Elements of Influence
The Art of Getting Others to Follow Your Lead
By: Terry R. Bacon, Ph.D.
Published: July 15, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 287 pages
ISBN-10: 0814417329
ISBN-13: 978-0814417324
Publisher: AMACOM
"Influence is part of nearly every communication and occurs in virtually every human interaction.Influence is crucial to business, too. It is so fundamental to leadership that there could be no leadership without it", writes thought leader, coach, and consultant to global companies, Terry R. Bacon, Ph.D., in his brilliant and insightful book Elements of Influence: The Art of Getting Others to Follow Your Lead. The author describes the important features that make influence, both ethical and unethical, so critical to understand for both organizational leaders and followers.
Terry Bacon makes the important point that everyone uses influence at various times in both their personal and professional lives. Terry Bacon also provides the valuable idea that influence is not simply the domain of the rich and powerful, but is a skill that can be learned like any other. The author shares the essential techniques for improving an individual's skills in exerting influence. The author draws upon decades of research to uncover the true purpose and meaning of influence. Terry Bacon goes straight to the core of what influencers seek from the people who they want to influence. The author then provides the crucial results of that act of influencing others, both positively and negatively, and how those outcomes relate to effective leadership.
Terry R. Bacon (photo left) recognizes that influence is more of an ongoing process than a one time event. Even in short term interactions, the essential elements remain the same. The influencer must be clear in the expected goals for the influence, and know what they want from the person being influenced in the matter. A successful outcome would result in compliance on the part of the person being influenced by the influencer. A more firm outcome would be in the form of a commitment on the part of the influencee. The end result of these achievements on the part of the influencer is leadership. Should the influencer fail in the leadership attempt, the results could be a skeptical or resistant influencee. The influencee could even enter into complete rebellion against the failed influence of the leader. To prevent these negative outcomes, and to work toward more positive results for the leader,Terry Bacon provides the tools necessary to overcome the potential for bad results.
For me, the power of the book is how Terry Bacon combines a strong theoretical framework for the concept of influence with very practical techniques for improving personal influence. The author strengthens his outline of influence through the backing of decades of research and study into the topic. Terry Bacon ties the principles of influence into the important issue of leadership effectively, giving the book an overall outline and purpose.
The author also makes an important and necessary query into the dark side of influence, where influence crosses into the more more sinister form of manipulation. By not shying away from both the dark side of influence, as well as examining the results of failed attempts at influencing others, Terry Bacon creates a much stronger book. Through a deeper understanding of the potential problems of influence and a failure of ethics, the author can then shed more light on the positive and more ethical side of influence and its importance for effective leadership.
I highly recommend the essential and research based book Elements of Influence: The Art of Getting Others to Follow Your Lead by Terry R. Bacon, Ph.D., to anyone seeking a comprehensive study of the principles of influence combined with a step by step process for learning the techniques of becoming an effective and ethical influencer. This book provides the methodology for utilizing influence in the right way to build strong and ethical leadership, while offering information about how to counter and avoid using the manipulative methods of influence's darker side.
Read the groundbreaking and information filled book Elements of Influence: The Art of Getting Others to Follow Your Lead by Terry R. Bacon, Ph.D., and discover the importance of influence in people's business and personal lives. This book contains the techniques for learning and developing the skills necessary to become an ethical influencer of others, and a better and more effective leader in all areas of your life.
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