Magnetic Influence Program

a.k.a. The Smiling Ox Paradox®

Become one of those rare people others feel compelled to follow.

The Problem

People will not believe a leader's message unless they first believe in the leader as the messenger.

If leaders want to unlock the potential of their team and the organisation, how they show up is paramount.

The Insight

Some leaders show up in a way that inspires greatness in others. They are universally admired, respected and have that rare power to get others to follow their lead. We call this Magnetic Influence.

The Program

Participants walk away with self awareness as to their current level of influence and practical tools they can use to immediately level up their impact.

Watch
Michelle and Shaun on the Magnetic Influence Program.
What is Magnetic Influence?

Most of us have worked with someone who just had that X factor with people. When they speak, people listen. When they make a suggestion, people act on it. When they lead a team, people are willing to follow them into battle.

According to a rich and deep history of social psychology research, these people display two qualities: Warmth and Strength. They are universally admired, respected and influential, across cultures. The catch? They are rare.

Why Magnetic Influence?

Leadership requires us to get results with and through other people. But other people will not believe our message unless they first believe in us, as the messenger. The lens of Warmth and Strength is how people assess the messenger.

If a leader is seen as high in Strength but not Warmth, we see them as Formidable, respected only begrudgingly and rarely helped to succeed. If a leader is seen as high in Warmth but not Strength, we see them as a Delightful and trustworthy human, but we do not trust their ability to deliver.

Michelle Rushton and Shaun Kenny call this The Smiling Ox Paradox®. Smiling represents warmth. Ox represents strong as an ox. The paradox is that people are typically seen as either warm or strong, but not both.

Key Outcomes

What your leaders walk away with

01
Know what great looks like
A science-backed picture of the two qualities that make people follow, Warmth and Strength, so leaders know what they are aiming for.
02
See how they actually land
The Magnetic Influence Diagnostic gives each leader an honest read on how they are perceived today and the gap between their intention and their impact.
03
Strategies they can use immediately
Specific, practical behaviours to build both Warmth (connection, liking and trust) and Strength (respect, gravitas and confidence).
04
A toolkit and an action plan
Each participant receives a Takeaway Toolkit, plus their action plan built in the session for themselves and their team.
05
Nudges that reinforce over time
Behavioural nudges through Leadership Engine remind and reinforce the new behaviours long after the session, so they become habit.
The Diagnostic

The Magnetic Influence Diagnostic

Pair the program with our validated diagnostic so each leader sees exactly how they are perceived on Warmth and Strength, then tracks their growth over time.

Self Diagnostic
Each leader rates themselves across the eight dimensions of Warmth and Strength.
360° Diagnostic
Feedback from managers, peers and stakeholders reveals the gap between intention and impact.
See the Diagnostic →
The Magnetic Influence Diagnostic report shown on a laptop
Session Flow

How the session unfolds

Timings and emphasis are tailored to your group and the time available.

1
Your specific context
Each leader maps their most important professional and personal relationships and where Magnetic Influence will matter most. They then bring to mind an influential person they admire and, in small groups, discuss and derive what it is that gives that person such influence.
2
The science of Magnetic Influence
We explore the two qualities behind passionate followership, Warmth and Strength, and the paradox of holding both at once. We draw on the behavioural science, neuroscience and evolutionary science that explain why these principles hold true across time and cultures.
3
Hold up the mirror
Each leader learns how they are currently perceived through their Magnetic Influence Diagnostic results. We also do an exercise in the room in which they give qualitative feedback to each other, further adding nuance to their data. A highly interactive, fun and valuable part of the session.
4
Warmth strategies
We get super practical and tactical, tying the behaviours that build connection, liking and trust to each leader's own context at work.
5
Strength strategies
The same practical, tactical approach for the behaviours that build respect, confidence and gravitas. We study and analyse video to see Magnetic Influence in action.
6
Make it real
Each leader commits to the specific shifts they will make to become more Magnetic and lead in a way others feel compelled to follow.
Format & Delivery

Shaped around your context

Duration
2 hours, half day or full day
Delivery
In person or virtual
Audience
Leadership cohorts or intact teams
Two ways to work with us

People of Influence is the consultancy through which Michelle Rushton and Shaun Kenny deliver leadership programs, team offsites and impactful conferences.

Contact People of Influence →

Leadership Engine is our proprietary platform for diagnostics, dashboards and roadmaps.

Visit Leadership Engine →