The Law of Influence (Essay Sample)

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The Law of Influence
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The Law of Influence
Summary
The laws of influence are those laws that are applied by leaders in leadership. If one is not able to influence others, then they cannot lead them. Leadership is not acquired through appointment or assigning. Myths about leadership have been set in the past to determine the factors that influence it. The management myth suggests that management and leadership are similar. While leadership is more about influencing people, management is about maintaining processes and systems. The entrepreneur myth also relates to leadership. It states that entrepreneurs are by fact leaders. Since entrepreneurs are proficient at recognizing prospects and generating money from them, they can equally make good leaders.
The knowledge myth maintains that leaders are those that posses intelligence and knowledge. However, it holds that there are many people in institutions of higher learning who are brilliant researchers, but they do not make good leaders. The pioneer myth suggests that leaders are those who can confidently stand in front of a crowd and address it. Such a person must have a willing number of people following his teachings for him to qualify being called a leader. A fifth myth is the position myth which suggests that the title of a person as "top man" or "top woman" is what defines the person as a leader (Maxwell, 2007).
Observation and researchers have listed the necessary skills for successful leadership as technical, quantitative, data-analytical, and specialized knowledge. Other skills that could also be necessary for successful leadership are political savvy, influence, and relationship building. Problem solving and good communication are crucial aspects of good leadership. A leader has to have qualities that show confidence and can influence his persuasiveness. Being shy, lack of assertiveness, marginal self-presentation, and tendencies to undersell are among the poor traits that disqualify a person as a leader (Golson, n.d.).
Relevant Concepts on the Law of Influence
A person’s effectiveness is determined by their ability to lead. Leadership skills determine a person’s potential for achievement. The law of process, in line with the law of influence, states that leadership is not developed in a day, but it develops daily. Maxwell (2007) describes the development process of leadership as being like investing in the stock market. Trying to make a fortune in a day would be very unsuccessful. The continual investment in leadership development, letting the asset, and leadership compound would result in the inevitable growth over time.
The process of leadership development progresses in five phases according to Maxwell, (2007). The first phase is characterized by ignorance, as one is not aware that they may be a good leader. In the second phase, one realizes that there is need to learn how to be a leader. The third phase shows the individual that they understand what is required of them in leadership. The individual discovers the existing lacuna in their existing knowledge concerning leadership. Phase four of the development process is characterized by knowledge of the existing facts about leadership. One begins to grow daily as a person, and it becomes exciting to them with the happening of new things in their life. The last phase develops a mature leader with great instincts that help in effective leadership. The ability to lead becomes automatic.
To enable one to influence other people, one must be credible, and it depends on two main factors: expertise and trust. Expertise and trust are the first two laws on influence. The strongest pillar of the law of influence is credibility. It is supported by a framework of competencies, which are: intensity competency, integrity competency, interpersonal competency, and intellectual competency. Intensity competency enables individuals with leadership skills to have the stigma, energy, and drive, which are essential for the achievement of results to meet the commitments and deal with the demands of the business environment. The integrity competency facilitates the building of trust. It lets individuals meet their commitments and follow through their work in a conscientious way. The interpersonal competency assists leaders in developing effective relationships and in communicating their expertise in a manner which will increase the impact of leadership (Golson, n.d.).
The intellectual competency permits leaders to enlarge the comprehensive knowledge of leadership and their problem solving handiness in the development of expertise in a bid to establish credibility.
There are seven laws of influence that help in its development: law of social comparison or proof, law of scarcity, law of consistency, law of reciprocity, law of liking, law of trust, and law of authority.
Relevant Research
Leadership strategies that have previously been used by successful people to gain influence among the people whom they intend to lead have been held strongly for a long period of time. These strategies have facilitated acquiring what one wants from people. The law of reciprocity, according to Robert Cialdini, states that there is a social convention in human beings, and it makes one believe that they have to repay in kind, whatever other people do for them. Regardless of whether the favor provided was invited or not, or whether one appreciates the person who provided that favor, one feels obligated to return that favor in the future. The law also works when one has previously denied other people a favor and feels that should they ask for another favor, it would be prudent to accept the second one. This law shows that one aims at maintaining a balance in whatever they do. This law is at the core of all free market trades and in the society in general. This law works well for institutions seeking donations, for instance when they give key-chains and flowers on the streets. Such strategies relating to the law of reciprocity ensure the generation of funds (Golson, n.d.).
The law of consistency and commitment suggests that one always aims at maintaining a positive view of ourselves. In order to maintain this image, one always wants to make decisions and stick to them as a result of external and internal pressure. Once a person commits publicly to doing something, it is hard to have a change of mind. It is in a person to go to great heights to maintain our self image in order to reduce the dissension one feels from being inconsistent. Another relevant law is the law of contrast. It suggests that everything is relative and that everything depends on a benchmark. People set the benchmarks that favor them either indirectly or directly (Hellen, 2010).
The groups to which one belongs and those that one aims at belonging to influence people socially. They look at what others have and what they would like to have. It means that one makes decisions depending on the expectations of others. People care too much about what the Joneses are doing and how they think so they try to meet their standards. Most people conform to an ideology because others are doing so and they think that that is the best thing to do. References and testimonials work well for people in this perspective. Networking and record keeping help people decide on the path to take. This is influence, showing that the people whom one copies from have leadership skills which one can follow (Maxwell, 2007).
The law of liking states that one interacts most with the people like them. Business transactions, social living, and any operations that performed by human beings are in line with how one feels about the people involved. If one is to make a purchase and they are given the option of two salesmen, they will most probably purchase the product from the sales person they like more. For an individual to use this law on people successfully, they need to build a rapport and appear sharp and physically smart. Human beings are emotional; therefore, it is easy to reach out to family and friends more than it is to strangers, since there already exists a liking between the parties. One needs to develop a social network in their working environment for liking to blossom. People tend to like and associate with other people who are similar to them, who relate to their personal issues, who like them back, who make them feel happy and appreciated, who are cheerful and optimistic and who are not perfect but attractive (Lavelle, 2010).
Authority is directly related to leadership and influence. Leaders represent the authority, and authority has to be persuasive for it to be accepted by people. The law of authority touches on opinion and what one believes. One may receive certain information from close friends or relatives and fail to believe it until they receive the same information from people whom they consider to be reliable sources. It is in human’s nature to seek information and directions from those whom they trust most. People tend to follow the directions of those in authority. They respect and admire them; thus, whatever they subscribe to is taken as binding. People in authority are considered perfect and incredible. They are highly respected in society and invited in important gatherings to make speeches and give advice. Dressing also increases the perception of authority. People who dress like recognized persons in authority increase their perception of authority among the society. Projection of optimism, positive attitude, and confidence helps in swaying people’s minds and ideas to rhyme with yours. Authority comes with establishing one’s credentials so that they emphasize on expertise or to show that one’s position is similar to an authority. People in power are often learned and they have a renowned record of achievements...