The Texas summer is heating up, which means it’s time for my annual bag of beach books for corporate counsel. So stow the briefcases, grab the sunscreen and fire up the e-readers. This year’s books focus on persuasion, leadership and career development.
Persuasion is a key skill for corporate counsel. In “The Rules of Influence: Winning When You’re in the Minority,” William D. Crano drives home the point that the minority can persuade the majority only if the larger group sees the smaller group as a part of the majority. Exhibit A: Opponents of California’s Proposition 8, which prohibits same-sex marriage, lost at the ballot box. Why? None of their ads showed gay couples doing what heterosexual couples do: buying a house, going to the bookstore or driving to work. The ads were just a bunch of Hollywood celebrities lecturing on human rights. Crano’s bottom line: “[T]he minority must become recognized as a legitimate part of the larger group.” He tells readers how to make that happen.
