SUCCESS RULE # 51 - The Principle of Authority

“When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen”.  I’m sure you've seen commercials where a doctor, dentist, athlete or a celebrity has recommended a product. This is the principle of authority at work, suggesting, if doctors, dentist or E.F. Hutton recommends it, well, it must be worth having. Knowing how to use this same principle can add to your success as well.

When people interact with others who are in a position of authority we often feel a duty or obligation to comply with their requests. It’s a very powerful influential principle and should not be taken lightly. At the same time, if used appropriately if can lead to great success.

First, don’t confuse the authority approach of, “Because I’m your supervisor, mom, dad, etc”. Of course that is the principle of authority at work as well, and by virtue of your role as parent or boss it works, although not always and here is why. The principle of authority is based primarily on perception, if others believe you to be knowledgeable, trustworthy, wise . . . and you look the part, you will most likely have the ability to influence their decision/behavior. This is why you seem to have no influence with your teenage child. They think they know everything, you know nothing, and their BFF is THE expert on relationships and fashion. The same holds true for the rest of us, it’s the dentists who recommend toothpaste, the doctors who recommend diet pills, supplements and other pharmaceuticals, and athletes who recommend fitness equipment. Job titles, uniforms, and even accessories, like the way we dress, and the cars we drive lend an air of authority and can persuade others to accept what you say.  Like it or not you are being judged. If someone doesn't know you, they will often judge you in a blink of an eye, a millisecond, based on what they initially see or hear.

Certainly you've accomplished requests made of you simply because it was your boss who asked. But what if it’s your boss you are looking to influence, or your colleague, a customer, or an entire community?  “Because I said so.”, probably isn't going to work. When I was the physical security officer for my unit in Germany (pre 9-11), I had this crazy idea that when we would deploy for military exercises, instead of loading up my security team into jeeps and trucks, I was going to procure a military helicopter and escort our convoys by air. Although my fellow lieutenants jeered me for even thinking the leadership would allow this, much less be able to get my hands on an H-53 helicopter, using my previous background as a Pararescueman, familiar with helicopter deployment operations, as well as the logistics associated with scheduling aircraft, I easily persuaded my leadership to allow it, and the flying unit I approached to support it. Why did it work? a.) I had proven myself in the position of security officer with much smaller tasks and responsibilities, b.) My leadership was aware of my Pararescue background and experiences, sometimes formally, sometimes informally through “war stories”. c.) I introduced myself to the flying unit Director of Operations as a prior Pararescueman (if you are not familiar with USAF Pararescue, I invite you to Google it and search on YouTube for further understanding and why this helped to establish my authority). And d.) I approached them all with a high degree of confidence and professionalism.

Going forward, if you are going to use the principle of authority to influence others, consider these points:

1.      Know your job better than anyone else

a.      Rule # 5 Create your own niche

b.      Rule # 6 Make it look easy

2.      Dress the part

a.      Rule # 7 Know you are being judged

b.      Rule # 13 Dress for success

3.      Be trustworthy

a.      Rule # 10 Live by a set of rules

b.      Rule # 20 Don’t gossip

4.      Convey confidence

a.      Rule # 8 Cultivate a firm handshake

b.      Rule #14 Know what you want

c.      Rule # 43 Don’t let the insecurities of others affect your dreams

5.      Take 100% responsibility for your actions (don’t blame or complain)

a.      Rule # 21 Don’t Whine

b.      Rule # 32 Never Lie

c.      Rule #38 Never stop learning

6.      Monitor your emotions

a.      Rule # 39 Practice quieting the mind

7.      If speaking to others who may not know you, attempt to have someone else edify you.

a.      Rule # 30 Maintain a successes portfolio

8.      If you are not the expert, find the person(s) who is/are to champion your cause.

Finally, if you want to learn more about the science of influence, I highly recommend an expert blogger and speaker on the subject of influence, Brian Ahearn. I especially recommend his recent series on applying the principles of influence with different personalities. You can read and subscribe to Brian’s blog Here.

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Be Extraordinary!

Founder & CEO

Leader Development Institute

www.LDiWorld.com

SUCCESS RULE #48 - Leverage Scarcity

Several years ago I met an extraordinary gentleman during a seminar I was presenting in Columbus, Ohio. We continue to be friends to this day. But equally as important, he has become a much respected colleague. 

Brian Ahearn is a certified trainer for the Principles of Persuasion by Dr. Robert Cialdini. The basis for the last two, the next two, and todays Rule for Success is from these principles. Each principle has been scientifically proven and researched extensively. When I asked Brian if he would write on one of the principles, he said to me, “Anthony, over the years you’ve done a lot for me, it would be my pleasure”, reciprocity in action (not to mention I’m a likable guy – another principle). 

To learn more about Brian and the Principles of Persuasion, I invite you to subscribe to Brian’s Blog, Influence People, Helping you to hear yes. Learn the science of influence and hear yes more often. (Use this URL to create the link, http://influence-people-brian.blogspot.com) When he’s not being extraordinary – he’s awesome. I’m sure you will enjoy Brian’s article. When you’re finished reading, let me know what you think on our Facebook page and I’ll email you a free PDF copy of my book, “Your Personal Handbook for Success”. 

Anthony Tormey
Founder & CEO
Leader Development Institute

Success Rule #48 - Leverage Scarcity

Thomas Sowell, an economist and author said, “The first lesson of economics is scarcity: There is never enough of anything to satisfy all those who want it.” 

In psychology the principle of scarcity alerts us to the reality that people generally want things more when they believe they’re rare or diminishing. It’s amazing how this changes the behavior of people. For example, I’ll bet there have been times you’ve made a conscious decision to get to a store before a sale ended. You didn’t want to lose the opportunity to possibly get a great deal. If the sale didn’t have an end date you might have waited a lot longer.

As someone looking to succeed much of your success depends on getting others to do what you want. When it comes to motivating behavior using scarcity it’s good to know this rule of thumb: people feel pain of loss more than the joy of gaining the same thing. In fact, psychological studies show people feel the pain of loss 2-2.5 times more than the joy they’d get gaining the same thing.

Here’s an example. Suppose you find a $100 bill today. You’ll feel really good. Let’s assume you stick it in your pocket, then, sometime later in the day, you tell someone about your good fortune. As you relate the story you reach for the $100 bill in your pocket to show it off only to realize it’s gone! I’ll bet the intensity of how you feel at that moment is much greater than the joy you felt earlier. At the end of the day you’re no worse off – you didn’t start with $100 in your pocket and you didn’t end with $100 – and you feel bad!

How do you ethically leverage this? Simple, next time you realize someone can gain by doing what you ask, think of a way to reframe that into loss. Let’s say an employee of yours needs to do three things to earn a sizable bonus. You could say, “Remember, if you do A, B and C, you’ll have a great shot at that bonus,” will not be as effective as saying, “Remember, if you don’t accomplish A, B and C, you won’t have any chance at earning the bonus.”

Don’t get me wrong – talking about what someone might gain is motivating, however studies conducted by social psychologists clearly show talking about what someone stands to lose will motivate more people to take action. The avoidance of pain outweighs the desire for pleasure.

As a person looking to succeed professionally and personally you want to make sure the communication you use is the most effective possible, don’t you? By not going with rigorously tested methods of communication you’ll only hurt your chance for success and you don’t want that, do you?

As Anthony would say, “When you’re not being extraordinary, be awesome instead.”

Brian