Power, Influence, and Persuasion

Power, Influence, and Persuasion – Harvard Business Essentials

In today’s organizations, managers rarely get things done simply by giving orders. They must win the cooperation of peers, superiors, team members and people in other departments over whom they have no formal authority. Power, Influence, and Persuasion: Sell Your Ideas and Make Things Happen, part of the Harvard Business Essentials series, explains the skills managers need to do this effectively and ethically.

The book begins by examining power: what it is, where it comes from and how it can be used. It describes different sources of power, including formal position, expertise, relationships, information and the ability to reward or penalize, and explains how managers can build and use power responsibly. It also discusses the limits of power and the risks of misusing it.

The next part focuses on influence, the ability to shape the attitudes and actions of others. It explains principles of influence from research in psychology, such as reciprocity, consistency, social proof and liking, and shows how managers can build networks and alliances, gain the support of key people and influence upward and across the organization.

The final part addresses persuasion. It shows how to build credibility, understand an audience, frame ideas in terms of others’ interests, use evidence and stories effectively, handle resistance, and present ideas in meetings and conversations. Practical tools, checklists and examples help readers apply the concepts.

Concise and practical, Power, Influence, and Persuasion is a useful guide for new and experienced managers who want to sell their ideas and make things happen. Some examples reflect the time of publication.