You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink; so goes the old saying, anyway. I don’t have a lot of experience with horses, so I don’t know. What I do know, though, is that when it comes to your employees, you can get them to do things because they HAVE to, or you can get them to do things because they WANT to. Of the two, the latter is likely to give you better results.

Yes, you can get people to do things because they work for you, holding over their heads the fact the you control their position, their salary, even just the fact they have a job. But you may create some resentment regarding the authority you have over them, or they might be concerned that they cannot challenge your ideas because of the position you hold. This can lead to an adversarial relationship between you and your employees, and what you need is cooperation rather than competition. When your employees are doing things only because they have to, they are often not inclined to do much more than the minimum; they certainly do not have a lot of incentive to do their best.

But when they are doing something they want to do, well, that’s another story. When people do something they find interesting, or when it evolves from their own ideas, they have more internal motivation to do the best job they can.

This might sound like a simple “carrot or stick” approach — either providing incentives for doing something right or disincentives for failure to perform — but it can be more than that. Your employees might even use it on you. During my career, when I have been a junior person on a project, I have often used an approach I call “leading from behind.” The idea is simple: rather than voicing my own opinion — which, in my environment, was likely to be dismissed by more senior people — I instead asked questions…but asked them in such a way that when they answer my question they will do it with the answer that would have been my opinion had I offered it. By guiding them with a series of questions I could get them onto the path I think is right, but they think it was their own idea so they are more likely to accept it. (you might call this “passive-aggressive” but I think “leading from behind” sounds so much nicer) Trying to coerce people with logic and data does not always work; often, the trick is to have them internalize an idea and go forward with it.

So how do you effectively persuade people to do what you want them to do? Well, first, it helps to hire people who share your vision. Having a common frame of reference helps them see the value of your goals. Then, encourage them to bring their own ideas forward, so they have a greater stake in the outcome. Show them the link between their contribution and the final product, and to the organization’s objectives. Make sure they see how their unique skills play a role. Keep in mind that if your employees know they will have the chance to do interesting things, then later they will be in a more receptive frame of mind when it comes to doing those things that are not their idea or are not their favorite thing to do.

Some leaders do not like the idea of persuasion because they think people should do their best without a boss making this extra effort. To them I say: get over it. There is a difference between how you think people should feel and how they really feel. Your focus should be on getting the job done as well as possible, not on getting it done on your terms. Consider how the art of persuasion can help you in your leadership role.