Giving Changes the Giver
Most of us understand the principle of reciprocity this way: When someone does something for us, we feel some obligation to give back. Obligation is a heavy word, it weighs on us, and that’s why reciprocity is such a powerful principle of influence. Give first, particularly when what you give is meaningful, customized, and unexpected, […]
Influence from the Inside Out
Last week I wrote about why I believe a Loving and Eternal approach to influence is a higher calling than merely Lasting and Ethical. A LinkedIn connection, Reyes Castillo, asked a great follow-up question: “I’m curious how that shows up in your actual coaching. What’s the first thing someone usually has to stop doing once they start asking […]
Lasting and Ethical Influence or Loving and Eternal?
After publishing Influenced from Above: Where Faith and Influence Meet, I had a eureka moment. If you’ve followed Influence PEOPLE for any length of time, you know PEOPLE is an acronym: Powerful Everyday Opportunities to Persuade that are Lasting and Ethical. One day it hit me that PEOPLE could also mean: Powerful Everyday Opportunities to […]
Why a Six-Foot Putt Isn’t Always a Six-Foot Putt
I used to play golf, but I haven’t picked up the clubs in decades. My wife Jane, however, is a big-time golfer, so when the major championships and other big PGA tournaments roll around, we spend plenty of Saturdays and Sundays watching. This past Sunday we watched the final round of the BMW Championship. Wyndham […]
Last Year We Lost $3.77 Billion. But…
Imagine having to stand in front of your shareholders and say: “Last year we lost $3.77 billion.” That was the situation Warren Buffett faced after Berkshire Hathaway’s difficult 2001. I first heard this story from Robert Cialdini in 2004, when he spoke at several State Auto agency partner meetings. He used Buffett’s situation to illustrate […]
