Leadership Questions
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the_greatest_sources_of_influence.pdf
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Page 1© University of Phoenix 2013 The Greatest Source of Influence
Many people think leadership is all about being articulate and charismatic. Those are not bad skills for a leader to have, Larry Dressler says, but far more important is a leader’s ability to listen well and understand the perspective of those around him.
ID: 01-vid-63c92a1d00e598deca28b7c287c33954 The Greatest Source of Influence
RECORDED ON
Aug 26, 2013
COPYRIGHT
© 2011, Skillsoft Ireland Limited & WorldBlu
CATEGORY
Business and Management
SUB-CATEGORY
Human Resources and Organizational Behavior, Leadership
SPEAKER
Larry Dressler
SPEAKER TITLE
President
TAGS
50 Lessons, Leadership, Behaviors
The answer to the question of how I, as a leader, become an effective influencer, for me, is one that is counterintuitive. Most of us are taught that being influential is about being articulate, charismatic, being able to use words to advocate our case well, and while I think that is a useful skill set, I actually don’t think it’s the critical skill set. Why? Because there’s nothing that I can convince you of, especially if we have different perspectives, until you experience me as having heard you, as understanding you. You’re completely closed to my perspective until you can say to yourself, “Larry totally gets me. He’s taken the time to understand my perspective, to inquire into the way that I think, and what’s important to me. Now I’m ready to hear him, because he’s heard me.”
So I believe that the killer app, the most important influencing skill leaders have is actually their ability to listen deeply and attentively to other people, and to inquire into their perspectives, especially when that person’s perspective is different or conflicting with their own. That is a great source of influence. I think it was Daniel Pine [ph], who wrote The Service Economy [ph], that wrote that the experience of being heard is so powerful, so compelling, that people are willing to pay for it. And I think for a leader to be able to give another the experience of being heard and seen is the greatest source of influence that that leader has.
