The Ethics of Influence
“Those who cheat for you will cheat against you.”
Robert Cialdini, Pre-Suasion
The levers of persuasion are means not ends; they’re neither good nor bad. But it’s in your self-interest to respect the ethics of influence.
For example, you may not like Trump, but he became president in part thanks to his use of persuasive tools, as Scott Adams expertly breaks down in Win Bigly. But those same tools can be used by Democrats.
You can use the levers to manipulate others for unethical purposes. Or you can use them for good by, for example, tapping into our laziness and increasing the rate of organ donors, as described in Nudge.
Leave It Better Than You Found It
The levers of persuasion should be used ethically, for positive ends. Simply put, you should use them to make this world better than you found it.
It’s in Your Self-Interest to Be Ethical
This isn’t some lofty idealism, either; it’s in your own self-interest to adhere to the ethics of persuasion.
For example, as Robert Cialdini discusses in Pre-Suasion, if a business lets its employees use unethical methods, research shows that the business will attract and retain employees that find cheating acceptable. And eventually, they’ll cheat the business.
And the same rationale applies to your personal life; using the levers of persuasion to unethically manipulate others will push the good people out of your life.
Using the tools unethically causes a sort of Gresham’s Law; the bad pushes out the good, until your business or life is rotten and empty.
You lose credibility. You lose impact. You lose respect.
Is that the person you really want to be?
Think Before You Influence
I’m all in favor of learning how to pervasively influence others.
And you should be, too.
But there are times and places that the levers of persuasion should and shouldn’t be used. Ultimately, your hopes, goals, and integrity will dictate how you apply the ethics of influence.
But, at a minimum, use the tools to leave this world better than you found it.
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Every time you interact with the world, the tools of persuasion are used for or against you. Fortunately for you, they’re easy to learn. Levers of Persuasion is a winning, trusted site for helping you learn and hone these tools.
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