ABSTRACT

Understanding the power of subliminal influence makes or breaks leaders. What is it that subliminally motivates people to give their best, not just what’s in their job description? How do you build an outstanding team? (Spoiler: it’s not just by putting the best people in a team.) The answer lies in the power of subliminal influence. This book explains in a clear and accessible way this important, yet little known and understood, area of psychology and leadership.

As Emotional Intelligence helped managers and leaders to understand the importance of empathy in the workplace, Subliminal Leadership takes us to the next level by explaining how influence through non-verbal communication mostly happens below the threshold of our conscious awareness: subliminal forms of body language and communication which influence other people's attitudes, thinking and behavior – and which may boost, or undermine a leader's authority, the performance of teams or the quality of key customer relationships. Readers will learn how we unconsciously communicate and how we positively or negatively influence other people in the process. Understanding subliminal influence will help people in, or aspiring towards, leadership positions to build trust, understand others’ emotions, make better decisions, and strengthen professional relationships. Based on recent scientific research in disciplines as diverse as psychology, evolutionary biology, anthropology, medicine, neuroscience, and management studies, the book offers a breakthrough, multidisciplinary approach to influence and leadership. 

This book is for everyone interested in the psychological, biological, and medical dimensions of leadership.

chapter |3 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|6 pages

Leadership in context

chapter 2|15 pages

Leadership as social influence

chapter 3|7 pages

Brain, mind, and body

chapter 4|13 pages

The underworld of the subliminal

chapter 5|16 pages

Influence, emotions, and self-leadership

chapter 6|12 pages

We communicate more than we think

chapter 7|15 pages

Empathy revisited

chapter 8|20 pages

Everyone is an influencer

chapter 9|16 pages

Emotional contagion

chapter 10|34 pages

The power of humor, trust, and charisma

chapter 11|14 pages

Leading with guts

chapter 12|20 pages

The intuitive leader

chapter 13|18 pages

Connecting brains

chapter 14|22 pages

Toxic leadership

An organizational spectrum disease

chapter 15|4 pages

Epilogue