- Napoleon Bonaparte

Persuasion is often the tool that makes the difference in selling an idea, in conducting a project or simply the conviction which movie your class will see in the movies.

The book Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive (my translation totally free: Yes 50 scientifically proven ways to be persuasive), written by Dr. Noah Goldstein, Steve Martin and Robert Cialdini shows how to be more efficient in this art.

On a flight to London, Steve shared with Guy Kawasaki the five best ways to be persuasive. Read below:

1. Be the first to give. Studies show that we are more easily persuaded when someone offers us something before. We are more open to help a colleague at work when he helped us in something before. We are kinder smiled when the other person.
2. Do not offer many alternatives. Is the number of products or design choices, we frustrate many possibilities. Many end up confusing options and decrease the willingness to make or adhere to any idea.
3. Argue against his own interest. Trust is a fundamental fact in persuasion. The surest way to be understood as an honest person to admit is a little weakness in his argument, product or business before reporting the strongest point.
4. Losses are more persuasive than the gains. Instead of telling your audience what they will gain from your product or service, research shows that people are more strongly persuaded if you show them what they lose in not adopting the your idea. In 2003, Oldsmbile increased sales even with the company investing less in advertising and design of new improvements. How? General Motors decided to stop manufacturing it due to low sales. As a result, people began searching the car even more, because the news that he's no longer available. Customers do not want to lose the model.
5. Make people feel they are already taking to achieve the goal. A car wash has doubled the number of customers to change their offer of "buy and earn an 8 washes" to "buy 10 washes, a win and we will credit you two ".

In the book, the authors show that persuasion is a science and that can be learned. It is not a skill that few are born. The research generated a set of rules where you can learn to be a more ethical and efficient in persuasion.

Discover how persuasive you are doing research for 5 min in www.myyesscore.com .

I'm sure you'll learn a lot about yourself and more consciously use this skill.

Source: American Express Open Forum .

Pedrinho (nests could be) comes to work. Open the door by removing the headphones from your iPod, greets everyone and goes to your computer. Take a look at your emails and Facebook, connect the Twitter account, visit some sites of interest, responds to a good day on MSN. Just to see if there was something new, because I was doing it all on your smartphone.

Leading this new generation, represented by Pedrinho (or nests), which is coming to market is a challenge. In fact, ancient challenge, because we know that the current generation always criticize the successor. The so-called Generation Y (born after 1980) was born connected, it grew up with access to a very advanced technology. They are criticized for being dispersed, lightly committed, doubters and slackers. But since they correspond to 20% of leadership positions in major Brazilian companies.

They can do several things at once, receiving the nickname multitasks. They want and like to work, but the work is not your life. Children of Generation X, which prioritized the work in relation to family and friends, do not want to repeat the example that they had at home.

It has been created and nurtured by many stimuli. Attend many cultural events and shows great. The game has a constant presence in their routines.

At the same time they are having a career ladder faster than the previous generation, take longer to leave the parental home. They want self-actualization, but yearn for independence.

They like to work as a team, valuing it more than generation X. They are developed for collaborative interacting on blogs, expressing his opinion often.

In this context, need leadership that is inspiring, legitimate and ethical. It is necessary to be stimulated constantly and consistently. Like good conversation and the leader needs to stimulate the chat. They want to learn, but enjoy teaching.

What can you do? Here are some suggestions:

• Try to find out what Pedrinho like. Stay tuned to your tastes.
• I do so find out what moves you. Converse, help you to discover your life purpose and help you to accomplish it, aligning it with the personal goals of the Unit.
• Exercise a leadership relationship more horizontal, being easily accessible. Listen to him a lot and give feedback constantly.
• Encourage them to make network projects. Actions or loyalty marketing in conjunction with other units, for example, are a good choice.
• Let things very clear. Generation Y has the same initiative of Generation X.
• Set well what the role of Pedrinho, establishing a practical way what are its limits, it was born with an inability to perceive them. In this environment, he will feel safe and supported to exercise all your creativity.
• Anxiety is a constant in the life of Peter. Always tell him how is its performance.

Noting these points, Pedrinho (or nests) can make the most of yourself and you above 30 can exert a more effective leadership. Times change, may be turbulent and uncertain, but who learns and strives to lead well always captivate. This is key to having better results. And also to have a good working relationship with Pedrinho (or the nests).

