Discussion Narrative Week 1

Cuddy, A. J., Kohut, M., & Neffinger J (2013). Connect, then Lead

This article actually tapped into my interpersonal skills which is actually a natural emotion and a trait I adopted from my mother and grandmother. I totally agree with the article where it states that warmth is the conduit of influence. I feel as though warmth does facilitate trust and communication and helps not only leaders, but people connect with each other. From working with my past employers and speaking to employees about different management styles, I’ve noticed that people always seem to remember either the cruel and mean managers or the nice managers; however, we tend to always identify and connect with managers that are warm and caring. Some leaders may feel that being warm brings a sense of weakness and that managers are labeled to be very aggressive and tough. In my work experience, I feel that to successfully lead an organization, one must have the ability to provide a sense of trust and warmth.

Cialdini, R.B., & Cliffe, S. (2013). The Uses (and Abuses) of influence

I really enjoyed reading this article, especially where Cialdini on dealing with uncertainty. Dealing with uncertainty is never easy and it’s always difficult for managers/employee to accept/embrace change. Cialdini mentioned it’s always good to tell people what they will lose if they fail to move. When I worked at Chevron Corporation, and we were informed about the fall of oil and gas prices, each department knew of the additional changes it would bring however managers were responsible for communicating on what changes would take place and how it would impact employees. One of the managers even went to so far to meet with every individual on the team to prepare them to make adjustment changes such as applying for internal positions, networking with other business units or potentially applying for positions