An able man shows his spirit by gentle words and resolute actions.
— Philip Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield
LEADERSHIP
WHAT THIS MEANS
Force belongs in what you do, not in how you say it. Hard words are often a substitute for a decision, and people who have genuinely decided rarely need volume to carry them. The combination that works is a mild voice and an immovable position.
Before your next difficult conversation, settle the decision first and then choose the softest accurate words for it. Do not soften the substance to match the tone. Say it kindly, hold it completely, and let the two do their separate jobs.
A QUESTION TO SIT WITH
Where could you soften your words without softening your decision?
MORE IN LEADERSHIP & INFLUENCE
- Every one is bound to bear patiently the results of his own example.
- Children are to be won to follow liberal studies by exhortations and rational motives, and on no account to be forced…
- Even a nod from a person who is esteemed is of more force than a thousand arguments or studied sentences from others.
Free, with nothing to buy inside it.