Persuasion – moving people through influence, not authority – is a hallmark of servant leadership behavior.*
The opposite of persuasion is coercion. In the workplace, coercion fosters an environment of fear, mistrust and hostility. Simply stated, people follow servant-leaders because they are persuaded to do so, not because they are coerced to do so.
So, without further ado, here are 15 great quotes (in alphabetical order by author) about persuasion:
1. “Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, ‘Make me feel important.’ Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life.” – Mary Kay Ash
2. “To yield readily—easily—to the persuasion of a friend is no merit with you.” – Jane Austen
3. “If you would convince others, seem open to conviction yourself.” – Lord Chesterfield
4. “Persuasion skills exert a far greater influence over others’ behaviors than formal power structure do.” – Robert Cialdini
5. “I would rather try to persuade a man to go along, because once I have persuaded him, he will stick. If I scare him, he will stay just as long as he is scared, and then he is gone.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
6. “Leadership by persuasion has the virtue of change by convincement rather than coercion. Its advantages are obvious.” – Robert Greenleaf
7. “Leadership is influence.” – John C. Maxwell
8. “The fool tries to convince me with his reasons; the wise man persuades me with my own” – Robert T. Oliver
9. “People are usually more convinced by reasons they discovered themselves than by those found out by others.” – Blaise Pascal
10. “Those that will not hear must be made to feel.” – German Proverb
11. “One of the best ways to persuade others is with your ears — by listening to them.” – Dean Rusk
12. “It is impossible to persuade a man who does not disagree, but smiles.” – Muriel Spark
13. “You cannot reason people out of something they were not reasoned into.” – Jonathan Swift
14. “Thaw with his gentle persuasion is more powerful than Thor with his hammer. The one melts, the other breaks into pieces.” – Henry D. Thoreau
15. “The most important persuasion tool you have in your entire arsenal is integrity.” – Zig Ziglar
Here’s one more, just for fun.
“The secret is to always let the other man have your way.” – Claiborne Pell
Do you like any of these quotes in particular? Do you have a quote about joy you would add to the list?
Let us know.
As always, we appreciate your views. Thanks!
Cairnway offers coaching for individuals, teams and boards of directors based on a servant leadership approach.
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Check out this one: * “What is Servant Leadership?”