3 Stories and 3 Lessons on Influence
Story #1 The Politician and the Poop
When American politician Harvey Milk started his political career, he gave speeches about things that mattered to him. He thought it was the best way to get followers. But when he lost two elections, it was time to change his strategy.
So he began campaigning about an issue that people in his home city of San Francisco really cared about: dog poop. This had made the city’s parks almost unusable.
This was such a successful campaign that Milk became a household name. He went on to become the first openly gay person to be elected to US public office.
The Lesson? Win over people by addressing an issue they care about
Story #2 To produce or not to produce, that's the question
When they heard about 'The Lion King', some key Disney producers were concerned that the story line might be too dark for a Disney animation. To overcome this, the scriptwriters pointed out similarities between the film and Shakespeare's plays such as 'King Lear' and 'Hamlet'. This familiar point of reference managed to convert the naysayers, who then proceeded to give the script the green light.
The Lesson? Anchoring new ideas to familiar contexts can be help overcome objections.
Story #3 The Communication Crash
A principal cause for the 1997 crash of Korean Air flight 801 is said to be poor communication and too much deference to seniority.
Realizing that the weather conditions were too dangerous to attempt a visual approach to the runway, the First Officer timidly remarked to the Captain, "Don’t you think it rains more? In this area, here?" The implied warning was lost on the exhausted captain, and the plane crashed into a hill. In Korean culture, deference to hierarchy often made it uncomfortable for people to question the judgement of superiors.
As a result, the airline retrained its crew's communication skills and processes. For instance, the cockpit's language was switched to English, allowing the pilots the safe mental distance from the limitations of their cultural identity while flying. Korean Air’s safety record now matches those of its competitors.
The Lesson? Recognise biases in culture and environment that could reduce your ability to influence someone.