Yes.
Our culture has a huge bias toward science. There are signs, posted on lawns with a set of axioms, one of which is “science is real”. I understand what they are driving at, it’s a political comment aimed at the climate change deniers. Still the absurdity and shallowness of these axioms astound me.
Science is poorly positioned to comment on human meaning and certainly not on ultimate reality. That is the realm of philosophy and theology. What science can do is help us understand the objective dynamics set in motion by human action. Human beings tend to behave a certain way. Helpful information, that. Robert Cialdini, a social scientist found Six Principles that can help us understand how people tend to behave. This is solid, researched based information. We quickly see these principles being abused by cult leaders, despots, used car salesmen and other manipulative folks, motivated entirely from the intersection of ego and power. In fear of becoming overly manipulative, many neglect the study of influence to their own detriment.
Fact: To expand your influence, beyond your 168 hours each week, you must gain the cooperation of others. People love to buy, hate to be sold. So, do influence in your unique style (art), with integrity (ethics), and by all means don’t ignore the objective evidence (science).
In case you’ve not found time to listen to the entire interview with Brian Ahearn, certified Cialdini instructor, here is a short sample for you:
It turns out, modern scientists are catching up to ancient spiritual masters. What you give, you receive. On a side note, the neuroscientist now knows what 12th century priests and Buddhists monks taught us centuries ago, meditation brings peace of mind. Go science!
Kidding aside, please give thought this week to your ethical influence strategy. The dividends in relationship and result will be well worth your investment in this study.
As always, we’d love to hear from you.
Diamond Mind Thomas
Tom@Rosenak.com
