Tag Archives: Robert Cialdini

Leadership thought 17: “Talk the walk.”

Posted on March 26, 2012 by

“Walk the talk” is one of the most used clichés on leadership. And the importance of role modeling is undoubted. Transformational leadership theorists [i] call it ‘idealized influence’ and it is a core element in all positive leadership theories [ii]: giving the example … Continue reading →

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Leadership thought 11: Leadership starts by giving

Posted on November 24, 2011 by

Leadership is social influence. One of the drivers of influence is reciprocity: giving makes people want to give back[i]. We are hard-wired like that, because it’s critical for our society, for living together.  The moment we distrust reciprocity, social interaction … Continue reading →

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The X-factor of leadership is social influence – Epilogue

Posted on September 9, 2011 by

Social psychology has a number of lessons on leadership as the power of leadership, it’s x-factor comes from social influence. Leadership and influence become even more important when ‘authority’ fails and formal structures and systems get stuck. The last weeks … Continue reading →

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The X-factor of leadership – Source V: “Be an expert.”

Posted on September 5, 2011 by

One of the most thought-provoking psychological experiments ever, took place 50 year’s ago. Stanley Milgram* tried to understand why ordinary and decent people could be driven to commit the most atrocious acts. About 2/3 of the participants in his experiment … Continue reading →

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The X-factor of leadership – Source IV: I (am) like you.

Posted on August 31, 2011 by

“We are phenomenal suckers for flattery,” writes Cialdini* in his book on influence. “The information that someone fancies us can be a bewitchingly effective device for producing return liking and willing compliance.” Liking is what drives the social media. It’s the glue … Continue reading →

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The X-factor of leadership. Source III: provide social proof.

Posted on August 29, 2011 by

 This video circulates already some time on leadership seminars and the internet. It beautifully illustrates the force of social proof: to determine what is correct, we find out what other people think is correct. (Cialdini*, 2007). A longer version of … Continue reading →

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The X-factor of leadership. Source II: Let people make choices out of free will.

Posted on August 24, 2011 by

During an experiment, children were put one by one in a room with five toys. The most interesting toy, a robot was a “nono”. The children got a warning. One group got the warning: “It’s wrong to play with the … Continue reading →

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The X-factor of leadership. Source I: “Start by giving.”

Posted on August 20, 2011 by

What if the things we do without thinking are not the right thing to do? What if we are lead in the wrong direction? Unconsciously. “I would like my collaborators to think more for themselves,” sighed Sofie Dutordoir, during a … Continue reading →

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