Persuadable: How Great Leaders Change Their Minds to Change the World

by Al Pittampalli

Overview

As a leader, changing your mind has always been perceived as a weakness. Not anymore. In a world that’s changing faster than ever, successful leaders realize that a genuine willingness to change their own minds is the ultimate competitive advantage.

Drawing on evidence from social science, history, politics, and more, business consultant Al Pittampalli reveals why confidence, consistency, and conviction, are increasingly becoming liabilities—while humility, inconsistency, and radical open-mindedness are powerful leadership assets.

In Persuadable, you’ll learn how Ray Dalio became the most successful hedge fund manager in the world by strategically curbing confidence. How Alan Mullaly saved Ford Motor Company, not by staying the course, but by continually changing course. How one Nobel Prize-winning scientist discovered the cause of ulcers by bravely doubting his own entrenched beliefs. You’ll learn how Billy Graham’s change of heart helped propel the civil rights movement, and how a young NFL linebacker’s radical new position may prove to alter the world of professional football as we know it.

Pittampalli doesn’t just explain why you should be persuadable. Distilling cutting edge research from cognitive and social psychology, he shows you precisely how. Rife with actionable advice, Persuadable is an invaluable guide for today’s data-driven, results-oriented leader.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062333896
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/26/2016
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Al Pittampalli is the author of Read This Before Our Next Meeting, a manifesto for transforming the way organizations hold meetings. As a business consultant, Al has helped organizations like NASA, Boeing, Hertz, and Nokia adapt to a fast-changing world. He is a former IT advisor at Ernst & Young LLP and lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

1 The Changing Face of Leadership 1

Part I The Persuadable Advantage

2 Get Smart: Accuracy, Agility, and Growth 21

3 The Truest Path to Self-Determination 45

4 In Defense of the Flip-Flop 67

Part II The Seven Practices of Persuadable Leaders

5 Consider the Opposite 87

6 Update Your Beliefs Incrementally 103

7 Kill Your Darlings 121

8 Take the Perspectives of Others 141

9 Avoid Being Too Persuadable 157

10 Convert Early 171

11 Take On Your Own Tribe 187

Conclusion 203

Acknowledgments 207

Don't Lose Momentum 211

Notes 213

Index 233

Editorial Reviews

Al Pittampalli is leading a new generation of big thinkers. He’s willing to show us what works, and he does it with flair and generosity. Read this book and share it. Hurry.” — Seth Godin, Author of Your Turn

“The benefits of persuadability have long been underappreciated. No more, not after this compelling and well-informed account of when and how to change our minds most productively.” — Robert B. Cialdini, author of INFLUENCE

“In a complex decision-making environment, staying the course can often mean marching toward oblivion. That’s why PERSUADABLE is so refreshing. This terrific book is full of captivating stories and convincing research about the value of changing your mind, along with lessons that help you become a more effective leader.” — Daniel H. Pink, author of TO SELL IS HUMAN and DRIVE

“Pittampalli offers a crucial but counter-intuitive insight — that being persuadable makes you more powerful — and lays out why this is so and how to get there. In a different mood, I would tell you that it’s the best business book you’ll ever read.” — Douglas Stone, coauthor of Difficult Conversations and Thanks for the Feedback

From the Publisher

Al Pittampalli is leading a new generation of big thinkers. He’s willing to show us what works, and he does it with flair and generosity. Read this book and share it. Hurry.

Seth Godin

Pittampalli offers a crucial but counter-intuitive insight — that being persuadable makes you more powerful — and lays out why this is so and how to get there. In a different mood, I would tell you that it’s the best business book you’ll ever read.

Douglas Stone

In a complex decision-making environment, staying the course can often mean marching toward oblivion. That’s why PERSUADABLE is so refreshing. This terrific book is full of captivating stories and convincing research about the value of changing your mind, along with lessons that help you become a more effective leader.

Daniel H. Pink

The benefits of persuadability have long been underappreciated. No more, not after this compelling and well-informed account of when and how to change our minds most productively.

Robert B. Cialdini