The Accountant-May-June 2017

Management
THE POWER OF
PERSUASION IN
LEADERSHIP
Everyone everywhere is
always being led
By Joseph Nyanchama, nyanchamajoseph@gmail.com
There is an old saying
that goes, “If you
keep your attention
on learning the tricks
of the trade you will
never learn the trade.” One of the
hidden truths of life is that the
path to the prize is always more
valuable than the prize itself. As
leaders we are always tempted to
look for shortcuts to enable us
get ahead and obtain the results
that we desire without due regard
to the feelings of our followers.
Since we want to get quick results
that we desire, we coerce them.
Always all leaders should
reject coercion as a means of
attaining what they desire. It
is worth noting that leadership
by definition omits the use of
coercive power. When a leader
begins to coerce his followers;
he is essentially abandoning
leadership and embracing
dictatorship.
No one wants to be forced
to do something against his will.
People generally want to believe
that what they are doing truly
makes a difference and more
importantly, that it is their own
idea. You should realize this fact
as a leader, as should all potential
leaders.
Abraham Lincoln remarked
in 1864, “No man is good enough
to govern another man without
that other man’s consent.” John
C. Maxwell defines leadership
as influence. Therefore, when the
conduct of followers is designed
to be influenced, persuasion
should be adopted not coercion.
There is an old maxim that says, ‘a
drop of honey catches more flies
than a gallon of gall”. So, if you
want to win a follower to your
cause, first convince him or her
that you are his sincere friend.
This can only be done through
persuasion and nothing else. In
fact, there is a drop of honey that
catches his or her heart. However,
if you try to dictate to his or her
judgment or to command his or
her action, he or she will retreat
to himself or herself, close all the
avenues to his or her head and his
or her heart.
I remember vividly during
my childhood days in school that
one day in our school, all heads
of classes; from class one to seven
were mandated to gather all
students in assembly to honour
a government official through
patriotic songs and recitation of
poetry. In the course of rushing to
the assembly point, I stepped on a
nail on bare feet and was seriously
injured. I stayed home for a week
and my mother was greatly
concerned for missing several
lessons. She went to borrow
shoes from her sister’s son. When
she brought the shoes, they were
number three, yet I used to wear
number four and half. I tried to
squeeze my feet in but could not
fit. My mother persuaded me to
persevere and encouraged me to
look for a lubricant (Vaseline). I
tried to apply Vaseline and tried
16 MAY - JUNE 2017