The New Age of Persuasion

✍ Scribed by JAY CONGER

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Weight: 770 KB
• Volume: 1999
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1087-8149
• DOI: 10.1002/ltl.40619991208

✦ Synopsis

historic shifi is taking place in the nature of leading. The tradition of leading by the power of one's position is being challenged by a new model shaped by A 'ntense competition, cross-hnctional teamwork, new workplace generations, and the networked organization. Global competition is forcing organizations to respond far more quickly to their marketplaces, and more and more of the work of organizations is accomplished by independent contractors, outside partners, and professionals over whom leaders have lide formal authority. This new reality is challenging the traditional command-and-control organization, whose upward delegation of decisions slows reaction time and increases costs without adding value. It is shifiing decision-making power to people in the middle and periphery of the organization who have gowing discretion in how to best solve problems, serve customers, and respond to opportunities.

Other trends-especially the spreading impact of electronic communication-are accelerating the erosion of traditional authority. All of these forces underscore a new reality for today's l m h : our most important asset is the ability to use language persuasively. In a world where leading is no longer accomplished by edict, much of the leader's day is necessarily spent persuading colleagues in meetings and hallway chats to accept proposed solutions for business problems.