: strongest predictor of performance ratings, outstripping by far both intelligence and personality traits.

Politics = the ability to sell ideas

8 Source: Jeff Immelt quoted in Joe Nocera, ―Running G.E., Comfortable In His Skin,‖ NYT, C1, 6/9/07.

Formal authority has limits.

―When you run General Electric, there

are 7 to 12 times a year when you

have to say, ‗you‘re doing it my way.‘

If you do it 18 times, the good people

will leave. If you do it three times, the

company falls apart.‖

Big decisions require, on average,

consultation with twenty people. Little

decisions require consultation with

eight.

Will power is a limited resource.

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NEGOTIATION NEGOTIATION

Here are your choices.

Influence

Persuasion

Negotiation

Bono

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Wooing is a four-step process.

1. Survey your situation: What is my idea, and

how is it better than the alternatives? Who are

the decision makers and influencers? What is

my ―stepping stone‖ strategy?

2. Remove the BRICCs: Beliefs, Relationships,

Interests, Credibility, Channels.

3. Make your pitch: Use PCAN (because

meaning matters). Make your pitch

memorable.

4. Secure your commitments: Target key

individuals. Manage the politics. Create a

―snowball effect.‖

Survey Your Situation and Remove

Barriers

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Influence the

influencers.

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Target people who live in different

“cultures.”

Source: Rob Cross

A restructured group at a bank included three practices: business process reengineering, information technology, and database management.

Conflicting assumptions about the work:

Business process -- highly defined 6-step engagement methodology

IT: one-off, flexible, and customized approaches

Value differences becomes labels for the ―other‖ group: inflexible vs. inattentive to deadlines.

Solution: Find ―Tom,‖ who works with both groups and understands how to bridge differences.

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Practice strategic relationship-

building.

Prepare

Build trust

Apologize if you break it

Ask for favors – reciprocity

Ben Franklin

Match styles – similarity

Trump and his lawyer

Make an effort to be friendly

―Slight attentions often bring back

reward as great as it is unlooked for.‖

Meet face to face when the stakes

are high

Parsons and Icahn

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Set your goals carefully.

Types of goals:

Idea-polishing—Asking for input: no agreement required!

Access—Requesting an introduction to an influencer.

Attitude—Looking for the ―Hmm, good idea!‖ response.

Authorization—Getting approval and even resources to take the next step.

Endorsement—Seeking active support in public or behind the scenes.

Decision—Securing formal sign-off.

Implementation—Embedding your idea in policies and procedures.

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Jody Thompson and Cali Ressler

Take your time.

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Listen.

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Tune into the right channel.

Adapted from influence research conducted by David Kipnis and Gary Yukl, and other sources.

A. Authority (emphasis on using formal position or rules)

B. Rationality (emphasis on using reasons)

C. Vision (emphasis on organizational goals, purposes, and aspirations)

D. Relationship (emphasis on liking, similarity, and reciprocity)

E. Interests/Incentives (emphasis on using trades and compromises)

F. Politics (emphasis on managing perceptions and building consensus)

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Self Organization

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More Self-Oriented

Higher

More Other-Oriented

Lower

DRIVER

CHESS PLAYER COMMANDER

PROMOTER

Self vs. Other

Persuasion Styles

Volume

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Leadership reflection.

What is one small adjustment you can make in your communication or

personality style (e.g., focus more on vision or relationships, talk less,

etc.) to enhance your effectiveness?

What are the situations in which it is most important to make this

adjustment?

Notes:

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

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Cognitive perspective-taking.

―If there is any secret to success, it

lies in the ability to get the other

person‘s point of view and see

things from that person‘s angle as

well as your own.‖ —Henry Ford

Historical studies: Lenin vs.

Trotsky, Castro vs. Che Guevara,

Robert E. Lee vs. Ulysses S.

Grant.

―People make their decisions based on what the facts mean to them,

not on the facts themselves.‖

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What is this person trying to say?

―Forgetting the business logic and the price, there will be options

down the road there, I would answer your question about capable

and that we weren't really quite capable yet because our army

was doing all the other stuff we had to do, particularly the systems

conversions. The army will be capable to do other stuff sometime

next year, which is reasonable. Doesn't mean we will.‖

Here‘s how a well-known executive answered a question about his plans

for a potential merger:

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Simplicity.

―If you have a simple

problem, you can offer a

simple solution. But most

organizational problems are

complex. So you either

simplify the problem and offer

a solution, or embrace the

complexity and do nothing‖ -- adapted from Dan Ariely

Source: NYT, October 17, 2010, Week in Review

26 Source: Ch. 7, The Art of Woo

Think PCAN+.

Problem – A short, concise

statement that defines the problem

your idea solves (or the need it

addresses).

Cause – An explanation of the

cause of this problem or need.

Answer – Your solution (or

answer) for the situation.

Net benefits – A summary of why

your answer is the best available,

all options considered.

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Start with small steps.

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Be a “choice architect.”

The “flu shot lecture”

“Look right!”

Source: Nudge

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Generate positive momentum.

Radishes or Cookies?

Sources: Nudge; Switch; Wansik