A quick trip to the merry old land of Oz reminded me that success involved a number of participants, with different skills, weakness, and roles. But they all needed a central rallying point, a focus, a vision, and a mission, with a leader to get behind. At the end, they were all winners—no one had to be sacrificed for the greater good. And Dorothy, the leader, did not have to plead for help or beg for support.
Today's topic is persuasion, and you are already seeing that persuasion is not entreating, groveling, abject begging, or pitiable pleading. In our supply chain management roles, we often need to persuade others to make decisions or take action. But we are frequently not very good at the task, and we wind up as the ones quaking at the prospect.
SPELLBINDERS AND DREAMWEAVERSIt seems as if the sales and marketing folks can pry money and support out of senior management for almost any hare-brained scheme. And the IT mafia dons have a particular genius for securing funding and human resources for technology that costs twice as much and takes twice as long as promised to implement, with every likelihood of either failure or suboptimization.
Meanwhile, we scratch and claw for enough scraps to keep the ship afloat and the trucks running. Those few among us who succeed in aligning both the stars and the C-suite elicit wonder and envy. How do they do it—and without breaking a sweat?
It's not all that mysterious. It's not, as my friend says, rocket surgery. Nor is it too difficult to master, given practice and an understanding of what traits and behaviors make some people "naturals" at persuasion. Hold tight. The secrets are about to be revealed. Here's what you have to do:
Throughout the process, practice and use your evolving emotional intelligence (EQ) skills. Be aware of yourself and of your audiences. Adjust and respond in ways that you may discover on the fly as you genuinely interact with an audience you are in the act of persuading. And do this without stammering, hesitating, or displaying uncertainty or weakness.
IS THAT ALL?Pretty much. And the total package is easier to outline than to execute. But as you consciously develop and apply these key tools in the art of persuasion, you will get better and better.
And you'll be on the way to being envied and admired as "one of those people" who can get things done.
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