- Harry Truman , 33rd President of the United States.

Anyone who resents and fights for everything and anything, is the bearer of an inferiority complex. DeRose

I just returned from a season of six weeks in New York. One of the things that impressed me most is that people ask permission, deculpas and say thanks for everything, but for all the same.

Near where I stayed (the place where I felt so well that he called home), there was a grocery store I went to 24 for small purchases. As the Christmas season was approaching, they began to sell the trees to be decorated, that there are natural. Were exposed on the outside, occupying a part of the sidewalk, which limited the passage of a person and half a time.

Empire State Building seen from Top of the Rock. Photo: Nilzo Andrade Jr.

Whenever someone shared with me the ride tight, apologized. Not to have touched me or done anything to justify the request. It was disturbing because, in a certain way, the free path of the other. If we were talking on the street, occupying the sidewalk, and someone needs to get through, would excuse or apology. If I turned back and someone was blocking my way (!), Apologize again. If someone needs to go through your freight while researching something in the supermarket, asked permission. And the most beautiful, without being subservient. All winning with poise and polite.

Today I went to the market near my home in Curitiba. I live in a neighborhood very well, which means that people who attend this type of establishment are a good cultural level. The regulars pushed me, cut the front and blocked the passage. You know how many apologies, and thank you license? No. Lack of education? No, they are individuals who have access to good schools.

When I read an article today DeRose , came an insight. We Brazilians have an inferiority complex. He keeps us from being polished. He makes us aggressive and insolent when walking on the sidewalk, by occupying the platitudes and also driving. We were colonized and still not get rid of this feeling. For us, apologize, and thank license is an act of kneeling. We are educated to be lower than with people.

Of course there are exceptions, you may think. But it would be nice if the exception was the opposite?

We are at a historic moment in our political and economic projection is leading us to the level of great savings. Next year, we will contribute to raise the average global GDP growth. Studies show that we will be the third world economy in 2050. It will be so beautiful if we can be all that the world using the words thank you, excuse me and excuse me.

Excuse me, now I'll eat my rice and beans with French fries . After all, I love this country.

In 1513, the city of Florence, Italy, was published a very influential book. This work spanned the centuries and continues today. It's called The Prince, Machiavelli. Far name of prejudice generated by the author, can take many practical lessons for our lives.

At that time, Lorenzo asked his secretary, Machiavelli, who wrote a treatise which was described knowledge of the actions of great men. The content just influencing the new paradigms of political activity since then. Broadening the horizon, we can apply the knowledge in our day to day. Every leader, if you have not read, you end up reading this book.

Machiavelli cites that for a person to succeed, you need three things: virtu, fortune and Occasione. Virtue is the quality of man that enables him to perform great works and deeds. We can also understand it as the human power to make changes and track events. It is the inner motivation, willpower which induces men, individually or in groups, face fortune. It is perceived as random, the course of history, blind fate, fatalism, natural necessity.

Virtu and fortune are like two poles between which unfolds our destiny shares. The man of action will be the bridge that mediate virtu and fortune. When we start a project, half of the shares of the leader is determind by fortune and half by virtue. The proposed change of Machiavelli is that balance in favor of virtue. Acts and things begin to happen.

Breaking this balance requires to be more daring than prudent. We must rid ourselves of our fears and beliefs that prevent action. That way, you will be more attentive and not let escape the occasion, the link between wealth and virtue.

The key to wealth is in the opportunity (Occasione). Machiavelli cites: "Looking at his life and his deeds, we see that owed nothing (men of great deeds) to luck, unless the opportunity. Without this opportunity, their values ​​would not have been available, and without them, the opportunity would have been in vain. "

Think about this concept. Take action. Make it happen. The opportunities are there and only when you know where they are going to become clear.

When I was a child, noted that some colleagues were going well and others not so much in their school grades. In pure child, I understood why: it is that some are adapted to the system and not others. I was sure that those who took low notes were not stupid, after all I lived with them beyond the walls of the Educational Establishment. But the big question that remains is: how a child could see it and the adults who gave lessons and ran the institution does not? Why there was a sincere concern to trigger an action to make school interesting for everyone, so all went well?

