Persuasion: The U. S. Presidents Need It – How About You?
History shows that persuasion skills are critical for everyone who wants to succeed—even for the President of the United States. In his book Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents, Richard E. Neustadt states, "There is a widely held belief in the United States that a reasonable President would need no power other than the logic of his argument." That belief is naive, inaccurate.
Dwight D. Eisenhower was one President who could have benefited from better persuasion skills. As a career army officer, he expected people to do as he said—he didn’t need to know how to persuade. But when he reached the Oval Office, things were different. And because he was not a persuader, he amassed a poor record of getting things done.
According to one Eisenhower aide, speaking in 1958, "The President still feels that when he’s decided something, that ought to be the end of it … and when it bounces back undone or done wrong, he tends to react with shocked surprise."
Eisenhower didn’t understand that non-military people do not appreciate being given orders. "In the face of the continuing dissidence and disunity, the President sometimes simply exploded with exasperation," wrote Robert Donovan, describing the early months of Eisenhower’s first term.
Conversely, President Harry S. Truman, Eisenhower’s predecessor, understood what it takes for people—even the President—to get things done. As he put it, "I sit here all day trying to persuade people to do the things they ought to have sense enough to do without my persuading them. That’s all the powers of the President amount to."
Truman understood that position, power, and prestige aren’t the only necessary ingredients to produce results. Without persuasion skills, even a President can’t be entirely effective.
Today is no different. Dr. Condoleezza Rice graduated college cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa at age 19. Her experience in positions of power led her to exclaim "Power is nothing unless you can turn it into influence." We all need The 7 Triggers to YES to influence good results.
