Today I share with you the story of a wise man in the Middle East who was challenged by a young ambitious man. The wise man was known for providing good counsel and solving disputes. He appeared to know the answer to every predicament brought before him and solved those predicaments over many years. When the young ambitious man heard of the wise man, he sought to undermine the wise man’s authority and prove him wrong.

 

The young man hatched a vicious plan involving a dove and death. He would go to the wise man holding a dove in his hands and ask whether or not the dove was alive or dead. If the wise man said the dove was dead, the young man would release the dove and prove him wrong. If the wise man said the dove was alive, the young man would kill it in his hands. The young man felt his plan was foolproof.

 

Alex goes on to reveal the dilemma the wise man was put in by the young man. Rather than speaking immediately, the wise man ponders the question of the young man. When he was ready the wise man spoke. He told the young man that the choice in whether the dove was alive or dead rested solely within himself.

 

This story segues perfectly into the three key insights for this episode:

 

• Authority earned gradually is ethical. Authority gained instantly is typically unethical.
• Consistency and commitment, one of the 6 Laws of Persuasion by Dr. Robert Cialdini, are imperative in establishing authority.
• We define what wisdom is by definition and how it conflicts with ambition.

 

Don’t miss this inspiring episode in which we explore how to build authority to drive ethical influence, and spread wisdom without falling to ambition.  

 

In This Episode:

[3:55] - Alex reveals the three key insights for this episode.

[5:22] - Today’s story is about a wise man in a Middle Eastern village who was challenged by an ambitious young man looking to prove the wise man wrong for the first time and gain notoriety.

[10:22] - The young man poses his question and receives wisdom from the wise man.

[16:10] - Consistently and gradually building authority over time is the ethical way to grow.

[16:55] - Alex talks about the bell curve of simplicity and complexity in knowledge.

[18:48] - Oliver Wendell Holmes is the most quoted chief justice in American history — he said, “I wouldn’t give a fig for simplicity on the near side of complexity, but I would give my life for simplicity on the far side of complexity.”

[21:03] - He discusses ethical influence as determined by Dr. Robert Cialdini and his 6 Laws of Persuasion: Reciprocity, Commitment and Consistency, Social Proof, Liking, Scarcity, and you’ll need to research the final one. {Cialdini’s Six}

[24:44] - Alex shares a quote from his friend Roy H. Williams, “Passion doesn’t produce commitment. Commitment produces passion.”

[27:55] - Alex discusses the 4 Laws of Karma - Expansion, Likeness, Effect, and Cause - and their relation to ethics.

[31:33] - The Law of Cause and Effect is very accountable, consistent, and committed to the Laws of Nature.

[33:11] - The Alexism for this episode, “Social Influencers replace the age-old ‘Command & Control’ political management with ‘Engage & Enroll’ servant leadership.”

[34:03] - Alex runs back the episode in a quick review about the insights and implores that we all fight back against the disruption of dishonest people with our words and wisdom.

• Authority, when earned gradually, is ethical. Instant authority usually reveals a lack of ethics.
• Consistency and commitment are two of the most important in Cialdini’s Six Principles of Influence.
• What wisdom is by definition and how it conflicts with ambition.

[36:35] - If you’ve already given Alex a review, write down your biggest takeaway from this episode on an index card. If you haven’t, though, please use that Aha! moment as your review for the show at this link!

[38:07] - In honor of this episode, Alex gives listeners a final gift. You can get a completely free copy of his book Alexisms by going to this link! You will also get free access to his $497 VBT e-Course!

 

Links and Resources:

Alex Mandossian

Alex Mandossian Fan on Facebook

Alex’s Friday Live events

MarketingOnline.com

Marketing Online 4-Part Video Training Series

Alex Mandossian on YouTube

Alexisms by Alex Mandossian

All Selling Aside on iTunes

Alex Mandossian’s free live Friday show

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

Influence (Principle of Ethical Influence) by Dr. Robert Cialdini

Cialdini’s 6 Principles of Persuasion

Brendan Burchard

Tucker Max

Roy H. Williams of Wizard Academy

Mondaymorningmemo.com

Darren Hardy of Success Magazine

Darren Daily On Demand Podcast

All Selling Aside Episode 53: Avoid Bad Business Karma