When I say go and I do not mean just good grades, but especially knowledge applied to generate life. Yes, because everything we learn in school, less to live. Nobody teaches us to live on. We learn by leaps and bounds, with a succession of errors that look smarter not to repeat. But how to change it?

I learned from this brief speech by Sir Ken Robinson on TED Talks a few days ago. Highly intelligent person and a very British humor that I like (because mood denotes little development of synapses), he points to the cultivation of creativity as an output. And I found it very interesting when he says that all children are born artists, but it disappears much later adulthood.

What a world we want to leave if we do not take education seriously?

Expansion of consciousness? Simple stop of the instabilities of consciousness? Hyperfunctioning of the right side of the brain?

Whatever the answer, the example is inspiring.

An ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of intelligence, Elbert Hubbard

This is a prime example of an attitude to challenge that I know. History or story widely reported since the nineteenth century, inspires us to take action, from truth to the action. I hope you enjoy!

Time reading this post: 10 min.

Below is the text of Elbert Hubbard, 1899:

In all this Cuban, one man stands out on the horizon of my memory like Mars at perihelion. When war broke out between Spain and the United States, what mattered to them was to communicate quickly with the leader of the insurgents, Garcia, known to be in a stronghold within the interior of Cuba, but no one could to indicate exactly where. It was impossible to communicate with him by mail or telegraph. However, the President had to deal with to ensure their cooperation, and that as soon as possible. What to do?

Someone said to the President: "There is a man named Rowan, and if anyone is able to find Garcia, Rowan has to be."

Rowan was brought before the President, who entrusted him with a letter with the task of delivering it to Garcia. Of how this man, Rowan took the letter, put it in a waterproof casing, tied it on his chest, and after four days, jumped in a boat without a deck, high night off the coast of Cuba; how to plunged into the wilderness, and then three weeks came across the island, having traversed a hostile country on foot and delivered his letter to Garcia - are things that do not matter recount in detail here. The point I wish to make is this: McKinley gave Rowan a letter to be delivered to Garcia; Rowan took the letter and did not ask, "Where is he?".

Hosannah! Here is a man whose form should be cast in imperishable bronze and the statue placed in every school in the country. It is not bookish wisdom that young people need, nor instruction about this or that. Accurate, yes, a hardening of the vertebrae in order to show themselves proud in the exercise of a trust, to act promptly to do the trick, for, in short, carry a message to Garcia.

General Garcia is no longer of this world, but there are other Garcias. No man who has endeavored to carry out an enterprise in which the help of many hands were needed, have been spared moments of real despair at the idiocy of many men, given the inability or unwillingness to concentrate the mind a particular thing, and do it.

Irregular assistance, foolish inattention, indifference annoying and sloppy work seem the rule. No man can be truly successful unless they resort to all means at its disposal either of force or bribery, to force other men to help him, unless God Almighty, in his great mercy, do a miracle by sending him the aid of a angel of light.

Dear reader, you can even take the test. You are sitting in your office, surrounded by half a dozen employees. Well, one of them calls and asks him: "Please be so kind to check out the encyclopedia and make me a brief description of the life of Correggio."

Could it be the case with the clerk quietly say, "Yes, Lord" and perform what is asked?

Not so! You will look puzzled and sideways to make one or more of the following questions:

Who is he?

What encyclopedia?

Where is the encyclopedia? Was I hired to do this?

Do not you mean Bismarck?

And if Charles did?

Is he dead?

Is there any hurry?

Is it not better that I bring the book to look for yourself what you want?

What do you want to know?

And I bet ten to one that after you have answered the questions, and explained how to find the requested data and why you need them, your employee will ask a mate to help him find Garcia and then come back to tell you that no such man exists. Of course, I may lose the bet, but according to the law of averages, right in the game. Now, if you're wise, do not you give the time to explain to your "assistant" that Correggio is written in "C" and not "K", but merely to say Thou shalt softly, drawing the best smile. "It's okay, do not bother," and that said, Thou shalt rise up and look yourself. And this incapacity for independent action, this moral ineptitude, the invalidity of the will, the disposition of this atrophy is diligently to field and act - are things going back to a future so remote the advent of pure socialism. If men do not take the initiative to act on his own behalf, they will do when the result of their efforts redound to the benefit of all? For now it seems that men still need to be doers. What has often employed in their place and makes it work is the fear of not doing so, be dismissed at the close of the month. Announces need a stenographer, and nine out of ten candidates for the vacancy will not know spelling or score - and, what is more, they think they do not need to know.

