Without the power of persuasion, a leader is lost. The leader is not a leader.
And it doesn’t matter where the power of leadership comes from.
Positional power stems from a leader’s title or rank: “I’m the boss, recognise me, do what I say.” This position comes from appointment, election or inheritance—external factors—and can be easily taken back. I call this Leadership by Mandate (LBM).
Personal power is made up of attributes and behaviours that make a person appealing to others, and these usually cannot be taken away, unless they are undermined by incongruent behaviour—for example, not keeping your word. This personal power inspires people to become “volunteers” for a cause—above and beyond. I call this Leadership by Influence (LBI).
Business leaders have a combination of LBM and LBI, but someone with LBM will have limited influence without personal power, while someone with personal power may provide leadership without positional power.
Those leaders who rely least on positional power are perhaps the most attractive and admired, especially those who help people feel recognised, included and valued. Over-reliance on LBM will be fatal. There is much more to effective leadership than occupying a position. The leader must be inspirational.
LBI will be readily recognised in how the leader addresses people—how persuasive he is.
Almost 2400 years ago, the Greek philosopher Aristotle, framed it. He described 4 devices for full-on persuasion:
1. Ethos—credibility. This is her authority on the subject at hand, how convincing the speaker may be and whether she has mastery of the key terminology. If the speaker is unknown to the audience, the audience will be rapidly assessing each of these factors to decide, possibly forever, whether they will engage. If either the speaker or her message is lacking in credibility, she will most likely never become a genuine leader of this group of people.
2. Logos—logic. This is the strength of the leader’s argument, most likely supported by facts and figures, to provide a compelling case. If there are doubts about his credibility, clear reasoning has the potential to win over at least some of the audience. For those seeking an emotional connection, appeal to reason may still count for something. Conversely, distorting or refusing to accept or even mocking another speaker’s facts and figures, can be used to devastating effect.
3. Pathos—passion. Think Martin Luther King or Adolf Hitler—how each attracted and turned followers with their appeals to shared values and aspirations. Though they espoused opposing causes to radically different demographics in contrasting contexts, there is no denying the power of their delivery and the resultant strength of their following, inseparable from the force of their message in the extreme tension of their times. When the rhetoric matches the desperation of the cause, this is potency!
4. Kairos—time and place. Though it has received less credence over the centuries, today Kairos is of equal importance to the others. If we think of place as the media—print, radio, television, social media, mass rallies—it may be even more influential. Where and when a message is heard could well be the proxy for credibility by the audience, especially when subject to the adrenalin surge of the mob or the pull of a viral blog.
There was much to admire about Aristotle, the youngest of the legendary trio with Socrates and his scribe Plato. According to Wikipedia,Aristotle’s father died when he was a child, and he was brought up by a guardian. At 18, he joined mentor Plato’s Academy in Athens where he studied until 37 years old.
His writings were many and varied, including physics, biology, zoology, metaphysics, logic, ethics, aesthetics, poetry, theatre, music, psychology, linguistics, economics, politics and government. His works constitute the first comprehensive system of Western philosophy.
When his mentor Plato died, and at the invitation of Philip II of Macedon, Aristotle left Athens and tutored Philip’s son Alexander the Great from 343 BC.
Persuasion!? I treasure Aristotle’s often-misrepresented quote:
“Those that know, do. Those that understand, teach.”
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