Gary A. Williams

Robert B. Miller

<article-ideainbrief class="article-ideainbrief">
 <h4 class="ideainbrief-title">The Idea in Brief</h4>
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  <p>Your proposal was brilliant, your logic unassailable, your argument impassioned. So why didn’t your CEO buy your proposal?</p>
  <p>Chances are, you took a one-size-fits-all approach to persuasion. But different executives use different styles when deciding whether to accept an idea: Each wants certain <em>kinds</em> of information, at specific <em>steps</em> in the process.</p>
  <p>One decision-making style isn’t better than another. But to tip the outcome <em>your</em> way, you must understand your listener’s preferences—then tailor your persuasive efforts accordingly.</p>
  <p>The Idea in Practice</p>
  <h2>Five Decision-Making Styles</h2>
  <p>Consider this fictional scenario: Sales and Marketing VP Mary Flood knows her company must become more customer focused. She recommends decentralizing her operations into regional account teams—but needs her CEO’s support. Here’s how she’d argue her case, <em>depending</em> on her CEO’s decision-making style.</p>
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   <img src="/resources/images/article_assets/hbr/0205/R0205D_1.gif">
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</article-ideainbrief><p>It’s happened to you before. You call a meeting to try to convince your boss and peers that your company needs to make an important move—for instance, funding a risky but promising venture. Your argument is impassioned, your logic unassailable, your data bulletproof. Two weeks later, though, you learn that your brilliant proposal has been tabled. What went wrong?</p>

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Change the Way You Persuade

Managers typically use a one-size-fits-all approach when trying to influence their bosses and colleagues. New research shows that’s a mistake. Persuasion works best when it’s tailored to five distinct decision-making styles.

Change the Way You Persuade

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