Can such a one write a letter to Garcia?

- You see that bookkeeper?, Told me the head of a large factory.

- Yes, do you have?

- It is an excellent bookkeeper. However, if I send them, make a note, perhaps you release him to the satisfaction of the commission, but it could well be that the path entered in two or three houses of drinks, and that when they arrived at their destination, no longer recall the assignment given him.

Be trusted to such a man to deliver a letter to Garcia?

Lately we have heard a lot of sentimental expressions expressing sympathy for the poor beings who toil from dawn to dusk, to the unfortunate unemployed in search of honest work, and all this almost always interspersed with many hard words to men who are in power.

Nothing is said about the employer who grows old before his time in a vain effort to induce eternal bitter and unhappy to work conscientiously, nothing is said of his long and patient demand for staff, which, however, often does nothing more than "killing time "as soon as his back is turned. There is no company that is not expended staff is unable to look after their interests in order to replace it with something more apt. And this process of selection by elimination is constantly operating in adverse times, the only difference being that when times are bad and work is scarce, the selection is done finer, putting off forever, the incompetent and unusable. It is the law of survival of the fittest. Every employer in its own interest, just about saving the best - those who can carry a message to Garcia.

I know one man of really brilliant skills, but without the fiber needs to manage a business and, furthermore becomes completely useless to anyone else because of the insane suspicion that constantly holds that his employer is oppressing, or intending to oppress him. Unable to send, will not tolerate anyone to send. If you were entrusted with a message to Garcia, his answer would probably be, "Take it yourself."

Today this man wanders the streets wandering in search of work in nearly petition misery. However, anyone who knows you venture to give you job because he is the personification of the spirit of discontent and replica. Refractory to any advice or admonition, the only thing it can produce some effect would be given a good kick with the tip of a No. 42 boot, thick soles and spout.

I know, no doubt, that a morally deformed like this, there is less to be pitied than a physical cripple. However, this demonstration of compassion, also shed a tear for the men who strive to carry out a large enterprise, whose working hours are not limited by the sound of the whistle, and whose hair prematurely whitened are on the constant struggle we are engaged against the indifference contemptuous against the crass stupidity and ingratitude atrocious, just those who, without their enterprise, would be both hungry and homeless.

Could it be the case that I have painted the situation too strongly? Maybe yes, but when everyone is pleased to launch ramblings want a word of sympathy for the man who succeeds to a business, the man who, despite a lot of impediments, can direct and coordinate the efforts of others and that after the triumph, perhaps check that nothing gained, nothing except their mere subsistence.

Also I carried lunch pails and worked as a journeyman, as I also have been an employer. I know therefore, that any thing can be said on both sides.

There is excellence in poverty per se; rags are no recommendation. Not all bosses are greedy and tyrants, just as all poor men are virtuous.

All my sympathies belong to the man who works conscientiously, whether the employer is or not. And the man who, when given a letter for Garcia, quietly takes the missive, without asking questions stupid, and no lurking intention of throwing it in the gutter to find the first, or take any other feat that is not delivering it the recipient, this man ever gets "laid off" nor has to be declared on strike to force a salary increase.

Civilization anxious search for man in these conditions. All we ask such a man, you will be granting. He is wanted in every city, every village, every hamlet, in every office, every shop, every shop, factory or sale. The cry of the world pretty much boils down this: One must and needs with the urgency of a man who can carry a message to Garcia.

Take and read the letter from the author, written in December 1, 1913, on the impact of his writing, which at the time of creation had little claim:

This literary trifle, A Message To Garcia, I wrote it one evening after dinner in an hour. It was February 22, 1899, Washington's birthday, and the number of our magazine's March "Philistine" was about to enter the press. I found myself in the mood to write, and the article comes spontaneously from my heart, written, as it was, one day after painstaking, during which some residents had sought to convince a reluctant either place, they should get out of the comatose state in which pleasure, striving to instill in them radioactivity.

The original idea, however, came to me from a little argument with my son Bert ventilated when we go for coffee, when he sought that Rowan was the real hero of the Cuban War. Rowan had gone alone and done the thing - carried the message to Garcia. What bright spark, the idea took possession of my mind. It is true, I told myself, the guy is absolutely right, the hero is one who does the job that carries the message to Garcia.

