Persuasion in Leadership

Persuasive leadership theory takes on a complex figure within the organization that I intern for. Persuasive leadership premises that the leader ensures that all opinions are heard, fully assessed, and that the final decision is satisfactory to the majority of participants. This approach to leadership style is more sentimental and all encompassing than others, looking to create a safe and pleasant workplace. Due to the fact that my internship is virtual, having the presence of highly persuasive leadership is essential to both our success and functionality as a unit. The nature of my internship is one that is distant and physically disconnected. The persuasive leadership style of my boss is leadership that connects on an emotional level. This is extremely important because myself and the other interns aren’t simply asking, “What should I do?”, we are also asking, “Why are we doing this?”. By allowing us to become more involved in the holistic scheme of the business, my boss makes our work feel more significant; and as a result, we complete quality work. 

This is exemplified during our conference calls. While my boss could completely rely on his authoritative position to be persuasive, he doesn’t. During conference calls, the interns are talking for the majority of the time. We bounce ideas and feedback off of each other, and for the most part, my boss just listens. His actions are allowing some of the major components of persuasion theory to work on their own. First, hes creating an environment which allows for social proof. As we converse and arrive at the same conclusions, we feel a sense of social validation even before our supervisor provides his feedback. This in turn stimulates a positive and creative work environment; a work environment that we like being a part of. Second, by sitting back and listening to what we have to say, we reciprocate the action. Our reciprocity when we listen to him allows us to be a cohesive unit even when we aren’t physically on site. My boss creating positive reciprocity may be the most important quality of his leadership style. If we weren’t all on the same page, the nature of our internship would make it dysfunctional and extremely ineffective. Lastly, because my boss listens to his interns and is kind to us, we all like him. He’s a very likable person which inspires us to listen to him even further. The culmination of all of these persuasive leadership constructs breeds the success of our unit; and while he may not be aware of it, it’s one of his most invaluable traits as a leader.