Episode #64: Lead Through People

Harvard Professor Joseph Nye coined the term “soft power” to describe how nations can achieve their aims through persuasion and the ability to attract.

Can soft power in our businesses achieve persuasion and attract cooperation? Here are four soft power plays that persuade and attract the team to outperform the competition.

Play One: work on our communication. The WHY of the vision as well as the what and the how need to be explained in ways that inspire the troops to care. We own the world we create, so include our people in creating the vision. Plenty of corporate offices have elaborately framed Vision, Mission, Values statements that hardly anybody can recall. How hard is it to get all of your work units starting with a daily WHY recharge? It takes a few minutes and costs almost nothing.

Play Two: According to McGregor’s Theory X, Theory Y staff motivation models, if we see our team as basically good, loyal people doing the best they can, then we can switch our gaze to becoming a “good” finder to recognise them, rather than to scold them. So leaders need to take a Theory Y “happy pill” every morning before work and decide they will be a good finder.

Play Three: emphasise “valuing your people” rather than parroting the “corporate values”. Our global engagement survey, validated in Japan, showed that the feeling of being valued was the trigger point sparking inspiration, empowerment, enthusiasm and confidence. Communicating to each individual “you are valued” is using soft power.

Play Four: ask questions instead of giving direct orders. Engaging people in the front line, through valuing their input, produces outperformance. Don’t miss it – the crowdsourcing of ideas from the team is a soft power play that pays off.

The end is nigh for those organisations who don’t introduce Professor Nye’s soft power play into their leadership armory.

Action Steps

Start with the WHY before explaining the What and the How
Become a daily Theory Yer, seeking out the positives in your people
Ensure your people feel they are genuinely valued every time, all the time
Become an “ask” rather than “tell” leader
Commit to persuade and attract your way to success