I got up from the table and wrote "A Message to Garcia" in one sitting. However I called so little importance to this article, which ran it in the Magazine without a heading. Shortly after the edition went out of print, came pouring requests for extra copies of the March "Philistine": a dozen, fifty, one hundred, and when the American News Company ordered a thousand, I asked one of my helpers which the article had raised the cosmic dust.

- This Garcia - replied to me.

The next day a telegram came from George H. Daniels, the Central Railroad of New York, saying: "Give price on one hundred thousand copies of the article on Rowan booklet form, with ads on the back of the railroad. Also how soon can ship. "

I replied giving price, and stated we could supply the pamphlets in two years. Our facilities were small and a hundred thousand booklets looked like us an awful undertaking.

The result was that gave Mr. Daniels permission to reprint the article in his own way. He did so then in the form of leaflets and distributed them in such profusion that, two or three editions of half a million sold out quickly. In addition, the article was reprinted in over two hundred magazines and newspapers. It has been translated, so to speak, in all languages ​​spoken.

It happened that just when Mr. Daniels was doing the distributing A Message To Garcia, Prince Hilakoff, Director of Russian Railways, was in this country. He was the guest of the Central Railroad of New York, traveling throughout the country under Mr. Daniels. The prince saw the book and was interested more by the very fact that Mr. Daniels who was out in big quantity, which properly for any other reason.

In any event, when the prince returned to his homeland to translate the brochure into Russian and deliver a copy to each employee of the railroad in Russia. The was soon imitated by other countries, from Russia it passed into Germany, France, Turkey, Hindustan and China. During the war between Russia and Japan, was given a copy of "Message to Garcia" every Russian soldier who went to the front.

The Japanese, finding the booklets in possession of the Russian prisoners, concluded that he should be a good thing, and not slow to pour it into Japanese. By order of the Mikado a copy was given to each employee, civilian or military, the Japanese government.

For over forty million copies of "A Message to Garcia" have been printed, which is undoubtedly the largest circulation ever attained by any literary work during the life of the author, thanks to a series of lucky accidents.

Worth reading Gladwell's books.

What is the key to success? Well, of course, we need to define what success is, a subject which has lately generated various interpretations. But for simplicity, we understand it as something that fell into the public taste, which is popular. Thus, the symphonies of Mozart, the songs of the Beatles and Bill Gates windows serve as a good example of what pop is.

I read recently Outliers - Out of Series , from Malcolm Gladwell . The book discusses how some people managed to stand out, or what they did to succeed. And for that, the author discusses the importance of culture, family, friends, ancestors of the origin and time of birth as determining factors in the performance of their projects. But the major issue addressed is the rule of 10,000 hours, researched by scholars.

She says that to achieve excellence, you must have an accumulation of 10,000 hours of practice, which would mean 20h/semana 40h/semana in 10 years or in five years. We tend to be simplistic in our analysis, finding that success and genius are due exclusively to the lapses of creativity, but it seems that recognition has more to do with sweat than with a good idea.

Gladwell cites the example of Mozart , recognized as a great genius. He began composing at around age 7 years and know it is true that some good pieces written at the time of his adolescence. But the great symphonies were written after 21, when he has accumulated well over 10,000 hours of practice, compositions and performances.

The Beatles, before bursting, bleeding fingers playing a lot. They had to live for more than 1,200 times at the invitation of an owner of a bar in Hamburg , Germany, between 1960 and 1964. Lennon and McCartney totaled more than 10 years of material together when they returned to England and burst in the world. At the time, they played like no other.

Gates also had his moment of grating. Gladwell had the opportunity to interview him and he told an inspiring story well. At the time of his adolescence, Gates had the opportunity to have in your school, a computer available to programs. Remember that this was in the 70's, historical moment when computers were rare. Thus, spent every possible hour programming, even on your vacation. The chance of having this practice time, the inspiration generated by Steve Jobs and an entrepreneurial vision led Microsoft and Windows.

At this point, I'm sure you're calculating the number of hours you have devoted himself to what you like. Remember: to be recognized, have discipline, consistency and dedication. Be prepared for opportunities because this is the only success factor that you can master. The others seem to be casualties.