Since ancient times, man has knowledge with the help of which he manages to manipulate people, influencing their consciousness. With the help of special techniques, it is possible to control society and individual individuals. All methods are based on knowledge of psychology and provide a real opportunity to achieve the desired results.
What should a leader be like?
A good specialist can only be a person who has a higher education and an expert level of knowledge. Thus, the key skills of a sales manager are, first of all, knowledge of advanced strategies for attracting the target audience and competence in their field of activity. Other qualities will be no less important:
- erudition, desire for professional growth;
- ability to evaluate a situation critically;
- search for new methods and forms of work that can increase the efficiency of management decisions;
- planning, which involves not only managing one’s own time, but also setting priorities, coordinating work, and drawing up schedules for oneself and subordinates.
Authoritarian style
Authoritarianism involves the concentration of all power in the hands of one person. This is an overwhelming, overtly domineering type of leadership that focuses on the decisions of one person who does not accept the advice of his subordinates. This style is quite tough, keeping people at bay.
Pros: the ability to quickly make decisions, but only if the manager has sufficient experience and information.
Cons: lack of incentive for subordinates to develop.
Image creation
When forming the personality of a leader, many aspects need to be taken into account. One of them is the image of a business person. Its main components include:
- Health, the preservation of which many businessmen forget, but a sick person evokes only compassion or pity from those around him.
- Appearance, as well as the ability to select high-quality and stylish clothes.
- When considering what every leader should be like, one cannot fail to mention good manners. Neither teamwork nor negotiations can be done without them.
- Ability to present information clearly and professionally.
- The internal world also influences the effectiveness of management decisions. To achieve success, clear civic and moral positions are important, as well as the right attitude towards one’s place in the world.
Image is a combination of appearance, actions and manners. By emphasizing a respectful, correct attitude towards your interlocutor, you form a stable positive attitude towards yourself.
The personality of a leader is expressed in the ability to treat subordinates, neighbors, or even saleswomen as if they were his best business partners. At the same time, it is very important to permanently remove slang words and common expressions from your speech. If accidentally thrown out during a business conversation, such phrases can seriously damage a manager’s reputation and devalue other personal qualities.
Business qualities
When studying how to properly manage a team, special attention should be paid to the business characteristics of a person’s character. Some of them are able to compensate for even rather modest work experience or lack of specialized education. Important personal qualities of a leader, first of all, are the ability to organize the work of subordinates and quickly solve emerging difficulties.
At the same time, the effectiveness of management decisions depends on a systematic approach to work. Every successful leader must perceive the organization as a collection of interconnected elements. Each component (people, technology, tasks, organizational structure) is aimed at achieving different goals. Therefore, the key skills of a manager include the ability to organize work in such a way that all elements work harmoniously.
In addition, you need to remember the need to develop the following qualities:
- the desire to maintain a leadership position in all situations;
- ambition and ability to defend one’s opinion;
- Also, the effectiveness of management decisions largely depends on the ability to win over and convince interlocutors;
- enterprise;
- flexibility in solving work problems;
- strict self-control and restraint;
- the personality of the manager requires the ability to correctly distribute work processes between subordinates;
- lack of fear of innovation.
"Stars" are ruining the team
To prevent collapse, it is best to remove them from the team. In almost any, even the most friendly and cohesive team, there is an employee who opposes himself to everyone and does not want to work in a group.
The reasons for such behavior in the workplace can be completely different, but, as a rule, they all simply come down to an unwillingness to work in a team.
If such an employee is allowed to do as he wants, then others will appear who want to do the same, and in the end the team will simply fall apart. Therefore, such “stars” should be sent into free swimming immediately as they appear. There are no exceptions to this rule for anyone.
Psychological stability and thinking
One of the key characteristics of good managers is psychological stability and positive thinking. How to learn to manage people is understood by the person who is not embarrassed by doubts or fears and is not burdened by negative emotions. He is confident in himself, as well as in the goods or services that he needs to sell. The ability to control emotions and a positive mood will help such a manager very quickly convince clients and gain their trust.
An equally important aspect for the effectiveness of management decisions is customer focus and the use of the right strategies when working with them. After all, the number of beneficial agreements for the company directly depends on the number of satisfied customers. A good leader is very attentive to people, knows how to listen to them, and also has a subtle instinct.
In addition, it is important that a leader be able to show patience and persistence towards subordinates, partners or clients. However, he must be extremely careful so that his actions do not look too intrusive.
