Persuasive Influence

The CEO's formal authority ends at the edge of the organisation chart, and the most important people are usually beyond it: the board, regulators, partners, customers, the market. Even inside the company, authority produces movement, not belief.

Persuasive Influence is the craft of making a case that other people choose to adopt. It depends on three things: a message clear enough to repeat, a reputation for keeping your word, and an understanding of what the other person needs to be able to say yes.

Coalitions matter more than speeches. A change that has three respected allies before it is announced travels further than one launched from the stage. The influential leader spends more time in one-to-one conversations than in all-hands meetings.

• Your initiatives need your presence to keep moving.
• The board asks the same questions every quarter.
• People agree with you and then do something else.
• You rely on position to close the argument.