A model for understanding and building influence, breaking down the core components of persuasion.
Control of Desired Resources
Status is context-dependent and comes from controlling something others want. It's about having access to scarce resources in a specific environment.
Example:
A bartender has high status in a bar because they control the drinks. Outside the bar, that specific status diminishes.
Instructions Yielding Positive Outcomes
Power is built through a reinforcement cycle: giving guidance that leads to good results makes people trust and follow your future instructions.
Example:
Martha Stewart gained power by providing recipes that worked. People trusted her advice and bought her products as a result.
Demonstrable Proof of Skill
Credibility is about showing, not telling. It's the tangible evidence that you are as good as you say you are. More proof equals more credibility.
Example:
Selling a company for a large sum is demonstrable proof of business acumen. One hundred successful recipes provide more proof than one.
Perceived Similarity to Audience
People are more easily persuaded by those they see as similar to themselves in appearance, actions, and beliefs. This factor is relatively constant.
Example:
Even if two people share beliefs (high S, P, C), their distinct appearances can attract different audiences who relate more to one over the other.
Influence = Status(S) + Power(P) + Credibility(C) + Likeness(L).