1 Author: BhavinGandhi | Contact information: www.bhavingandhi.com

Become a better leader by understanding human psychology Bhavin Gandhi | September 7, 2011 at 5:07 PM | Tags: 21st century, Human Psychology, Leaders of Tomorrow, Leadership,Management | Categories: 21st Century, Leadership, Management | URL: http://wp.me/p103Cm-5B

As a human being, we are not rational creatures. We assume that beautiful people are smarter and kinder than other

people, just based on their looks. Thus, if we can understand these irrational biases then we can sometimes take

advantage of these influences in order to improve our leadership style. With my experience, I have created few golden

rules, which will help you to take advantage of these biases to become a better leader.

Make friends at work: I have seen many people, who believe that making friends at work is not a good idea. But I think,

they are missing out on a big picture. Do you really want to work 40 hours/week at a place where you can’t even have a

normal conversation with your coworkers? Making friends at work will make your work life enjoyable. Also, research

shows that we are more likely to say yes to people we know and like. Thus, if you can get your coworkers to like you then

they are more likely to follow your lead and direction.

Convince others with social examples: Generally, people want to feel that their thoughts and actions are compatible

with others and are compliant to social norms. Thus, they normally look for social proof about any concept or a project. As

a leader, you can take advantage of this bias by pointing out examples of successful projects that are similar to the

project/proposal that you are proposing. Once you get few people leaning towards your direction, it’s difficult for other

people to oppose that direction because of the power of social proof.

Ask for help instead of money: Normally, people are conditioned to reciprocate gifts, favors, and considerations. If they

don’t reciprocate, they risk being disliked by others, so reciprocation is related to social proof. It also works other way

around. If you ask someone for a favor, and if they grant it, they will feel kindlier toward you and will be more likely to say

yes to you in the future. Thus, always present your ideas as – ‘idea under construction’ in front of your superiors or

stakeholders, and then ask them for help to make it a solid idea. I bet you that people will see the same idea differently, if

you went to them asking ‘help’ instead of ‘funding’.

I hope these tips will prove to be helpful in making the best use of human psychology to become a better leader. If you

know any other ways to take advantage of human psychology to become a vibrant leader then please feel free to share it

with me. I am always looking for people’s feedback to improve my knowledge. Thanks. – Bhavin Gandhi