The effectiveness of management decisions also cannot be achieved without the ability to persuade. A good specialist needs to constantly develop this practice, supplementing it with new tools. Understanding the psychological characteristics of a person is of great importance in the implementation of persuasion skills.
Sometimes it’s easier to do it than to explain that you can’t do it
It’s a rather strange principle, but in some difficult situations it simply works flawlessly, especially when a long discussion of a serious problem has practically reached a dead end, and all the rational arguments and arguments that you offer simply do not work.
The emotional atmosphere of such a dispute is too intense, but there is no result. Try to simply agree with your interlocutors, but do exactly what you think is necessary.
In some cases, you should not argue and contradict everyone, trying to prove the rationality of your opinion, because it is impossible to achieve results if emotions have overcome reason. You just need to do it your own way, and then say that this is exactly how it happened. Yes, this is somewhat incorrect, but very effective.
Leader's view
There are many techniques that tell you how to manage a team or protect yourself from the manipulation of others. The most useful techniques include:
- If someone, surrounded by other people, asks a tactless question, you need to look into the eyes of this person as if you want to answer, but at the same time remain silent.
- The personality of a leader obliges you to learn a piercing, decisive look that forces you to be taken into account and, on a subconscious level, to see you as a strong person. You need to look into the eyes of your interlocutor, but not at their surface, but as if through them, looking straight into the soul.
- Of course, those around you can also consciously or not master the techniques of how to manage people, wanting to achieve their goals. For example, if a person is staring at you, you do not need to accept his rules of the game. You just need to look him straight in the eyes and then smile so that he knows that his gaze is noticed. After this, show that you don't care by looking away at other objects.
Books that teach manipulation
Psychology and manipulation of people are taught in special books. Some of them can be read online for free. But it’s best to choose a work from the list below, buy it in paper form and learn manipulation from the greats:
“Analysis of the Human Self and Mass Psychology”, Sigmund Freud
The book narrates and explains social phenomena in all areas of relationships. Relationships with relatives, colleagues at work/study/etc., with friends, with a man/woman. The topic of crowd behavior, its need for a leader, the leader himself and his talents is interestingly explored.
“The Art of Dominance”, Kholnov Sergey, Shlakhter Vadim
This book describes psychological techniques for managing people. A person who has carefully studied “The Art of Dominance” will take on a huge number of modern manipulation skills.
“The Art of Managing People”, Viktor Sheinov
The book outlines aspects of the psychology of managing people, technologies of influence (hidden methods of management, protective techniques against manipulation), rules for studying the interlocutor, his weaknesses and strengths. Methods of skillful negotiation, psychoanalysis of foreign opponents, and influence on business sectors are revealed. Creation, resolution and management of conflict situations.
“How to Read and Manipulate Other People’s Minds,” Henrik Fexeus
A book in which the author presents the reader with methods - how to read people’s thoughts and pull their “strings”. The material studied will reveal the secrets of what a person thinks and feels.
Skills Useful in the Art of Management
- If a person actively and quite emotionally demands something, hoping that you will not want to enter into conflict with him, you do not need to support his tone or object. It is enough to pause, kindly encouraging the interlocutor to continue the conversation. Even when he begins to speak more calmly, remain silent and simply nod.
- Another technique that improves the effectiveness of management decisions is to overcome a negative attitude towards unpleasant people. Even if in front of you is a vile, scandalous person, imagine her as a child. Children behave badly when they are spoiled, bitter, or unhappy. This will help you feel empathy for your interlocutor and disarm him.
- If a person puts pressure on you, so that you understand that it is impossible to avoid his demands, ask directly: “Are you putting pressure on me?” After such questions, most opponents become confused.
- It is useful for a leader’s personality to be able to refuse when subordinates or relatives try to manipulate them. Moreover, in most cases this must be done without explanation or justification.
- Do not destroy the confidence that you are right with too many arguments. For example, if you present an argument, defend it.
And the main thing to remember when taking a leadership position is to fix your new position. For example, do something that only leaders are allowed to do: make an important decision, give an order, or invite subordinates to report. After all, the longer you wait to take on a new role, the more likely it is that your rights will be limited.
Choose the right object of influence
We often establish relationships with those who are drawn to us and behave in an emphatically friendly manner. But just such people can turn out to be the real manipulators. It is better to pay attention to those who act stiffly in your presence, clearly giving you a head start.
How can such people be useful? Because through them you can indirectly influence others who are stronger and more influential. So, everyone knows that, having charmed the boss’s secretary, you can easily “get” to him, conveying your thoughts through her to the boss... But you may not be able to get through to his appointment directly, or he will not listen to you.
