Not brute force but only persuasion and faith are the kings of this world.

— Thomas Carlyle

LEADERSHIP

WHAT THIS MEANS

Force buys compliance, and compliance lasts exactly as long as the force does. What actually holds, in a household or a workplace or a country, is people who have been convinced, because convinced people keep going when nobody is watching. That route is slower and far less satisfying in the moment. It is also the only one that does not need constant reapplication.

Where you have been trying to make something happen through pressure, count how many times you have had to apply it again. Try making the case once, honestly, and leaving room for the other person to arrive on their own.

A QUESTION TO SIT WITH

Where have you pushed when persuading would have worked better?

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